Tiger Stadium is over a century old.
The team at 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge hasn’t been around that long, but some of our memories stretch back to the early 1980s. Some haven’t been around quite as long.
“Favorite memory” can mean a moment, a game or an experience. For many people, it harkens back something different.
Jacob Hester, Co-host, Off the Bench: For me, it’s the 2007 Florida game. It wasn’t because of anything individually. It was because of the environment. Florida came in as the defending national champion. Tim Tebow was on the other sideline. College GameDay was there, and Tiger Stadium felt like it was shaking from kickoff to the final whistle. It was one of those nights where the crowd genuinely became part of the game. I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since. That’s the night that, to me, perfectly captures what Tiger Stadium is all about.
If it’s for a game as a fan, as incredible as the 2007 Florida game was, the 2022 Alabama game is right there with it for a completely different reason. I wasn’t playing, and I wasn’t working the game. I was simply a fan sitting in the stands with my oldest son, Jackson.
We watched the entire game together, and when LSU scored to cut it to one, Jackson immediately said, “They’re going for two.” We got to watch Jayden Daniels connect with Mason Taylor for the game-winning conversion, and celebrating that moment together is something I’ll never forget.
Tiger Stadium has given me unforgettable memories as a player, but sharing one like that with my son is every bit as special.
Matt Flynn, Co-host, Off the Bench: My favorite memory of Tiger Stadium was a turning point in my life. A ‘line in the sand’ moment in time that happened after a few too many shots at Tiger Land.
2005, after being named the back up and watching an incredible player play ahead of me, I contemplated transferring. One night, after the bars closed, I decided that it would be a good idea to sneak into Tiger Stadium. I found an open gate, walked in, and sat in the bleachers all alone. I looked around at the stadium, under the moonlight, and Death Valley spoke to me. I decided that night that I would never leave LSU.
I will never forget how incredible it looked that night, and I am so grateful that I decided to break the rules one random night in college.
Taylor Sharp, Video Producer, Off the Bench: It has to be LSU vs Florida 2007. That will forever be my favorite season of Tiger football. I have loved LSU since I was four-years-old, but ’07 is when I was truly hooked on the sport of college football. It’s when I developed my passion and knew I wanted to go into sports broadcasting as a career. That game against Florida might be the greatest Tiger Stadium atmosphere I’ve witnessed. There was 10-year-old Taylor right in the middle of it all, screaming so loud that I got a splitting headache (still kept cheering on the Tiger’s though). What’s not to love about it? 5 for 5 on 4th down, Gator Chomping leaving the stadium to mock Florida fans, and of course sending Tebow and Urban Meyer back to Gainesville with a loss. Yeah, 2007 LSU vs Florida was magic!
Alondra Villarreal, Audio Producer, Off the Bench: Actually, my favorite memory in Tiger Stadium isn’t even from a football game. I came to LSU for freshman orientation in 2016. I had no ties to LSU or Louisiana, but I felt drawn to this school. On my last day of orientation, my family and I were walking to see Mike when none other than Verge Ausberry walked up to us. He asked where we were from and if we’d like a tour of Tiger Stadium. Verge took us through the locker room, let me hit the “Win” bar on my way out of the tunnel, and even let us walk onto the field. In that moment, it felt like a sign that I was making the right decision by coming to LSU. Now, years later, Verge is the Athletic Director, and I’m lucky enough to walk onto that same field in a completely different capacity. That full-circle moment is why this will always be my favorite Tiger Stadium memory.
Charles Hanagriff, Co-host, Live at Lunch: 2003 against Georgia…Tigers give up a 93-yard touchdown to tie the score. The crowd starts chanting “LSU, LSU” in a deafening roar. Devery Henderson returns the kickoff near midfield, a few plays later Matt Mauck hits Skylar Green for the game winner.
The game marked a turning point for the program. It stamped them as a legitimate National Championship contender for the first time since the 60’s. It broke forever the “day game” jinx. The team, and the fans, answered Nick Saban’s challenge not to wilt in the face of adversity. It was the day the “Brook Trout” look died.
Hunt Palmer, Host, The Hunt Palmer Show: I was nine. My dad asked me if I wanted to go to the LSU game in a couple of weeks. “You’ll miss your soccer game, and we’re probably going to get crushed.” I decided to go anyway. We sat in the south endzone as LSU beat No. 1 Florida 28-21 in 1997. All 28 points came right in front of me. That night set the purple and gold hook for me. For years, I played football alone in the back yard as Herb Tyler and Kevin Faulk against Jacquez Green and Fred Taylor. I remember skipping down the ramps that night after the goalposts game down. I may as well have been floating.
Jordan Kitchens, Audio Producer, The Hunt Palmer Show: My favorite Tiger Stadium memory is easy, and I hate nothing will ever top this experience. The year is 2018, my freshman year of college, and it’s Joe Burrow’s first season with the Tigers. My friend’s brother got sick, so she invited me in his place. So, now I have not only a ticket to the game, but it’s against #2 GEORGIA BULLDOGS. IN THE STUDENT SECTION BASICALLY BY THE GUYS THAT PAINT THEIR BODIES. LSU pulls off the massive upset, LOUDEST environment I’ve ever heard in my life. Still to this date, not only that… LSU rushes the field after the win. And ol’ Southern University Jordan Kitchens is running on Death Valley’s field because of a sick brother. Life is crazy.
Matt Moscona, Host, After Further Review: It’s not the greatest game I ever saw, but the 2001 Auburn game and the celebration that followed is my favorite memory. The game was postponed due to the September 11 attacks and became a de facto SEC West championship game. LSU beat Auburn to advance to the SEC championship game for the first time in program history. We stormed the field and lit up cigars. This was two years after Auburn smoked cigars on the field at Tiger Stadium in 1999. I still have a glass jar in my office with a chunk of turf from the eye of the Tiger at midfield and my half-smoked cigar. It’s a night that I hope I never forget.
Matt Musso, Audio Producer, After Further Review: There are the ones everybody knows and will always be listed. Florida in 2007, Georgia in 2003, Alabama in 2022. I’ll go off the beaten path and say LSU vs. Arkansas in 2011. This was an awesome game to attend in person. People forget it was a Top 3 matchup because LSU won it 41-17, but it was. Plus, LSU fell behind 14-0 before Tyrann Mathieu’s dramatic punt return got the Tigers back into it. The cherry on top of the win was that it completed the first 12-0 regular season in program history. I’m all about seeing things that have never been done. This one stands out as an underrated moment in Tiger Stadium history and one of my favorites that I’ve seen.
Paul O’Neill, Video Producer, After Further Review: My favorite Tiger Stadium memory doesn’t have anything to do with the actual game itself; it’s about who I was with. My favorite memory is the first game I went to with my dad. To be honest, I don’t even remember the opponent. I just remember getting ready at home putting on our LSU gear and loading up the car for my first tailgate. I remember being in awe of the atmosphere on campus for an LSU gameday. My dad prepped me on what to expect when we actually walked in, but nothing can prepare you for the first time you hear the roar of Tiger Stadium and the fireworks going off as the team runs out of the tunnel. I just remember watching the game with my dad, and I look forward to having that same memory with my kids at their first LSU football game.
