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LSU and The Purple Jersey Story

Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:25 am
Posted by Hoyt
Alabama: The Beautiful
Member since Aug 2011
5397 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:25 am
First of all, thanks to you guys for allowing me to post here... I have always enjoyed Tigerdroppings! Now, what is the story behind LSU rarely ever wearing their purple jerseys? As on outsider, I think the purple jerseys are sharp...Always wondered and since you guys are wearing them Saturday, I thought it would be a good time to ask. See ya'll in November..

-Hoyt
Posted by java
Member since Jan 2004
176 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:28 am to
White jerseys were the tradition for years until NCAA mandated dark shirts for home games. Gerry Dinardo successfully petitioned to allow white jerseys if visiting team agrees. Think the only times refused was by Dinardos replacement at Vandy and Spurrier one year.
This post was edited on 10/9/15 at 8:28 am
Posted by ETPHONEHOME
Member since Aug 2014
167 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:28 am to
As you know, dark jerseys are worn for home games however in the 80's or 90's, not sure when LSU decided they liked their white jerseys better. LSU request to wear white jerseys for home games if the other team allows it. Most teams don't mind wearing their dark home jersey for away games which lets LSU wear their away white jersey.
Posted by WavinWilly
Wavin Away in Sharlo
Member since Oct 2010
8783 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:29 am to
quote:

LSU is one of the few college football teams that
traditionally wear white jerseys for home
games. The tradition originated when LSU won
its first national championship in 1958. Head
coach Paul Dietzel had a habit of tinkering with
the uniform every year. In 1958, he chose to
wear white jerseys for LSU’s home games, and
the Tigers subsequently won the national championship.
A superstitious man, Dietzel didn’t
change the uniform after that season. LSU continued
to wear white jerseys for home games
throughout the Charlie McClendon Era. When
Jerry Stovall took over as head coach in 1980, he
said the Tigers would occasionally wear purple
jerseys so that home fans could see a different
color. In 1982, the NCAA changed its jersey rule,
requiring teams to wear dark colored jerseys for
home games. The Tigers wore purple jerseys for
all home games from 1983 to 1994. When Gerry
DiNardo became head coach in 1995, he vowed
to change the NCAA jersey rule. After petitioning
the rules committee of the American
Football Coaches Association, he personally met
with each member of the NCAA Football Rules
Committee. DiNardo’s efforts were successful
and the Tigers were allowed to wear white jerseys
again beginning in 1995. A stipulation of
the new rule was that the visiting team would
have to give the home team permission to wear
the white jerseys. The first team to deny LSU’s
request was DiNardo’s former team, Vanderbilt.
Posted by JPap7LSU
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2015
38 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:29 am to
White Jerseys are tradition, purple are mainly used when we can't use white. Looking forward to playing y'all in November!
Posted by Tigertown in ATL
Georgia foothills
Member since Sep 2009
29209 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:30 am to


Didn't the SEC change the rule and allow the home team to choose? Only applies to SEC matchups.
Posted by GeauxTigerTM
Member since Sep 2006
30596 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:31 am to
quote:

I have always enjoyed Tigerdroppings! Now, what is the story behind LSU rarely ever wearing their purple jerseys?


LSU did wear purple before Paul Deitzel in the late 50's when he overhauled the uniform to the basic layout we have today. Given the heat, is my assumption, we stuck with white as much as possible forgoing the purples at home. since most clubs wear darks at home, we wore the whites away as well.

In the 80's a rule was in place that mandated having to wear darks at home, so we brought back the purple jerseys then.

Late 90's saw DiNardo and LSU petition to NCAA to allow the home team to determine jersey color with some caveats, so LSU began wearing the whites at home again...

When Saban got here, he complained a bit about recruits mentioning they didn't like ONLY wearing whites, so they started wearing the purples at home for OOC games so long as they were not the first game of the season. Wearing them tomorrow for an SEC game at home hasn't happened since the early 90's I'd think.

all that being said, I've never been a huge fan of our purples as they are, but I'm kind of in the minority on that...
Posted by Festus
With Skillet
Member since Nov 2009
85046 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:31 am to
Hoyt,

I don't think there's any real interesting story behind it. Back in the day, it was fairly common to wear them. Back then, the rule was white at home, dark on the road. LSU fans generally thought the white was the sharpest, most traditional uniform in the country. Some time around the Hallman/Dinardo era, the team started asking to wear white all the time, because the fans generally thought they were the badassest uniforms. Then, it just sorta became a tradition.

Sorry, nothing interesting to report, as far as I know. And personally, I think the white jerseys and gold pants are by far the nicest uniforms. Puprle jerseys with the gold pants are very meh, imo. Then again, I'm old school.
Posted by Draconian Sanctions
Markey's bar
Member since Oct 2008
84894 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:31 am to
wearing white is an LSU tradition that dates back to Paul Dietzel.

Also to the poster who said Spurrier refused us, that's not really true. He allowed up to wear white at home but when we went to the Swamp he would request to wear white as well. This started because he was so irritated about the result of the 1997 game because no such request was made when LSU visited Gainesville in 1996.
Posted by I-59 Tiger
Vestavia Hills, AL
Member since Sep 2003
36703 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:34 am to
this will be LSU's first SEC game in Tiger Stadium in Purple jerseys since the 1994 Alabama game.

Charlie Mac's teams never wore purple in Tiger Stadium. Occasionally, Florida, Kentucky and Miss State would wear white at home during his tenure so LSU wore purple on the road a handful of times.

Stovall had LSU wear purple at home for Rice in 1981 and South Carolina in 1982 before the NCAA changed the rule the next year.
Posted by Festus
With Skillet
Member since Nov 2009
85046 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:36 am to
When I was a kid, I could swear the norm in college football was white at home, dark on the road. Am I going crazy, or just misremembering? Was there ever a time in CFB where the rule was white/home, dark/road?
Posted by southernelite
Dallas
Member since Sep 2009
53178 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:36 am to
quote:

. Think the only times refused was by Dinardos replacement at Vandy and Spurrier one year.


Oregon St. in the mid 00s refused as well. Then we proceeded to beat the shite out of them.
Posted by OneMoreTime
Florida Gulf Coast Fan
Member since Dec 2008
61837 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:37 am to
They are cursed
Posted by doya2
Charenton
Member since Jan 2005
7934 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:38 am to
Bring back the purple pants!

LINK
This post was edited on 10/9/15 at 8:44 am
Posted by I-59 Tiger
Vestavia Hills, AL
Member since Sep 2003
36703 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:41 am to
quote:

Oregon St. in the mid 00s refused as well. Then we proceeded to beat the shite out of them.


22-21 in overtime?
Posted by GeauxColonels
Tottenham Fan | LSU Fan
Member since Oct 2009
25604 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:42 am to
quote:

Bring back the purple pants!

Posted by I-59 Tiger
Vestavia Hills, AL
Member since Sep 2003
36703 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:43 am to
quote:

Was there ever a time in CFB where the rule was white/home, dark/road?


No. In fact until the early 1970's it wasn't unusual for both teams to wear dark (provided they weren't the same color.)
Posted by young moonlight
New Orleans
Member since Dec 2008
543 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:47 am to
quote:

Oregon St. in the mid 00s refused as well. Then we proceeded to beat the shite out of them.


If by beating the shite out of them means winning by one point in OT then yeah.

**Haha I-59 beat me to it
This post was edited on 10/9/15 at 8:49 am
Posted by OneMoreTime
Florida Gulf Coast Fan
Member since Dec 2008
61837 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:48 am to
And we only won because Serna missed 3 extra point tries.
Posted by CWGriswald
Thibodaux
Member since Nov 2005
543 posts
Posted on 10/9/15 at 8:48 am to
quote:

Was there ever a time in CFB where the rule was white/home, dark/road?


Basketball, but I don't believe in football.
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