Started By
Message

What forced LSU to step up and join the big boys.

Posted on 1/5/14 at 10:47 am
Posted by Ponchy Tiger
Ponchatoula
Member since Aug 2004
45085 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 10:47 am
Playing off of the Dark Ages thread. What do you think led LSU to step up and open the check book and quit going the cheap route? IMO it was actually the building of the east side upper deck. With the success of Dinardo's first 3 seasons interest in the program was through the roof. I think it was sometime in the 1997 season when it was decided it was going to be built. Then 1998 and Lou Tepper happened. Some may have forgotten how bad thing got during the 1999 season. You literally couldn't give tickets away. I think the Houston game had around 50,000 in the stadium. Not a very good sign when your adding premium suites and 10,000 seats. I think they knew they had to hit a home run or it could be disasterous. I remember they didn't even have a back forth with Saban. Joe Dean wanted low ball Saban and try to get him cheaper but he was told to give their best offer right off the bat. It sure did create a lot of buzz when LSU was the first to go to the million dollar level. This was the true transformation of LSU football.
Posted by TigerTreyjpg
Monroe, LA
Member since Jun 2008
5815 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 10:49 am to
Mark Emmert.

While he's done some things as NCAA czar that piss me off, we have him to thank - almost exclusively - for the success we've had .
Posted by ehidal1
Chief Boot Knocka
Member since Dec 2007
37133 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 10:51 am to
Saban and Emmert
Posted by tigerdup07
Member since Dec 2007
21966 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 10:52 am to
as stupid as this sounds, I will still say it:

sometimes I miss those days when our expectations weren't so fricking high and we went and STAYED at all the games. in fact, I think that the drunkest I've ever gotten in my life was in 97 after we defeated florida.

good times.....good times.
Posted by Slippy
Across the rivah
Member since Aug 2005
6571 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 10:53 am to
October 11, 1997.

The day we realized we could play with, and beat, the big boys.
Posted by LSURussian
Member since Feb 2005
126962 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 11:03 am to
Mark Emmert.
Posted by stout
Smoking Crack with Hunter Biden
Member since Sep 2006
167113 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 11:04 am to
quote:

Saban



Actually Dinardo set it in motion. He started to really concentrate on in state recruiting and keeping those guys here. Saban did well obviously but Dinardo set the wheels in motion and doesn't get enough credit for doing so. Landing a guy like Kevin Faulk was huge. Dinardo recruited lights out while here just made some bad administrative moves that cost him his job.
Posted by LSU GrandDad
houston, texas
Member since Jun 2009
21564 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 11:24 am to
quote:

Mark Emmert.


this. you gotta give curly hallman credit too. his astounding failure resulted in tiger fans staying away from football games and just being very blase' about the program. i guess you could say we bottomed out. along came a cooperative effort to analyze the program, created a successful TAF and to bring the program up a level.

also, LSU had been a big boy for quite awhile and was in the top 5-10 in attendence every year. it's just they didn't charge much for tickets and had no aggressive fund raising arm to supplement coaches salaries.
This post was edited on 1/5/14 at 11:26 am
Posted by TigahRag
Sorting Out OT BS Since 2005
Member since May 2005
132775 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 11:27 am to
We lost to Ole Miss the next week at home and DiNardo went 10-17 the rest of the way and got fired 2 years later ..
Posted by Tiger Ugly
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2008
14476 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 11:28 am to
quote:

Actually Dinardo set it in motion. He started to really concentrate on in state recruiting and keeping those guys here.


I'd actually agree with this. He started the Gridiron Club, The Recruiting Bash and he instigated a major upgrade in the facilities but had to piss a whole lot of the good old boys off along the way to do that.

But he kept some guys on his staff who felt slighted because one didn't get the DC job and they absolutely sabotaged the program from within. It was so dysfunctional and he allowed it.

But ultimately the rest are correct. It took Emmert to have the balls to bypass Dean and his boys who were always a bit too money conscious, when hiring coaches. And he backed Saban when he listed the demands upon being hired, which just would not have happened before him.
Posted by TigahRag
Sorting Out OT BS Since 2005
Member since May 2005
132775 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 11:29 am to
Dinardo just sucked at hiring coordinators his last few years ..
Posted by ehidal1
Chief Boot Knocka
Member since Dec 2007
37133 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 11:34 am to
Yep the momentum started with Kevin Faulk's commitment, then Bradie James. 1995 Bring Back the Magic victory over top 10?Auburn on ESPN really got the train going.

Dinardo was doing a good job of building the program, but was too stubborn with his assistants. He did get a new weight room built and facility improvements going also.
This post was edited on 1/5/14 at 11:45 am
Posted by therick711
South
Member since Jan 2008
25059 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:20 pm to
quote:

Dinardo just sucked at hiring coordinators his last few years ..


Dinardo was offered the ultimatum of wholesale staff changes or his job. Apparently he is a man of principle.
Posted by Tiger Ugly
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2008
14476 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:27 pm to
quote:

Dinardo was offered the ultimatum of wholesale staff changes or his job.


I do know he wanted to keep Morris Watts as OC, but the powers that be would not let him match the salary that MSU offered.

That crap ended with Saban/Emmert and from then on LSU has been among the nations leaders in coaching salary.

Now he butted heads with Carl Reese, and that led to the hiring of Tepper which many think was his downfall. No doubt Reese was better than Tepper, but there were forces within the staff that made it their mission to make damn sure Tepper would fail. And they succeeded. Ultimately Dinardo's responsibility and he paid with his job.
Posted by yellowtiger
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Mar 2004
3104 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:28 pm to
had Dinardo chosen better coordinators, he might still be here and who knows. Another interesting thing I recall is that while Dinardo started athletic building upgrades, etc., Saban did not like some of the locations, so he pushed for new ones.
Posted by Tiger Ugly
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2008
14476 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:30 pm to
quote:

Saban did not like some of the locations, so he pushed for new ones.


Exactly, thus Sabanville was built. It was a condition of his hire, and he was not happy that it took as long as it did.
Posted by King Joey
Just south of the DC/US border
Member since Mar 2004
12493 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:35 pm to
quote:

Mark Emmert
I usually think this is just a juvenile, stupid antic, because it is hardly ever appropriate; but, in this case

/endthread

Posted by Gray Tiger
Prairieville, LA
Member since Jan 2004
36512 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:37 pm to
quote:

and he was not happy that it took as long as it did.



Saban is never happy.
Posted by tigahlovah
virginia beach, va
Member since Oct 2009
3287 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:51 pm to
ehidall, that troy twillie bring back the magic game against au in 1995 MOST CERTAINLY wasn't on espn, or any other national network. I remember listening on my old short wave radio to that game, and almost hitting the roof when troy picked it off. Of course, i had to do the hoops ref backcourt count to 10 after dorkthorn reported the int., because i knew if he headn't changed the call in those ten seconds, there was a decent chance he accurately called the play right!!!!
Posted by 1984Tiger
North Carolina
Member since Apr 2006
7272 posts
Posted on 1/5/14 at 12:56 pm to
quote:

Saban is never happy.

Just like so many LSU fans ... hmmmmm.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 3Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram