re: Why aren't student tickets free as they once were?

It's not about money, it's about controlling the number of people in the stadium.

In the 1983 Washington game, so many students showed up that there was no room on the aisles for anybody to move. It led to a record crowd of 83,000+, but the fire marshal got nervous and required LSU to do something to limit the number of students. As a result, a new system of tickets and date tickets was created, and you could no longer just walk up with your student ID.

The same thing happened in Basketball a few years later. I served on a committee that mapped out a similar plan for the PMAC to deal with the large crowds Shaq and CJ were pulling. I graduated as it was implemented, but at least I got to meet Dale Brown.

Neither plan ever affected me because I was in the band for both sports. But my roommate always had to get the tickets before the season started.

Hope this helps.

GEAUX TIGERS