Short Tribute - What it Means to be a Tiger

Purple and Gold Blood Runs Deep – The Feeling of Being an LSU Tiger:

It's what causes a Texan previously foreign to our dear sovereign to cherish and love the Tigers, and commit to a sense of undying loyalty to being one, the minute he experiences the unique, yet intoxicating taste of it. It's the driving force behind the late Texan's decision to have "LSU" embroidered on the breast of a purple sports coat. It's the reason why he frequently donned such a badge of honor and why it served as his impenetrable plate of armor, not unlike that of the universally recognized golden helmets donned by his Tigers.

It's the reason the sports coat transcended the limitations of mortal life, which burdened and eventually overtook its maker, by finding a new life on the shoulders of his grandson. It's the reason a sports coat made of basic earthly materials affords the late Texan not only the ability to continue to watch his adored Tigers, but to do so in the presence of his grandson twenty years after his untimely physical departure. It's the reason a purple sports coat with LSU embroidered on its breast becomes the grandson's most treasured possession. It's the reason the late Texan's sense of familial adoration and undying loyalty for his Tigers is passed down to and carried on by his grandson.

Now molded by the sacred lineage of his late grandfather, it's the overwhelming feelings of emotion that causes the grandson to shed a tear at the first game of every football season the moment the Golden Band from Tiger Land commences its performance of the legendary "Pregame" song minutes before kickoff. It's what motivates the grandson to offer additional “thanks” and “praise” to the Lord during his morning prayers on every occurrence he is blessed with the gift of awaking to an LSU game day and the privilege of watching his and his grandfather's beloved Tigers. It's the reason he turns around at the tunnel before leaving the inside of Tiger Stadium after the last home game of every season, to say with the deepest sincerity, "thank you", "good-bye", and "please don't let this be the last time I see you." It's the reason he refuses to depart the stadium prior to partaking in the singing of his "dear Old Alma Mater" and the cause for tightly embracing his loved ones during its sacred rendition; as if it might be the final occasion he shares the precious experience with them.

Albeit deprived of utterances worthy to justifiably explain the feeling of being an LSU Tiger and what it means to humbly indentify oneself with such pedigree, the grandson simply understands it and has plainly felt it. His late grandfather undeniably understood it and on some level certainly still feels it to this day. Possibly the only way to explain it is through an illustrative list of its effects personal to each one of us. In relation to the grandson, it’s the reason a legacy colored in Purple and Gold remains paramount to the preservation of the bond between him and his late grandfather twenty years after their physical separation.

Make no mistake, it's always a GREAT day to be an LSU TIGER and each tomorrow will be no different, regardless of any outcome!

In closing, I now offer you the rallying cry that we Tigers all share in common - Geaux Tigers!!!