re: When and Why did you become an LSU Tiger?

At the moment of my conception. Because it was my destiny.

Halloween 1959 - I was a third grade student living in the Chattanooga TN area. I had a cold and my mother wouldn't let me go trick or treating, so I started turning the dial on the radio and found WWL broadcasting LSU-OleMiss. After 3 hours of listening to J.C. Politz, I was hooked. My clock has been set back four seconds since the 1972 Ole Miss game.

1/2/1966. Cotton Bowl. LSU Arkansas. Sports Illustrated said we had no chance and should not be in the game, which had national title implications.

I was 13 and probably never watched an entire football game before that: no attention span for it. I was hooked.

Being employed for 32 years by UF just reinforces it.

1984. Moved here and all my coworkers Indoctrinated me in LSU sports history. It was love at first sight .

That's on my bucket list. Working on tix for that game. I'm 45 min N of Athens. Dads seen a few UGA asswhoopins from LSU baseball. Time for a transition.

Since you asked, do I have a story to tell....

It was in 1966. I was a 17-year-old HS senior in Hong Kong. I saw in LIFE Magazine (a popular magazine at the time with a worldwide circulation) a feature story about a moppy-haired, skinny basketball player from North Carolina who had signed with LSU. The story ran quite a few pages with lots of b/w pictures. The picture that impressed me most was where Pete had half-a-dozen cheerleaders around him, cheering him on. It was so impressive that I said to myself, that sure was cool and, if ever I would go to a US college, LSU is where I would go!

I went to an Anglican HS in Hong Kong and when the English teacher found out that I was going to apply to LSU, she took me aside and in the most serious tone, said that the Lousiana experience was going to ruin my speech for life!

What she had said made me want to come to LSU even more!

I transferred to LSU in 1969 in my Junior year. I graduated in 1971 and even stayed to do my graduate work so I could sit in the North End Zone and watch more memorable games, like LSU over Auburn 21-20 (first offensive play was a half-back pass for TD), the Orange Bowl game when we beat Archie Manning 61-17.... Of course, I was in the Parker Auditorium to watch Pete break the NCAA scoring record....

In all likelihood I'm the biggest Tiger fan from this neck of the woods (I now work and reside in Toronto, Canada).

LSU was a wonderful experience and my flawed speech is well worth it!

Birth.

Both parents went to LSU and I was raised to bleed purple and gold... No other option.

I grew up in Arkansas from 8 yrs old, went to High School in Fayetteville and was a Hog fan. LSU was my "second" team due to a family that were die hard Tiger fans. Went to my first game to the Liberty Bowl in 78. Graduated from the U of A and got accepted into LSU-SVM for my Doctorate. When I arrived in Baton Rouge, I was a mis-placed Hog fan. Then I went to my first game in Tiger Stadium and the illusion was gone. I thought Arkansas had the best fans but my wife from Port Sulphur, Death Valley, tailgating and everything else changed that thought. I switched my favorite to LSU. Later I moved back to Arkansas and the venom from the Swine fans towards anything LSU eliminated any remaining Hog ties. We're Tigers to the core and catch hell from my family and old friends...they've become Tiger Bait!!!

September 29, 1979. I remember it like it was yesterday!