LSU Tigers football

The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in the sport of American football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as the head coach the Tigers have been consistently a top ten team. LSU enters the 2011 season with 721 victories, the 12th most in NCAA history, and the 4th most of any SEC team, behind only Alabama (792), Tennessee (783), and Georgia (731). LSU entered the 2010 season with a 0.641 all-time winning percentage, the 14th best in the NCAA, and the 4th best in the SEC, behind only Alabama (0.707), Tennessee (0.692), and Georgia (0.646). They won the BCS National Championship in 2004 (2003 season) with a 21–14 win over Oklahoma in the Nokia Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, and victory in the 2008 (2007 season) BCS National Championship Game versus the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 38–24 score, thus becoming the first team since the advent of the BCS to win multiple BCS national titles.

National championships
The NCAA's website states that "the NCAA does not conduct a national championship in Division I-A football and is not involved in the selection process." It goes on to say that "a number of polling organizations provide a final ranking of Division I-A football teams at the end of each season." LSU officially claims three national championships (1958, 2003 & 2007); however, the school has been recognized as national champions by polling organizations on four additional occasions: 1908, 1935, 1936 and 1962. (The NCAA officially changed the "I-A" designation to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2006.) In the 2007 season, LSU became the first Collegiate Football program to win the BCS National Championship Game twice and the second Collegiate Football program to win the National Collegiate Football Championship with multiple losses with a 12–2 record.


 * 2011 || Les Miles || BCS, AP, Coaches || 13-0 || BCS National Title Game || LSU, University of Alabama
 * -align="center"
 * colspan=4 bgcolor="#FFCC00"| Total national championships:
 * colspan=2 bgcolor="#FFCC00"| 

Conference championships
LSU has won a total of fourteen conference championships in three different conferences. Since becoming a founding member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in 1933, LSU has won eleven conference championships.

Divisional championships
Since the SEC began divisional play in 1992, LSU has won or shared the SEC West title 8 times, and is 4–1 in the SEC Championship game.

Current coaching staff
LSU Football Coaches

Jerseys
LSU has worn nearly the same jerseys since the inception of the program. The team has sported the traditional gold helmet with purple face mask, with white and purple stripes down the center and team logo on the side. LSU's jerseys for home games are white with purple and gold stripes on the shoulder, with purple numbers. Since the wearing of white jerseys has become a tradition for LSU football, the white jerseys are worn for both away games and home games (when allowed). The current style of jerseys were introduced by coach Paul Dietzel in 1957 with "TV" numerals on the shoulders. Those numbers were moved to the sleeves in 1959, where they have remained.

Pants
The team traditionally wears one style of pants, which are gold with white and purple trim. For a 1995 game at Kentucky, the Tigers wore purple pants, which had no stripes and a tiger head logo on the left thigh. LSU lost to the Wildcats 24–16 and the pants were auctioned off.

LSU has worn white pants on five occasions since 1996
 * Three times with gold jerseys (vs. Vanderbilt in 1996, vs. Notre Dame in the 1997 Independence Bowl, and at Florida in 1998).
 * Once with purple jerseys, in a 2007 game at Tulane to promote relief for Hurricane Katrina.
 * Twice with white jerseys, in a 2009 game against Arkansas and 2011 game against Auburn for a Nike Pro Combat promotion.These uniforms were made to look like White Tigers

Helmets
From 1957 through 1971, LSU's helmets bore the jersey number of the player. In 1972, the first logo was introduced, a tiger head inside a purple circle. The current helmet logo was adopted in 1977.

In 2011 for a Nike Pro Combat promotion, the Tigers wore a white helmet with old gold and purple stripes to accompany a white uniform.

Seasons

 * The Tigers did not field a team in 1918 due to World War I.

Bowl games
LSU has played in 43 bowl games, compiling a record of 23–19–1. Note that in the table below, the year references the season, and not the actual date the game was played.

Famous moments in LSU football history

 * 2012 - "BCS National Championship Game"-For the first time in BCS National Championship history, two SEC teams, the LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide, will face each other in the National Championship Game.
 * 2011 - "The Game of the Century" - The ninth regulation game of the season for LSU found the #1 nationally ranked Tigers against the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide in a match called the "Game of the Century" or the "Matchup of the Year" . Both teams were undefeated and both teams were coming off a bye week; viewed as important to the BCS Championship game as the "inside track" by many sportswriters, the press built up the game in a Super Bowl-style atmosphere. Ultimately, the game came down to field position and a series of field goals as the top-ranked defense of both teams prevented any touchdowns. Alabama missed three field goals and a fourth was blocked during regulation, leading to a 6-6 tie heading into overtime. On the first possession of OT, Alabama again missed a field goal from 52 yards out, only to watch LSU earn the win on the next possession with a chip-shot field goal. As a result, it's the second-lowest scoring matchup between #1 and #2 teams in the history of the NCAA, with a 9-6 decision.
 * 2010 – Last Ditch in Death Valley – In the 5th game of the 2010 season, undefeated #12 LSU trailed the Volunteers 14 – 10 with 0:04 left on the clock and the ball spotted on the Tennessee 2 yard line. On 3rd & Goal, after a failed QB sneak attempt and with time disappearing off the clock, LSU attempted to send in several players for a substitution package. Seeing that the time was about to expire, Center T-Bob Hebert snapped the ball before Jefferson was ready, the ball was fumbled, Jefferson was tackled, and the clock expired. On further review, Tennessee was penalized half the distance to the goalline for illegal participation. Amid the confusion in the waning seconds, Tennessee coaches sent 4 players onto the field when they saw LSU make a substitution. Only 2 players then left the field, leaving the Vols with 13 players lined up on defense. Due to the penalty, LSU got the ball back for a single untimed play on the 1 yard line. With their last play, LSU's Stevan Ridley received the toss sweep, charging forward, only to be hit near the line of scrimmage, but continued to drive forward through two Tennessee defenders and into the endzone for the game winning score – final score LSU 16, Tennessee 14.
 * 2008 – The Comeback – The Tigers trailed in a makeup game from Hurricane Gustav 31–3 midway through the third quarter against Troy. The Bayou Bengals came back with 37 consecutive points and rallied to win 40–31.
 * 2008 – 2008 BCS National Championship Game – #2 LSU defeats #1 Ohio State University in the BCS national championship 38–24, becoming the first school to win two BCS national championship titles and improving their BCS record to 4–0, the best of any team. They also became the first two loss team to ever play in the BCS national championship.
 * 2007 – The Greatest Game Ever Played – #2 LSU played what was hyped as one of the most important games of the 2007 season against #9 Florida. The game is also known for the LSU students leaving thousands of messages on the phone of Florida quarterback, Tim Tebow, prompting him to give a "telephone" hand gesture to the LSU student section following an early touchdown. Florida began the fourth quarter with a 24–14 lead, but behind solid defense and being a perfect 5 for 5 on fourth down conversions, the Tigers were able to take the lead 28–24 with 1:06 left in the game after a Jacob Hester touchdown to defeat the Gators.
 * 2006 –  LSU vs Tennessee – QB JaMarcus Russell completes a touchdown pass to WR Early Doucet with 9 seconds to go to beat Tennessee in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville after a breakout performance by Tennessee backup QB Jonathan Crompton.
 * 2004 – Sugar Bowl – LSU becomes the BCS national champion by defeating Oklahoma 21–14.
 * 2002 – "The Bluegrass Miracle" – #16 LSU survived an upset bid from unranked Kentucky by winning the game 33–30 on a miraculous 75-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired. Kentucky fans, believing they had won, had already rushed the field and torn down one goal post.
 * 2001 – SEC Championship Game – #21 LSU staged an upset victory over #2 Tennessee, winning 31–20. The victory earned LSU a spot in its first Sugar Bowl since 1986, and knocked the Volunteers out of national title contention.
 * 1997 – #1 Ranked Florida Taken Down by LSU – After nine straight losses to Steve Spurrier-led Florida, #14 LSU shocked the #1-ranked Gators 28–21 in Tiger Stadium, making the cover of Sports Illustrated. It was the first time LSU beat a #1 ranked team and the first time the goalposts were ever torn down in Tiger Stadium.
 * 1995 – Bring Back The Magic Game – Wearing its white jerseys at home in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 1982, LSU upset #5 Auburn, winning the game 12–6 as LSU DB Troy Twillie intercepted Auburn QB Patrick Nix's 11-yard pass into the end zone with no time remaining.
 * 1988 – "The Earthquake Game" – Unranked LSU staged a near literal earth-shattering upset victory over #4 Auburn in Tiger Stadium, winning the game 7–6 with 1:41 remaining on a TD pass from QB Tommy Hodson to TB Eddie Fuller. The reaction of the crowd was so immense that it registered as an earthquake on a seismograph in LSU’s Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex.
 * 1982 Shut-down of Bear Bryant's last offense – LSU defeated Alabama 20–10 at Birmingham during Bear's last game against LSU – Bear retired a month later, at end of season, {& died two months later} but during his post-game interviews, Coach Bryant acknowledged LSU's defense as being so impressive as for him to call that game "an old-fashioned butt-whipping" after LSU's Defense had held 'Bama to just 80-yards of total offense, lowest offensive production in 'Bama history. Later that week, LSU's defensive front seven of Melancon & Joiner {OLB}, Marshall, Elko & Dardar {DL}, Richardson & Williams {ILB} were named "AP Sportswriters' Defensive Player of the Week", first time an entire front-seven unit was so named. The LSU Secondary of  Britt, Hobley, Dale & Clark were instrumental in the shutdown but were not included in the AP honor {why not AP?}.
 * 1972 – Jones to Davis;. "The Night The Clock Stopped" – #6 LSU survived an upset bid from unranked Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium by winning the game on a TD pass from QB Bert Jones to RB Brad Davis. Ole Miss fans say the 1972 contest featured a few seconds of free football. The Tigers trailed the Rebels 16–10 with four seconds to play. After a lengthy incompletion by Jones, the game clock still showed one second remaining. The Tigers used the precious second to win the game on the "last play," 17–16. A song was written to commemorate the game, called "One Second Blues", (track #11) which is featured on the CD "Hey Fightin' Tigers". The alleged home-clock advantage inspired a sign at the Louisiana state line (as you left Mississippi) reading, "You are now entering Louisiana. Set your clocks back four seconds." For that year, the Ole Miss yearbook reported the score for the game as "Ole Miss 16, LSU 10 + 7 ".
 * 1966 – Cotton Bowl Classic – Unranked LSU upset #2 Arkansas, winning the game 14–7 and snapping Arkansas' 22-game winning streak.
 * 1960 SUGAR BOWL On Jan 1, 1960, one of the most anticipated rematches in college football history took place. This game, however, would not be the classic that transpired only weeks before. (When LSU upset the Rebels 7-3 in Baton Rouge) Ole Miss dominated the game from start to finish and came away with a decisive 21-0 win over the Tigers. LSU finished the season having only given up 29 points. While the Rebels only allowed their opponents 21 points the entire year. No one team scored on Ole Miss' first team defense.
 * TEAM STATS: First Downs OLE MISS 19 LSU 6, Rushing OLE MISS 51-140 LSU 32-(-15), Passing OLE MISS 15-27-2 LSU 9-25-1, Passing Yards OLE MISS 223 LSU 89, Total Offense OLE MISS 78-363 LSU 57-74, Punting OLE MISS 6-37.5 LSU 12-34.3, Fumbles-Lost OLE MISS 4-2 LSU 2-0 Penalties-YDS OLE MISS 7-65 LSU 4-30
 * 1959 – Billy Cannon's Halloween Night Run – Late in the game between #1 LSU and #3 Ole Miss, LSU was trailing 3–0. Then Billy Cannon returned a punt 89 yards for a TD, breaking seven tackles. The Rebels then drove down the field but were stopped on the LSU 1 yard line as the game ended resulting in a 7–3 victory for LSU in Tiger Stadium.
 * 1959 – Sugar Bowl – #1 LSU wins the 1958 national championship, beating #12 Clemson 7–0. The only score was a pass from Billy Cannon to freshman Mickey Mangham, one of the smallest players on the team. The game was played at the old Tulane University stadium in New Orleans.
 * October 3, 1931 - LSU Plays very first night game in Tiger Stadium.
 * November 25, 1924 - First Game played at Tiger Stadium.
 * 1908 - LSU 10-0 Doc Fenton leads LSU to its very first National Championship.
 * October 26, 1895 - LSU 1st Win in Baton Rouge.
 * 'November 30, 1894 - LSU wins very first football game. LSU beats Natchez AC 26-0. Samuel Marmaduke Dinwidie Clark has the honor of scoring the very first touchdown in LSU history.
 * November 25, 1893 - LSU plays first football game in school history.

Tulane Green Wave
LSU's oldest rival is Tulane; the first LSU-Tulane football game was played in 1893 and for the first fifty or so years of Tiger football, no team was more hated by LSU fans than the Green Wave. The series, in which they battle for the Tiger Rag, was played continuously from 1919 to 1994. The intrastate rivalry featured two teams which were geographically close (Baton Rouge and New Orleans are roughly 80 mi apart) and drew on socio-political tensions between the state's capital and seat of government and its biggest and most culturally important city. As opponents in the SIAA, Southern Conference and SEC, the Tulane rivalry flourished for many years but slowly declined after Tulane left the SEC and de-emphasized athletics. Until 1949, the series was very competitive, with LSU leading 23–18–5; since 1949, LSU has dominated, going 45–4–2. The two teams renewed the annual series in 2006 and ended it again after the 2009 meeting.

Ole Miss Rebels
LSU's traditional SEC rival is Ole Miss. Throughout the fifties and sixties, games between the two schools featured highly ranked squads on both sides and seemingly every contest had conference, and at times national, title implications. A trophy has now been named for the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry known as the "Magnolia Bowl". Recently, the second to last regular season game has been between these two colleges. There is still a strong rivalry between both schools.

From 1961 through 1988, LSU did not play on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, Mississippi. Instead, all of the Rebels' home dates in the series were contested at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson. LSU and Ole Miss played at Oxford in 1989 for the first time in 29 seasons, then moved the series permanently to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in 1994 after the 1991 and 1992 contests returned to Jackson.

Auburn Tigers
While Auburn's rivalries against Alabama and Georgia may overshadow its rivalry with LSU, in recent years, LSU's biggest rival has been the Auburn Tigers. The two share more than just a nickname, as they have both enjoyed success in the SEC's Western Division and plenty of memorable match ups. Either Auburn or LSU has won at least a share of the SEC Western Division championship for eight of the last eleven years. The home team won every game from 2000 through 2007, until visiting LSU defeated Auburn in 2008. Both the 2007 and 2008 games saw LSU win dramatic, come-from-behind victories with last minute touchdown passes. The game between the two rivals has no official name or trophy, but is unofficially referred to by fans and sports commentators as the "Tiger Bowl".

Alabama Crimson Tide
LSU and Alabama have played every year since the 1960s, with Alabama holding a historic edge in the series, 43–25–5. Many trace the origins of the rivalry back to a 15-game undefeated streak Alabama had in Tiger Stadium, which is generally considered to be one of the most hostile atmospheres in college football. While their rivalries against Auburn and Tennessee may overshadow their rivalry with LSU, the significance of this rivalry increased after Alabama hired former LSU coach Nick Saban in 2007.

Arkansas Razorbacks
After the Razorbacks left the Southwest Conference in 1990, Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991 and began a yearly rivalry with LSU. Spurred by both the SEC and the schools, LSU and Arkansas have developed a more intense football rivalry. The winner takes home the Golden Boot, a trophy in the shape of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana that resembles a boot. The game, played the day after Thanksgiving until the 2010 season, is usually the last regular season game for each team and is broadcast on CBS. In 2002, the rivalry gained momentum as the game winner would represent the Western Division of the SEC in the SEC Championship Game. Arkansas won the exciting game on a last second touchdown pass by Matt Jones. In 2006, the Razorbacks, who had already clinched the SEC Western Division and were on a 10-game winning streak, were beaten by LSU in Little Rock. In 2007, Arkansas stunned top-ranked LSU in triple overtime, giving them their first win in Baton Rouge since 1993, and again defended the Golden Boot trophy with a last minute touchdown drive in 2008. A 15th ranked LSU would win back the trophy for the first time in two years in 2009 after Razorback kicker Alex Tejeda missed a field goal that would have sent the game into a second overtime, solidifying LSU's record as the third best in the SEC as well as a position to go to the Capital One Bowl. The LSU Tigers were defeated at Little Rock in 2010, with Arkansas winning 31–23. In 2011, the #1 ranked Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 41-17 in Tiger Stadium, after overcoming a 14-0 deficit.

Florida Gators
LSU is Florida's permanent inter-divisional rival. Florida leads the series 30–25–3. The winner of the Florida-LSU game has gone on to win the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship game three of the last five years. With a few exceptions, this rivalry has been known for close games in recent years, with both teams usually coming into the match-up highly ranked.

Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies have matched up against the LSU Tigers more than any other non-conference opponent (though they were both members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1903–1908 and 1912–1914, and will both be members of the SEC in 2012). The Aggies first played the Tigers in College Station in 1899, winning the game 52–0. The Tigers are the Aggies' seventh-oldest collegiate-football rivalry.

Over the years, the two teams have built strong home-field advantages, and the series' record is reflective of these reputations. The Aggies are 7–1–1 in College Station, 10–22–1 in Baton Rouge, and 3–4–1 at neutral sites (including the losses in the 1944 Orange Bowl in Miami and the 2011 Cotton Bowl in Dallas). Through 1923, the Aggies built a 7–3–2 advantage (which included neutral site games in New Orleans in 1908, Houston in 1913, Dallas in 1914, Galveston in 1916, and San Antonio in 1917). The Aggies and Tigers next played every year from 1942 to 1949 during the regular season with all of the games held in Baton Rouge. The Aggies were 2–6 in those match-ups. In addition to the regular season match-up in 1943, the Aggies and Tigers also faced each other in the first bowl match-up of their rivalry. Though the Aggies won the regular season game by a score of 28–13, the Tigers won the January 1, 1944, Orange Bowl by a final score of 19–14.

The Aggies and Tigers met twice more in 1955 and 1956 with the Aggies taking both match-ups (the 1955 game was held at a neutral site in Dallas, and the 1956 game was held in Baton Rouge). From 1960 to 1975, the Aggies and Tigers produced the most consecutive match-ups of the series, playing every year, with all of the games played in Baton Rouge. The Aggies were 3–12–1 over this span. After a nine-year absence, the rivalry renewed in 1986 and continued until their last regular season meeting in 1995, this time with the games alternating between Baton Rouge and College Station. The Aggies were 6–4 over this span, winning the last five meetings, and winning six of the last seven meetings. The most recent regular season contest was won by the Aggies on September 2, 1995, by the score of 33–17.

Finally, after a 15-year absence, the Aggies and Tigers faced each other once more on January 7, 2011, in the Cotton Bowl Classic. It was only the second time the two have faced each other in a bowl game. The Aggies lost 24–41.

Over the life of the series, the Aggies have claimed the largest margin of victory with a 63–9 final score in 1914 (the Aggies also have the next two largest margins of victory with the 52–0 win in 1899 and the 47–0 win in 1922). The Aggies have shut-out the Tigers 7 times (including the Aggies' non-university recognized National Championship Season of 1917 when they did not surrender a point during 8 games, and beat the Tigers 27–0). The Tigers have shut-out the Aggies 9 times (including the Tigers' non-university recognized National Championship season of 1908, when they beat the Aggies 26–0, and the Tigers' non-university recognized National Championship season of 1962, when they beat the Aggies 21–0). Add to those totals the game in which the Aggies and Tigers shut each other out, with a final score of 0–0 in 1920. The Tigers hold the series' longest winning streak of 6 games from 1960 to 1965, which were all played in Baton Rouge. That winning streak was part of a 10-game unbeaten streak for the Tigers from 1960 to 1969 which included a 7–7 tie in 1966 (with all of the games played in Baton Rouge).

Other SEC opponents
LSU has played Mississippi State more often than any other opponent. However, the series is hardly considered a rivalry, as the Tigers hold a commanding lead and have won 12 consecutive games in the series and 19 of 20 since 1992. Until the 1970s, the game was played far more often in Baton Rouge to allow MSU to reap the benefits of the larger gate at Tiger Stadium, which seated 67,500 at the time, more than twice the 32,500 of Scott Field in Starkville; MSU usually moved its home games in the series to Jackson until its on-campus stadium was expanded in the 1980s. The 2011 matchup marked the first time both teams were rated coming into the game (#3 LSU, #25 MSU). LSU won at Starkville 19–6.

LSU and Kentucky played every year between 1949 and 2001, but the yearly meeting was ended when the SEC changed its scheduling format in 2002. Longtime LSU coach Charles McClendon (1962–79) was an All-American at Kentucky from 1948–51 under legendary coach Bear Bryant, and Tiger coaches Paul Dietzel and Bill Arnsparger were also assistants with the Wildcats. LSU has generally dominated the series, although Kentucky won the second to last meeting, ousting the then-No. 1 Tigers 43–37 in triple overtime in 2007 at Lexington. In the previous game at Lexington in 2002, the Tigers won 33–30 on the Bluegrass Miracle, a 75-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Randall to Devery Henderson on the last play of the game. The #1 ranked Tigers defeated Kentucky in the 2011 season 35-7.

Traditions


Geaux Tigers — A common cheer for all LSU athletics, Geaux Tigers, pronounced "Go Tigers", is derived from a common ending in French Cajun names, -eaux. Acknowledging the state’s French heritage, it is common for fans to issue LSU newcomers an endearing “French” name. Intended to be more humorous than grammatically correct, coaches are especially targeted. Gerry DiNardo became “Dinardeaux”, Nick Saban became “Nick C’est Bon”.

Tailgating — LSU football fans from every corner of the region, well over ninety thousand, descend on the Baton Rouge campus for every home game; setting up motor homes and tents for one of Louisiana's biggest parties after Mardi Gras. Visiting team supporters are heckled and LSU fans chant "Tiger Bait! Tiger Bait!", often inciting confrontations between hot-headed followers. Visitors to Baton Rouge who take the jeers and jaunts with a sporting disposition will be invited to join in on the party, the drink, the regional cajun cuisine, the spirit of Saturday night in Baton Rouge, and the vibrant tradition of LSU football.

March Down The Hill – The LSU players, coaches, cheerleaders, Mike the Tiger, and finally The Golden Band from Tigerland march down the hill between Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (AKA, the PMAC) prior to each game. Thousands of fans line up on both sides of the road to watch and cheer for their beloved Tigers. The band plays their drum cadence while marching and just before entering the stadium, "Pregame" is played.

The LSU Band's Pregame Show — The LSU pregame show was created in 1964, and revised over the next nine years into its current format. The marching band lines up along the end zone shortly before kick off. Then the band strikes up a drum cadence and begins to spread out evenly across the field. When the front of the band reaches the center of the field, the band stops and begins to play an arrangement of "Pregame" (Hold that Tiger). While it does this, the band turns to salute the fans in all four corners of the stadium. Then the band, resuming its march across the field, begins playing "Touchdown for LSU." At this point, the LSU crowd chants "L-S-U, L-S-U, L-S-U..."

White Jerseys — LSU is notable as one of the few college football teams that wears white jerseys for home games as opposed to their darker jerseys (in their case, purple). Most other NCAA football teams wear their darker jerseys in home games, even though football is one of the few college sports that do not require a specific jersey type for each respective team (for instance, college basketball requires home teams to wear white or light-colored jerseys while the away team wears their darker jerseys), and is similar to the NFL in letting the home team decide what to wear.

The tradition started in 1958, when Coach Paul Dietzel decided that LSU would wear white jerseys for the home games. LSU went on to win the national championship that year. Since then, LSU continued to wear white jerseys at home games through the 18-year tenure of Charles McClendon. Then in 1983, new NCAA rules prohibited teams from wearing white jerseys at home. Because of this, LSU wore purple jerseys during home games from 1983 to 1994. The team's fans believed wearing purple jerseys brought bad luck to the team and complained often from 1983 and through the 1994 seasons, although LSU won SEC championships in 1986 and 1988 wearing purple at home. In 1993, then-coach Curley Hallman asked the NCAA for permission to wear white jerseys at home during LSU's football centennial, but was turned down.

In 1995, LSU's new coach, Gerry DiNardo, was determined to restore LSU's tradition of white home jerseys. DiNardo personally met with each member of the NCAA Football Rules Committee, lobbying LSU's case. DiNardo was successful, and LSU again began wearing white jerseys at home when the 1995 season began. In LSU's first home game with the white jerseys, unranked LSU prevailed in a 12–6 upset victory over #6 Auburn. In 2000, LSU's new coach, Nick Saban, altered the tradition of the white home jerseys: now LSU only wears white jerseys for the home opener and for home games against SEC opponents. Saban's successor, Les Miles, has continued this pattern. For non-SEC home games other than the home opener, LSU wears purple jerseys at home.

The rule allowing LSU to wear white at home has one stipulation: the visiting team must agree for non-conference games. On two occasions, LSU was forced to wear colored jerseys at home. The first time was in 1996 against Vanderbilt, who was still angry at LSU for hiring Gerry DiNardo, who left Vanderbilt to become LSU's head coach after the 1994 season. LSU wore gold jerseys for that game (a 35–0 LSU victory), and fans were encouraged to wear white in an effort to "white out" the Commodores. The next season, the SEC amended its rule to allow the home team its choice of jersey color for conference games without prior approval of the visiting team.

In 1998 and 2000, Florida coach Steve Spurrier exercised this option and forced LSU to don a colored jersey at Gainesville. The Tigers wore gold in 1998 under Gerry DiNardo (lost 22–10) and purple in 2000 under Nick Saban (lost 41–9).

In 2007 and 2009, LSU wore its purple jerseys at Mississippi State, but the Tigers emerged victorious both times (45–0 in 2007 and 30–26 in 2009). In 1978, the purple jersey jinx bit the Tigers in a game against State at Jackson.

In 2004, Oregon State did not want to suffer in its black jerseys in the humid weather of Louisiana in late summer, forcing LSU to wear its purple jerseys for a nationally-televsied game on ESPN. However, by this time, LSU had worn its purple jerseys at home several times under Saban.

In 2009, the NCAA relaxed its rule that previously required most away teams to wear white. The rule now states that teams must simply wear contrasting colors.

Chinese Bandits – Whenever LSU forces a turnover or gets the ball back via a defensive stop, the LSU band plays the Chinese Bandits tune. Tiger fans bow to the defense while the tune is played. The term "Chinese Bandits" originated as the nickname that LSU Coach Paul Dietzel gave to the defensive unit he organized in 1958, which helped LSU to win its first national championship. The next season, the 1959 Chinese Bandit defense held their opponents to an average of only 143.2 yards per game. No LSU defense since has done better.

Geaux to Hell Ole Miss — When LSU is playing their rival, Ole Miss, LSU fans shout "Geaux to Hell Ole Miss. Geaux to hell" frequently, and signs with the same saying can be seen throughout the stadium. Ole Miss fans typically respond with "Go to hell, LSU!" Legend has it this was started prior to the 1959 contest when Coach Paul Dietzel, trying to motivate his troops, hired a plane to litter the LSU campus with flyers saying, "Go to Hell, LSU!" When word of this reached Oxford, Johnny Vaught, not to be outdone, responded in kind by littering the Ole Miss campus with flyers saying, "Go to Hell, Ole Miss!" Saturday night, 30 minutes prior to kickoff, Tiger Stadium was already packed with the crowd split down the middle between Tigers and Rebels. Each set of fans were shouting at the top of their lungs to the other, "Go to Hell!" The tradition has stuck ever since.

Hot boudin – LSU's famous cheer before games and during about famous food in Louisiana. It goes " Hot boudin, cold coush-coush, come on tigers, push push push." Push is pronounced poosh to rhyme with coush-coush [koosh-koosh]. Coush-coush is a Cajun dish generally served for breakfast.

H style goal posts — LSU's Tiger Stadium sports "H" style goal posts, as opposed to the more modern "Y" style used by most other schools today. This "H" style allows the team to run through the goal post in the north endzone when entering the field.

Yard lines — Tiger Stadium also is notable for putting all yard line numbers on the field, not just those that are multiples of 10. However, the 10-yard-line numbers are the only numbers that get directional arrows, as the rules make no provision for 5-yard-line numbers.

Tiger Bait – LSU fans will yell "Tiger Bait, Tiger Bait" at visiting fans who wear their team colors.

First Down cheer – When the Tigers earn a first down, the Golden Band from Tigerland plays the "Geaux Tigers" cheer. The band also has a specific cheer for second and third downs.

Hall of Famers
The following LSU players and coaches are members of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Players

 * Heisman Trophy
 * Billy Cannon – 1959


 * '''The WCFF All-Century Team
 * Tommy Casanova – 1969 to 1971


 * Dave Rimington Trophy
 * Ben Wilkerson – 2004


 * Draddy Trophy
 * Rudy Niswanger – 2005


 * Fred Biletnikoff Award
 * Josh Reed – 2001


 * Wuerffel Trophy
 * Rudy Niswanger – 2005


 * Bronko Nagurski Trophy
 * Glenn Dorsey – 2007


 * Lombardi Award
 * Glenn Dorsey – 2007


 * Outland Trophy
 * Glenn Dorsey – 2007


 * Lott Trophy
 * Glenn Dorsey – 2007


 * Jim Thorpe Award
 * Patrick Peterson – 2010
 * Morris Claiborne – 2011


 * Chuck Bednarik Award
 * Patrick Peterson – 2010
 * Tyrann Mathieu –  2011

Coaches

 * Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
 * Paul Dietzel – 1959
 * Nick Saban – 2003


 * Home Depot Coach of the Year
 * Les Miles – 2011

Retired numbers

 * 20 Billy Cannon
 * 37 Tommy Casanova

Head coaches
LSU has had 32 head coaches since it began play during the 1893 season, and since January 2005, Les Miles has served as head coach. Charles McClendon is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 137 victories during his 18 years with the program. Allen Jeardeau has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .875. Of the 32 different head coaches who have led the Tigers, Dana X. Bible, Mike Donahue, Biff Jones, Bernie Moore, and McClendon have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Poll history
Associated Press Poll History

The AP Poll began in 1936.

Coaches Poll History

The Coaches' Poll began in 1950.