25 years ago...

On October 23, 1982, I was baptized into the fanatical southern religion of LSU football. I remember it vividly. Former Tiger great Jerry Stovall stalked the sidelines as Alan Risher threw two touchdown passes to Eric Martin leading LSU to a 14-6 win over South Carolina.

But that probably isn’t what sticks out in my mind the most.

In a telling sign of things to come for anyone who knows me, my dad had to pull off I-10 so I could go pee. We get off at Airline highway and pull on the side of the road. (Ironically, 23 years later, not 100 yards from that spot, a wacko named Corey Smiley would dump his ex-girlfriend’s clothes he had stolen in a burglary, but I digress.) Of course my dad is hurrying and pressuring me so I can’t even go, and as it turns out, back in ’82 there was no entrance ramp to continue west on I-10. So we hauled ass down Airline (reminding you that I still had to pee) and barely made it for the start of the game. Needless to say, my dad was pissed.

We literally walked thru a portal in the upper deck as Juan Betanzos kicked off. The site of a fully packed Tiger Stadium, an LSU record crowd at the time, was awe inspiring to my nine year old eyes. Surely this is how a plebian of ancient Rome felt on his initial entrance to the Coliseum. I was hooked from that day forward.

Thus 25 years ago I began my journey with the LSU Fighting Tigers. Here is looking forward to 25 more great years.

Check back soon as I will post my thoughts on the 2006 SEC race, the national picture and the off season Good...Bad.