Gold Standard: The Age of the Tigers

As stocks and bonds continue to experience generationally unprecedented volatility, investors and would be retirees are looking to gold as their shelter from the economic storm. 

Why? because Gold is a precious metal that has held value for all of recorded human history and when national currencies can’t be depended on the Gold Standard shines as bright as the stadium lights in Death Valley on a Saturday Night. 

In college Athletics, LSU is setting the Gold standard on an unprecedented level. From Track & Field, to women’s Basketball, Softball, Baseball, Golf, Men’s Basketball and virtually every other sport that the Tigers compete in LSU is competitive at the Championship level.

The opportunity for LSU to be a dominate athletic program has existed almost as long as the university has fielded athletic teams. All the way back in 1908 Edgar Wingard led Doc Fenton and the Tiger's football team to an undefeated season, their second conference (SIAA) championship and the School’s first (unofficial) national championship. 

Louisiana has been crazy about the Tigers ever since. In the 1930’s LSU won championships in baseball, basketball, football, track and field and golf. In the late 1950’s the Football Team gave Tiger Fans a taste of what a dominate program would look like. 

For a generation Tiger fans anxiously waited for 1959 to come, LSU was ranked No. 1 to start the year and the odds on favorite to repeat after the 1958 National Championship.  They fell short and it would be 45 years before Tiger Fans could again cheer for a (Football) National Champion.

Today much is made of the success on the Football field, and I must confess my own fandom is 80 percent football and 20 percent whatever Tiger Team is playing today. 

I submit, however, that the foundation for LSU’s current success and the entry into the Golden Age of Tiger Athletics began with the Baseball team and Legendary Coach Skip Bertman in 1984. 

While leading the Tigers to 16 CWS and winning 5 National Championships Bertman raised the bar at LSU. At the same time, Sue Gunter was building a powerhouse program and hall of fame legacy in Women’s Basketball. 

The Dale Brown era in Men’s Basketball produced a couple of deep runs in the tournament and brought in the likes of Chris Jackson and Shaquille. In the early 90’s Curley Hallman was hired with high expectations and failed miserably so Joe Dean, then Athletic Director brought in Gerry DiNardo to try and get the football program going in the right direction. 

Thus ‘began’ football’s Golden era. DiNardo, for the first time in ages, took advantage of LSUs natural resources. As Louisiana’s flag ship University and only nationally important program, LSU has an unfair advantage in recruiting in one of the most competitive high school states in the country. 

DiNardo was successful in bringing LSU out of the wilderness after 7 straight losing seasons and ended LSU’s Bowl misfortunes.  LSU had only won 2 bowl games since 1972 (2-9) but won 3 in a row under DiNardo and has only lost 2 (10-2) since.  However, DiNardo faltered due in large part to some untimely injuries to (a lot of) key players and posted 4 wins in 98 and 3 wins in 99.  LSU fan’s demanded more.

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