A legend was born on a chilly November day nearly 90 years ago.
The legend didn’t score touchdowns, catch a crucial interception or coach a team to victory.
Instead, the legend was the home to all-time LSU greats like Billy Cannon, Tommy Casanova and Jim Taylor.
When Tiger Stadium opened its doors on Nov. 27, 1924, the 12,000 fans in attendance witnessed a 13-0 loss to then-rival Tulane. Although the first outing didn’t end in LSU’s favor, the next nine decades would see LSU become one of the most successful and storied programs in the history of college football.
When LSU plays the University of Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 13, the Tigers will be playing for their 400th home win. The game, which will be at night, will be yet another dot on the map of historic games that have taken place in Death Valley.
Night games have become a staple in Tiger Stadium, but games under the lights didn’t happen until seven years after the field opened its doors. On Oct. 3, 1931, LSU battled Spring Hill and pulled out a 35-0 victory to begin the tradition of winning after dark.
One of the most famous night games in Tiger Stadium was against Ole Miss on Oct. 31, 1959. LSU came into the game ranked No. 1 in the nation, and Ole Miss checked in at No. 3. The game was a back-and-forth battle, with Ole Miss entering the 4th quarter clenching on to a 3-0 lead.
On Halloween night, Tiger Stadium would witness one of the most memorable moments in LSU sports history.
Ten minutes remained in the game, and LSU’s Billy Cannon was back to receive a punt. The kick went deep into LSU’s end of the field, and Cannon caught the ball at the 11 yard line, which went against coach Paul Dietzel’s rule of not fielding punts within the 15 yard line due to the possibility of muffing.
Cannon began on the right sideline, cut toward the middle and ran. Weaving in and out of defenders, Cannon broke seven tackles and took the ball 89 yards to score the game-winning touchdown against the undefeated Rebels.
The Halloween night run cemented Cannon’s candidacy to win the 1959 Heisman Trophy, becoming the only LSU player in history to win college football’s highest individual honor.
The rivalry between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Tigers became legendary once again in 2012 by a play eerily similar to Cannon’s Halloween night.
On Nov. 17, 2012, Ole Miss was in a 35-28 lead with nine minutes left on the clock. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was back to return a punt from Ole Miss. Rebels punter Jim Broadway booted the ball 51 yards, and Beckham caught it at the 11 yard line.
Beckham ran down the exact same sideline that Cannon had barreled down 53 years before. Beckham broke multiple tackles, just as Cannon had 53 years before, and he returned the punt 89 yards to change the course of the game and spur on a victory, exactly how Cannon had done in 1959.
This game stands out as a favorite Tiger Stadium moment for two current LSU players, both of whom were on the team in 2012.
“Odell’s punt return two years ago against Ole Miss was incredible,” said junior long snapper Reid Ferguson. “That was, after that game, that was the most exciting moment I’ve had in the stadium so far.”
“My freshman year when we played Ole Miss,” added junior safety Jalen Mills. “Odell had that punt return, down the sideline. It was so loud in there, it was ridiculous, it was probably the best moment I’ve had at LSU.”
Another part of the tradition is the booming voice that echoes throughout Tiger Stadium during every home game.
The south end zone is the home of Dan Borné, the Tiger football PA announcer for nearly 30 years. His thunderous voice has become as iconic as many of the players who have run through tunnel into Death Valley.
As a child, Borné witnessed a Tiger squad, helmed by Paul Dietzel, win the 1958 National Championship. Little did this child know that one day, his voice would become synonymous with Tiger football.
“The things I will always cherish are the two National Championship celebrations I had the honor of emceeing in Tiger Stadium,” Borné said in an email. “I never dreamed, as a 12-year-old kid watching the Tigers, that I’d have this role to play later in life.”
When Borné found out that his long-time friend Sid Crocker would be retiring after the 1985 season, he decided to take a chance and apply for the position.
He wrote a letter to the University, introducing himself and saying he would appreciate being considered to succeed Crocker. In August 1986, after silence for several months, Borné received a call from then-Sports Information Director Jamie Kimbrough inviting him to meet with him and multiple colleagues.
“When I arrived, they were very courteous and said, ‘OK, you can have the job,’” Borné said. “I answered, ‘Thanks, but why?’ and Jamie said, ‘Because nobody else asked.’”
Borné has experienced the ups and downs of LSU football. He’s witnessed national championship teams, crushing losses and last-second victories under the lights.
But some of Borné’s most emotional Tiger Stadium memories come from the Monday night game against Tennessee on Sept. 26, 2005. It was the first home game after two major hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, ravaged Louisiana.
“We lost the game, but we stared adversity in the eye that evening and showed the resiliency of a state,” Borné said. “There were people in the stadium who had lost everything, yet they took a few hours out of their lives to come together to cheer on their beloved Tigers.”
Today, the 102,321 seat Tiger Stadium looks unrecognizable compared to the facility that opened in fall 1924. Many things have changed, improvements have been made and hundreds of football careers have began and ended in it.
As the Tigers chase their 400th Tiger Stadium victory against ULM on Sept. 13 and begin the road to their 500th, one thing looks as though it will never change.
Tiger Stadium will continue to be embedded in the lore of college football, and generations to come will feel the butterflies in their stomach when they hear Borné exclaim his opening line.
“It’s Saturday night in Death Valley, and here come your Fighting Tigers of LSU!”