LSU’s Tiger Stadium will join a list of historic stadiums that will receive protection courtesy of a new congressional caucus, Baton Rouge based U.S. Rep. Garret Graves announced Friday.
The “Historic Stadium Caucus” is a new bipartisan caucus headed by Republican Rep. Garret Graves and Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin that will, according to their press release, “…work on preserving the legacy and protecting the integrity of these treasured venues across America while enhancing their capabilities, so they are able to continue to host world-class sporting events and concerts for generations to come.”
The caucus aims to accomplish these goals by focusing on three key areas: security and safety enhancements, technological upgrades and infrastructure upgrades.
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Graves, whose district spans much of Baton Rouge and includes LSU, emphasized the importance of his hometown stadium’s inclusion.
“When Tiger fans walk into Death Valley on Saturday nights, they do more than watch a football game – they walk into a 99-year-old local icon that supports our regional economy, “he said. “Every bowl of jambalaya scooped and Tiger Dog served injects jobs and resources into our community.”
LSU Athletics generates an estimated $500 million a year for the state of Louisiana, according to the department.
The announcement was also met with warmth from LSU.
“Historic stadiums, such as Tiger Stadium at LSU, play an important role in the environment that makes college athletics special,” said LSU Athletic Director, Scott Woodward. “The game day traditions in iconic venues around the country are unique and are worthy of discussion. I appreciate the Historic Stadium Caucus co-chairs, Garret Graves and Mark Pocan, for recognizing the need for healthy dialogue around the protection of historic stadiums.”
The caucus will look to grow in the coming weeks, asking more representatives to join and add other stadiums to the protection list.
The full list as of the time of this writing is as follows:
- Beaver Stadium (Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania),
- Camp Randall Stadium (University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin),
- Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas),
- Davis Wade Stadium (Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi),
- Franklin Field (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania),
- Husky Stadium (University of Washington, Seattle, Washington),
- Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama),
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California),
- Memorial Stadium (University of California, Berkeley, California),
- Memorial Stadium (University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois),
- Memorial Stadium (Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina),
- Nippert Stadium (University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio),
- Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, California),
- SJSU Spartan Stadium (San Jose State University, San Jose, California),
- Tiger Stadium (Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana),
- Vaught–Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field (University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi),
- Wallace Wade Stadium (Duke University, Durham, North Carolina), and
- Yale Bowl (Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut).
