They’re some of the biggest celebrities on LSU’s campus.
They can be found in Tiger Stadium on Saturdays in the fall, Alex Box Stadium in the spring and even at some gymnastics meets. Cameramen love them. Fans want to be them.
But fame is not the driving force behind the members of the Painted Posse.
“Nobody knows our names,” said Joey LeBlanc, mechanical engineering junior. “It’s the fact that we’re doing it for something that we love, which is the same reason the players are out there. They’re doing it because they love the game.”
The Painted Posse has more than just a love of the game. They stake out in front of the gates to ensure they are the first ones in the student section, and the group doesn’t leave until the band is finished with the alma mater.
The members of the Painted Posse follow the tradition of painting their bodies in the style of the LSU uniform and banding together in the front row of the student section.
But at the end of the day, the purpose of the Painted Posse goes beyond school spirit. Most, if not all, of the Painted Posse members are involved in a Christian campus ministry and seek to exemplify their beliefs through their fandom.
“We’re a Christian group, and our job is to represent Christ,” said civil engineering senior Chad Roe.
Roe first got involved with the Posse through his involvement in Baptist Collegiate Ministries, which is also the case for LeBlanc and political science senior Cameron Cooke, who is the captain of the Posse. Membership in the group is somewhat handed down, as the Posse was founded in 2003 by four students who participated in BCM.
Those in the Painted Posse do have their fun, but they must follow guidelines. They cannot sit during the game (halftime and commercial breaks excluded), and they are not allowed to swear or make obscene gestures.
“I’ve made that mistake before,” LeBlanc said. “Sometimes you get excited. … But we keep each other in check. We try to be a good representation [of Christ].”
The members of the Painted Posse also use their jerseys to show their true colors. Since 2005, the members of the group have been required to have a cross painted on the left side of their jerseys.
The jerseys are important to the image of the Painted Posse, as they are painted to be nearly exact replicas of the players’ jerseys. According to Cooke, anywhere between 12 and 20 members participate each week, congregating around the student section gate about five hours before the game to begin the painting process.
Melissa Schroeder, an elementary education junior, paints all the white letters and numbers to maintain consistency, but she is assisted in painting the two purple coats and stripes by other female painters. They paint numbers on the back and letters on the front, and they have spelled out such gems as “No Saban November” and “Put ‘Em on a Spit.”
Following the games, the Posse makes its way up the hill and to the Quad, where they wash off their paint in the fountain.
Members choose numbers based on a certain player or position that they want to represent for that season. LeBlanc wears No. 30 for the kickers, Roe wears No. 99 for junior defensive end Sam Montgomery and Cooke wears No. 24 for junior cornerback Tharold Simon.
Some members of the Posse are friends with football players, who personally thank them for their passionate displays on Saturdays.
“They all very much appreciate it,” Cooke said. “It’s good to know that the players appreciate it just as much as the students do. It really is ultimately all about the players.”
Cooke and LeBlanc are both from Baton Rouge and were raised as Tiger fans. Cooke has been participating in the Posse since fall 2009 and even decided to spend a little more time in college just for one more year of football.
“I could have graduated in three years, but I decided to make it three and a half just so I could get that extra football season,” Cooke said. “The Painted Posse really does make my college career fun. I look forward to every game starting Monday.”
Roe, who is from Fairbanks, Alaska, shares the same passion for LSU football even though he grew up some 4,000 miles away from Baton Rouge.
Roe grew up as a fan because his grandfather and uncle played football for LSU, but he fell in love with the program when he attended his first LSU game.
“It’s that pure love of LSU football,” Roe said. “It was something that embraced me back in 2004 when I heard the band play ‘Touchdown for LSU’ for the first time.”
The Painted Posse has forged a camaraderie through countless Saturdays of cheering the Tigers on.
“[Chad and I], as engineering students, don’t get out a whole lot,” LeBlanc said. “I mean, we’ve got college stories, but this is something that I know is never going to go away.”
The painted posse cheers at the front of the student section Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012 during the Tigers' 63-14 win over Idaho in Tiger Stadium.
