The National Championship trophy on display at the Walmart on College Drive on Thursday, Jan. 16.
LSU fans from all around Louisiana gathered on Wednesday and Thursday to see the National Championship trophy recently won by the Tigers.
The National Championship trophy was on display Thursday at the Walmart on College Drive and on Wednesday at the Rouses on Burbank Drive. Dr. Pepper set up the photo opportunity for fans to take a picture with the Championship trophy.
Hundreds of fans came out to see what many fans, such as LSU alumnus Jeff Mackay, called a piece of LSU history. Over 400 fans in the first hour came for their chance to get a photo on Thursday.
“This is what we live for,” Mackay said. “We are tailgating at least three or four games a year; we go to at least two games and if we are not doing that we are at the house watching.”
Sharron Leino, an LSU football fan since 1965, was ready for her picture despite her trouble with standing for a long time.
“I want to have a picture of me standing close to the most beautiful thing in the world,” Leino said.
The line to see the trophy on Thursday snaked through the aisles of the Walmart and it was not easy for some fans to find the end of the line. It moved quickly though; many fans only waited about 45 minutes for their moment with the trophy. Each group of fans was allowed one photo taken with one phone.
Public relations sophomore Ana Block attended the championship game in New Orleans on Monday and said she had to see the trophy in person.
“I have never seen everyone so excited before. The student section was crazy,” Block said. “This is probably something that is never going to happen again in our college career, so I had to come out here and see it.”
After fans took their picture with the trophy, they were offered National Championship posters, purple and gold cupcakes and cookies courtesy of Walmart.
“I will die a happy woman now,” Leino said after getting her picture with the trophy.
These photo opportunities weren’t fans’ only chance to see a piece of LSU history up close this football season.
The LSU Athletic Department removed 3,500 square feet of sod from Tiger Stadium after the team’s regular season ended, amounting to more than 3,300 slabs of sod with grass on top. The project was completed in order for a months-long field drainage project to begin in the stadium, but it also allowed Tiger fans to take home a unique souvenir of the 2019 season.
The slabs of sod were distributed to fans for free outside of Alex Box Stadium on Dec. 2, 2019. The sod was gone within minutes of being available, and many fans went crazy over the opportunity.
“This is special sod,” marketing senior Emily Mancusi said. “This is legendary, this is iconic. Joe Burrow, our Heisman, our quarterback, walked on this.”