ESPN’s morning pre-game show, College Gameday, returns to campus Saturday for its first-ever broadcast from the University’s Quadrangle.
ESPN’s College Football Live is set to broadcast from the Quad Friday at 12:30 p.m., and College Gameday will air from 8-11 a.m. Saturday prior to LSU’s 7 p.m. kickoff against Alabama.
This marks the pre-game show’s 11th on-campus broadcast, and the Tigers’ 26th appearance on the show. In the past, the show has been broadcast from the PMAC, the Old Front Nine and, most popularly, the Parade Ground, according to University associate athletic director Michael Bonnette.
The last three College Gameday campus appearances in 2009, 2012 and 2014, were hosted from the Parade Ground. Saturday’s appearance was also originally scheduled to take place on the Parade Ground, but a scheduling conflict with an LSU Salutes Hall of Honor recognition ceremony led the University to relocate College Gameday.
The LSU Board of Supervisors established LSU Salutes in 1998 to honor distinguished University veterans, mandating an official University observance be held during the November home football game closest to Veterans Day.
Randy Gurie, executive director of the Cadets of the Ole War Skule, said the University decided the rowdy environment typically found at College Gameday wasn’t conducive to preserving the more sedate, respectful atmosphere of the ceremony. The University didn’t want to disrespect the veterans and honorees, he said.
Gurie said the ceremony has always received the support of Tiger fans, and they’ve rarely experienced instances of tailgaters disrupting the ceremony. The fans are respectful, and wait until the ceremony concludes to set up their tailgates and begin partying for the day, he said.
The ceremony, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., will include a 21-gun salute, a wreath laying, a rendition of the national anthem and the Cadets of the Ole War Skule’s annual assembly, a formal parade and review of the University’s cadets. The honorees will also be recognized and will later enjoy lunch with their families in the PMAC before being honored on the field during pre-game, Gurie said.
Hall of Honor inductees are selected based on their contributions to the University and local community, and their success in the military and civilian sectors.