The LSU football team had one distinct advantage over all its opponents on its way to the 2003 national championship — a vested interest from someone in a far better place.
Or at least that is what senior linebacker Lionel Turner thinks about the Tigers’ late equipment manager Jeff Boss.
“He was in our hearts,” Turner said. “After every game and before every game we said a prayer for him. And when he passed away we dedicated the season to him.”
Boss, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January 2003, lost his battle with the deadly illness on Oct. 27. But his memory remained strong in the minds of everyone involved with the LSU football program and means more to some people than words can describe.
“There is not one person in our organization that the players hold in higher regard for what he does for them,” said LSU coach Nick Saban before Boss’ death. “I know that people like Jeff Boss make our job possible and we thank [him] for that. I cannot express the gratitude and appreciation that we have as coaches and players for all that [he has] done for us.”
A Love Affair
Boss graduated from McNeese State University and was a native of Lake Charles, La. He served as a teacher and football coach at Morgan City High School and served in the same capacity at Kaplan High School before coming to Baton Rouge.
But there is no doubt where he considered home. He held a large spot in his heart for LSU and was what Saban called at a press conference after his death a “great Tiger.”
“You know, a lot of people thought he graduated from LSU,” said boss’ widow, Karen Boss. “He loved it so much. In fact, he contributed to the alumni association. But we were LSU fans before he got the job.”
Karen said there is not one occupation at any other place that fit her husband better than head equipment manager of the LSU football team.
“It truly was the job that was meant for him to have,” Karen said. “He was so well-placed in that job. He loved it. He could’ve left to make a lot more money than he made. But he just loved his job. The only thing that I would want to tell young people is when you go out there and choose that career, make sure it’s something you love.”
His Impact
Boss was simply an equipment manager. He was not a coach, not an administrator and not a player. He was just an equipment manager.
But his impact was felt across all circles of the LSU athletic department and his memory lives on strongly till this day.
His name was mentioned countless amounts of times at the LSU national championship celebration and the LSU locker room was named in his honor.
“If each player could just be a percentage of what Jeff Boss was to everybody else, we’d all be great people,” said departing LSU linebacker Eric Alexander. “He was a great person, someone who would do anything, anytime. We really did miss him this year and I think he was putting in a good word for us upstairs.”
Not only did LSU name its locker room after Boss, the players also wore his initials across the back of their helmets and around their shoulder pads. His initials were painted on the field for home games and coaches and players could be seen wearing hats with his initials stitched in them.
All of those gestures made Karen Boss realize how important her husband was to a lot of people.
“We’ve been married for 29 years and 25 of them were here at LSU,” Karen said. “He took the job here to spend more time at home because he was coaching high school ball which of course ended up being a farce because he was home, less. And all these years with people calling him in the middle of the night to do things early in the morning or holiday and weekends, I thought maybe people were taking advantage of his good nature.
“But I was dead wrong.”
One Word — Selfless
The job of equipment manager in and of itself is one that is behind the scenes and usually under-appreciated.
But Boss made sure the players and coaches got all the glory and the players and coaches made sure they knew how much they cared about him.
“That’s the one thing we try to bring in to this program is good people,” said LSU quarterback Matt Mauck. “And he was definitely one of the best I’ve been able to experience in my life.”
Chancellor Mark Emmert knew how much Boss meant to the LSU football program, and it is no surprise to him.
“He was one of the most remarkable guys,” Emmert said. “He was one of those people that, very quietly, without drawing attention to himself or anything he was doing, did everything everybody ever needed or ever expected, day in, day out, no matter what. He was in a lot of ways emblematic of the kind of team [LSU] was. He was just one of those wonderful human beings that everybody loved and always got things done for you.”
Boss’ death provides championship inspiration
February 5, 2004