On Tuesday morning, Tiger Stadium felt snow for the first time in years. The roads closed, curfews were imposed and many businesses shut down. Yet, every single time, thousands take the opportunity to explore, to appreciate their state in a new form, and to create memories.
It is the primal urge of humanity to attempt to conquer nature and when it inevitably reminds us of the futility of trying to tame it, we rebuild and try again.
This is why bad weather games become the stuff of football legend.
On Nov. 19, 1988, 80,000 fans piled into Tiger Stadium to see the LSU Tigers take on the Miami Hurricanes. In the early half of the 1900s, the teams had been frequent foes, but the series had gone dormant after the Tigers decimated them 20-0 in their home stadium.
The Hurricanes, led by coaching legend Jimmy Johnson, were certainly not that same team.
The weather was relentless. Many tried to fight back with whatever they could find, but nary a fan or player would emerge dry that day.
Jimmy Johnson used the dreary weather to his advantage, relentlessly pressing the Tiger defense to a pulp. By the second quarter, many fans had piled out. But dozens stayed. It is a mesmerizing experience to watch men fight with every fiber of their being, against both their enemy and their environment.
Mesmerizing as it was, the Tigers would still lose that game 44-3, the worst loss LSU had suffered in four decades.
While rain in Death Valley may be held as a symbol of bad luck, the Tigers have also been quite adept at seizing victories in the midst of Mother Nature’s fury.
In 1984, the Tigers traveled to Legion Field to play Alabama. LSU had not yet developed their deep hatred towards the Tide yet, but they still remained one of the toughest games of the season. It looked to be no different that year, despite a rocky start, Alabama was in the top 10, while LSU remained bubbling under.
When both teams took the field, the skies were clear. In the first half, both teams played fairly well, each capturing a touchdown. By about midway through the second quarter, LSU had taken the lead.
Soon enough, rain began relentlessly assaulting the stadium. The turf became slippery, the field covered in tiny ponds. The weather proved such a menace that the scoreboard was forced to flash for a tornado warning.
Going into the second half, LSU stopped Alabama’s first drive, taking the ball into the end zone after a critical special teams blunder led to a blocked punt. However, Tiger coach Bill Arnsparger made the confusing call to go for two, which expectedly failed, leaving LSU leading 16-14.
Alabama desperately tried to get down the field, but in the heavy rain, Mike Shula threw a number of costly incomplete passes. The Tigers eked out the win.
In Shreveport, Louisiana, the Tigers faced the Michigan State Spartans in the 1995 Independence Bowl.
“I remember it was cold,” LSU fan Mike Nola said. “It was sleeting. It was miserable. Just relentless.”
The Spartans took the lead early in the game, but by the second half, momentum had shifted entirely in the Tigers’ favor. LSU running back Kevin Faulk racked up 234 yards over the course of the game, an Independence Bowl record, and LSU won the matchup 45-26.
Michigan State would never return to Shreveport, and their head coach, Nick Saban, wouldn’t return until 2007 when he led the Crimson Tide to their own Independence Bowl.
The LSU Tigers have a fickle relationship with nature. They hail from a state where rain is one of its distinctive characteristics. Some teams consider their native weather a home field advantage. But for the Tigers, it is a force to be feared.
