On Tuesday morning, Tiger Stadium felt snow for the first time in years. The roads were closed, curfews were imposed and many businesses shut down. Yet thousands took the opportunity to explore, to appreciate their state in a new form, and to create memories.
This is why bad weather games become the stuff of football legends.
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 not a fan or player emerged dry that day.
Jimmy Johnson used the dreary weather to his advantage, relentlessly pressing the Tiger defense to a pulp. Many fans had piled out by the second quarter, but dozens stayed. It is a mesmerizing experience to watch men fight with every fiber of their being, against 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 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 its deep hatred towards the Tide, but it 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 outside.
When both teams took the field, the skies were clear. Both teams played fairly well in the first half, 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, and the field was 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 momentum had shifted entirely in the Tigers’ favor in the second half. LSU running back Kevin Faulk racked up 234 yards during 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 the 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.
