In recent years, LSU’s National L-Club Spring Football Game has come to be a major barometer of the Tigers as they break from spring’s 15 practices.
Thousands of fans pack Tiger Stadium’s lower bowl to witness the team for the last time until August.
But that wasn’t always the case.
The phenomenon of the Spring Game is a relatively new one, as coach Les Miles and before him, Nick Saban, have embraced true game simulations while LSU has emerged as a consistent winner.
Prior to former coach Gerry DiNardo’s arrival in 1995, the Spring Game was so nondescript and sparsely attended that most in the Athletic Department can barely recall the glorified scrimmages.
DiNardo used the game to spur his “Bring Back the Magic” fan appeal and build year-round excitement for the program.
“Each coach has their own style for the game, but DiNardo recognized that he needed that passion,” said LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette. “We had one of our best crowds ever - around 40,000 - under him.”
The LSU Athletic Department has no official attendance figures before 2003, and the biggest crowds since were estimated at 33,200 in 2008 and 29,000 in 2009.
“Attendance fluctuates, and people always wanted to know why we don’t draw more,” Bonnette said. “We had never done a whole lot to promote it.”
Saban practically conducted a real game and picked teams using a mock draft.
Unlike most spring games, Saban made winning a primary point of the action.
“Nick used to have the ‘Steak n’ Beans Bowl,'” Bonnette said. “The winning team got to eat steaks and a fine meal while the losers ate beans off paper plates.”
Miles has maintained the commitment to realistic game action while being a major part of LSU’s effort to expand the game’s reach with fans.
“I hope that this game continues to become a tradition,” Miles said in 2008, the highest-attended year. “This will be a game-like venue as best we can, and we hope that the crowds will get bigger and bigger each year. This certainly is a weekend that you can put on your calendar.”
That same year, LSU welcomed Kid Rock and Sara Evans to campus for a Friday night concert on the weekend of the game, marking LSU’s committed emphasis on extracurricular activities to complement the football.
“It’s really a recent phenomenon in my mind,” Miles said. “Most places I’ve been, there’s never been much promotion for spring football, and that’s changed. I think our players and the administration now look forward to it more and embrace the weekend.”
ESPN has televised the game the last two seasons, the first time the game has reached a national audience.
This season, LSU will host a Fan Fest prior to the game, put on a student tailgate outside the stadium, celebrate the Tigers’ 2011 SEC Championship and honor defensive backs’ Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu’s award-winning achievements last season.
While the game action may not always be sharp, memorable moments have still graced Spring Game football.
There was former running back Cecil Collins’ lengthy touchdown scamper in 1997, senior wide receiver Russell Shepard’s anticipated debut in 2009 and junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s touchdown pass during last season’s game.
“The Spring Game, it satisfies fans’ curiosity about these players,” Bonnette said. “That interest doesn’t change, no matter the year.”
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]