Well, here it is.
My last column as an LSU Reveille sportswriter.
The last time all you lucky readers get to see my pristine grill on the upper left side of the sports page. The last time I get to convey my opinion on sports, both LSU and nationally, to my fellow students in the official LSU daily newspaper.
And even though I am glad I will never have to write another 10-12 page paper for a Mass Comm class, no longer being able to write for my school is the thing I’ll miss the most.
To say the least, it has been a very good, exciting ride while covering LSU athletics in my two-and-a-half years at The Reveille.
I’ve covered squads from the national championship LSU football team to the LSU swimming and diving team, both of which have great student-athletes who work extremely hard at reaching their goals and representing their school very well.
But I would be lying if I said I didn’t like covering the perceived “big” sports at LSU more than anything.
And those “big” sports have been more successful in the four years I attended LSU than any other time period, making me a very lucky man.
I’ve had the opportunity to cover things from the men’s NCAA basketball tournament to the 2003 Southeastern Conference Championship football game.
I will never forget the run the women’s basketball team made to the Final Four in April, as I covered the heartbreaking loss for the Lady Tigers at the New Orleans Arena.
That arena contained as much electricity and excitement, if not more, than the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl, which I also attended. Those women and their coaching staff poured every bit of their heart and soul into that tournament run and it epitomized the lessons their ill head coach Sue Gunter always taught them.
Of course there also was the men’s basketball team’s run to the NCAA Tournament in 2003, when the senior-laden squad led by Ronald Dupree had to win five straight SEC games at the end of the season to even be considered for and NCAA bid.
Dupree, Collis Temple III and company refused to lose at the end of the season and willed their way into the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers ended up losing to Purdue in the first round, but the quartet of seniors on that team will never be forgotten.
But probably the most exciting thing I ever covered, as most of you probably guessed, was the 2003 SEC Championship game and everything leading up to the Nokia Sugar Bowl.
Not only was the LSU football team at the forefront of the nation’s attention, but so was the institution itself.
And that is why athletics are so important to the ultimate success of LSU.
The more the football team wins, the more people around the country hear about LSU. Same with basketball and baseball.
Overall, I’ve been a very lucky student and have been able to do things that many students wish they could.
I’d like to thank all my coworkers for putting up with me and I’d like to thank the city of HARAHAN for being my home town.
It’s been a great time that I will cherish forever. Lata.