LSU gymnastics is a program 51 years in the making with 43 seasons fueled by Tiger phenomenon D-D Breaux.
Preceding her retirement in 2020, former head coach Breaux was responsible for coaching over 200 gymnasts in the bayou. Now, her and her career are being honored with an SEC Storied film titled “The Fighting Tiger.”
“The Fighting Tiger” will document Breaux’s legacy with LSU, along with the impact she left on its gymnastic program.
“It really just chronicles D-D’s 43 year career and all the ways that she was a pioneer and the battles that she had to fight just to keep this program from being dropped at certain points in its history,” head coach Jay Clark said.
After inheriting his coaching role from Breaux in 2021, Clark has proved to be an example of Breaux’s impact and worked to take LSU’s gymnastics program to great lengths. Fans can, of course, see his strides with this team given the 2024 NCAA Championship title and two consecutive SEC championship titles.
Clark discussed how “appropriate” it is for the 10-time SEC Coach of the Year to be celebrated in the same “vein” as other historical collegiate gymnastic coaches like Georgia’s Suzzane Yoculan and Alabama’s Sarah Patterson.
“All of them had to go through many of the same battles,” Clark said. “And in a lot of ways, I think D-D had a steeper hill because she didn’t always have the support of her athletic director.”
While discussing the upcoming film, Clark noted that there are still elements of Breaux’s career that he’s learning about to this day, telling the media that the 2017 National Coach of the Year holds an interesting story with LSU, one that he’s excited to look back on.
The film will premiere in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. with free admission and doors opening at 5:15 p.m. to the public.
The event is also set to host live music and a discussion panel, with Clark and some of the team expected to attend. Fans are also encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for LSU’s Campus Food Pantry.
“A good portion of our team will be present,” Clark said. “It’ll be nice to celebrate D-D’s career and to look back at the foundations of what we currently get to enjoy.”
