University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Getting to Know...LSU
7/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -
The countdown to the 2016 continues and in the edition of Getting to Know the Opponent features the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference. The two teams play ,Saturday, Oct. 15, with the Golden Eagles traveling to face the Tigers in Death Valley. As you get ready for the road trip, take the time to get to know LSU.
Getting to Know...LSU
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Founded: 1860
Enrollment: 31,527
President: Dr. F. King Alexander
Athletics Director: Joe Alleva
Conference: Southeastern (SEC)
Nickname: Tigers
Colors: Purple and Gold
Stadium (capacity): Tiger Stadium (102, 321)
Playing Surface: Grass
Series Record: Tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: W, 20-18, 1994 in Baton Rouge
Head Coach: Les Miles
Record at School: 112-32
Overall Record: 140-53
2015 Record: 9-3
2015 Conference Record: 5-3
2015 Postseason: W, Texas Bowl 56-27 over Texas Tech
Final AP Rank: 16
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 49/17
Starters Returning/Lost: 18/6
Offense: 9/2
Defense: 8/3
Special Teams: 1/1
Head Coach:
Miles was born the son of Bubba, a long-haul trucking broker, and Martha Miles. He earned all-state honors as a lineman in football as well as letters in baseball and wrestling at Elyria High School in Ohio, graduating in 1972.He attended the University of Michigan where he was a two-year letterman under legendary coach Bo Schembechler from 1974 to 1975. After assistant coaching at Michigan, Colorado, Oklahoma State, and the Dallas Cowboys, Les Miles was named the head coach at OSU in Stillwater. He went 28-21 over four years and went 1-2 in bowl games.
On Jan. 2, 2005, Miles was named the 32nd head coach of LSU. In his first season as coach, LSU won the 2005 SEC Western Division title with a 10–1 regular season record, making the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. LSU went on to win the 2005 Peach Bowl with a 40–3 rout of the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes. Miles finished his first season at LSU with an 11–2 record, a No. 6 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and a No. 5 spot in the AP Poll.
In 2007, LSU won the 2007 SEC title, beating Tennessee 21–14.going on to best Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game ,38–24, giving Miles his first national championship and LSU its third.
The 2011 Tigers had one of college football's best regular seasons starting 13–0 with wins over eight ranked teams. They finished the season with the No. 2 rated defense in both yards allowed and fewest points given up. For his efforts, Miles won the 2011 Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award becoming the second LSU coach to win the award.
Under Miles, the Tigers went 10-3 in 2012, 10-3 in 2013, 8-5 in 2014, and finished 9-3 in 2015. The Tigers enter the 2016 season off of a 56-27 victory over Texas Tech in the 2015 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl.
Tiger Stadium:
Popularly known as Death Valley, it is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Prior to 1924, LSU played its home games at State Field which was located on the old LSU Campus in Downtown Baton Rouge. Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924.
Renovations and expansions have brought the stadium's current capacity to 102,321, making it the third largest stadium in the SEC, sixth largest stadium in the NCAA and the seventh largest stadium in the world. When filled to capacity, Tiger Stadium ranks as the fifth largest "city" by population in the state of Louisiana. Tiger Stadium is well known nationally for having among the best game day atmospheres in college football as well as being one of the most difficult places for an opposing team to play.
Baton Rouge:
It is the capital city of Louisiana and its second-largest city. The seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, the city is located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. As the "Capital City," Baton Rouge is the political hub for Louisiana, and is the second-largest city in the state after New Orleans, with an estimated population of 228,590 in 2015, according to the US Census Bureau. The metropolitan area surrounding the city, known as Greater Baton Rouge, is also the second-largest in Louisiana, with a population of 830,480 people as of 2015. The urban area has around 594,309 inhabitants.
Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, motion picture, and growing technology center of the American South. There are many architectural points of interest in Baton Rouge, ranging from antebellum to modern. The neo-gothic Old Louisiana State Capitol was built in the 1890s as the first state house in Baton Rouge and was later replaced by the 450 feet (137 m) tall, art-deco New Louisiana State Capitol which was the tallest building in the South when it was completed.
Several plantation homes in the area such as Magnolia Mound Plantation House, Myrtles Plantation, and Nottoway Plantation showcase antebellum-era architecture. LSU has over 250 buildings in Italian Renaissance style, one of the nation's largest college stadiums, and is endowed with many live oaks. Several examples of modern and contemporary buildings are downtown, including the Capitol Park Museum.
A number of structures, including the Baton Rouge River Center, Louisiana State Library, LSU Student Union, Louisiana Naval Museum, Bluebonnet Swamp Interpretive Center, Louisiana Arts and Sciences Center, Louisiana State Archive and Research Library, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, were designed by local architect John Desmond. The Pentagon Barracks Museum and Visitors Center is located within the barracks complex and the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Company Depot, currently houses the Louisiana Art and Science Museum. USS Kidd (DD-661) located downtown on the river. It is part of the Louisiana Naval Museum. Museums around town offer a variety of genres. The Capitol Park Museum and the Old Louisiana State Capitol Museum display information on state history and have many interactive exhibits. The Shaw Center for the Arts showcases and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum showcase varied arts. LASM also includes science exhibits and a planetarium. Other museums include the LSU Museum of Natural Science and the USS Kidd.
Other attractions include the Mall at Cortana and the Mall of Louisiana (Louisiana's two largest malls) and Perkins Rowe, amusement parks of Dixie Landin'/ Blue Bayou, and dining at the Louisiana-cuisine restaurants.
Notable Alumni:
Shaquille O’Neal is a former standout LSU basketball player and named one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time. After his 19-year basketball career, he has released four rap albums, starred in movies, earned his bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees, became a successful investor, and frequently appears as a basketball analyst.
Will Wright, The Sims creator
James Carville, chief political strategist for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign (D)
Joseph Addai, NFL RB, Indianapolis Colts
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants
Jacob Hester, NFL RB, San Diego Chargers
Chad Jones, safety, New York Giants; also played baseball for LSU as a pitcher; won NCAA Football BCS Championship and NCAA Baseball College World Series Title
Tyrann Mathieu, NFL S, Arizona Cardinals
Lolo Jones, 2008 and 2012 Olympic hurdler, track and field
