LSU in purple

[Krona]

sorry if this has been covered, but anyone recall the last time the tigers wore purple jerseys? i remember it quite a bit more when i was a kid..a check/plus to anyone who can tell me the significance of the white at home

[Halcyon122]

I think they wore purple against Oregon State last year in the game where Alexis Serna missed 3 PATs...

[footballfiji]

I'm pretty sure that was the last time.

From the story I was told it was because the Beavers didn't want to be affected by the heat by wearing their all black unis.

LSU has to ask each school if they will wear their dark uniforms and most times they do. However, there have been some notable exceptions.

One famous story has when Geri DiNardo was coaching Vanderbilt. Vandy refused the wear their home unis. So, and here's where the story gets convoluted, I've head a couple of things:

1) THe LSU team wore all Gold uniforms.

2) The LSU team wore white helmets

3) The theme was White OUt Vandy and the entire stadium was clad in white.

I'm not sure which story, if any, was true.

[B-Rich]

I'm pretty sure that was the last time.

From the story I was told it was because the Beavers didn't want to be affected by the heat by wearing their all black unis.

LSU has to ask each school if they will wear their dark uniforms and most times they do. However, there have been some notable exceptions.

One famous story has when Geri DiNardo was coaching Vanderbilt. Vandy refused the wear their home unis. So, and here's where the story gets convoluted, I've head a couple of things:

1) THe LSU team wore all Gold uniforms.

2) The LSU team wore white helmets

3) The theme was White OUt Vandy and the entire stadium was clad in white.

I'm not sure which story, if any, was true.

Close, footballfiji, very close....

From one of my postings in an earlier thread (Observations on watching LSU/ Tennessee):

....The team still usually wears the purple jerseys for one or two home games a year, usually against a non-conference opponent-- just to liven things up. In our championship year in 2003, for example, we wore them at home against Western Illinois and Louisiana Tech.

Last year, we wore the purple jerseys against Oregon State in the season opener and against Troy University on October 23rd, so technically that was the last time, Grubstreet. LSU didn't wear them against Arkansas State last year, for some reason.

We'll probably wind up wearing them for one if not both of our upcoming games: N. Texas State (postponed from Katrina Weekend) and Appalachian State.

Regarding the Vandy/Dinardo, story, footballfiji, it's partially correct. Vandy wouldn't accomodate LSU in wearing white because there was bad blood between them and DiNardo, their former coach. There was a "white out against Vandy" camapaign for the home fans, but the LSU team itself wore gold (yellow) jerseys, white pants and their regular gold (yellow) helmets in that game.

Under DiNardo, LSU on ONE occasion did wear a white helmet, gold jersey and white pants combo, though; that was in the 1997 Independence Bowl against Notre Dame.

DiNardo apparently had a thing about uniform experimentation. For an away game against Kentucky in his first year at LSU, he had the Tigers clad in stripeless purple pants along with the white jersey and traditional gold helmet. After LSU lost that game, the purple pants were never seen again and rumor has it the team made a ritual of burning them, a la the Broncos' old vertical striped socks.

[sacker12]

Last year's homecoming vs. Troy is the last time I remember them wearing purple at home.

[BRice16]

They no longer have to ask permission to wear white from SEC schools. Two years ago, the football coaches approved a policy that allowed LSU to wear white at home and when designated as the home team in the SEC Championship game (as they were in 2001), without asking the opponent. White has officially been designated as their "home" uniform by the SEC. On the flip side, SEC teams can also choose to wear white at home vs. the Tigers without asking their permission, but they must inform LSU two weeks before the scheduled contest.

[pooter]

For an away game against Kentucky in his first year at LSU, he had the Tigers clad in stripeless purple pants along with the white jersey and traditional gold helmet. After LSU lost that game, the purple pants were never seen again and rumor has it the team made a ritual of burning them, a la the Broncos' old vertical striped socks.

I can see why...if they lost in football to Kentucky.

[PackerBadger]

Well, here's a weird one for you along this line. In the 1983 Orange Bowl, LSU wore their purple jerseys against Nebraska, which wore their white jersey/red pant combo. The Orange Bowl always had the Big Eight champion as their home team (a year later, Miami, playing in their home stadium wearing their road unis, beat Nebraska to win the national championship). So in the '83 Orange Bowl, LSU, wearing their road unis, played Nebraska, wearing their road unis.

[BigEd76]

[cheo25]

Last year, we wore the purple jerseys against Oregon State in the season opener and against Troy University on October 23rd, so technically that was the last time, Grubstreet. LSU didn't wear them against Arkansas State last year, for some reason.

I think LSU didn't wear purple vs. Arkansas State because Oregon State forced the Tigers to wear purple in the opener. Under Nick Saban, LSU always wore white for the home opener (which was usually a nonconference game) and then wore purple for the other two nonconference home games. Therefore, Saban probably just decided to flip-flop one of the purple games.

In the 1983 Orange Bowl, LSU wore their purple jerseys against Nebraska, which wore their white jersey/red pant combo

Not sure why this happened, other than perhaps Nebraska was trying for a psychological ploy. LSU's had bad-luck feelings about purple back then the way Tex Schramm felt the Cowboys' blue jerseys were bad luck. In the 1970s and early 80s, there were at least a couple of times Kentucky wore white at home against LSU, forcing the Tigers to wear purple. And Mississippi State used the same ploy against LSU in at least one home game (either '78 or '80 -- there used to be a photo from that game in a Baton Rouge restaurant).

[Fjm]

Well, here's a weird one for you along this line. In the 1983 Orange Bowl, LSU wore their purple jerseys against Nebraska, which wore their white jersey/red pant combo. The Orange Bowl always had the Big Eight champion as their home team (a year later, Miami, playing in their home stadium wearing their road unis, beat Nebraska to win the national championship). So in the '83 Orange Bowl, LSU, wearing their road unis, played Nebraska, wearing their road unis.

In the 1983 Orange Bowl, since the Big 8 was always the designated home team, wouldn't Nebraska have chosen their red jerseys?

I remember they played each other in the 1985 Sugar Bowl, too, and I think LSU wore purple then. I thought they used to wear purple at home during that time period and only changed back to white later on, like around 1990?

[therebelas]

Pretty sure they'll break them out this weekend against North Texas

[PackerBadger]

I was surprised too, but the post-New Year's Day edition of Sports Illustrated had pictures.

There were a number of years where the NCAA decided to mandate that home teams always wore dark jerseys. So for that time span, LSU wore the purples at home. About five years or so ago, they relaxed the rule, and back came the whites.

[winghaz]

LSU looks good in those purple jerseys.

[ahub]

As an LSU fan, I much prefer the purple jerseys. However most of the locals are more concerned with traditional than what looks better.

[cheo25]

In the 1983 Orange Bowl, since the Big 8 was always the designated home team, wouldn't Nebraska have chosen their red jerseys?

As I mentioned earlier the in the thread, it was probably because Nebraska was trying to gain a psychological edge on LSU. LSU would not have chosen purple on its own because the team traditionally believed they were bad luck.

I remember they played each other in the 1985 Sugar Bowl, too, and I think LSU wore purple then. I thought they used to wear purple at home during that time period and only changed back to white later on, like around 1990?

Before the 1983 season (and the '83 Orange Bowl doesn't apply because it falls under the '82 season), the NCAA mandated that home teams must wear dark or non-white colors. That rule stayed in effect through the 1994 season (a scenario we've discussed many times on this board). Therefore in the '85 Sugar Bowl, LSU likely was the home team and had no choice but to wear purple. Now in the '87 Sugar Bowl between LSU and Nebraska, I honestly have no idea why LSU wore white and Nebraska wore red. Maybe Nebraska was the home team that day.

[bsilva1]

After LSU beat #1 Florida in 1997 (in Tiger Stadium) Spurrier requested the Gators wear white when LSU went to the Swamp in 1998 knowing LSU couldn't refuse the offer. LSU let Florida wear white and LSU wore gold jerseys, white pants and gold helmets. LSU wore gold jerseys 3 times and they were different all 3 times.

[Burkell007]

can any body come up with a pic of the LSU Gold jerseys???...i'm curious about them........and if i'm right they only wore white in the 80's and 90's at home for TV games cause some sort of Ban or something(i read it in SI i have to find it but i know it was something along that line)

[sacker12]

I know I saw a gold LSU replica in a sporting goods store a while back. It had the purple and white shoulder stripes and purple numbers with a white outline and dropshadow.

[cheo25]

Here's a link below to Rondell Mealey in the white/gold/white combo from the Independence Bowl in 1997.

http://www.independencebowl.org/Images/Rondell-Mealey.gif