Its getting closer.

---------------------- Forwarded by Matthew Lenhart/HOU/ECT on 07/31/2000
02:15 PM ---------------------------

Chad Landry
07/31/2000 12:45 PM
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Subject: Its getting closer.

If you get a chance read the article below; but if you need a quick summary
b/c you don't have time to read the whole article here it is:

"The Southeastern Conference is unequivocally the paragon of the college
football conferences-"

CKL

SEC TRADITIONS
A weekly column by Chris Warner

Perspectives on SEC Football and
Thoughts on
the Impending Football Season

I would like to kickoff this
column with a few choice quotes from the
annals of a most colorful, and
telling, SEC gridiron history:

"Southern football fans are
knowledgeable, fair and loud. They are proud
of their football heritage, their
schools, and their teams. And they share a
deep pride that goes with being
from the south" --George Mooney, the
irreplaceable "Voice of the
Volunteers" in the 1950s

"The true football fan pays no
attention to time or mileage when there is a
big game to see." --John Heisman,
head coach, Auburn University

"In Baton Rouge, the focal point
of everything is Tiger football." --Jim
Corbett

"In Baton Rouge, it's not a law to
love LSU, but the city fathers could
probably get one passed if they
needed to." --Charles McClendon, head
coach, LSU

"After so many years at a school,
you become a member of the football
family." --Bob Fulton

"I don't care where a man comes
from or how he spells his name. All I
ask is that he be loyal to
Georgia, proud of that jersey, and try like the
devil to win." --Wally Butts, head
coach, Georgia

"Deep inside, we're still the boys
of autumn, that magic time of the year
that once swept us on to America's
fields." --Archie Manning

"Tradition is a rich asset for any
team. Tradition and success are traveling
companions." --Wallace Wade, head
coach, University of Alabama

The above quotes were excerpted
from Criswell Freeman's "The
Wisdom of Southern Football"
(1995).

As football season creeps ever
closer, the avid enthusiast finds it difficult
to contain the unbridled
excitement and anticipation that bubbles like
summertime sweat within their
pigskin-thirsty souls. Football season is
that special time of year that not
only means the beginning of another
healthy slate of competitive
gridiron contests filled with spectacular plays
and high drama--it's also the
definitive rallying point for the onslaught of
all the expected pomp, pageantry,
and circumstance that goes
hand-in-hand with the college
game. In no conference in the country is
this statement more true than the
tradition-rich Southeastern Conference.
The ongoing rivalries, the
colorful histories and traditions, the premier
tailgating, the coquettish
southern bells in their gameday garb, the reunion
of lasting friendships, and the
competitive fire and spirit that accompany
the game, all make the entire SEC
football experience a very real, and
visceral one--even to the most
casual observer.

The Southeastern Conference is
unequivocally the paragon of the college
football conferences, and the 2000
season figures not to disappoint the
thousands of rabid fans that flock
to the stadiums each week throughout
the southeast; as well as the
millions more who tune in from home on the
tube to follow their respective
teams. Quite frankly, SEC football has
never been bigger, or better. The
southern cultural phenomenon only
continues to grow with each
passing season. The number of fans, and the
competition that they long for
each and every weekend of the football
season, has never been bigger or
better. In 1999, the SEC again set
attendance records for its games,
and with the many recent expansions to
existing stadiums in the
conference, those records should again fall at the
end of this season.

Five Reasons Tiger Fans Can Be
Excited About the 2000 Football
Season

1. Lou Tepper is no longer in
Tiger Town.

Heralded by professional defensive
coaches as a "guru" and a "defensive
genius" prior to his arrival at
LSU, the former Illinois head coach led the
LSU defense to its worst two-year
performance in the history of the
school (1893). If you are
interested in immortalizing the Tepper legacy at
LSU for your scrapbook, copies of
his book "Complete Linebacking"
can still be obtained (at a
discounted price no less) at most local book
outlets. In Tepper's absence,
maybe the Tigers will return to the days of
coach Charlie Mac and the standout
defensive units that were his
trademark while at the Ole War
Skule. Speaking of Coach Mac, I caught
up with him last week at his home
and he sounded as spry as a spring
chicken. He told me that he is
doing great and that he enjoys cycling in
the mornings to stay in shape.
Coach told me that he hopes that the LSU
players have fun this year,
because, he said, "...having fun is what it's all
about. If you can't have any fun,
you're in big trouble."

2. Contrary to popular belief, the
Tigers are deep at quarterback.

Preseason prognosticators have
cited the injury to Rohan Davey as a
core reason why the Tigers will
have trouble at the quarterback position.
They all opined early that both
Booty and Nall had difficulties leading the
offense and that the injury to
Davey was a major setback to the Tiger
offense. However, reports from
summer camp indicate that Rohan is now
within 95-100 percent of his
normal range of motion on his knee, and in
light of this it would appear that
the Tigers are again three-deep at the
quarterback position. The
resurgence of Rohan is a tremendous boost to
the team. Known for his leadership
ability both on and off the field,
Rohan possesses the true grit that
wins ball games. I caught up with
former LSU All-American and coach
Gaynell Tinsley at his Highland
Road home a few weeks ago, and he
told me that he thought that
Rohan's performance against
Arkansas was the best he had ever seen by
an LSU quarterback. True frosh
Marcus Randall impressed in the LA
High School All-Star game last
week, but he is a likely redshirt with the
logjam of experienced competition
ahead of him.

3. Nick Saban.

Derided unfairly early by most SEC
media outlets as being "incompatible"
with Louisianians' unique culture
and high football expectations, Saban is
easily the best thing to happen to
LSU football since Kevin Faulk. A
consummate professional, Saban
exudes confidence and paints a clear
vision for the future of the
program. His presence in Red Stick has made
an immediate impact on the
program, evidenced by the recent glowing
comments at media days by seniors
Louis William and Fred Booker.
Saban was also unfairly chastised
heavily by the media for his inability to
bring any assistants with him to
LSU from his previous staff at Michigan
State. However, Coach Saban
recently aptly stated at the SEC media
days that only a couple of his
previous staff members had ever been
"south of the Mason-Dixon line."
That notwithstanding, you cannot argue
with the fact that Saban has
compiled a great staff of southern coaches.
Tiger fans should find further
solace in the fact that coach Saban has
never had a losing record as a
football coach.

4. Trev Faulk & Bradie James at
Linebacker.

All good defenses have a common
trait--great linebacking play, and you'll
be hard-pressed to find two better
young horses than these two. Outside
linebacker and pass rushing
specialist Jeremy Lawrence is another super
sophomore to keep your eyes on.
These guys all have good wheels, and
will put the leather on you when
they get the chance. James' number 11
Faulk's recent acquisition of
Mealey's lucky 7 will undoubtedly prompt
many fans and commentators to make
countless puns and jokes related
to LSU's 7-11 linebacking duo.

5. Predictions Don't Mean Diddly

The other day I was scouring
through the many rolls of microfilm in the
basement of Middleton Library at
LSU, and I stumbled upon this most
interesting fact:

In August, 1958, LSU was picked to
finish 8th out of 10 SEC teams.
Auburn, which had won the national
championship the year prior with
Shug Jordan, was picked to repeat
as conference champs, followed by
Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Of course, in spite of the dismal
preseason ranking by the SEC
sportswriters, the Bengal Tigers
went on to record their only unblemished
season and national college
football championship to date. This story
should only serve to encourage
fans that are despondent over the
outcome of the past two seasons in
Tigertown. Anything can happen in
the SEC, and remember, the old
adage says that "history repeats itself."

Keep the faith Tigerfans!

Until next time...