MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / November 21, 1999

It’s hard to believe that it has been less than five years since Gerry DiNardo promised to “bring the magic back to Tiger Stadium” upon his hiring as LSU’s head football coach in Dec. 1994. Back then, I was one who wondered what Joe Dean was thinking, hiring a coach who had not had a winning season at Vandebilt and had lost his last game 65-0 to Tennessee. But after hearing him speak, meeting him for thefirst time at Ivar’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge and covering his spring practices as a student reporter for the Daily Reveille, I became convinced he would get the job done in ending six straight losing seasons for the Tigers.

What has been forgotten in the midst of a 2-8 season this year and a 4-7 season in 1998 is that DiNardo did accomplish what he set out to do. Thosefirst three seasons were indeed magical, starting with his first game in Tiger Stadium, a 12-6 victory over fifth-ranked Auburn. After spendingfive years on an often quiet campus on game day, the electricity surrounding that game was an unforgettable experience.

LSU finished that season 7-4-1, including a victory over Michigan State in the Independence Bowl. The next year, the Tigers defeated Clemson in thePeach Bowl, capping a 10-2 season, only the fifth 10-win season in school history.

In 1997, the Tigers finished 9-3, including the team’s first ever victory over a top-ranked team, Florida, that October and a victory over Notre Dame in the Independence Bowl.

That victory marked the first time that LSU won three straight bowl games. It also made DiNardo the only LSU coach besides Charlie McClendonto win three bowl games, something Paul Dietzel (2-1 in bowls) and Bill Arnsparger (0-3) could not do. The Tigers’ record over that three-yearperiod was the best of any SEC Western Division team.

DiNardo did all a college coach should be asked to do. He was one of thegame’s hardest working coaches, he graduated his athletes and he provided discipline. In fact, Dean said DiNardo may have been too tough. Nothingwrong with that. Maybe that’s what sports, especially on the college level,needs.

Unfortunately, Louisiana is a “what have you done for me lately?” state.

It’s a state that is near the bottom in nearly every category when it comes to education and quality of life yet it’s citizens would rather focus on the problems of its sports teams than the problems of everyday life.

Tiger Stadium is being expanded to hold over 91,000 seats when classroom buildings on campus need repairs. Realistically, how manytimes will those seats be filled, especially when the home schedule in 2000 includes games against Western Carolina, Houston and Alabama- Birmingham? Whomever is the next football coach at LSU will face these challenges and more. There is an oft used quote that coaches should rent rather than buy ahouse. At LSU, it’s getting to be that they should just reserve a hotelroom.

The next coach will be the 30th the program has had in its 106 year history and the eighth in the last 20 years. No other SEC team has had thatmany coaches since 1979 and you probably can count on your fingers the number of teams nationally that have had as many.

And Tiger fans wonder why the big-name coaches are not knocking down the door to stand on the Tiger Stadium sidelines? As for the 29th coach, good luck Coach DiNardo. Here’s wishing you all thebest. And thank you for bringing back the magic.

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