History of LSU 1860s - 1920s Penn War re n , Cleanth Broo k s , and Charles Pi p k i n . • The institution opened Jan u a r y 2, 18 6 0 • The Huey P. Long Fieldhouse was con- and subsequently closed June 30, 18 6 1 , structed in 19 3 2 and served as the campus' because of the Civil War . It reopened on first student union. The Long Field House April 1, but was again closed on April 23, contained administrative offices and an 18 6 3 , due to the invasion of the Red River outdoor pool that was the world's largest at Val l e y by the federal army. the time. • The seminary (as it was originally • In 19 3 7 , tw o new athletic venues were ref e r r ed) reopened October 2, 18 6 5 , only to completed and expanded. The John M. be burned October 15, 18 6 9 . Just over two Parker Coliseum opened and served as a weeks later, the institution resumed its multipurpose arena mostly for livestock ex e r cises in Baton Rouge, wh e r e it has since shows and rod e o s . It was also used for rem a i n e d . In 18 7 0 , the name of the institu- commencements and convocations and tion was changed to Louisiana State se r ved as home of the LSU basketball team. Un i v e r s i t y . Alex Box Stadium also served as football • In 18 7 5 , the institution became rac i a l l y pr actice fields. Tiger Stadium received its in t e g ra t e d . Just two years following, LS U ' s second expansion, adding a north endzone official title was changed to Louisiana State and bringing the capacity to 46,000. University and A&M College and became a • Huey P. Long and Castro Carazo teamed la n d - g r ant institution. up to co-author notable songs "Tou c h d o w n • In 18 8 6 , the federal garrison grou n d s for LSU" and "Hey Fightin' Ti g e r s ! " (now the site of the state capitol) were for- During his tenure at LSU Carazo compiled mally declared the domicile of the one of the most complete university band Un i v e r s i t y . Land for the present campus li b r aries in Am e r i c a . was purchased in 19 1 8 . • It was 18 9 3 when LSU played its first football game, and three years later LSU 19 4 0 s adopted the tiger as the official mascot. • Until 1969 the ROTC pro g ram at Louisiana State University was mandatory 19 2 0 s for all entering male students. The military heritage began under General William T. • With the support of Governor John M. Sherman and hence developed the name Parker and the approval of a seve r ance tax "Ole War Skule." Not many people know during the constitutional convention of about LSU's rich military tra d i t i o n . I n 19 2 1 , the construction of the new campus, WW I I , only Texas A&M and the Military known today as Louisiana State University Academies of Annapolis and West Poi n t A g r i c u l t u ral and Mechanical College, we r e equal to the Ole War Skule in provi d - be g a n . ing officers to the armed force s . • The Gym-Armory was built west of the • In 19 4 3 , the LSU Band invited its first academic quadrangle for the purpose of coed member. housing the LSU basketball team and other indoor sporting eve n t s . Tiger Stadium was completed in 19 2 4 and on Th a n k s g i v i n g 19 5 0 s Da y of that yea r ,Tulane and LSU played the • In 19 5 0 LSU enrolled black students into first game on the new campus. In 19 2 8 , its graduate prog r am for the first time. up wa r d expansion added 10,000 seats to Th r oughout the 1950s, air conditioning the alrea d y 12,000-seat stadium. slowly began to be phased into administra- • The formal dedication of the new campus tion and classroom buildings throu g h o u t took place on Friday, April 30, 19 2 6 . Th e the campus. date was chosen because on April 30, 18 0 3 • A. P .Ture a u d , Jr. , en ro l l e d , but res i g n e d the United States Congress signed the be f o r e the end of the fall term in 19 5 3 , wh i l e Louisiana Purchase documents. B rown vs. The Board of Education of Top e k a , Ka n s a s , struck down racial segre- 19 3 0 s gation in public schools a year later. • Tiger Stadium was expanded in 19 5 7 wi t h • During this time many of LSU's live oaks the south endzone providing the final piece and magnolias were planted by landscape of the puzzle to completely enclose the sta- artist Steele Burden for what has become a di u m . The enclosure provided not only symbolic part of the great legacy at LSU. additional seating but also men's dormito- The live oak trees on LSU's campus have ri e s . Capacity now reached 67,720. been valued at $36 million. Th r ough the • The LSU Tiger Football team won the LSU Foundation's "Endow an Oak" pro- 1 9 5 8 National Championship, d e f e a t i n g gra m , individuals or groups are able to C l e m s o n ,7 - 0 , in the Sugar Bowl and finish- endow live oaks across campus. ing with an 11-0 season. • In 19 3 0 , the student body adopted the alma mater that still is in use today. LSU is the home of The Southern Revi e w, 19 6 0 s one of the world's most prestigious literar y • In 19 6 4 , a $5.5 million student union was jo u r n a l s , established in the 1930s by Robert built with 200,000 square feet of entertain- 1 6 8 2003 LSU BASEBALL me n t . The three - s t o r y facility accommodat- • In 1987, LSU was designated as a ed a 1,315 seat theatre, 333 seat movie cin- Re s e a r ch University I, putting it in the top em a , bowling lanes, game room and pool 2% of the nation's colleges and universities. ha l l , post office, cafeteria and craft shop as Only 70 universities, 45 public and 25 pri- well as ballrooms and conference rooms for va t e ,h ave this designation. hosting seminars and special eve n t s . • Also that yea r , six black students enrol l e d 19 9 0 s in undergr aduate studies. • In 19 9 2 , The Student Recreational Sports • By the end of the decade, rising tensions Complex opened to rave revi e ws by LSU due to U.S . in volvement in the Vietnam War students and faculty. we r e mounting. The LSU ROTC prog ra m • On May 20, 1 9 9 4, the LSU A l u m n i became a target for protestors as dissatis- Association dedicated its new home. faction with the war increa s e d . The pres s u r e Special honorees attending were Lod in c r eased for LSU to either cancel its pro- Co o k , Pr esident Gerald Ford , Pre s i d e n t gr am or make it voluntary. In October 19 6 8 , J i m my Carter, P resident George Bush, the LSU Faculty Council voted to make the White House Chief of Staff Mac McLardy, ROTC prog r am voluntary, and on May 26, and Governor Edwin Edward s . 19 6 9 the LSU Board of Supervisors made it • Head Coach Skip Bertman built the LSU of f i c i a l . baseball prog r am into one of the most dominating prog r ams in the country. Wit h 19 7 0 s National Championships coming in 19 9 1 , • Former professor T. Ha r r y Williams was 93 , 96 , and 97 , the Tigers would continue ho n o r ed with the Pulitzer Prize for his their dynasty into the next century by win- bi o g ra p h y of Huey Long in 19 7 0 . ning its fifth title in 20 0 0 . By the late 1990's • With the growing popularity of collegiate the LSU Tiger baseball team became at h l e t i c s , tw o new athletic facilities were known as the "Prog r am of the Decade" by built and another was being expanded. In all of college baseball. 19 7 1 , LSU basketball introduced a state-of- • Speaking of dyn a s t i e s , LSU Head Track & the-art 15,000-seat multipurpose are na . Field Coach Pat Henry managed to rea c h The Assembly Center would eventually be major milestones throughout his 15 yea r s known as the Pete Maravich As s e m b l y at LSU.