LSU: Best sports school?

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By Christopher Gordy

In Baton Rouge, LSU fans love to root for their Tigers and take pride in LSU athletics. But whether it is football, baseball or even track and field, fans in Baton Rouge believe that LSU is the best school in most sports. But the question remains: is LSU the best sports school in the country right now?

Starting with football, it is obvious the Tigers are the best. Winning the national championship this past season, LSU is the first school to win two BCS national championships in the country. As much as the national media wants to hype up the success of programs like USC and Ohio State, there is no denying the Tigers’ achievements. After Nick Saban helped resurrect LSU football and lead them to a national championship in 2003, Coach Les Miles has not missed a beat, leading LSU to a 34-6 record in four seasons and another national championship. Besides playing in the toughest conference in all of college football, LSU is by far the best football program in the country at this time.

LSU baseball will always have more history and memories than any other sport at LSU. With the magical success of Skip Bertman in the ‘90s, one can acknowledge the fact that no team will achieve that sort of success in college baseball ever again. Winning five national championships from 1991-2000, LSU baseball was the centerpiece of college baseball for some time. But since then, the baseball program had fallen off a bit, with only two College World Series appearances over the next seven seasons.

This season, in only his second year as head coach, Paul Mainieri has helped to turn the tide with one of the most successful runs in baseball. The LSU baseball team went on a 23-game winning streak to win the SEC West, and eventually win the SEC Tournament. The Tigers would go on to win their regional and super-regional in Baton Rouge to advance back to the College World Series once again. While LSU baseball may not be the best in the country yet, it is certainly poised to get there in the next few seasons.

The LSU Track and Field teams are the most successful athletic teams at LSU. On Saturday, the Lady Tigers won LSU its 31st NCAA team championship in program history, getting Coach Dennis Shaver his first championship as head coach. Track and Field is the sport that has given LSU more titles than any other team. The LSU women have won an impressive 11 NCAA Indoor titles and 14 NCAA Outdoor titles.

After this past weekend, the Tigers finished among the top five teams at the NCAA Outdoor meet for the ninth straight season dating back to a fifth-place finish in 2000. Though the sport may not be as popular as football or basketball, it is certainly one that contributes to LSU’s success in athletics.

The LSU men’s basketball team has had two pretty disappointing seasons for the past two years, seeing the firing of coach John Brady last year. But of course, anything short of a tournament win would be disappointing after LSU’s magical Final Four run three seasons ago. But the men’s team is in good hands with Stanford’s Trent Johnson who has already made it public that his expectation is to bring a championship to LSU. Though the team may not have names like O’Neal or Maravich on the roster this year, expect LSU basketball to start its rise back to the top this coming season.

The LSU women’s basketball team has reservations every season at the Final Four. This past year, under Hall of Fame coach Van Chancellor, the Lady Tigers made their fifth consecutive appearance in the Final Four. While the Tigers were only a last second shot away from advancing to the championship game, they have certainly achieved more success than many women’s basketball programs in the country. With the majority of last year’s team graduating, the Tigers will have a whole new look next season. But as of now, the Lady Tiger basketball team is certainly in the top three in the country in terms of success on the court.

In addition to these successful sports, take into account the success of LSU’s other sports on campus. The LSU Softball team has had numerous Women’s College World Series appearances and capped last season by hosting a regional in Tiger Park. The LSU Soccer team finished the 2007 season first in the SEC West. The Women’s Golf team finished the ‘07 season ranked 18th in the nation. The LSU Gymnastics team finished ranked fifth in the nation, and advanced to the Super Six for the first time in school history. The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished ranked in the top 20 in the country. The men’s tennis team ranked 18th in the nation, while the women’s team finished second in the SEC West, with Megan Falcon ranked as the 19th best player in the country. The LSU Volleyball team finished first in the SEC West last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

So with all the success of all the athletic teams at LSU, you must decide if LSU is the best sports school in the country right now. Or is the best still yet to come?

Originally Published: Issue 689 - June 18, 2008

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