Colonels baseball moving forward under Thibodeaux
March 26, 2014
Tigers grinding through spring football practices
March 26, 2014
The 2014 LSU Tiger Tour is coming to Houma, and Tigers’ football coach Les Miles is among the event’s featured speakers.
The famous annual LSU tour announced its dates last week, and the Houma-Thibodaux area is among the stops on the Tigers’ eight-stop trek.
The Tiger Tour will be by the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center on May 1 at 7 p.m. The doors will open at 6 p.m.
In addition to Miles, LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones and LSU gymnastics coach DD Breaux will speak to the audience in attendance.
“I enjoy coming by this area. These are great people and there’s absolutely no doubt that these fans love their Tigers,” Miles said to the audience before speaking at the Thibodaux Civic Center in 2012. “Events like these give everyone a true appreciation for what we do, because we get to see people and get an understanding of how important our university and our programs are to this state.
“I enjoy being in the Houma-Thibodaux area, and we certainly appreciate the support we see here.”
Miles is known to let his tongue loose at Tiger Tour events, which are almost-always closed to the media.
The LSU National Champion usually touches on the Tigers’ recruiting efforts, while breaking down the team’s chances in the next season, among other football-related topics.
Miles may be the most well-known speaker in the bunch, but he isn’t the only successful and esteemed coach speaking at the event.
He isn’t the only charismatic character who’ll attend, as well.
Jones, an LSU alum, is in his second season with the Tigers, and has led the Tigers upward from the SEC doldrums. The former North Texas coach has won more than 200 games in his career, including 39 in two seasons as the coach of the Tigers.
Under Jones’ watch, LSU has established itself as a rising program in the SEC. The Tigers reached the NIT in 2013-14, despite starting three freshmen in some games. Jones’ recruiting efforts have made some analysts label LSU as a “sleeping giant” in college basketball.
Jones already has blue chip prospects committed for the 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes. This will be the coach’s second rendezvous in the Tri-parish area.
Just weeks after being hired, 2012, Jones said that the Tri-parish area was rich in both talent and spirit.
“There are a lot of good players in this area and the surrounding parishes,” Jones said. “I think anytime you get a chance to get in the car and drive around Louisiana a little bit, you understand how deeply we love LSU athletics here. To see this many cars in the parking lot when you pull up, and knowing that these people want to hear you speak – that’s not something that you see in many other places in America.”
While Jones may be among the hottest coaching commodities on LSU’s campus, Breaux is the longest-tenured.
The Tigers’ gym coach has been with LSU for 36 years, making her far and away the longest-tenured coach within the school’s athletic department.
Breaux is also familiar to the area, as she was born and raised just up the road from Thibodaux in Donaldsonville. Breaux may have seen a lot in her three decades with LSU, but best days may be still to come.
The LSU gym team is enjoying one of its best seasons in Breaux’s storied career. At press-time, the Tigers are No. 2 in the country with the NCAA Regionals looming on April 5. Earlier this season, LSU ascended to No. 1 in the country, a mark the team earned after consistently scoring well above the 197 mark, sometimes even surpassing the 198.
Breaux is a six-time SEC Coach of the Year and a six-time NCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. If able to bring home the National Championship, it would be the icing on the cake for her storied career, probably the only accolade the esteemed coach has not yet earned.
Plenty of tickets for the Tiger Tour are still available. Parties of eight may also purchase a table for the event, which raises funds for the Tiger Athletic Foundation, which supports LSU athletics.
A dinner buffet and cash bar will be present at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, and door prizes, a silent auction and many other activities will be featured before and after the coaches make their speeches.
For more information, those interested may contact Eddie Pullaro with the Tri-Parish Tigers TAF Chapter at 985-868-3500.
LSU football coach Les Miles talks with a member of his staff during a spring practice this past week in Baton Rouge. The longtime Tigers’ coach will join LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones and Tigers gymnastics coach DD Breaux in Houma for the 2014 LSU Tiger Tour, which will stop by the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center on May 1. Tickets may be purchased at 985-868-3500.
