Today’s the day – our own LSU Tigers will take the field against Clemson for the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship! From their first season way back in 1893, the Tigers have been a huge part of the culture of Baton Rouge. If the modern era isn’t providing you with the Tigers lore you crave, take a look at some of the digital history archives you can use to find even more.
This ticket to the 1959 Sugar Bowl, in which the Tigers beat Clemson 7-0 to win their first-ever national championship, has been carefully preserved by the Baton Rouge Room. You’ll find it in the Baton Rouge Digital Archive.
This hopeful headline by James Edmunds was published in the Gris Gris newspaper in 1973. The Tigers made it to the Southeastern Conference that year, finishing with a 3-3 record. (The article is a hilarious analysis of a chant against rival Ole Miss that you may very much enjoy.)
Here’s an Advocate photo of 1986 LSU running back Sammy Martin (held aloft) with teammates John Hazard, Eric Andolsek, Nacho Albergamo, Keith Melancon and Ralph Norwood. Through the Digital Archive, you can access the Advocate’s entire historical photography archive. You can read their articles through Newsbank.
Don’t take our word for it; in the Digital Library, you can find lots of other historical journalism resources under the “Newspapers & Magazines” subject heading. What will YOU learn?