Gumbo for the Tiger Soul: It's More Than Just a Football Game.

By Ces Guerra

Gumbo for the Tiger Soul is a collection of personal stories covering great and not so great moments in LSU football history over nearly 50 years. The stories have been contributed by friends, former football players, fans, band members, dancers, color guard and LSU staff. They offer a unique perspective that includes the emotions and feelings Tiger fans have experienced. Reading this book will trigger memories of games that you witnessed in person or TV. With gumbo as the undercurrent theme of the book, the chapters have clever titles - mostly ingredients of gumbo. Also, each chapter is followed by a great Cajun recipe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496924605

Ces Guerra

Ces Guerra was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. He graduated from O. Perry Walker High School in 1976, served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and then graduated from LSU in 1984. He is an avid supporter of LSU, Past President of the LSU Houston Alumni Association and a member of the Tiger Athletic Foundation. He is a retired pharmaceutical industry professional and currently working in the Houston real estate industry. The success of Pill Pushers, his first novel published in 2007, inspired and encouraged him to write and publish Gumbo for the Tiger Soul. Guerra currently resides in Houston, TX with his wife Laura and three step-children. In his spare time he enjoys reading, cycling, yoga, hiking and, of course, traveling to LSU football games.

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© 2014 Ces Guerra. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/14/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2462-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2461-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2460-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014912087

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

1 Prologue

2 Preparations

My Early Tiger Memories

Ruffino’s Corn and Crab Bisque

3 Creating The Roux

LSU vs. Florida State, 1982

Get Yourself Some Seafood Gumbo

4 Cajun Trinity: Part I Celery

LSU vs. Ole Miss & Notre Dame, 1970

Hold that Tiger Red Beans & Rice

5 Cajun Trinity: Part II Onions

LSU vs. USC, 1979

Louisiana Deer Camp Venison Sauce Piquant

6 Cajun Trinity Part III: Green Bell Peppers

LSU vs. Florida, 1997

Louisiana Road Kill Stew

7 Let It Simmer

Students’ and Fans’ Excellent Adventure

Bring Back the Magic Crawfish Etouffe’

8 Oysters

LSU vs. Florida, 2007

Always Great to Beat Florida Oyster Pie

9 Shrimp

LSU vs. Auburn, 1988

Earthquake Shrimp Creole

10 Big Blue Crab

LSU vs. Kentucky, 2002

Blue Grass Miracle Dog-Pile Bread Pudding

11 Chicken And Sausage Jambalaya

Transition Years 1991 -1999

Touchdown LSU! Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

12 C’mon Man Hot Sauce

Personal Perspectives

Up the Belly Crawfish Chowder

13 French Bread

The LSU Family Tree

Saturday Night Crawfish Dip

14 Corn Maque Choux

Keeping Up with the Tigers

Dandy Don’s Corn Maque Choux

15 Spice And Everything Nice

Tiger Memories from the Girls

Shrimp et Cilantreaux (S.E.C!!)

16 Abita Beer

Golden Band from Tiger Land

Pre-game Jambalaya

17 Monday Night Football In Tiger Stadium

LSU vs. Tennessee, 2005

Cajun Pouding Au Pain (Cajun Bread Pudding)

18 Freeze Some For Another Day

Championship 2003

LSU vs. Oklahoma, 2004

Purple Haze

Miles on the Beach

19 Freeze Some Part Deux: Bcs Championship 2007

LSU vs. Ohio State, 2008

Championship #3 Garlic Shrimp Vermicelli

20 Epilogue

21 Lagniappe Recipes

Louisiana Swamp Shrimp Monica

Better Then Beating Bama Chicken Casserole (well…almost)!

Creole Pecan Praline Bars 

World Famous Pasta Salad 

Thanks to my wife, Laura, she makes all my dreams come true. Thanks to all of my GREAT LSU Tiger friends who contributed their support and memories for this book. The stories and quotes are published to the best of my recollection.

Thanks to my Dream Team, which included cover design by Marissa Whitworth, publicists Kate Finley, Nora Cromer and Taylor Redick of Belle Communications, my editors Patty Mayeux and Linda Hinkle, and my Tuesday night Writer’s Critique Circle.

Dedicated in memory of Kathy Tangney.

She was one of the first Tigers I met when I moved to Houston. Kathy exemplified the LSU spirit and loved her university more than life itself.

THE PRIDE AND TRADITION OF THE LSU TIGERS WILL NOT BE ENTRUSTED TO THE WEAK OR TIMID.

PROLOGUE

I bet you remember your first visit to Tiger Stadium as a kid or even as a student. Remember Tommy Casanova running punts back against Ole Miss? How about LSU’s visits to Notre Dame in 1970 and 1998? LSU opened the 1976 season in Tiger Stadium vs. #1 Nebraska, remember that one? What about the epic clash with #1 USC in 1979? I bet you didn’t know that five inches separated LSU from The Earthquake Game and a 6 – 0 loss! Were you there for the unbelievable win against #1 Florida in 1997? Where were you the moment Marcus Randall heaved an incredible magic bullet-like-bomb to Devery Henderson? These and many other games (and the stories around the games) will be part of the roux I have blended into a tasty Tiger gumbo – Gumbo for the Tiger Soul (GFTS).

There are few certainties in life, besides death and taxes of course. Another is when LSU Tiger fans gather, we’ll inevitably discuss our favorite games, fantastic moments or unexpected experiences in Tiger Stadium. Whether we’re at home watching on TV or at a tailgate party before the game, we’ll engage in endless conversations about games long gone. Road trips will whiz by with this kind of sensible discussion. Wink.

How does one make the leap from a great bowl of gumbo to LSU Football or vice versa? It’s not your everyday, ordinary combination, so I’m asking you to think back to your own experiences. Deep down in the recesses of our collective gut, Tiger football is like a savory bowl of gumbo because it makes us feel so good. The similarities between the joy of a great play salvaging a last-second victory or a big spoonful of gumbo dripping with tasty roux and chunks of fresh seafood is what this book is all about.

What makes this an unusual story and a unique sports book is that the games are only a part of the story. The focal point of this retrospective journey is the emotions, memories and experiences around LSU football games. GFTS is about the stories we tell our friends and our friend’s friends when they ask us about Saturdays in Tiger Stadium when the sun goes down, including tales about games we attended long ago that grow and change for the better every time they’re told.

Sitting down to a large bowl of gumbo is usually a wonderful culinary experience. Like gumbo, the flavors of LSU Football blend together nicely for a feel great experience, so sit back, relax and enjoy GFTS just like you would an LSU Football game… you know, like one of those games Coach Les Miles pulls out in the final minute of the game. Heart attack city, right?

I’ve had the pleasure to meet many LSU alumni, fans, players and coaches over the course of my travels. Throughout this book, I’ll interject their personal stories. Tossing all of our recollections into a big pot of LSU football gumbo, I’ll zap you back to that particular night or that weekend. Chances are, a treasured personal memory will put a big smile on your face. In GFTS, I’ll reflect on glorious victories over SEC rivals, unexpected last-second wins and championships we all recall with pleasure. My friends and I will paint the picture of that weekend or that night reliving the cacophony of sounds, the mixture of sensations and the unique aroma of Tiger Stadium.

Another important objective is my effort to diminish the frustration that lies within us when the boys in Purple and Gold experience the bitter taste of a loss. GFTS will serve as an elixir to the agony of defeat. This collection of stories will cure what ails you. When we lose to the Rebels we detest or the hated Tide, come back for another bowl. When the Mississippi State Bulldogs finally end their losing streak against us or those insufferable Tigers from the Plains snatch one from us, come back for more. GFTS will soothe your pain.

I’m confident that the memories shared within the pages of this book will affirm my thesis; it’s not always about the game. My contention is that no matter the outcome, and sometimes particularly after we lose, it provides us opportunities to unite as one big Tiger family. While THEY may say, The definition of frustration is when your expectations meet reality, I say, "We’re always number one in the only poll that matters—ours!" I personally rejoice in that knowledge. By the time you get to the final page, you will too.

You’re about to embark upon a flavorful journey of many famous and some not so famous moments of the past half century. Oh, and by the way, there’s a little lagniappe waiting for you at the end of each chapter. Cajun Recipes! Some famous and some not so famous, but they’re all sure to be a treat. After, all, what’s football without a delicious tailgate party. Enjoy!

PREPARATIONS

My Early Tiger Memories

Preparing my gumbo involves various customary and personal traditions. I’ll search for old family recipes or use one from a good cookbook like River Roads Recipes. Getting ready also involves inviting friends over for to enjoy this Cajun treat. That’s what I’m doing now. This is your virtual ticket to many Saturday nights in Tiger Stadium, which includes all those things you have grown to expect. You know, the Tiger Band blasting Pre-Game, Hold That Tiger and Chinese Bandits. Visualize the students performing hand gestures in unison or smell the aroma of salty popcorn, hotdogs and nachos coming from the jam-packed concession stands.

My early memories of the LSU football phenomenon may be different than most. Nevertheless, I became entwined in this cultural tradition of Louisiana because of its tasty goodness. GFTS may even cause you to think back to your first memories of the stately oaks on campus or your first smell of Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. LSU football is an integral part of the educational experience at our university. We must balance our academic responsibilities with the preparations for our Saturday visit to the cathedral of football worship. However, for the purposes of this collection of stories, I’ll happily avoid writing about math classes in Lockett Hall or English classes in Allen Hall. I’ll also leave out the details of those forgettable all-night study sessions in Middleton Library, which often concluded face down in a puddle of drool in a semi-private cubicle.

My first visit to Tiger Stadium was on a family trip from New Orleans to Lafayette during summer in the mid-1960s. It was one of those hot, humid south Louisiana days that causes your t-shirt to stick to you like Saran Wrap around fresh ground meat. I must have been about seven or eight years old. We took a side trip off Airline Highway to visit the LSU campus and circle the stadium. This skinny, naïve kid didn’t quite know what to make of this pantheon of concrete and steel as I wasn’t a football fan yet. I barely knew what football was, and I had never stepped inside a football stadium. We drove purposefully around the west side of the stadium gazing upon the massive structure standing on the LSU campus just off Nicholson Road. Eager to visit our friends in Lafayette, we continued our trip leaving Tiger Stadium behind. I was completely oblivious to the fact that many great memories would be made in and around Ground Zero for LSU fans. That was the inauspicious beginning of my gumbo.

In a recent conversation with LSU Athletic Director, Joe Alleva, he emphasized his commitment to restoring Tiger Stadium to its once gleaming new condition. It’s usually the first place people come to when they visit LSU, and we must make a great first impression, he said. My first impression on that summer visit nearly 50 years ago left an indelible stamp in my mind, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Alleva’s efforts have made an impressive and significant impact in the appearance of Tiger Stadium. Construction and renovations continue at this writing with the expansion of the South End Zone Stadium Club and various beautification projects around the stadium. This work will ensure that kids visiting the home of the Tigers in the future will leave with a wonderful impression just like I did way back then.

I snuck in to Tiger Stadium on September 11, 1976. It was my second trip there, and it was equally memorable. I was a freshman at Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) in Hammond, Louisiana. My friend, John