LSU Alumni

Patrick Fisher (LSU kicker) blogged the following on Friday, December 21, 2007:
“Patrick McGregor Fisher.” My name was announced and before I knew it I was walking across stage at my college graduation ceremony, shaking the Dean’s hand and receiving my diploma. All I could feel was a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that I had completed one of my main life goals, which was to finish college with a degree at Louisiana State University none the less. No matter what, I can always call myself an alumnus of LSU and take with me a lifetime full of memories.

In our team room in the Football Operations Building, 100 percent graduation rate and winning the National Championship are our #1 team goals each season. Having the ability to accomplish both in the same year is something beyond my wildest dreams.

Coach Miles is always stressing to his players how important school is and how we should always be working towards graduating. They constantly stay on us as players in the Academic Center for Student-Athletes making sure we attend class everyday and checking with our teachers to make sure we are paying attention in class, as opposed to sleeping and catching up on some extra rest before practice. Some guys even have to attend study hall on a nightly basis in the Cox Building or crack open the book in the team hotel the night before the game instead of attending the team movie.

One of my main motivations to always keep pushing though school was that I always knew that my athletic playing days would end one day, but I will have a working mind for the next 70 years of my life.

After the graduation ceremony, my parents, who flew in for the weekend, some family and friends and I went to lunch and celebrated this historic day in my life. I ran by the complex after and had to pick up some stuff from my locker, but not before a quick interview for the pre-game show on FOX. The production staff for the game interviewed a couple seniors and myself on what it meant to play in our last game at LSU.

I never had really sat down to think about my last game as a Tiger, but rather had always just kept pushing it off on my agenda, knowing all the while how sentimental I would probably get. I love this place so much and to have my playing days all go away so fast is bittersweet. I couldn’t have scripted a better career at LSU. Coming in my first year and winning a National Championship in 2003 and having the ability to take home another title in my last game as a Tiger. LSU football is truly something I will miss, but no matter what, I will always have the friendships and the memories for decades to come to help carry me though.

Here are a few other LSU Alumni:

• James R. Andrews, M.D., founder of the American Sports Medicine Institute, renown orthopedic surgeon, won SEC indoor and outdoor titles in pool vaulting

• Wil Calhoun, Executive Producer of TV sitcom “Friends”
• “Lightening Joe” Lawton Collins, Chief of Staff for President Harry Truman
• Bill Conti, Oscar-winning composer who has written theme music for several movies, including all the Rocky movies
• Lod Cook, served as CEO of ARCO for nine years
• Eric Arturo Delvalle, president of Panama
• A. Wright Elliot, Executive VP of Chase Manhattan Bank
• Graves Erskine, WWII General, Marine
• Maxime A. Faget, designed Mercury and Gemini spacecrafts
• Kevin Griffen, Lead singer of “Better than Ezra”
• Walter Hitesman, president of Readers Digest
• E. John Hornsby, Jr., world renowned mathematics textbook author
• W. Vernon Jones, senior scientist for suborbital research, NASA
• James E. Maurin, founding partner and CEO of Stirling Properties
• Edwin Newman, NBC news
• J. Tinsley Oden, pioneer in the field of computational mechanics, noted as one of the most highly cited researchers in the world
• Carolyn Bennett Patterson, former senior editor of National Geographic
• J. Howard Rambin, CEO and Chairman of Board, Texaco
• Maj. Gen. Thomas Rhame, led 1st Infantry Division against Iraq during Persian Gulf War
• Frances Seghers, Senior VP of Sony Entertainment European Community Affairs, including Sony Music, Sony Pictures, and Playstation
• Marty Sixkiller, senior technical director for PDI/Dreamworks’ movies “Antz,” “Shrek,” “Shrek 2.” Shrek the Third,” “Madagascar,” and “Over the Hedge”
• David Suarez, co-owner of Atlantic Company of America, Inc., which performed the historic restoration of the Washington Monument, The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum and the main U.S. Treasury Building
• Joanne Woodward, Academy Award-winning actress and wife of Paul Newman
• John Ed Bradley, novelist
• Kenneth Brown, interior designer, host of HGTV show “reDesign”
• Bill Conti, Academy Award-winning composer
• Julie Giroux, Emmy Award-winning composer
• Mark Grant Sr., Director CBS Sports
• Stephen Soderbergh, Award Winning Motion Picture Director
• Will Wright, The Sims creator
• Clarence Cazalot, president and CEO of Marathon Oil
• Lod Cook, co-chairman of the board of Global Crossing
• Richard Frost, CEO of Louisiana Pacific Corporation (LP)
• Reinosuke Hara, vice chairman of the board of Seiko Instruments
• Kip Knight, vice-president of marketing for eBay
• Harry J. Longwell, vice-president of ExxonMobil USA
• Thomas Ryder, chairman and CEO of Reader’s Digest
• Soma Somasegar, corporate vice president, Microsoft
• David P. Steiner, CEO of Waste Management, Inc.
• Eduardo Aguirre, current U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra
• James Carville, chief political strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign (D)
• Jimmie Davis, late Louisiana governor (D) and singer
• Carlos Roberto Flores, former President of Honduras
• Hubert Humphrey, late 38th Vice President of the United States (D)
• Lt. General Charles Campbell USA, commander 8th Army
• General Claire Chennault USAAF, organizer and commander of the Flying Tigers
• Lieutenant General Larry J. Dodgen, former commander, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
• General John A. Lejeune USMC, namesake of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
• Lt. Colonel Frellsen Reese (1919-2007), 29-year veteran of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineersm fought in three wars, and the mayor of Mangham, Louisiana, from 1976-1990

As of the 2006-2007 season: 34 former LSU football players in the NFL

• Joseph Addai, NFL RB, Indianapolis Colts
• Eric Alexander, NFL LB, New England Patriots
• Kenderick Allen, NFL DT, Green Bay Packers
• Bennie Brazell, NFL WR, Cincinnati Bengals
• Billy Cannon, former AFL & NFL RB/TE, Heisman Trophy winner (1959)
• Ryan Clark, NFL FS, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Travis Daniels, NFL CB, Miami Dolphins
• Alan Faneca, NFL Pro Bowl G, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Kevin Faulk, NFL RB, New England Patriots
• Randall Gay, NFL DB, New England Patriots
• Jarvis Green, NFL DE, New England Patriots
• Skyler Green, NFL WR, Dallas Cowboys
• Devery Henderson, NFL WR, New Orleans Saints
• Marquise Hill, NFL DE, New England Patriots
• Bradie James, NFL LB, Dallas Cowboys
• Tory James, NFL CB, Cincinnati Bengals
• Bert Jones, former NFL Pro Bowl QB
• Donnie Jones, NFL P, Miami Dolphins
• Eddie Kennison, NFL WR, Kansas City Chiefs
• Kevin Mawae, NFL Pro Bowl C, Tennessee Titans
• Terry McAulay, NFL side judge (1998-2000), official (2001-Present)
• Anthony McFarland, NFL DT, Indianapolis Colts
• David LaFleur, NFL TE, Dallas Cowboys
• Rudy Niswanger, NFL C, Kansas City Chiefs, Draddy Trophy winner (2005)
• Ronnie Prude, NFL CB, Baltimore Ravens
• Josh Reed, NFL WR, Buffalo Bills, Biletnikoff Award winner (2001)
• JaMarcus Russell, NFL QB, Oakland Raiders
• Marcus Spears, NFL DE, Dallas Cowboys
• Jim Taylor, former NFL Pro Bowl FB, Pro Football Hall of Fame (inducted 1976)
• Y.A. Tittle, former NFL Pro Bowl QB, Pro Football Hall of Fame (inducted 1971)
• LaBrandon Toefield, NFL RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Corey Webster, NFL CB, New York Giants
• Domanick Davis, NFL RB, Houston Texans
• Claude Wroten, NFL DT, St. Louis Rams

As of the 2005-2006 season: 10 former LSU baseball players in Major League Baseball (24 in the minor leagues)Nick Krall, Coordinator of Major League Scouting/Video Operations, Cincinnati Reds

• Mike Bianco, head baseball coach, Ole Miss
• Ryan Theriot, MLB player, Chicago Cubs
• Todd Walker, MLB player, San Diego Padres
• Mike Fontenot, MLB player, Chicago Cubs
• ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame
• Bob Pettit, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame
• Shaquille O’Neal, NBA player, Miami Heat
• Glen Davis, NBA player, Boston Celtics
• Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (born Chris Jackson), former NBA player
• David Toms, professional golfer, winner of 2001 PGA Championship