LSU FOOTBALL Death Valley vs Deaf Valley

[ForeverTiger1981]

Hey everyone. Clemson fan here that made it down for the Alabama-LSU game in 2013. What a great game and a great atmosphere. Definitely lived up to the hype and my Dad and I had a great time in Baton Rouge. I love Clemson with all my heart, but if I were a prospective student or student athlete that took a visit to LSU....... it would have an impression on me for sure.

Ok... reason for this post. While we were in town, we researched the origin of Death Valley. We found documentation all the way back to 1961 for LSU and it was "DEATH" valley, NOT "Deaf" Valley. "Deaf" Valley didn't start showing up on the microfilm until the late 1970s to early 1980s. We looked through hundreds upon hundreds of pages in The Gumbo yearbook, The Times Picayune, football game programs, etc..etc...

Frankly...... there's no audible difference from "Death" and "Deaf" when it comes from the mouth of someone from Southern Louisiana. I'm not hatin..... just being honest.

We also researched the old Exxon Gas station and found there's a lot of misinformation out there as well. The LSU old timers will tell you that it never was "Deaf" Valley, and they are correct. I attribute the confusion to TV commentators in the 1980s who misunderstood folks from LSU.

As you might guess, the LSU SID was not very interested in assisting with our research.

You need to know that 1961 (The Times Picayune sports section- Thursday, October 5th 1961) was an earlier date that I thought I would find and it's pretty close the earliest date I can prove "Death Valley" for Clemson (Monday, September 20th 1954 in the sports section of a South Carolina newspaper called The Piedmont)

There is an important event that occurred between 1954 and 1961. Billy Cannon ring a bell?? Chinese Bandits? Of course, the 1959 Sugar Bowl with over Clemson and a LSU National Championship.

Just curious if anyone out there has documentation (actual documentation.... not what your great grandpa told you) that predates 1961. I can provide my documentation. Not trying to pick a fight or start a debate about the current justification for the nickname. Just looking to share information.

Go Tigers and Geaux Tigers! oh........ and beat the hell out of the gamechickens on October 10th.

 

[tigger]

I told Jimmy Hyams in the early 80's when he worked at LSU in the Sports information department not long after the Assembly Center picked up the nickname the "Deaf Dome", fans would start confusing the nicknames. Less than 8 years after I told him that, you had a sports writer who should have known better mix up the 2 nicknames, this was the major reason many fans confused the names.

I have had recruits from the early 70's say the signed said "Deaf Valley" when in fact it always said Death Valley and there are tons of photographs to prove to the sign from the 70's was Death Valley.

I have not been able to research much of late and my earliest date is still 1961 also, but when I retire in a few years I will be able to go though the Baton Rouge papers.