Those striking, proud, and awesome “home white” jerseys flash before you on fall Saturday nights in Death Valley.

To the loyal Tiger fan, they are an institution and are as much a part of making LSU football a proud religion. A legit national power most of the time and a serious factor nearly all of the time.

Battling NCAA for right to wear white

It all started in 1958 when Tigers coach Paul Dietzel decided that his team should wear white at home. Many think it had to do with the heat and humidity in south Louisiana, the away teams only had to deal with it for a day, but the “Bayou Bengals” had to live with it 24/7! And when LSU won the national championship that year, well, the white jerseys at home were in Baton Rouge to stay.

In 1983, new NCAA rules prohibited home teams from wearing white, so LSU was forced to wear its purple jerseys at home between 1983 and ’94. Despite winning SEC titles in 1986 and ’88, Tiger fans often complained the purple threads were bad luck and that an important Bayou football tradition had been unfairly taken away.

In 1993, coach Curley Hallman asked the NCAA if LSU could start wearing the white jerseys at home again during LSU football’s 100^th season, but he was denied.

It looked like “The Home Whites” tradition would be gone forever, only to be remembered in photos and old videos. But in 1995, new Head Football Coach, Gerry DiNardo, decided he would try and save this fading tradition.

DiNardo did everything he could to restore the lore of the white jerseys. He met with each member of the NCAA Football Rules Committee personally, and his effort and persistence eventually paid off. The NCAA finally approved the request, and LSU was again allowed to wear the white jerseys in Tiger Stadium. They revived the tradition that autumn, and it has been in place since.

As if a sign from above, an unranked LSU team beat No. 6 Auburn 12-6 in the first home game back in the white uniforms, and all was right in the Bayou again.

P.S. The psychology of color suggests darker colors can sometimes make players appear larger and more imposing, potentially creating a feeling of inferiority in the opponent. Conversely, white can create a perception of speed and agility. While the empirical impact of uniform color on athletic performance is subtle at best, it is a factor that LSU, like many programs, has considered in its uniform strategy. LSU’s “Home White” jerseys offer a visual distinctiveness that can play a role in the psychological warfare of a football game.