“We all got chills”: LSU staffer recalls Joe Burrow’s unique demand for his senior night
Joe Burrow decided to embrace his Louisiana identity during his Senior Day with the LSU Tigers. After three seasons with Ohio State, the QB decided to transfer to LSU and spent two seasons with them. During the 2019 season, he led them to an undefeated national championship.
Burrow left fans in amazement during his final home game in Death Valley. He decided to wear a jersey with 'Burreaux' written on the back. He decided to change his last name officially to Burrow for easier recognition and help his marketability as a player.
During an episode of Royal Key in 2022, LSU's director of athletic equipments Louis Bourgeois talked about Joe Burrow's unique demand for senior night. He detailed the entire story of how the QB ended up wearing the 'Burreaux' jersey for his Senior Day.
"So we were sitting in there in 2019 last week of the season. Having lunch, and Joe Burrow walked in and walked over to us. And he's like, 'Guys I have a question. When I walk out on Saturday night, for Senior night, do you think my name on the back of the jersey, can we spell it Burreaux?' We all kind of got chills, you know, in the back. We were like 'absolutely'.
"So that's kind of where that whole, you know, project went down. Just sitting eating lunch one day," Bourgeois said.
Despite being cheered on by the crowd for his decision, Joe Burrow was not allowed to wear the jersey during the game by the NCAA. However, he was successful in leading the team to a 50-7 victory over Texas A&M in his final home game.
In that game, the QB put up a total of 352 passing yards and three TD passes. He finished his final collegiate season with a total of 5,671 passing yards and 60 TD passes while winning the Heisman Trophy for his exemplary performance.
Joe Burrow denies Ohio State tag from Buckeyes fans
Despite starting his collegiate career with Ohio State, Burrow believes that his college football career really started with the LSU Tigers. He spent three seasons as a backup before transferring.
During an episode of Pardon My Take back in July, Burrow addressed the claims by Ohio State fans, calling the QB as one of their own.
He said that he only practiced football during his time with the Buckeyes. He also stated that he got to live his football lifestyle with the LSU Tigers.
"I didn't play football there. I mean, I practised football there ... Did a lot of practising and lifting. I graduated ... I usually tell people that I went to Ohio State and played football at LSU. I got a lot better from practising at Ohio State but I didn't get to play, so I don't really say that I played there.
"I got to live the backup quarterback lifestyle back then and that was fun. Got that out of my system and then was able to lock in."
The lack of playing time was the reason why Joe Burrow decided to leave the Buckeyes. When he realized that Dwayne Haskins would be the QB for the 2018 season, he decided to hit the transfer portal in search of a better opportunity. And it can be said that it was the best decision he made during his college career.