Cajun Celebration: LSU’s Grass of Choice in Baton Rouge

Years ago, Louisiana State University (LSU) decided to move to Celebration® Bermudagrass across their sports facilities. Over the years, the athletic grounds staff has installed Celebration at all campus sports facilities including the crown jewel, football’s Tiger Stadium. Across the maintenance spectrum for Celebration, the LSU grounds staff have been innovators. They continue to produce a championship product year in and year out.

“For us at LSU, all our athletic fields that we compete on are all Celebration. So the (football) stadium, softball, soccer, our practice facilities, Alex Box, our baseball stadium, they’re all Celebration as well. Celebration for us just works and it’s a good fit,” said Trevor Austin, LSU Sports Turf Manager.

LSU resodded Tiger Stadium in late Spring 2022 and has been pleased with how the grass holds up to vigourous play. Austin explained Celebration has been successful, especially on the practice field where it takes the biggest wear and tear. “That’s where we play with our culture practices a little bit to see what we like and don’t like. Anything we’ve thrown at it, it’s responded very well.”

LSU’s Horticulture Leader, Sheldon Rodgers likes Celebration for its aggressiveness. “It can take the abuse so we do a lot of top dressing, verticutting and aerifying to cut those stolons. What we’ve found is typically when you cut it lower it looks better. And it can be down in southern states so this is like the best place to have it,” he said.

To see photos of Celebration inside Tiger Stadium, click here.