The Story of LSU's Tiger Tuba Kent and the Importance of Dreaming

I told a former student just the other night at dinner that I was in need of some inspiration. Part of me felt disappointed for even admitting that. After all, I work in a school and am surrounded by young people every day. Heck, I teach a class called Sports and Spirituality. There's no shortage of inspiration. Ever. But lighting that fire within just can't be forced. It isn't a given. 

So I did what the Gospel of Matthew calls us to do: seek, and you shall find. And I did find it—through the unlikely story of Kent Broussard—a 66-year-old freshman at Louisiana State University. After decades of working as an accountant, Broussard enrolled as a non-traditional student, carrying 12 credit hours. That full-time status made him eligible to try out for and earn a place in the LSU marching band.

Initially, I read his story with suspicion. I wondered if he was a donor who had taken loyalty to the next level. I needed to know, Was he a current parent who went further than decorating his child's dorm room with a designer on the payroll? Was this some prize pick for a "friend of the program?" Did he pay up for an auction item allowing him to wear purple and gold inside Death Valley? I read his story and caught the interview.

As I watched, I noticed familiar signs of a people and culture I got to know and appreciate during my two years living and teaching in Napoleonville, in South Louisiana. In the background was a framed Saints jersey and on the adjacent wall was what else? a deer head. This man with a fantastic Cajun surname is true South Louisiana. Of course he yells "Geaux Tigers."

With the support of his wife—God bless this woman—he undertook physical training to prepare for tryouts. He practiced and prepped. He earned his keep. 

Broussard believes, “People can use this as an example — your only failure is not trying. If you don’t try, you won’t get there."

He lives by the motto "people retire, dreams don't." Some of us dream of retiring. Others don't have that luxury. But for Broussard, this stage of life offered brought the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to march down Victory Hill, to carry and play that tuba in front thousands of adoring fans...and others who will be called "Tiger Bait" by that home crowd (I was in the Fall of 1997. ND 24, LSU 6. Go Irish). I would just like to thank him for the inspiration and the reminder to keep dreaming.

In his "Last Lecture" the late Randy Pausch addressed the importance of "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." He said

And it was an easy time to dream. I was born in 1960. Right? When you're eight or nine years old and you look at the TV set and men are landing on the moon, anything is possible. And that's something we should not lose sight of. Is that the inspiration and the permission to dream is huge.

I worry that today is different. I wonder how easy it is for young people to dream. Whether we are seeking inspiration or an exemplar, I believe "Tiger Tuba Kent" has given us permission to keep dreaming. 

And in case you're wondering what Kent Broussard is studying when he's not at band practice—my guess is something he might have wanted study. Why stop at one dream, right?

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