Stadiums I've Been To For CFB Games: Independence Stadium

by Nico2.0 on Jun 22, 2009 7:12 PM CDT in Road Trip Comment 31 comments

906 miles round trip and all I got was a sinus infection, strep and the flu. Vacation: FAIL

Independence Stadium (website)
Independence Bowl (website)
Shreveport, Louisiana
Capacity: 53,000

I saw Alabama's 2006 Independence Bowl loss to Oklahoma State at this stadium. Tough loss, but it was an exciting game. The stadium was nothing to write home about and I don't really see myself going back there unless we somehow wind up playing against Texas or Oklahoma...and even then, that'd be just for the sake of "tradition vs. tradition." Furthermore, I'd have to have a big ol' pile money to burn or I wouldn't really consider it.

It was my least favorite football road trip ever. First of all, we lost. Secondly, the room rates in the city of Shreveport were insanely high and we ended up staying in Ruston (about an hour outside of Shreveport.) We ran into a terrible traffic jam on game day (totally unrelated to the game) and to top it off, I ended up coming down with the flu, a sinus infection and strep throat on the trip. It made for an incredibly rough drive back. It made the drive back home from this year's Sugar Bowl seem awesome by comparison. You know, I've been to Louisiana three times for Bama games and we've lost all three. Maybe I need to not go there for Tide games anymore.

If nothing else, I can say I was there for this...

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i went to high school in ruston...

…be glad you were only there one night.

by kleph on Jun 22, 2009 7:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

We got to Ruston...

…the night before the game. It was my friend’s birthday so we were looking for somewhere decent to grab a bite to eat and then a bar to go to. The hotel desk clerk suggested Applebee’s I think. We ended up at a place called Rabb’s Steakhouse that was more along the lines of what we were looking for. We ended up at some bar where there was about four people present (it was December 27th after all.)

RollBamaRoll.com

by Nico2.0 on Jun 22, 2009 7:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

first off, ruston is dry. so be glad you found what you did. i lived there in the 80s so i’d prolly not know the current landmarks. but johnny’s pizza was always a winner.

by kleph on Jun 22, 2009 7:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

and, no, i’m not sure why i’m emphasizing state of gladness.

by kleph on Jun 22, 2009 7:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe...

…it was on the outskirts of Ruston?

….and what’s this about “dry” + somewhere in Louisiana. Does. Not. Compute.

RollBamaRoll.com

by Nico2.0 on Jun 22, 2009 7:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

north of the red river and it’s baptist county, my friend. blue-laws-a-go-go.

by kleph on Jun 22, 2009 10:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Doesn't everyone catch some kind of disease when they visit Louisiana?

After spending seven wondrous years in the state of Alabama, never in my life have I seen fans, who claim to be loyal to one team, spend more time AUbsessing over the other more so than they do their very own.

by SanFranDude12 on Jun 22, 2009 8:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

ennuii

by kleph on Jun 22, 2009 10:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing

I just won a t-shirt tearing contest against the Tennessee coaching staff

by Stuck in the Plains on Jun 23, 2009 5:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

but that would require a person to have electricity and at least half of Louisiana doesn’t have that yet.

"A demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots." -H. L. Mencken

by Bens4vcobra on Jun 23, 2009 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

As far as losing and jinxes?

I’ve only seen Alabama lose twice in person, once was the Music City Bowl against Minnesota a few years ago and the second was the SEC Championship this past December. Only Regular Season matchups for me a while. I may test the team’s luck if they go to a second tier bowl again.

by Bobby Briggs on Jun 22, 2009 8:04 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Cool Segment

My favorite thing about college football is the people. Fans and how they attend games and tailgate and cheer their team in different parts of the country is the most fascinating aspect of our favorite sport. I looked up your other visits too: cool stuff, keep em coming.

When I say to a kid, ‘Hey, get ready to get knocked on your rear end,’ I also tell him, ‘Learn. Learn why you got knocked on your rear end. --jvp

by jtothep on Jun 22, 2009 9:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I plan on expanding these....

….and doing a better job with them soon.

I’ve got quite a few more to go and I’m going to start adding the maps to the ones I’ve already done and linking back to them.

RollBamaRoll.com

by Nico2.0 on Jun 23, 2009 3:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stadiums

You know I’ve only been to three bowl games and I’ve been a Bama fan since birth?

But if you’re gunna consider yourself a genuine Bama fan you have to have traveled to Tenn and the Barn (only once. Me and my family drive to Destin to watch the Iron Bowl these days) to truly support your team in enemy territory and if you want true SEC cred you have to have seen them all. I currently lack Arky, USC, Kentucky, Vandy.

I lack SEC cred. This makes me sad

"What's got two thumbs and loves SUVs from Gadsden? THIS GUY!"

by Wallacewade04 on Jun 22, 2009 11:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Been to three

Games in the valley does that count …………..also as a bonus we won all three. Two of them LSU didnt even score a point. The real funny part to that is. I bet a guy the first time 20 dollars that LSU would not even score a point. They didnt. Then the next time I went down there which was Fran versus Saban I believe. I called the guy up andhe is a die hard LSU fan and told him that I thought that LSU would not even score a point again. He was like you are carzy no way thats happening again. We bet another 20 and bam 35-0 or something like that. It was awesome. The other thing I remember about that it was like 30 degrees and wind blowing and I am in upper deck but not even cold cause bama woopin ass. LSU fans were mostly gone 2 minutes into 3rd.

I am a member of the Sabanation Roll!!Tide!!

by lawbama1 on Jun 23, 2009 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was there in 2001...

Partied with some of the craziest, drunkest, off-the-chain, ISU bastards ever. I thought that it was just a release from the frigid MW. Then, I moved to Iowa, and realized that, no, they all drink like that…all the time!

My first post-divorce g/f was from ISU…her nearest neighbor, growing up near Charter Oak, IA, was two miles away. So, they go a little nuts when they finally get around other humans for a change.

Nothing but love for Iowans.

I just won a t-shirt tearing contest against the Tennessee coaching staff

by Stuck in the Plains on Jun 23, 2009 5:21 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

as for the stadium...

it wouldn’t be too bad, except for the broke corndogs who go there to hate on everyone else, when they should be home eating nutria and huffing hoverboat fumes.

I just won a t-shirt tearing contest against the Tennessee coaching staff

by Stuck in the Plains on Jun 23, 2009 5:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah lots

of those guys there. been to couple games there ISU and OKst and lots of corndog haters there

I am a member of the Sabanation Roll!!Tide!!

by lawbama1 on Jun 23, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't start thinking like Todd...

…that you’re a jinx and you shouldn’t go to any games. Can you spell C-O-W-A-R-D?

You had me at "ROLL TIDE"!!!

by bamavicki on Jun 23, 2009 7:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Can you spell

….s-h-u-t-y-o-u-r-w-h-o-r-e-m-o-u-t-h?

Roll Bama Roll

by Todd on Jun 23, 2009 8:17 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Such hostility...

Musta hit a nerve.

You had me at "ROLL TIDE"!!!

by bamavicki on Jun 23, 2009 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You should be happy...

….since continuing to read and post on a blog that you think I run poorly for no other reason than to piss me off does, in fact, piss me off.

Roll Bama Roll

by Todd on Jun 23, 2009 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I DO find that quite funny...

You had me at "ROLL TIDE"!!!

by bamavicki on Jun 23, 2009 9:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm so glad for you...

….that I can make your life that much better. Its what we do here at RBR, sacrifice our own time to make sure you are entertained.

Roll Bama Roll

by Todd on Jun 23, 2009 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

hey! back off you two.

i’m the hater here this week.

by kleph on Jun 23, 2009 10:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually...

…I thought that WAS the goal of a blog – to spend your time to entertain your readers.

You had me at "ROLL TIDE"!!!

by bamavicki on Jun 23, 2009 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

well, you gotta remember...

…you get what you pay for.

by kleph on Jun 23, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

my goal is to share my opinions with my fellow fans...

…and have fun doing it, but being constantly criticized for the way I choose to run this blog and finding snide little comments from someone who keeps swearing they are going to quit reading it makes it not fun. You’re shunned: