星空无限传媒

When most people think about retirement, they imagine slowing down. But for 66-year-old Kent Broussard, retirement became the perfect chance to chase a dream he had carried with him for decades鈥攎arching down Victory Hill as a member of the Golden Band from Tigerland.

鈥� Video by Callie Boyd

Born in Lafayette, La., and raised in LaPlace, Broussard built a long and successful career in accounting, parish government, and eventually as a global executive in the alcoholic beverage industry. But throughout his life, he held onto one vivid memory鈥攕tanding near the LSU Tiger Band as a young fan in Tiger Stadium.

鈥淚 just loved the sound,鈥� Broussard said. 鈥淚 actually bought a recording that the Tiger Band with Director Bill Swor did back in 1976. It was an LP, and I listened to it so many times that it is probably not listenable anymore. But it stuck with me all those years.鈥�

That love for the Tiger Band never left. As he approached retirement, Broussard started asking himself how he wanted to spend the next chapter of his life.

鈥淎s you get older, you start thinking about the future,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y wife calls it the fourth quarter of life. I didn鈥檛 want to just sit at home and watch Netflix. I needed to do something I always wanted to do, and what kept coming back to me was 星空无限传媒 Tiger Band.鈥�

Back to School

Broussard wasn鈥檛 just joining the band. To wear the uniform, he had to enroll 星空无限传媒, go through the admissions process, and become a student again鈥攖ranscripts, class schedules, homework, studying, tests, and all.

鈥淚鈥檓 just going to be a student,鈥� Broussard said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to go to class, scratch my head when the professor says something I have no idea about, and deal with tests like everybody else.鈥�

He also had to prepare musically. Broussard hadn鈥檛 played an instrument in 45 years, but with the help of LSU graduate assistant Matthew Thompson, he relearned how to read music and trained on the sousaphone鈥攖he instrument that always drew him in.

鈥淚 practiced every day, sometimes until midnight,鈥� Broussard said. 鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 played since my 20s, but it started coming back. And my family, they were 100 percent behind me.鈥�

That support mattered. From his wife, who jokingly calls herself a 鈥渟chool widow,鈥� to his daughters and grandson, Broussard鈥檚 journey became a family effort. His niece, an LSU alum, even ordered two sets of cookies before auditions鈥攐ne decorated with 鈥淐ongratulations鈥� and the other with 鈥淪orry.鈥� 

鈥淚 ate both sets of cookies.鈥�

A Team Like No Other

When the final Tiger Band roster was posted, Broussard鈥檚 name was there.

鈥淭he instant I saw it, several of the returning members saw it too, and they started hollering and screaming,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he percussion group next door came in, and about 30 people were jumping up and down. It was just a great moment.鈥�

That moment marked more than just a personal milestone. It placed Broussard in the middle of one of LSU鈥檚 greatest traditions: a 325-member band that works as one, building the energy of Tiger Stadium every game day.

For Broussard, joining the Tiger Band hasn鈥檛 only been about the music. It鈥檚 been about the teamwork.

鈥淚n Tiger Band, section leaders and returning members are always watching out for you,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e off your line, they鈥檒l point it out. If you play an E natural instead of an E-flat, they鈥檒l correct you. Because if you look bad, they look bad. That鈥檚 the culture鈥攅veryone lifts each other up. That teamwork is what makes the band so successful.鈥�

Broussard knows he鈥檚 an unusual freshman, but he hopes his story pushes others鈥攂oth retirees and students alike鈥攖o chase their dreams.

鈥淚f you have a dream, don鈥檛 just put it in the bottom drawer and never pull it out,鈥� Broussard said. 鈥淭he only failure is not trying. And for young people, if you have an idea, take a shot. You鈥檙e never going to know until you try.鈥�

For Broussard, trying meant becoming part of something bigger than himself. On game days, when he lines up with the tuba section, marches down the Hill, and feels the roar of Tiger Stadium, he knows he鈥檚 exactly where he was meant to be.

鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to be one of the group,鈥� Broussard said. 鈥淧lay like they do. March like they do. Be a student. Be part of the team.鈥�

And in Tiger Band, that team is like no other. 鈥�

鈥淚 stress about it: it's not about me, it's about us. It's about the team. It's about the band. It's about the Color Guard. It's about the Golden Girls. Because everybody sees the entire thing. From the front of the band to the back of the band. And that's how I view it. We're all one unit,鈥� Broussard said.

鈥淧roud is the best word that I can come up with because it's something that I've seen for 60 years. Right? And to see it come to fruition鈥擨鈥檓 going to be smiling on the inside, but I'm going to be focused on the outside.鈥�

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