How top LSU and Southern tailgaters pull off winning gatherings every time

Erick England’s first tailgate of the fall football season isn’t at Tiger Stadium. It’s in the front yard of his Old Goodwood home.

“I literally do a dry run,” he says. “I set up the whole tailgate and cook a few recipes to test equipment, and invite everyone over. I want to make sure everything’s working like I want it to, and to see if I need to make any upgrades.”

England, a 25-year tailgate veteran, heads up Helmet Head Tailgating, so named for his personal ritual of wearing a football helmet from kickoff to the last play. Rows of gleaming purple and gold helmets are also part of the gathering’s decor.

Other precise traditions inform England’s tailgate, consisting of a core group of around 12-15 extended family members and 40-50 guests. Faithfully set up at the corner of Mike Donahue and Dalrymple drives, a multi-tent configuration features generator-powered ice makers, TVs, music, multiple grills and a 5-gallon cast iron jambalaya pot for frying signature homemade chips.

This kind of high-level tailgating is commonplace at LSU, with die-hard practitioners deploying exhaustive planning and preparation.

From storing equipment in meticulously organized spaces to establishing leadership boards and membership dues, serious tailgaters have created well-oiled systems that have turned rudimentary outdoor parties into festive world building.

“It’s a true labor of love,” says Victor Leotta of The Well Done Tailgate. “The words that come to mind to describe our tradition are ‘attention to detail’ and ‘excess.’”

Founded by Leotta’s in-laws, Bill and Cornelia Weldon, the gathering originally started in the Nicholson Drive stadium parking lot around 50 years ago. In 1991, the festivities shifted to a spot under a sprawling live oak near the Indian Mounds with a stadium view.

In its earliest iteration, the affair was literally a tailgate, a “five-minute setup,” Leotta says, that saw bacon and egg salad sandwiches distributed from the lowered rear door of the family’s station wagon.

Coordinated today by eight couples, The Well Done Tailgate has evolved to be painstakingly elaborate, with a rotating menu prepared on-site, a lighted bar, two satellite TVs, a PA system and karaoke machine, disco lights for night games, a chandelier, carpeted areas and suspended fans. There’s even a kitchen sink with running water, Leotta says.

Both Leotta and England are part of a class of tailgaters who store and transport game-day equipment in dedicated trailers. Leotta says it takes him and a few experienced members of the crew about three hours to set up. They have it down to an art, removing and assembling each item in a prescribed order.

England arrives around 4:30 a.m. on game day to finalize preparations. Of course, he’s already partially set the stage, having claimed his spot the day before.

“I’m naturally an early riser, and one of my favorite traditions is watching campus wake up,” he says. “Every home game is like Christmas morning for me.”

Meanwhile, at The Bluff…

Lifelong Southern University fan and tailgater Donalvon Lewis grew up supporting the Jags. Two years ago, he began bringing his Good People Catering truck to select home games to serve hungry fans. Stationed near Isaac Greggs Band Hall, Lewis prepares made-on-site boiled seafood; boiled turkey necks with corn, sausage and potatoes; hot honey jerk wings; jambalaya; and homemade boudin.

Thousands pregame outside A.W. Mumford Stadium each fall. Last year, the school recorded an average attendance of 18,463 per game, according to NCAA statistics. Southern games were the third most-attended in the state, behind LSU (averaging 101,235) and Tulane University (23,980).

Fans don Columbia blue and gold, pitch tents and play music and games ahead of kickoff.

Home-cooked food is always on offer, but Lewis says he fills a niche for those who might not be part of a traditional tailgate group, selling take-away containers for $10 each.

“If you don’t know anyone, it’s kind of difficult for you to obtain food,” says Lewis, who routinely caters outside The Radio Bar, Firehaus, Mango’s Daiquiris and other local spots. “I do it to offer convenience. And I really enjoy seeing people enjoy my food.”

Look for Lewis during Southern’s Oct. 18 Homecoming game against Prairie View A&M University.

This article was originally published in 225 Magazine’s 2025 Tiger Pride edition.