Kent Broussard fulfilled a lifelong dream at 66 years old by becoming the oldest member of the Louisiana State University (LSU) marching band. After Kent attended his first LSU football game in 1968 at nine years old, he envisioned himself on that field with the marching band. He saw “The Golden Band from Tigerland” and that had an outstanding impression on him. Kent expresses, “Something caught my attention there at Tiger Stadium… and I never forgot that sound.”
Kent went through being a husband, father, and accountant before fulfilling his dream. He plays a type of tuba called a sousaphone. He did join the band in college at Southeastern University in Hammond, Louisiana. After retiring from a successful career as an accountant, Kent decided to take a leap of hope and try out for the Golden Band from Tigerland.
He told his family over dinner, where they all thought it was a joke. His wife, Cheryl, joked, asking if they had a senior band. Over the course of dinner, it was clear Kent wasn’t lying. Over the next six months, he began to get in shape because it wasn’t just a band but a marching band. He began lifting weights before tryouts. Then he started running 20 to 25 miles a week for the first time in 15 years. Lastly, he carried a weighted vest around his chest for four months. Next, it was time to relearn how to play the Sousaphone after not playing for 45 years. So over the next few months, every week, he taught himself how to play. Lastly, he needed to be a LSU student to join the band, so Kent enrolled as a nontraditional freshman.
Kent was ready and sent an audition video, which got him invited to tryouts. The tryout process was five days long, which included a whole day of marching, playing tunes, and sight-reading over and over. Kent’s hard work paid off, and at 66, he formed the Golden Band from Tigerland. He and everyone around him jumped up and down with enthusiasm.
The 66-year-old freshman made his debut on September 6th when he ran down from the Victory Hill next to the stadium.
Let Kent’s story be an inspiration that no dream is unreachable. All you have to do is work hard, persevere, and not listen to what others say you can or can’t do. So go chase that daydream.
