You probably don’t know Sam Nader and maybe you’ve never even heard of him, but for more than four decades, Nader has labored in the darkness at LSU, silently and diligently, unassuming and inconspicuous.
He is the man behind this football program, a living connection to the past, a confidant for thousands of players and a conciliary to dozens of coaches, Sports Illustrated details in a new feature. He has just completed his 45th consecutive regular season as a member of the LSU football administration. Nader’s a survivor in a cutthroat industry, outlasting nine head coaches and six athletic directors, nine times retained through coaching transitions, an untouchable man, bulletproof really.
Since arriving at the school as a graduate assistant in 1975, Nader has been on the sideline for 509 games, 14 division, conference and national championships, with two perfect regular seasons (2011 and 2019).
He’s seen Tiger Stadium expand four different times, and he’s worked out of four different office buildings. He’s even been here long enough to remember when the school still situated its snarling live Bengal Tiger in front of the visitor’s locker room.
Though it’s difficult to determine such, Nader may be the longest-serving football staff member in the country. Read the full feature about Nader’s impact at LSU.
