Sad news on this Memorial Day. Marquise Hill, former Tiger DE and current NFL Patriot, died in a jet ski accident yesterday on Lake Ponchartrain. Marquise and his female companion, who was rescued near the site of the accident, were not wearing life vests. His body was recovered a quarter-mile away from the scene, but has not been positively identified by the family yet.

Marquise was a starter on the 2003 National Championship team. He had great 3-year career at LSU with 108 tackles, including 17 for losses and 10 sacks including one for 8-yards in the National Championship game. He left LSU after his Junior year and was drafted 64th overall by the Patriots.

Marquise Hill LSU Stat Page

From LSU.edu:

"The LSU tiger mascot, Mike V, passed away at 2:23 a.m. on May 18. Mike V was born October 19, 1989, and has been at LSU since he was four months old. He was 17 years old at the time of his passing.

During his tenure, Mike V reigned over a football national championship, five baseball national championships and a remarkable 23 track and field championships. He saw LSU sports teams win 37 Southeastern Conference titles from 1990 to 2007.


Mike was brought to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine on Wednesday, May 16, for a routine exam. His veterinarian, Dr. David Baker, noticed that he was having trouble breathing the day before. During the exam, it was discovered that he had a condition called idiopathic chylothorax. This is a serious condition with a poor prognosis. Because of this condition, Mike had to have emergency surgery to remove 10 liters of fluid from around his lungs. Given his age all surgeries are risky, but without surgery it is doubtful that he would have lived another week. As a result of the anesthesia, Mike's kidneys failed. He was placed on renal dialysis, but treatment was unsuccessful.

A necropsy will be performed at the School of Veterinary Medicine to determine, if possible, the cause of the chylothorax. Mike will then be cremated.

Mike V was donated to LSU by Dr. Thomas and Caroline Atchison of the Animal Zoological Park in Moulton, Ala. He was introduced to LSU fans at the LSU-Alabama basketball game in February 1990, and he was moved into his home, north of Tiger Stadium, on April 30, 1990.

When Mike V first came to LSU, his night house was part of the original habitat constructed in 1937. In 1981, Mike's outdoor enclosure had a $175,000 renovation, making it three times larger. The renovation added a grassy area, pool, climbing platforms, and a tiger-sized wooden scratching post. The grassy area was covered with a soft rubber material in the early 1990s.

A capital fund-raising campaign kicked off in 2001 to raise funds to build a new habitat for Mike V. Construction began in November 2004 and was completed in August 2005. The new habitat incorporates natural substrates, including grass, and also includes elements of LSU's renaissance architecture and facts educating Mike's visitors on the five living subspecies of tigers.

Two of LSU's Tiger mascots, Mike I and Mike III, lived 19 years, and Mike IV lived 20 years 9 months and 18 days. The average lifespan for a tiger in the wild is about 8-10 years. A tiger in captivity, like Mike V, can live 14-18 years.

Plans are underway to acquire a new tiger."

Live from the Airport Marriott in Lafayette, LA. A full cast gives you an in-depth break down of how the Tigers and the Saints fared on draft day. And JJ makes the most stunning predictions of all time.

There wasn't too much to report on from the second day of the NFL Draft, as it was a slow day for LSU players being taken.  In fact, the only other LSU player drafted over the weekend was Chase Pittman by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round.  Pittman, I guess you can say, serves as the final piece to the 2007 Cleveland Browns' draft puzzle, a puzzle some experts are touting as the best draft this year.

Also, as expected, several other LSU players signed free agent rookie contracts today.  Seven more players in all will be in NFL camps come July.  Here is a quick rundown of the seven players who signed free agent contracts today:

Justin Vincent - Atlanta; Daniel Francis - Washington; Peter Dyakowski - New Orleans; Jesse Daniels - Carolina; Chris Jackson - Buffalo; Ryan Willis - St. Louis; and Brian Johnson - Arizona

The Saints used the second day to add depth to their roster at some key positions.  The most noteworthy selection came when the Saints traded up in the 4th round to select running back Antonio Pittman from Ohio St.  Pittman is a guy who will be competing for that third running back position with Aaron Stecker.  At 5'10'' 207lbs., I see Pittman as a guy who can come in spell either Bush or McAllister and be used in certain 3rd down situations and on special teams. 

Overall, it was great weekend to be an LSU Tiger fan.  For the first time in its history, LSU had 4 guys selected in the first round.  The SEC proved its dominance once again with nearly half the first round selections used to draft SEC players.  The Saints had a good weekend.  They filled the void left by Joe Horn and added more depth to the cornerback position as well.  Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton have pushed all the right buttons to this point, and I am not about to criticize anything they have done.  Job well done overall by the Saints.