Baton Rouge air traffic control greets Lane Kiffin arrival with 'Hotty Toddy' over radio
Those that live in SEC territory are often fiercely loyal to their teams, so when you get a move like Lane Kiffin going from Ole Miss to LSU, there are bound to be some ruffled feathers. And a little good-natured ribbing.
The latter was on full display at the air traffic control center as Kiffin’s plane was inbound to Baton Rouge. After Kiffin’s plane signed off one radio message with a “Geaux Tigers!” the plane was hit back with a “Hotty Toddy!” from air traffic control.
“Cleared to land Runway 4L, 0PR. Go Tigers!” Kiffin’s plane barked over the radio. To which a prompt retort came in.
“Hotty Toddy!” Baton Rouge air traffic control responded. Simple. Effective. You can listen to the exchange below.
Lane Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge concludes a dramatic few days in which multiple SEC programs battle for his services. Florida was involved initially before dropping out of the running, leaving LSU as the most likely destination for Kiffin.
Sure enough, he picked the Tigers. He explained why to ESPN’s Marty Smith while on the tarmac in Oxford, Miss., on Sunday afternoon.
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“Yeah, just there was something, I mean this was really hard,” Kiffin said. “My heart was here but I just, I talked to some mentors: coach (Pete) Carroll, coach (Nick) Saban. And especially when coach Carroll said, ‘Your dad would tell you to go, man. Take the shot. Take the shot, you’ve accomplished a lot here.’
“I always hated how we only gave one year to Tennessee and left. I really hated that feeling of that, even though it was an exciting year. But I think that we gave a lot to this program and to this city and some of the most historic wins in this stadium that they’ve ever had. Best regular season in the history of this school, so I feel proud of that part. But it just became time. I talked to God and he told me it’s time to take a new step.”
Lane Kiffin will not coach Ole Miss in the playoffs, a decision Kiffin said he understood, even if he didn’t necessarily agree with it. So his tenure at LSU begins now. Complete with a greeting from some old Rebels friends.