Kiffin's Pink Locker Room Draws Attention
LSU painted the visiting locker room at Tiger Stadium pink, a tactic tied to a 1979 study on color and aggression.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Football
LSU coach Lane Kiffin had the visiting locker room at Tiger Stadium painted pink in October, with walls finished before the Week 4 game against Texas A&M. Mississippi State became the first opponent to dress in a fully pink locker room.
Why it matters
The move revives a decades-old idea that pink lowers aggression and energy, a potential edge for the home team in Baton Rouge. It also reflects Kiffin's prior use of the same tactic at Ole Miss.
Psychologist Alexander Schauss reported in a 1979 study that Baker-Miller Pink reduced aggression among inmates in a Seattle cell. The stub does not establish whether the color affects game performance.
The players
Lane Kiffin
Kiffin is LSU's head coach, who previously had the visitors' room at Ole Miss painted pink.
Alexander Schauss
Schauss is a psychologist whose 1979 study reported reduced aggression under Baker-Miller Pink.
The details
Kiffin said he was given a study of colors and their effect on the mind before a competitive match. The walls and lockers were finished in time for Mississippi State's visit, making it the first opponent to dress in a fully pink room at Tiger Stadium.
Timeline
1979: Schauss study on Baker-Miller Pink published.
October: LSU's visiting locker room at Tiger Stadium painted pink.
Week 4: Walls finished before LSU's game against Texas A&M.
Mississippi State visit: first opponent to dress in fully pink room.
Season Trajectory
The pink-room tactic traces back to Hayden Fry's use at Iowa roughly 40 years ago and to Schauss's 1979 study. Kiffin's use at both Ole Miss and LSU places the tactic in a current SEC rivalry context.
Visiting teams at Tiger Stadium will now dress in a pink locker room, which supporters of the tactic say can lower aggression before kickoff. Fans following LSU can track whether the approach changes results against upcoming opponents.
The takeaway
The pink-room tactic rests on a 1979 study and decades of anecdote, with no established proof of game-day effect. Readers following Kiffin's LSU program can watch whether visiting teams perform differently in the room.
Further reading
For more on LSU's season, see Football coverage from Baton Rouge.
