“The Fighting Tiger,” a documentary released on the SEC Network, highlights legendary gymnastics coach D-D Breaux and how she built LSU’s program from the ground up. The documentary spotlights Breaux’s passion for gymnastics, which dates all the way back to when she received a balance beam for Christmas as a kid.
“They opened these double doors, and it was a foggy morning. And I’ve got seven brothers and sisters and they’re all standing there waiting, because they knew what daddy was building in the workshop. And it was probably the most special Christmas I’ve ever had,” Breaux recalled.
The documentary shows how Breaux fought to keep the gymnastics program alive after several athletic directors threatened to cut the program. One of the most dramatic moments in the film comes when Breaux wrote a letter to LSU Athletic Director Joe Dean, requesting better resources to work with. Breaux says she will never forget the assistant athletic director’s response.
“He just came storming in with this memo. He balled it up, crushed it, pulled my shirt and threw it in and said, ‘If you write one like that again, he’s going to fire you.’ I’m like, ‘Don’t let the door hit you when you’re walking out,'” Breaux said.
LSU gymnastics finally started to get the support it needed when Skip Bertman became athletic director in 2001. Breaux says Bertman supported her when no one else did on campus.
“I’d go in and see him, go to his office and talk to him and say, ‘They won’t even let me buy grips for the kids’ hands for bars.’ He’d go, ‘Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it. Just tell me how to order them. I’ll order them for you, out of my budget, out of my booster club.’ He was just that anchor,” Breaux explained.
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