Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football
First season 1901
Athletic director Bruce Van De Velde
Head coach Sonny Dykes
2nd year, 13–12  (.520)
Other staff Tony Franklin (OC)
Tommy Spangler (DC)
Home stadium Joe Aillet Stadium
Year built 1968
Stadium capacity 30,600
Stadium surface FieldTurf
Location Ruston, Louisiana
League NCAA Division I FBS
Conference WAC
All-time record 562–427–37 (.566)
Postseason bowl record 2–3–1
Claimed national titles 3 (1972, 1973, 1974)[1]
Conference titles 25
Consensus All-Americans 2
Current uniform
Colors Blue and Red            
Fight song Tech Fight
Mascot Tech and Champ
Marching band Band of Pride
Outfitter Nike
Rivals Fresno State Bulldogs
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Website LaTechSports.com

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football program represents Louisiana Tech University in Western Athletic Conference. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Since the Bulldogs first season in 1901, Louisiana Tech has compiled an all-time record of 562 wins, 427 losses, and 37 ties. In 110 football seasons, the Bulldogs have won 3 Division II national championships, won 25 conference championships, and played in 6 bowl games. Since 1968, the Bulldogs have played their home games at Joe Aillet Stadium. After the conclusion of the 2009 season, LA Tech head coach Derek Dooley was hired away to become the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, and LA Tech hired Arizona OC Sonny Dykes as the Bulldogs new head coach for the 2010 season.

Contents

History

Conference affiliations

Championships

National championships

Louisiana Tech claims three football national titles. From 1964 to 1972, four regional bowl games were played that led up to a wire service poll to determine the final champion of Division II's predecessor, the NCAA College Division. In 1972, LA Tech beat Tennessee Tech 35-0 in the Grantland Rice Bowl to win the Mideast Regional Championship. The Bulldogs finished the 1972 season undefeated at 12-0 and were subsequently named 1972 College Division National Champions by the National Football Foundation. Despite not playing in a regional championship, Delaware was named 1972 NCAA College Division National Champions by the Associated Press and United Press International. A playoff series was started in 1973 to determine the Division II champion. In the inaugural Division II football playoffs, Louisiana Tech beat Western Illinois in the quarterfinals and Boise State in the Pioneer Bowl semifinals. LA Tech advanced to the championship game to beat Western Kentucky 34-0 and finished the season with a 12-1 record as 1973 NCAA Division II National Champions. In 1974, the UPI did not recognize the winner of the playoffs, Central Michigan, as national champions. Instead, the UPI presented the 1974 Division II national title to Louisiana Tech, who finished with a 11-1 record.

Year Overall Record Conference Record Coach Selector
1972 12–0–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright National Football Foundation College Division
1973 12–1–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright NCAA Division II
1974 11–1–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright United Press International College Division

Regional championships

Louisiana Tech won three regional football championships. From 1964 to 1972, four regional bowl games were played that led up to a wire service poll to determine the final champion of Division II's predecessor, the NCAA College Division. In 1968, Louisiana Tech beat Akron 33-13 in the Grantland Rice Bowl to become Mideast Regional Champions. In 1971, Louisiana Tech beat beat Eastern Michigan 14-3 in the Pioneer Bowl to become Midwest Regional Champions. In 1972, LA Tech beat Tennessee Tech 35-0 in the Grantland Rice Bowl to win the Mideast Regional Championship.

Year Overall Record Conference Record Coach Region
1968 9–2–0 3-2-0 Maxie Lambright Mideast
1971 9–2–0 4–1–0 Maxie Lambright Midwest
1972 12–0–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright Mideast

Conference championships

LA Tech has won 25 conference championships despite competing in 24 seasons as an independent. The Bulldogs have won 2 Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, 3 Louisiana Intercollegiate championships, 10 Gulf States championships, 8 Southland championships, and 2 WAC championships. It is of note that LA Tech finished with a 9–2 record in 1997, the best record of the 9 Division I-A Independents. In 1999 LA Tech finished with an 8–3 record, the only one of the 7 Division I-A Independents with a winning record.

Year Overall Record Conference Record Coach Conference
1915 3–1–2 2–0–1 Percy S. Prince Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1921 6–0–0 3–0–0 R. Foster Clark Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association
1941 5–4–1 4–0–0 Joe Aillet Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference
1945 6–4–0 3–1–0 Joe Aillet Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference
1947 5–4–0 4–0–0 Joe Aillet Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference
1949 7–2–0 5–0–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1952 6–1–2 3–0–2 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1953 6–3–0 5–1–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1955 9–1–0 6–0–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1957 6–4–0 4–1–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1958 7–3–0 4–1–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1959 9–1–0 5–0–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1960 8–2–0 4–1–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1964 9–1–0 5–0–0 Joe Aillet Gulf States Conference
1969 8–2–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright Gulf States Conference
1971 9–2–0 4–1–0 Maxie Lambright Southland Conference
1972 12–0–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright Southland Conference
1973 12–1–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright Southland Conference
1974 11–1–0 5–0–0 Maxie Lambright Southland Conference
1977 9–1–2 4–0–1 Maxie Lambright Southland Conference
1978 6–5–0 4–1–0 Maxie Lambright Southland Conference
1982 10–3–0 5–0–0 Billy Brewer Southland Conference
1984 10–5–0 5–1–0 A.L. Williams Southland Conference
2001 7–5 7–1 Jack Bicknell III Western Athletic Conference
2011 8–4 6–1 Sonny Dykes Western Athletic Conference
† Denotes co-champions

Postseason history

Louisiana Tech has produced an all-time postseason record of 13 wins, 7 losses, and 1 tie in 21 total appearances.

Division II postseason history

Louisiana Tech has played in 9 Division II postseason games and accumulated a record of 7 wins and 2 losses.

Date Game W/L Opponent PF PA
December 13, 1968 Grantland Rice Bowl W Akron 33 13
December 13, 1969 Grantland Rice Bowl L East Tennessee State 14 34
December 11, 1971 Pioneer Bowl W Eastern Michigan 14 3
December 10, 1972 Grantland Rice Bowl W Tennessee Tech 35 0
December 1, 1973 Quarterfinal W Western Illinois 18 13
December 8, 1973 Pioneer Bowl W Boise State 38 34
December 15, 1973 Camellia Bowl W Western Kentucky 34 0
November 30, 1974 Quarterfinal W Western Carolina 10 7
December 7, 1974 Pioneer Bowl L Central Michigan 14 35

Division I FCS playoff history

Louisiana Tech has played in 6 Division I FCS playoff games and accumulated a record of 4 wins and 2 losses.

Date Game W/L Opponent PF PA
December 4, 1982 Quarterfinal W South Carolina State 38 3
December 11, 1982 Semifinal L Delaware 0 17
November 24, 1984 First Round W Mississippi Valley State 66 19
December 1, 1984 Quarterfinal W Alcorn State 44 21
December 8, 1984 Semifinal W Middle Tennessee State 21 13
December 15, 1984 Championship L Montana State 6 19

Division I FBS bowl history

Louisiana Tech has played in 6 Division I FBS bowl games and accumulated a record of 2 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.

Date Bowl W/L Opponent PF PA
December 17, 1977 Independence Bowl W Louisville 24 14
December 16, 1978 Independence Bowl L East Carolina 13 35
December 15, 1990 Independence Bowl T Maryland 34 34
December 31, 2001 Humanitarian Bowl L Clemson 24 49
December 28, 2008 Independence Bowl W Northern Illinois 17 10
December 21, 2011 Poinsettia Bowl L TCU 24 31

Rivalries

Active rivalries

Fresno State Bulldogs

Since 2001, the teams have played annually as members of the Western Athletic Conference, and Fresno State holds a 7–4 series lead in games played as WAC foes. The rivalry is nicknamed the Battle for the Bone, a term coined because both universities are nicknamed the Bulldogs. Prior to the conference rivalry, the two Bulldog football teams played twice in Fresno with Fresno State defeating Louisiana Tech in 1986 and 1992.

Notable games include:

Louisiana Tech–Fresno State: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA Tech wins LA Tech losses Ties Win %
13 September 27, 1986 (lost 10–34) November 5, 2011 (won 41–21) 4 9 0 30.8%

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

We look forward to renewing our series with Louisiana Tech, one of our oldest rivalries in terms of games, and a quality opponent in the Western Athletic Conference.

—Southern Miss Athletics Director Richard Giannini in 2008

LA Tech and Southern Miss first played in 1935 and played each season from 1946 until 1972. LA Tech and USM were conference foes in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1935 to 1941. In addition, LA Tech and USM were both founding members of the Gulf States Conference which began play in 1948. The Dawgs and Eagles have played 11 times between 1975 and 1992. In 2008, LA Tech AD/HC Derek Dooley and USM AD Richard Giannini signed a 4-game contract to renew the rivalry with the first game being played in Ruston on September 25, 2010. On a rainy Saturday night on September 3, 2011, the Golden Eagles took on the Bulldogs for both team's season opener on national television. The close matchup ended in Southern Miss' favor, 19-17, due to a late field goal by Southern Miss' Danny Hrapmann. The Dawgs and Eagles are scheduled to continue the series in Ruston 2013, and in Hattiesburg 2014.

Louisiana Tech–Southern Mississippi: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA Tech wins LA Tech losses Ties Win %
44 November 28, 1935 (won 27–0) September 3, 2011 (lost 17-19) 13 31 0 29.5%

Inactive rivalries

Historical rivalries that are no longer active include series with Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette), Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe), and Northwestern State. LA Tech sacrificed these rivalries to seek a more elite conference affiliation and greater national prominence for their programs.

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

LA Tech and Southwestern Louisiana first played in 1910 and competed annually between 1924 and 2000. The Bulldogs and Cajuns have only played twice since LA Tech joined the WAC in 2001. LA Tech has won the last 6 games of the series outscoring ULL by a combined total of 287–106 in those 6 games from 1997-2004.

The Bulldogs and the Cajuns will play a home-and-home series in 2014 and 2015. The first game in the series will be played at Lafayette in October 2014, and the second game will be played at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston in October 2015.

Louisiana Tech–Louisiana-Lafayette: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA Tech wins LA Tech losses Ties Win %
85 1910 (won 75–0) September 11, 2004 (won 24–20) 46 33 6 57.6%

Louisiana-Monroe Indians/Warhawks

NLU ain't no rival of ours. This is a big game for them, but it is just another day at the office for us. They are nobody to us. They are always trying to get to where we have been.

Troy Edwards after LA Tech's 44-14 win in Monroe in 1998

In my mind, we're much more elite. We play in a more elite conference. We don't really acknowledge Northeast. We don't view them as a target, and we don't compete for players.

Derek Dooley at a booster meeting in Bastrop in 2008

LA Tech and Northeast Louisiana played annually from their first meeting in 1953 until 1991. LA Tech has won the last 8 games of the series outscoring ULM by a combined total of 274–89 in those 8 games from 1988-2000. The two schools are located only 37 miles (60 km) apart.

Louisiana Tech–Louisiana-Monroe: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA Tech wins LA Tech losses Ties Win %
43 September 26, 1953
(won 61–6)
November 11, 2000
(won 42–19)
29 14 0 67.4%

Northwestern State Demons

LA Tech and Northwestern State first played in 1907 and competed annually from 1926 to 1987. The Dawgs and Demons played in the annual Louisiana State Fair Game in Shreveport's Independence Stadium from 1946 to 1987. In the last 18 meetings of the series, LA Tech has amassed a record of 16–1–1 against NSU. After a 20-year hiatus, Louisiana Tech will host the Northwestern State Demons at Joe Aillet Stadium in 2014.

Louisiana Tech–Northwestern State: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA Tech wins LA Tech losses Ties Win %
77 1907 (won 43–4) November 5, 1994 (won 38–28) 53 19 5 72.1%

Home stadiums

Joe Aillet Stadium

LA Tech plays home games in Joe Aillet Stadium, which has garnered the nickname The Joe. The stadium is located on the campus of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. Led by quarterback Terry Bradshaw, the Bulldogs christened Louisiana Tech Stadium with a 35–7 victory over East Carolina on September 28, 1968. The stadium was given its current namesake in 1972 to honor Hall of Fame coach Joe Aillet. The stadium opened with a capacity of 23,000, and additional seating was added to increase capacity to 30,600 in 1989. The stadium was upgraded in 1985 with the addition of the luxury sky box. In 1997, the stadium's attendance record of 28,714 was set against Louisiana-Monroe. A new lighting system was installed in 2006. In 2008, LA Tech installed the stadium's current FieldTurf. Installed in 2009, Joe Aillet Stadium boasts the largest high definition video board in the Western Athletic Conference covering 1,485 digital square feet. On June 29, 2010, Louisiana Tech unveiled the plans for the Quest for Excellence, a $20 million fundraising campaign geared towards the construction of a 90,000-plus square-foot multipurpose facility in the south end zone of Joe Aillet Stadium.

Independence Stadium

LA Tech occasionally hosts games at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Bulldogs have played 71 games in Independence Stadium including 4 trips to the Independence Bowl and have produced an all-time record of 46–22–3 at Independence Stadium. LA Tech has hosted many teams in Independence Stadium during the regular season including Southern Miss, North Texas, Tulsa, Houston, Baylor, California, Texas A&M, SMU, Oklahoma State, Miami, and UTEP. Louisiana Tech's regular season home attendance record of 43,279 was set in 2003 against the Miami Hurricanes in a nationally televised game on ESPN. The 1990 Independence Bowl featuring LA Tech and Maryland drew 48,325 fans, the record attendance for a Louisiana Tech game in Independence Stadium. The stadium's capacity is 50,459. Louisiana Tech opened the 2010 season at Independence Stadium against Grambling State in the inaugural Port City Classic for the first ever meeting between the two football programs despite being located only 4 miles (6.4 km) apart.

Traditions

Band of Pride

The Band of Pride is the official marching band of Louisiana Tech University. Since its inception in 1906, the band has grown to approximately 200 members. The Band of Pride performs at all home football games, select road games, pep rallies, and various university events throughout the year.

Spirit of '88

At the south end of Joe Aillet Stadium stands a bronze Bulldog statue named the Spirit of '88. The statue commemorates the 1988 Bulldog football team which blazed the path into Division I-A football for Louisiana Tech. The 1988 team had to endure one of the most difficult schedules in school history while playing with only 65 scholarships - the allotted amount for Division I-AA teams. In what was the nation's 11th toughest schedule that year, the Bulldogs faced five I-A bowl teams including Houston, Florida State and Texas A&M. The results were as expected: losses like 60-0, 56-17 and 66-3. Those experiences likely played a key role in LA Tech finishing 5-4-1 the following year, its first in Division I-A, and then 8-3-1 in 1990 and an Independence Bowl berth. The statue, which every Bulldog player touches as he walks down the ramp before every home game, has also brought good fortune to the Bulldogs at Joe Aillet Stadium. On October 14, 1989, when it was unveiled, LA Tech proceeded to pummel a highly respected Northern Illinois team by the score of 42-21. The Bulldogs eventually reeled off 18 consecutive home victories, tying the all-time stadium record set by head coach Maxie Lambright's great teams of the early 1970s.

Fire Bell

In 1879, the Fire Bell was cast by L.M. Rumsey & Co. in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1897, the Ruston Fire Department was called to fires by ringing the Fire Bell that hung in a wooden tower behind Perkins Drug Store located at 116 N. Trenton Street. The Fire Bell was used for many years in Ruston to alert the town of burning fires. After Joe Aillet Stadium was built in 1968, the old Fire Bell was transported to the stadium atop the hill in the south end zone. The Fire Bell is rung before every football game to commemorate the bravery of the bulldog that perished saving the lives of the two Tech students in the burning house in 1899, and the Fire Bell calls the Bulldogs to battle before every home football game.

Tech

Tech is the name of the fawn and white lineage of English bulldogs, which serves as the live mascot of Louisiana Tech University. Tech is owned by the LA Tech Student Government Association and resides with either a faculty member or local alumnus selected by the SGA. After surviving a heat stroke in September 2007, Tech XIX was soon retired in November. On January 22, 2008, Tech XX was officially installed as the new official mascot and debuted at LA Tech's men's basketball game against Nevada on January 26, 2008. Tech XX was born in Licking, Missouri, on October 9, 2007, and is the son of Kahuna Mighty Sampson and Abbie Jane Kofax. Tech XX is in the care of Ruston veterinarian and Tech alumnus Dr. Patrick Sexton. Tech XX led Louisiana Tech to become Independence Bowl champions in his inaugural season as mascot.

GATA

On August 30, 2008, Mississippi State became the first current member of the Southeastern Conference to play Louisiana Tech in Ruston at Joe Aillet Stadium. Prior to the game, four stadium banners were mounted on both the east and west sides honoring four Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame inductees including Terry Bradshaw, Fred Dean, Willie Roaf, and Coach Joe Aillet. After the team arrived to the stadium for their season opener, they saw the imposing banners for the first time. In the locker room, the team determined that the legends pictured on the banners were the bulldog football team's ultimate GATA gods. GATA was the acronym for defensive coordinator Tommy Spangler's defensive philosophy: Get After Their A__. The GATA gods helped the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs do just that by guiding LA Tech to a 22-14 victory over Mississippi State, LA Tech's first win over an SEC opponent since the Bulldogs beat No. 18 Alabama in 1999. Throughout the season, the GATA gods helped the Bulldog football team form a special cohesiveness and camaraderie as Tech won their first five games under their watch. On defensive third downs, chants of GA-TA! GA-TA! echo throughout Joe Aillet Stadium. The success brought by the GATA gods rallied Louisiana Tech to their most wins since 1999 (8), first bowl appearance since 2001, and first bowl victory since 1977 becoming 2008 Independence Bowl Champions.

Louisiana Tech Football Day

After LA Tech accepted an invitation to play in the 2008 Independence Bowl, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal issued a proclamation declaring December 19 as Louisiana Tech Football Day in the State of Louisiana. The proclamation was delivered to athletics director/head football coach Derek Dooley in Ruston by Louisiana Representative Henry Burns and Louisiana Representative Robert Kostelka on December 19, 2008.

The proclamation states:

WHEREAS, It is with pride that Louisiana recognizes the accomplishments of the 2008 Louisiana Tech Football Team, and
WHEREAS, the Bulldogs will play in the Independence Bowl on December 28, 2008, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and
WHEREAS, Louisiana Tech football has a proud tradition and legacy, and
WHEREAS, Louisiana understands the team's commitment and appreciates their hard work and dedication, and
WHEREAS, head coach Derek Dooley and his fine staff have prepared their players for both football season and life after graduation, and
WHEREAS, Louisiana Tech student-athletes have gone on to achieve success in numerous vocations and have made important contributions to Louisiana and the United States,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bobby Jindal, Governor of the State of Louisiana, do hereby proclaim December 19, 2008, as Louisiana Tech Football Day in the State of Louisiana.

Players

College Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Fred Biletnikoff Award

Ray Guy Award

  • Ryan Allen (P), 2011

Consensus All-Americans

Super Bowl champions

Twelve former Bulldogs have won 15 Super Bowl championship rings and 3 NFL championship rings.

NFL Draft

Louisiana Tech has had 57 players drafted into the National Football League (NFL) since the league began holding drafts in 1936. Four Bulldogs have been selected in the first round including Terry Bradshaw, Roger Carr, Willie Roaf, and Troy Edwards. Bradshaw was the overall number one pick in 1970. LA Tech had two players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, D'Anthony Smith and Dennis Morris.

Current players

Current NFL players

Former players

Head coaches

On January 15, 2009, Louisiana Tech athletics director/head football coach Derek Dooley was hired to replace Lane Kiffin as the next Tennessee Volunteers head football coach. On January 20, 2010, LA Tech hired Arizona Wildcats offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes to succeed Dooley as the 31st head football coach in Louisiana Tech history.

College Football Hall of Fame

Notes

Future schedules

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
9/1 vs Lamar 8/31 at Rice TBA TBA 9/3 at Arkansas (Little Rock) TBA 9/1 at South Alabama
9/8 at Houston 9/7 at Houston 9/6 at Southern Miss 9/12 at Mississippi State TBA 9/9 at Mississippi State TBA
9/15 vs Rice 9/14 vs Southern Miss 9/13 vs Houston TBA 9/17 vs Mississippi State TBA TBA
9/22 at Illinois 9/21 at Kansas 9/20 vs Northwestern State TBA TBA TBA TBA
9/29 at Virginia 9/28 vs Army 9/27 at UNLV TBA TBA 9/30 vs South Alabama TBA
10/6 vs UNLV TBA 10/4 at Louisiana–Lafayette 10/3 vs Louisiana–Lafayette TBA TBA TBA
vs Utah State at Utah State vs Utah State at Utah State vs Utah State at Utah State vs Utah State
at San Jose State vs San Jose State at San Jose State vs San Jose State at San Jose State vs San Jose State at San Jose State
at Texas State vs Texas State at Texas State vs Texas State at Texas State vs Texas State at Texas State
vs UTSA at UTSA vs UTSA at UTSA vs UTSA at UTSA vs UTSA
vs Idaho at Idaho vs Idaho at Idaho vs Idaho at Idaho vs Idaho
at New Mexico State vs New Mexico State at New Mexico State vs New Mexico State at New Mexico State vs New Mexico State at New Mexico State

Note: The BYU home-and-home series has been postponed to dates undetermined at this time.

Future Non-Conference Opponents[2]

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 TBA
vs Lamar at Rice at Southern Miss at Mississippi State at Arkansas at Mississippi State at South Alabama vs BYU
at Houston at Houston vs Houston vs Louisiana–Lafayette vs Mississippi State vs South Alabama at BYU
vs Rice vs Southern Miss vs Northwestern State
at Illinois at Kansas at UNLV
at Virginia vs Army at Louisiana–Lafayette
vs UNLV

References

External links