Tech (mascot)

Tech
Tech XX's debut portrait
University	Louisiana Tech University
Conference	C-USA
Description	Live Bulldog
Origin of name	Louisiana Tech
First seen	1930
Related mascot(s)	Champ

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. The first live mascot, Tech I, was donated in 1930 by the Matthews family.^[1] Tech XIX served as the university's official mascot from 2001 until 2007. He was retired in November 2007 after surviving a heat stroke suffered at Louisiana Tech's football season opener on September 1, 2007. Tech XIX is currently in the care of Tech Alumnus and mechanical engineering professor Dr. Mark Barker. 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 on in Licking, Missouri, on October 9, 2007, and is the son of Kahuna Mighty Sampson and Abbie Jane Kofax. Tech XX was in the care of Ruston veterinarian and Tech alumnus Dr. Patrick Sexton.

On July 30, 2012, Sexton Animal Health Center announced that Tech XX had been missing since 8 pm the night before after being let outside. There was a $2000 reward posted. However on Wednesday afternoon, August 1, 2012, Sexton Animal Health Center announced that an employee lied about Tech XX being missing. The now former employee left the dog outside too long, and it died of heat stroke on Sunday, July 29, 2012.^[2]^[3]^[4]

History

The bulldog may have been chosen as mascot of the university in 1899. According to legend, five students adopted a bulldog that had been wandering around campus that year. A fire broke out among the students' house not long after. The adopted bulldog barked at his new masters until they all awoke, allowing them to escape the burning building. The bulldog, however, had inhaled too much of the smoke and never made it out of the building before it burned to the ground. The students buried the dog on campus.

Stuffed mascot era

Prior to the donation of the first live bulldog, the university owned a large stuffed dog that served as the mascot. An article in the Ruston Daily Leader states,

The old Dog has cauliflower ears, a few adhesive bandages and his paint is faded, showing evidence of having engaged in quite a few battles, and if his looks do not belie him he has faith in the relinquishing of his place as mascot, so emblematic of his Bulldog "tenacity."^[1]

Tech I

In October 1930, the first bulldog mascot was given to the university by the Matthews family. Two of the Matthews boys, Henry and Thomas, were freshmen at Tech and became the new mascot's caretakers. Tech I died of internal hemorrhaging on August 17, 1932, and was buried under the athletic field.^[5]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 "Bullpups Have a Live Mascot Given to Them". Ruston Daily Leader. October 1, 1930. |accessdate= requires |url= (help)
↑ "Tech XX dead". shreveporttimes.com. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
↑ "La. Tech bulldog mascot declared dead". ESPN. August 1, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
↑ "La Tech missing mascot dead from a heat stroke". KSLA. August 1, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
↑ "Tech Mascot of Bulldogs Dies on Wed.". Ruston Daily Leader. August 19, 1932. |accessdate= requires |url= (help)

Louisiana Tech University

Colleges	Applied and Natural Sciences Business Education Engineering and Science Liberal Arts

Athletics	Football Men's basketball Women's basketball Baseball Softball Track & Field Athletics Hall of Fame Joe Aillet Stadium Independence Stadium Thomas Assembly Center CenturyLink Center J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park Squire Creek Lincoln Parish Park Rivalry in Dixie Conference USA

Student life	Tech Band of Pride Hoop Troop The Tech Talk TechTV KLPI Lagniappe

Campus	Main Campus South Campus Enterprise Campus Shreveport-Bossier City Campus Barksdale Campus Cyber Innovation Center Global_Campus Arboretum Hide-Away Park A.E. Phillips Lab School The IDEA Place

People and History	Presidents Faculty Alumni Athletes History Legends and Traditions

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football

Venues	Unknown (1901–1903) Louisiana Tech athletic field (1904–1928) Tech Stadium (1928–1967) Joe Aillet Stadium (1968–present) Independence Stadium (alternate, 1928–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Southern Miss: Rivalry in Dixie

Culture & lore	Tech Band of Pride Spirit of '88 Fire Bell State Fair Game

People	Head coaches NFL draftees

Seasons	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

National championship seasons in bold

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball

Venues	Men's Gymnasium (1925–1952) Memorial Gymnasium (1952–1982) Thomas Assembly Center (1982–present)

Culture & lore	Tech Hoop Troop

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball

Venues	Memorial Gymnasium (1974–1982) Thomas Assembly Center (1982–present)

Culture & lore	Tech Hoop Troop

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

AIAW and NCAA national championships in bold; AIAW and NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Mascots of Conference USA

Norm the Niner (Charlotte) Roary (FIU) Owlsley (Florida Atlantic) Champ and Tech (Louisiana Tech) Marco the Buffalo (Marshall) Lightning (Middle Tennessee) Scrappy (North Texas) Big Blue (Old Dominion) Sammy the Owl (Rice) Seymour d'Campus (Southern Miss) Blaze (UAB) Paydirt Pete (UTEP) Rowdy (UTSA) Big Red (WKU)

Tech (mascot)

History

Stuffed mascot era

Tech I

References

Further reading