Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters
University Louisiana Tech University
Conference C-USA
Southland Bowling League (bowling)
NCAA Division I (FBS)
Athletic director Tommy McClelland
Location Ruston, Louisiana
Varsity teams 16
Football stadium Joe Aillet Stadium
Basketball arena Thomas Assembly Center
Baseball stadium J.C. Love Field
Mascot Tech (live)
Champ (costumed)
Nickname Bulldogs (men)
Lady Techsters (women)
Fight song Tech Fight
Colors Blue and Red[1]
         
Website latechsports.com

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters, commonly abbreviated La. Tech and Dawgs, refer to the sports teams of Louisiana Tech University, in Ruston, Louisiana. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports. Since 2013, Louisiana Tech has been a member of Conference USA (C-USA). Louisiana Tech adopted Bulldogs as its nickname in 1900, the first of the four Bulldogs in Division I FBS to do so. (Georgia followed in 1920, Fresno State in 1921, and Mississippi State in 1961.)

Sports

A member of Conference USA, Louisiana Tech sponsors teams in seven men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[2]

Football

Louisiana Tech's football team is currently coached by Skip Holtz and plays their home games at Joe Aillet Stadium with a capacity of 28,019. With a program dating to 1901, Tech would notch its first victory after a 6-0 win against LSU in 1904.[3] Following the 2015 season, the Bulldogs have complied an all-time record of 596 wins, 446 losses, and 39 ties; won the 2001 and 2011 WAC championships and three Division II National Championships in 1972, 1973, and 1974.[3] Troy Edwards won the 1998 Fred Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in college football.[4] With the bulldogs' victory over Alabama in 1999, Tech is currently the only non-AQ school to beat an SEC champion in the BCS era. Louisiana Tech has played in eight Division I bowl games, most recently in the 2015 New Orleans Bowl. Tech punter Ryan Allen became the first player to win consecutive Ray Guy Awards by winning the award in 2011 and 2012. Also in 2012, quarterback Colby Cameron won the Sammy Baugh Trophy. Tech's rivalry games include Rivalry in Dixie with Southern Miss. Notable football alumni include Terry Bradshaw, Phil Robertson, Willie Roaf, Fred Dean, Matt Stover, Josh Scobee, Luke McCown, Ryan Moats, and Tramon Williams.[3]

Men's basketball

Currently led by head coach Michael White, the Tech men's basketball team has enjoyed off-and-on success over the years. With a history stretching back to 1925, the Bulldogs have had 18 20-win seasons, won 19 conference championships, made six NCAA appearances and six NIT appearances.[5] Tech's notable men's basketball alumni include Leon Barmore, who went on to a coaching career at Tech's women's team that put him in both the Naismith Memorial and Women's Basketball Halls of Fame; Karl Malone, who entered the Naismith Hall in August 2010 for his NBA career; P.J. Brown; and Paul Millsap. Louisiana Tech appeared in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament four times. (1942, 1946, 1953, and 1955). The Bulldogs lost in the first round every year until 1955, in which they advanced to the second round, only to lose to Franciscan University of Steubenville 90 to 65.[6]

Women's basketball

The Lady Techsters, currently led by head coach Brooke Stoehr, has been the most successful Louisiana Tech athletic team. They won the 1981, 1982 and 1988 national championships. Along the way, the Lady Techsters have competed in 13 Final Fours, 23 Sweet Sixteens, and 27 NCAA tournaments. The Lady Techsters basketball program boasts three Wade Trophy winners, five Olympic medalists, six members of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, 16 All-Americans, and 21 WNBA players. The Lady Techsters have an all-time record of 1043–264 with a .798 winning percentage, the third-best all-time winning percentage of any NCAA Division I program. Louisiana Tech and Tennessee are the only women's basketball programs to win at least 1,000 games. The Lady Techsters have made 27 total appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament; only Tennessee, Georgia, and Stanford have made more NCAA Tournament appearances. Standout former Tech players include Teresa Weatherspoon (later a Lady Techsters head coach), Venus Lacy, and Karl Malone's daughter Cheryl Ford, among others. Another notable former Tech player is Women's Hall of Famer and current Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, the only woman to date to have won NCAA Division I titles as a player and a head coach.

The program's first two coaches, Sonja Hogg and Leon Barmore, are also in the Women's Hall of Fame, and Barmore is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as well. It was Hogg's idea to call the team the "Lady Techsters"; when she started the program in 1974, she thought "Bulldogs" was unfeminine and feared that if she called her team the "Lady Bulldogs," it would inevitably lead to her players being called "bitches" (the female name for a dog).[7] Barmore, who took over the reins full-time in 1985 after serving as co-head coach with Hogg for three years, was one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history, men's or women's. He lost only 87 games in 20 years, won 13 regular season titles in a 15-year span and led the Techsters to nine Final Fours in a row from 1983 to 1999.

Baseball

Since 1974, The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Baseball team has won six conference titles and made six appearances in the NCAA Baseball Tournament (6-12 overall record). Its former players include MLB players David Segui, Mike Jeffcoat, Rebel Oakes, Brian Myrow and George Stone. Since 2000, 20 Tech players have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft.[8]

The team plays their home games at J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park. The stadium was built in 1971 and was originally known as Tech Stadium. In 1982, the stadium was renamed in honor of J.C. Love, a Ruston businessman who was a prominent supporter of the baseball program and the university. In 2008, the field was named after Pat Patterson, the winningest head coach in Louisiana Tech Baseball history. Greg Goff is the current head coach of the Bulldog baseball team.

Softball

The Lady Techsters softball program was founded in 1980 with Barry Canterbury as the team's first head coach. Gary Blair, current head coach of the Texas A&M women's basketball team, took over as the team's head coach in 1981 while he was an assistant coach of the Lady Techsters women's basketball team and led the softball team to its first winning record in 1981.[9]

In three decades, the Lady Techsters have made three appearances in the Women's College World Series (1983, 1985, 1986) and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. The team won its first WAC Tournament Title in 2008 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years.

The team plays their home games at the Lady Techster Softball Complex on the corner of Tech Drive and Alabama Street. Mark Montgomery is the current head coach of the team.

Soccer

Women's soccer is coached by Kevin Sherry, who took over the program in 2007. La Tech won the Nicholls State Tournament in 2006 and the Troy Trojans Soccer Classic in 2008. With a 10-5-5 record in 2008, the Lady Techsters notched La Tech's first winning season since the program's inception in 2004. On March 12, 2009, the Lady Techsters were recognized by the NCAA as being the most improved program in the nation; La Tech finished 2-14-1 in 2007 and improved their 2008 record by 8.5 games. On August 21, 2009, La Tech christened the new Lady Techster Soccer Field with a 3-2 overtime victory over Lamar. In 2009, the Lady Techsters showed continued success by winning the most games in school history with a record of 12-7-1.

Volleyball

The women's volleyball team is coached by Adriano de Souza, who has been at La Tech since 2012. The Lady Techsters play their home matches at the Thomas Assembly Center.

Golf

Men's golf is coached by Jeff Jenkins, who became head coach in 2014. Squire Creek Country Club, a Tom Fazio-designed championship course that opened in 2002, is the home of La Tech golf. Golf Digest ranked Squire Creek as one of the top five private golf courses in the United States in 2004 and as the No. 1 golf course in Louisiana in 2005. La Tech hosts the annual Squire Creek Invitational and the Argent Financial Classic.

Tennis

The women's tennis team is coached by Chad Camper, who has led the program since 2013. On October 15, 2008, the Louisiana Tech Tennis Complex was christened with a Lady Techsters sweep of Grambling State in the inaugural match at the new facility.

Track and field

The men's and women's track and field teams are coached by Gary Stanley, who has served as track and field head coach since 1988. The Lady Techsters Indoor Track and Field team won WAC Championships in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Lady Techsters Outdoor Track and Field team won seven straight WAC Championships from 2005 to 2011.

Cross country

The men's and women's cross country teams are coached by Gary Stanley, who has served as cross country head coach since 1984. Louisiana Tech's home venue is Lincoln Parish Park, where they host the annual Mook 4 Invitational.

Bowling

The women's bowling team is coached by Jerry Miles, who has led the program since 2012. Louisiana Tech finished the 2009-10 season ranked No. 18 in the nation with a 44-31 record. The Lady Techsters' home facility is the new Lambright Bowling Alley, which was completed in August 2008.

Non-NCAA sports

Louisiana Tech competes in 16 club sports including men's and women's powerlifting, NIFA flight team, men's soccer, softball, men's and women's rugby, women's lacrosse, equestrian, karate, water skiing, cycling, bass fishing, ultimate frisbee, inline hockey, and paintball.[10] The men's and women's powerlifting team have won 18 and 15 National Championships, respectively. The Louisiana Tech NIFA flight team won the national title in 1973.

Discontinued sports

Louisiana Tech formerly competed in men's boxing and men's tennis but discontinued those sports.

Championship history

National titles (41)

Lady Techsters 3 National Titles Banner
Football (3)
Women's Basketball (3)
Men's Outdoor Track and Field (1)
  • Shot Put: 1985 (John Campbell)
Men's Powerlifting** (18)[11]
  • 1978, 1985, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010
Women's Powerlifting** (15)[11]
  • 1984, 1985, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007
NIFA Flight Team** (1)
  • 1973

*AIAW Championship
**Not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, but competed at the varsity level

Conference titles (160)

Football (25)
Men's Basketball (31)
  • Regular Season: 1910, 1927, 1928, 1934, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1953, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1999, 2013, 2014, 2015
  • Tournament: 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991
Women's Basketball (36)
  • Regular Season: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011
  • Tournament: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010
Baseball (22)
  • Regular Season: 1910, 1921, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1987
  • Tournament: 1975, 1980
Softball (1)
  • Tournament: 2008
Men's Outdoor Track and Field (5)
  • 1961, 1973, 1974, 1988, 1990
Men's Indoor Track and Field (2)
  • 1988, 1999
Men's Cross Country (4)
  • 1977, 1980, 1986, 1990
Women's Outdoor Track and Field (8)
  • 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Women's Indoor Track and Field (7)
  • 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Men's Golf (13)
  • 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1980, 2016
Men's Tennis (2)
  • 1957, 1962
Women's Tennis (2)
  • 1980, 1986

Division titles (1)

Football (1)

Olympians

Louisiana Tech has produced ten known Olympians, five of whom are basketball players, four of whom are track and field athletes, and one of whom is a baseball player. Tech's Olympians have won a combined total of six gold medals and one bronze medal.

Name Country Olympiad Event Result
Ayanna Alexander Trinidad and Tobago London 2012 Women's triple jump 14th
Mark Doubleday Australia Atlanta 1996 Baseball 7th
Chelsea Hayes United States London 2012 Women's long jump 16th
Venus Lacy United States Atlanta 1996 Women's basketball 1st
Janice Lawrence United States Los Angeles 1984 Women's basketball 1st
Karl Malone United States Barcelona 1992 Men's basketball 1st
Atlanta 1996 Men's basketball 1st
Olivia McKoy Jamaica Sydney 2000 Women's javelin throw 21st
Beijing 2008 Women's javelin throw 34th
Jason Morgan Jamaica London 2012 Men's discus throw 39th
Kim Mulkey United States Los Angeles 1984 Women's basketball 1st
Teresa Weatherspoon United States Seoul 1988 Women's basketball 1st
Barcelona 1992 Women's basketball 3rd

Facilities

Athletic venues and facilities include:

Regional athletic venues and facilities include:

Rivalries

In football, Louisiana Tech's traditional rival is the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, as the two teams compete in the Rivalry in Dixie which dates back to 1935. Southern Miss currently holds a 31–13 lead in the series. This became a conference rivalry in 2013 with Tech's entry into C-USA. Although Tech's arrival united them with fellow Louisiana school Tulane, a rivalry could not develop because the Green Wave had already announced their 2014 departure for the American Athletic Conference.

While in the WAC, Louisiana Tech's conference rival was the Fresno State Bulldogs as both Bulldog football teams competed in the annual Battle for the Bone. Fresno State held a 7-4 series lead in WAC play, but the rivalry ended with Fresno State's 2012 move to the Mountain West and Tech's move to C-USA.

Louisiana Tech had a historical rivalry with the Northwestern State Demons as both teams used to play in the annual State Fair Game in Shreveport, Louisiana. However, Tech sacrificed this rivalry seeking greater national prominence for their programs by moving back to Division I-A.

The Lady Techsters basketball team's rivals include the Tennessee Lady Vols, LSU Lady Tigers, WKU Lady Toppers, and Fresno State Bulldogs.

Traditions

Athletic directors

Name Term
Eddie McLane 1939
Joe Aillet 1940–1970
Maxie Lambright 1971–1978
Larry Beightol 1979
Butch Henry 1979–1980
Alan Jones 1980
Charles Bussey 1981–1983
Bob Vanatta 1983–1986
Paul A. Miller 1986–1990
Jerry Stovall 1990–1993
Jim Oakes 1994–2008
Derek Dooley 2008–2010
Bruce Van De Velde 2010–2013
Tommy McClelland 2013–

Notable athletes and coaches

Notable former student-athletes and coaches at La Tech include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Official University Colors - Louisiana Tech University". Retrieved 2016-10-22.
  2. ↑ "La Tech". CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "La Tech - Welcome to the Family" (PDF). Louisiana Tech University. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  4. ↑ "NCAA College Football Awards - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  5. ↑ "2007-08 Louisiana Tech Men's Basketball Media Guide - History" (PDF). Louisiana Tech University. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  6. ↑ NAIA Championship History
  7. ↑ "Belles Of The Ball". Sports Illustrated. 1986-11-19. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
  8. ↑ Louisiana Tech Athletics. "ISSUU - 2011 Louisiana Tech Baseball Media Guide by Louisiana Tech Athletics". Issuu.
  9. ↑ Louisiana Tech Athletics. "ISSUU - 2011 Louisiana Tech Lady Techster Softball Media Guide by Louisiana Tech Athletics". Issuu.
  10. ↑ http://www.latech.edu/students/organizations-list.shtml#87
  11. 1 2 http://www.latech.edu/tech/athletics/powerteam/
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