NCAAF Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

General Information

• NCAA Division: Division I
• Conference: Conference USA (2013-present)
• City: Ruston, La.
• Stadium: Joe Aillet Stadium

Championships

• National Championships: None
• Conference Titles: 2 (2001, 2011)
• Divisional Championships: 3 (2014, 2016, 2019)

Past Conferences

• None

Team History

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are a Division I program located in Ruston, La. Louisiana Tech has been a member of Conference USA since 2013 and is coached by Sonny Cumbie.

Louisiana Tech has played in 13 bowl games, most recently in 2020 when it lost 38-3 to Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl. That completed a 5-5 season for the Bulldogs under Skip Holtz.

Holtz was fired following a 3-9 finish in 2021, ending his tenure with a record of 64-50. That includes an impressive 6-1 mark in bowl games. Cumbie, the former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at his alma mater Texas Tech posted an identical 3-9 record in his first season.

Holtz guided the Bulldogs to nine or more victories four times, including a 10-3 record in 2019. The Bulldogs capped that season by overcoming odds to beat Miami 14-0 in the Independence Bowl. It was their sixth straight bowl victory.

Louisiana Tech reached new heights under Holtz’s predecessor, Sonny Dykes. In 2012, Dykes’ final season before leaving to take the same position at California, Louisiana Tech went 9-3 and cracked the Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 19. It was the program’s final season in the Western Athletic Conference.
In 1999, Louisiana Tech was ranked No. 25. Coached by Jack Bicknell, the Bulldogs finished 8-3 but did not participate in a bowl.

Louisiana Tech’s postseason history also includes a national runner-up finish in the 1984 Division I-AA playoffs (now known as the Football Championship Subdivision) and nine appearances in the Division II playoffs. The Bulldogs have also claimed three Division II national championships (1972-74).

Notably, Louisiana Tech has produced its share of NFL talent, with an alumni base that includes Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw, Fred Dean, and Willie Roaf. Altogether, 76 Bulldogs have been selected in the NFL Draft, including five in the first round: Bradshaw, Roger Carr, Roaf, Troy Edwards, and Vernon Butler.

As a senior in 1998, Edwards — chosen 13th overall in 1999 by the Pittsburgh Steelers — won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s best wide receiver. He caught an NCAA-record 27 touchdown passes that season, giving him 50 for his career. His quarterback that season, Tim Rattay, finished top-10 in voting for the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious honor.

All Time Records

Passing Yards

o Tim Rattay: 12,746
o Luke McCown: 12,666
o J’mar Smith: 9,523
o Jason Martin: 9,066
o Ryan Higgins: 6,539

Rushing Yards

o Kenneth Dixon: 4,483
o Daniel Porter: 3,352
o Jason Cooper: 3,342
o Ryan Moats: 3,112
o Jason Davis: 2,888

Receiving Yards

o Troy Edwards: 4,352
o Trent Taylor: 4,179
o Chad Mackey: 3,763
o Delwyn Daigre: 3,056
o Carlos Henderson: 2,878