The Story of Tech
Every school has traditions and folklore, but Louisiana Tech seems to have a lot of it. From haunted buildings to the luck of the south end of Joe Aillet Stadium to fire bells and creepy looking statues. If you are looking for a story with way too much embellishment, Louisiana Tech is your place. But perhaps the most interesting story of them all is how the Bulldogs became the Bulldogs. Since this is a legend, I will embellish myself in the spirit of Tech.
It all started back in the fall of 1899. It was a crisp fall night in Ruston, Louisiana, at least by Ruston, Louisiana standards. Five students were joyfully walking home after a long day of class, discussing the recent death of William McKinley’s Vice President, Garret Hobart. As the argument, or heated discussion by Southern gentleman standards of the day, goes about possible replacements for the tragic loss of Vice President Hobart, one student noticed something ahead sitting under a tree.
Its eyes followed the young men, eerily glowing off the light of the one street light, with the long lasting Thomas Edison filament. One brave young chap headed towards the eyes. The others slowly backed away. As the brave young chap approached the eyes, he noticed that it belonged to a dog. Its fat face was not as fat as it should be, its cheeks dangling down, its eyes looking up at the brave young chap. For a moment their eyes met before the dog’s nose shuffled and its eerie eyes turned friendly. The dog slowly moved towards the brave young chap, sneaking its little nose into the man’s overcoat where there was discarded mutton wrapped in a handkerchief…but that is a whole other story. The brave young chap fed the little bulldog. The other fellas approached seeing that there was no risk in the innocent little dog. They liked the cut of his jib and all gave the hungry dog a little food, including the new Hershey candy bar.
After spending a few moments with the dog, the young men kept heading back towards their rented home. But as with any animal, if you feed it, it will follow you. It did not take long for the gang to realize that their new little friend was slowly waddling behind them. Together they all did the Hully Gully until they reached the house.
As they approached the home, they ran into their landlord, who was an evil old man. However, with a little convincing, the young men were allowed to keep the dog at the house for the night, but would have to find other accommodations for the little mutt the next day. They all slipped into quiet slumber while the unnamed dog peacefully slept in the kitchen, equipped with a cool, dry sack and a stove.
During the night a fire started. Some say it was a started by a jealous ex-girlfriend, others say it was a six year old Huey Long, but nevertheless, the house was on fire. The bulldog quickly woke up and started barking…running from room to room, waking up all the young chaps. The students eventually awoke and safely made it outside. In the morning, as the Ruston bucket brigade was putting out the final embers of the fire, the boys walked back into the house. There they found the remains of the bulldog, crouched in the corner, dead from smoke inhalation.
The thankful students owed their lives to that stray bulldog and they wanted to properly show their gratitude. Despite losing just about everything they owned, the young men managed to pull a red sweatshirt and a blue sweatshirt out of the destroyed house. They wrapped up the dog and gave him a proper burial near the site of his untimely death.
Over the next few days word spread throughout Ruston, by telegram, Morse code and foot, about the heroics of the bulldog. Soon after, the university was looking for a name for its upcoming athletics program. The obvious choice was the Bulldog, in honor of the heroic actions undertaken on that crisp fall night. And that is the, or a, story of Tech, Louisiana Tech’s mascot.
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