It is long past the time when the Louisiana Tech Athletic Department, particularly the football program, should have given up on its delusions of mediocrity.
It’s not just about the won-loss record as Tech moves into its 10th year in the Western Athletic Conference, though that, too, is hard to ignore. There are also the economics that are dragging down not only the once proud football program, but academics as well. We’ll get to the economics later.
Take the Bulldogs’ inauspicious record since entering the WAC in 2001. The 49-64 overall record is less than inspiring and not particularly alluring to prospective recruits. Since 2001, Tech has had exactly three winning records and starting this year at 1-4 doesn’t look too promising. True, they got everyone’s attention that first year, going 7-1 in the WAC, but 7-5 overall, meaning they didn’t win a game outside the conference. The four non-conference losses were to Clemson, Kansas State, Auburn, and Oklahoma State.
Sadly, that’s the last time they’ve been competitive, even in the WAC. Oh, sure, they went 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the WAC in 2005 and 8-5 overall (5-3 in conference) in 2008, including a bowl win over Mississippi State. But records of 4-8, 3-10, 4-7, and three separate 5-7 season records take the luster off the few sporadic winning campaigns.
It’s bad enough that Tech is forced to compete in a conference spread out over seven states, the nearest of which is New Mexico State, but how can you build a rivalry with teams half a continent away? The logistics just aren’t there.
Back in the day when the folks who call the shots were more realistic, Tech had small ball but a great following. Tech and Northeast (ULM) was a guaranteed sellout. Likewise, the annual State Fair affair with NSU. And the rivalries were intense—and fun. Sure, the gate guarantee wasn’t comparable to what the ‘Dogs get from an Alabama, an Auburn, or Penn State. But neither was the guarantee of an embarrassing butt-whipping particularly appealing.
I love Tech. It gave me a chance to pursue a dream and for that, I’ll always be grateful. I will also be eternally grateful for having had the opportunity to see Terry Bradshaw heave that game-winning pass to Ken Liberto as the clock ticked off the final seconds on the State Fair Stadium scoreboard in 1968. I’ll never forget Terry’s touchdown pass to Larry Brewer in the Grantland Rice Bowl with four Akron Zips hanging all over him that same year. And Denny Duron’s winning touchdown pass to Roger Carr in the Division II national championship game against Boise State with less than a minute to go is forever etched in my mind.
But today? Can anyone even name Tech’s quarterback of 10 years ago? Five?
The Bulldogs don’t even have a winning record in their own conference.
Counting last Saturday’s blowout at the hands of Hawaii, they are 36-37 since entering the WAC.
For more than a decade now, Tech has insisted on trying to swim with the big fishes and the big fishes are simply devouring them. Oh, there is the occasional win over Alabama or Oklahoma State or Michigan State but those are so very few and very far between. And there were those games they acquitted themselves well in losing to Alabama and Nebraska (and LSU last year) while playing those teams to a virtual standstill. Again, though, those are rarities to be savored until the next shellacking at the hands of Auburn or Penn State or Miami.
Here are some samples of how the meek shall inherit the earth:
Kansas 34, Tech 14; Florida 41, Tech 3; LSU 49, Tech 10; LSU 58, Tech 10; LSU 24, Tech 16; Texas A&M 48, Tech 16; Navy 32, Tech 14; Auburn 37, Tech 13; Army 14, Tech 7; Kansas 29, Tech 0; Ole Miss 24, Tech 0; California 42, Tech 12; Miami 48, Tech 9; Texas A&M 31, Tech 3; Penn State 49, Tech 17; Clemson 49, Tech 24; Kansas State 40, Tech 7; Auburn 48, Tech 41; Oklahoma State 30, Tech 23.
Those scores certainly get me pumped for Homecoming in this the 40th anniversary of my graduation from Tech where my great-great uncle served as the school’s third president (as Casey Stengel would say, you can look it up).
For the bean counters, there are many more reasons to reign in the runaway money pit that is the WAC and big time football.
In fact, there appears to be more than 4.6 million reasons.
Tech spent nearly $11.9 million on its athletic program during the 2009-2010 school year. Almost 40 percent of that total, or $4.65 million, had to be made up in transfers from unrestricted funds and from other activities in order to balance the budget.
Football ticket sales last year were $730,000 and game guarantees accounted for $1.5 million more. Transfers from unrestricted funds totaled another $1,518,347 for total revenue of $3,748,347 for football.
Travel expenses for the football program totaled $887,330 and game guarantees paid by Tech were $120,000. Salaries, athletic scholarships, operating services and other costs ran the expense total for the football program to $4,057,805, an operating deficit of $309,458. Men’s basketball resulted in an additional deficit of $519,000 while women’s athletics ran a deficit of $1,367,484.
ULM, a member of the more regional Sun Belt Conference, had game guarantees totaling $2,675,000 in football last year. With ticket sales of $340,000, the Warhawks’ football program had revenues of $3,015,000 against expenses of $2,741,492, a surplus of $273,508. Women’s athletics, however, had expenses of $1,992,940 against revenues of only $161,000. ULM, like Tech, found it necessary to transfer $2,828,031 from unrestricted funds to balance the athletic budget of more than $7.9 million.
Grambling also operated at an overall deficit for its football program. With ticket sales and game guarantees totaling $1,570,000 against expenses of $1,730,433 and women’s athletic expenses of $1,424,971 against revenues of only $153,250, GSU found it necessary to transfer $1,611,598 to balance its $5,423,584 athletic budget.
In short, the bloated athletic programs of the three schools are becoming a serious drain on academics. With anticipated budget cuts mandated by Governor Jindal, it’s time the three universities take a critical look at their respective priorities. More cuts are coming and it’s going to hurt. It’s already hurting. There is simply no way the academic programs can withstand further transfers of millions of dollars to prop up reeling, stumbling, faltering athletic programs.
Tech will never be a big time football team. The Bulldogs will never attract enough fans to justify trying to play on the same field with perennial Top 10 powerhouses; the program will never generate sufficient revenue to justify remaining in a conference where the nearest member team is 800 miles away and the furthest a staggering 4,000 miles from home. It’s just bad economics to believe otherwise.
It’s time to downsize. The expectations of moving up to compete with football’s elite were unrealistic. They still are.
The continued practice of transferring funds to athletics—funds needed more than ever for academics—is equally unrealistic. And unfair. It’s time for sanity to prevail.
Do the math.
Louisiana Voice 
I wish that I could rebut your opinion. However, I only manage to get as far as “Yeah, but…” and I run out of argument. A conference comprising the 6 “Louisiana Directional Colleges” would be such fun and so much more economically manageable for the schools and the state. Fans could even attend the “away” games. There would still be room to schedule several out-of-conference oponents each season in every sport. That should satisfy fans appetite for out-of-class competition. And the “Big Boys” are always looking for a “gimme” oponent during the season to up their won-loss record. We can serve that purpose and pick up some nice game guarantee revenue along the way.
Ummm…you never really supported your claim that these athletic programs were a drain on academics. When it comes to state schools, Tech is second ONLY to LSU (and this is no surprise due to the DECADES of legislative favoritism shown to the big school in BR (the legislature also floated their athletics for a time…look into it)).
Also noticed you didn’t evaluated ULL’s budget? Why is that?
And, while we’re talking about research that still needs to be done, could you give me the list of schools that run grand surpluses in athletics? Don’t save tons of space for the list, it’s not very long…even amongst the “big time” programs.
Thanks in advance.
For clarification, Tech is second only to LSU in academics.
I understand that and I’m appropriately proud of Tech’s academic standing. BUT, with budget cuts and the continued physical drain of trying to compete in big time athletics and the financial drain of globetrotting all over creation that is the WAC, Tech is in a lose-lose situation. And while academics are outstanding for the time being, the continued siphoning away of financial resources for athletics coupled with the huge budget cuts cannot help but pull money away that should be spent on academics and at some point in time, that’s going to manifest itself in a way we won’t like: lower standards and/or lost programs.
You make some excellent points. First of all, I will be addressing ULL, SLU, and Nicholls because I have papers in those regions for whom I write. I will also include NSU and McNeese. And yes, LSU has always been the annointed one since Huey Long. We all know that. It is, after all, the so-called flagship university of the state, for whatever that’s worth. And you’re right again about the list of schools that run surpluses in athletics. It’s a very short list. Grambling was once on it when they had that huge TV contract from BETV. But there are only a handful that make money and that is precisely my point. I merely localized the symptom by singling out Tech, GSU, and NLU. Jindal is getting rave reviews (except from state employees) for his efforts to reduce the size of state government. Perhaps it’s time collegiate athletics followed that example. The programs simply do not justify the runaway costs. I’d say the same thing if Tech was winning–but they’re not. Money is being poured into a black hole and nothing is coming out. Certaining not winning programs.
I don’t blame you for supporting Tech. That’s commendable. I love Tech and to tell you the truth, it hurt to have to write that blog but it doesn’t change the facts. Your claim that I “never really supported” my claim that athletics are a drain on academics may be correct insofar as I offered no specifics. However, when you take $4.6 million from funds that could be better spent on retaining programs that may be lost through budget cuts for the sake of propping up a losing football program as well as other sports, specifics are not necessary. The effect should be obvious.
I do appreciate your feedback and you certainly are entitled to your viewpoint. I would never attempt to force my opinion on anyone and I continue to invite your comments anytime you deem it necessary. That’s why my blog is called Louisianavoice.
Butch . . . you’ve spent too much time in Baton Rouge. Come back to a game in Ruston and it’s a whole different ball game. Besides, the murder rate in Ruston is not so out of control as BR.
Hi, Tom. You’re certainly right about the murder rate down here. But I’m not too warm to the idea of watching Tech get pounded just for the privilege of tailgating. I can tailgate here and watch Les Miles look like Elmer Fudd. Actually, I’ve been to only a half-dozen or so LSU games since moving down here in ’81. Two of those were the first two Tech games. Of course, you see what happened with those two and last year Tech played them close but the end result is still the same. Get physically beaten up and then they’re too bruised up for the WAC games. Sorry, Tom, but I have to stand by what I said: between being manhandled by the top tier schools and playing in a conference spread all over creation, Tech’s just spinning its wheels–and burning money on travel.
But, Butch, Tech’s travel costs last year were behind Sunbelt member ULL. So, don’t generalize. Poo-poohers like your blog
Whatcha think about shuttering some of these under-performing universities in the state?
BTW . . . you’ve outkicked your coverage (as we said about Major Fox). The Tech fan board has no idea who you are other than a Tech grad peeing on his alma mater, while so many are embracing it in these tough, economic times.
Tom,
In response to “I’m not too warm to the idea of watching Tech get pounded just for the privilege of tailgating.”
In 2008, we were 4-1 at home with a 35-31 loss to Nevada (a bowl team). In 2009, we were 5-1 at home including a win over MSU and a 45-35 loss to Boise St. (Fiesta Bowl champions). We have been VERY good at home lately and it is in large part to improved student/fan support at home games.
I encourage you to come to a game and get involved and familiar with our CURRENT gameday.
Correction. 5-1 in 2008 and 4-1 in 2009.
When Tech joined the WAC its membership included SMU, Rice, Tulsa and UTEP. These schools bolted for CUSA. Tech is working to become the next member of CUSA.
Tech has scheduled regional opponents (Southern Miss, Houston, South Alabama, and Missippi State) to help control costs. This also allows Tech fans to attend away games without the cost of flights.
Tech is not allowed to charge student athletic fees, as are most schools across the country. Louisiana law, designed to protect LSU, only allow transfers from the general fund.
SInce 2005 the WAC has recieved approximately $30 million dollars from the BCS and distributed among its member institutions. By joining a “local” conference such as the Sun Belt, Tech will lose this great revenue source. The Sun Belt, over the same time frame, recieved just over $7 million dollars.
As you said, do the math.
I am going to go ahead and point out the innaccuracies in you post and then maybe throw in a little bit of a rebuttal:
Paragraph 2: How exactly are the economics dragging down academics? Academics are constantly improving and while the budget cuts are very serious I think you will see athletics face cuts proportional to the rest of the university.
In 2008 we beat Mississippi State in the regular season not in a bowl game. We beat Northern Illinois in the bowl game.
Tech and Northeast has never been a sellout although it was a highly attended game most of the time.
The Boise game was the 1973 Division II semifinals not the national championship game.
Seriously anyone who even remotely follows Tech football can name Tim Rattay and Luke McCown. Both went to the NFL and Luke is still there. They haven’t exactly dominated the NFL but they are certainly both better than any QB on a Louisiana college roster today.
That is a rough list of scores and I know it doesn’t balance it out but (going back to 97):
Tech 41 Cal 34; Tech 26 Alabama 20; Tech 29 #18Alabama 28 (SEC champion); Tech 39 Oklahoma State 36; Tech 20 Michigan State 19; Tech 22 Mississippi State 14
Yes Tech’s athletic program runs a deficit. Most athletic programs do. Some people have the vision to see that Athletics can be a powerful tool to advertise a university. This has been a terrible year for Tech football. I can’t argue that. The independence bowl win two years ago was fantastic advertising for the school though.
It is very irritating to me to read someone pass themselves off as a Tech fan when it sounds like you haven’t followed Tech athletics for quite some time. All of the Tech will never do this and Tech will never do that talk doesn’t sound like a Tech fan to me.
It is certainly tough times financially in the state and its been a tough decade for Tech athletics. I guess I am just glad the Tech administrators aren’t quite as reactionary as you seem to be. If Tech shut down athletics just because they went through some adversity they wouldn’t be the school that I am so proud of.
Just as an added question:
Do you support Louisiana Tech at all?
It doesn’t sound like you have been to a game in a while.
Do you donate to academics?
Just curious.
I realize I am coming across as a complete jerk so let me add this:
You make some valid points. The budget crisis we are in means we need to look at all ways of saving money as a school and as a state. Cutting athletics would certainly be one way to do that. Your article comes across like you have a vendetta but that is probably just me being overly sensitive about the university I love.
I’m not sure what you’re suggesting here. Do you think Tech would be better off financially by trying to change conferences from the WAC to the Sunbelt? Even assuming it was that easy to just change conferences, your ULM info ought to be a good start to ruling that out.
Should we drop a division and go to FCS? Well, that doesn’t seem to be working for Grambling.
You want Tech to drop sports alltogether? Is that what you’re suggesting?
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that there is a reason that so many colleges maintain sports programs (even though almost all of them run in the red, and the ones that don’t only got to that point after years of state support).
The WAC isn’t ideal for Tech, and it’s going to get worse next season (and then even worse the season after that). But it was the best option at the time that we joined, and we’ll have to live with it until something better comes along.
I know that this is all about the money, but for just a while, let’s foget about the money! I want to speak to you all as a TRUE TECH FAN from the day I was born—if anyone wants to dispute this then they never heard of a man named Dr. H.J. “Tony” Sachs! I am really tired of seeing Tech getting pounded every game and used by these larger schools who just want to improve their ratings! I repeat–FORGET THE MONEY FOR THE MOMENT! How do you think that it feels to look at schools for scholarships in football and know that if you go to Tech you are going to lose most of your games by embarassing scores in humiliating circumstances! Would you choose Tech? And how do you think that the players that are there now feel about never having a winning season and knowing that they never will because the schedule just came out and they see Alabama and LSU on it? The years of the Gulf States Conference for instance, had real rivalries and real obtainable championships and games that were within reach both by car and b y score! I hate to think what Coach Aillet and my father would say about the situation today! Give our Bulldogs and the students a chance to experience the REAL Bulldog tradition!
No offense Mrs. Piker, but college athletics is a completely different animal since the days of your father and the legend coach Aillet. College athletics is ALL about money. It is impossible to have a discussion about college athletics without talking about money. Do we [Tech] have natural rivals in the WAC, of course not. Do we want out of the WAC, yes. Playing Alabama and LSU would be necessary if we played in a conference like the GSC still. Football is used to fund the ENTIRE athletic department at schools. No other sport, expect men’s basketball sometimes, can make a profit for the department. So these games are a necessary evil. UNLESS, our alumni step up and start giving to THEIR university and not the flagship in Baton Rouge.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT MONEY!
Mr. Aswell, I am not even going to broach any of this with you. Until you realize the school that you graduated from needs your support and not your criticism I will not support you and your endeavors. While you’re at it in your political circles get the Huey Long law repealed that disallows schools to use student fees to fund athletic departments.
I see you’ve gotten more traffic in the last day since this blog was linked to latechbbb.com than in your entire blogging career! Congrats!
Your problem here is the classic case of “KNOW YOU PLACE” syndrome. People like you who don’t travel much, haven’t left greater Baton Rouge in decades, and are stuck in traffic listening to SEC chants tend to have this disease, and I feel for you.
“KNOW YOUR PLACE” syndrome is the buying in to the notion that LSU is the all-powerful god-like university of the state, and no other school should dare take away from that. And, sadly, that is common for people in BR. Old people like you who have memories of leather helmets remember Tech being a small college and feel they should stay that way.
I challenge you to actually leave the state sometime and chat with random fans of college football in Boston or Chicago or Los Angeles, and ask them about Louisiana Tech. You’d be shocked that people from the other 49 states actually are familiar with a Louisiana team outside of almighty LSU. We’ve achieved so much marketing and national perception since the move up in 1988 that you absolutely clueless to. And newsflash… this helps the academic side of the house!!
An entire generation of Tech fans like myself have grown up cheering for Tech as a legitimate FBS team. People like you will gradually be weeded out as the decades go by.
As a retired International Corporation President I know a little about Universities, academics and athletics. During my career I had millions available to be awarded for research and strategic studies and even though I was a graduate of Tech never once did I award a dollar to Tech. This was not because Tech could not have produced as good a result as Harvard, MIT, Clemson, Stanford or Florida, it was because the university did not have a national reputation that would enhance the validity/marketing visibility of that result. In a similliar light there was a period when our HR organization wanted to drop Tech from employee recuiting as a degree from Tech did not carry the same visual weight as a degree from Penn State, Carnegie, Texas, etc. In my experience it is very difficult to gain national name reputation without spending hundreds of millions on advertising; and, name/product recognition is the name of the game in modern life. Without it one will at best achieve medioricty.
Through athletics Universities can gain national name recognition for a piddling few million a year in uncovered program costs. For these dollars the Universities not only gain name recognition but create improved campus life, a sense of community and alumni connectivity that in time funds both athletics and academics. Name recognition enhances recruiting of top 25% students and top professors. Broad recognition does not come from small thinking regional athletic programs that have no national TV exposure.
Until Dooley came to Tech I did not give the University a penny, only after he convinced me that Tech was dedicated to changing, dedicated to becomming a recognized program, did I step up and begin to send the university annualy five figure donations per year. The day I sense that dedication is lost is the day the donations stop, I will not waste my money on medoricity.
I would suggest you spend more of your time and whatever influence you might have convincing Louisiana that the way to enhance higher education for the youth of the state is to reduce the number of four year institutions being supported by taxes. The duplication of effort and resources needed to support 12 or 14 four year schools in a small state is really bad business. Reduction to four or five would save ten or more times the money to which you attribute to excess athletic spending, would increase graduation rates and reduce the level of academic mediocrity that is represented by most Louisiana Universities other than LSU, Tulane and Tech.
By the way I live 2400 miles from Louisiana. Get rid of the Tech athletic push and you stop importing my dollars to the state.
Mr. Ford:
I realize that things have changed since I attended La Tech and my father taught there—your condescending manner does NOT do you proud! I do not know what institution of learning you attended, but you must have missed out on some of the staples of college life because you have totally missed my point as I expected would happen in the replies to my comments! You know, if I were able, I would be one of Tech’s major contributors, but as things are, that is impossible and just because Mr. Aswell and I say some things that sound to you like criticism does not mean that this is what we intended! My comments were made from the point of view of the student body and the players—after all without them you would not have a university that has a football program! Maybe if they were considered you might get more of the precious money and support that seems to be your priority! We love La Tech and only want the best for our Alma Mater and we DO understand that there is a business side to all this, but we are entitled to our opinions, too! Your mind is closed, open it a little!
I’m not sure what you want his mind to be open to. Could you clear that up for me?
Do you want Tech to petition for membership in the Southland conference? Is that what you want?
I honestly don’t know.
I don’t want to try to argue against a point you aren’t trying to make.
Ms. Piker,
How do you think the Louisiana Tech student athletes felt in 2008 when they won the Independence Bowl, in 2001 when they won the Western Athletic Conference, in 1999 when the team went 8-3 with a big win over Bama, or in 1997 when the team went 9-2 with a big win over the SEC Champion Bama?
Please don’t pity our student athletes. They are proud to wear the blue and red and they are trying to build a new tradition that is even better than the one that laid the foundation for them to compete at a FBS level. The players that we recruit do not expect to lose to perennial BCS powers. Our administration and fan base is not complacent and is not satisfied with the goals that were achieved over 30 years ago. That is what makes our diplomas so valuable. Our Alma Mater is always seeking to improve its lot.
Sure, we have experienced some up and down seasons since joining Div 1A, and our lack of consistent success has been rooted in problems that we have only recently begun to fix. We are improving corporate and individual fundraising, improving facilities, improving game atmosphere, increasing student involvement – all of which will a positive effect on the level of student-athletes we are able to recruit. Louisiana Tech alums that would prefer to lob criticisms at the university’s aspirations are not helping.
Before you criticize the current state of the university or its athletic university, please come up and see a game and see the improvements that are being made in athletics and across the university. If these improvements do not make your chest swell with pride, then you really do not care about what is best for Tech.
The point that I was trying to make was that there is more to a college football team than money! I guess that I am barking up a non-existent tree, but the team represents the college and I am really tired of watching my team get beaten and embarrassed over and over because an Alabama or LSU wants to improve it’s ratings! There is no reason to hope that my college team will ever have a winning season or any kind of recognition or any kind of championship! I don’t know what to suggest as to the conference—there must be some conference that keeps us closer to home! I realize that I am only voicing my opinions, but there IS more to a football season than money! The students don’t have a clue what a real football game at Tech used to mean!As I said, I know that all most of you see in this argument is that I am being stupid to ignore the money and I know that it is an inevitable evil, but I would love to see the Northwestern Demon try to steal the championship flag from the State Fair Game that was hanging in the Student Center again and if you don’t know what that means, then you will NEVER see my point and I am wasting my time. Sorry, Daddy and Coach Joe!
We won a conference championship in 2001. We won a bowl game in 2008 (we were tied for second in the conference). We’ve won championships in other sports. We beat Alabama the last two times we played them. There is plenty of reason to hope that your college team will have a winning season. We’ve had four in the last ten years – and while I agree that it should be higher, it isn’t like it doesn’t happen.
I’m not sure if you’ve been back to a game recently, but today’s gameday experience is as good or better than it’s ever been – even without in-state rivals. More people are going, more people are wearing school colors, more people are getting there early and tailgating, we have a kid’s zone, tons of free stuff, the stadium has been improved, there is a new jumbotron, we’re on tv every season, we’re hosting great non-conference draws like Navy, Southern Miss, Mississippi State, Houston, and Army, we get top teams like Boise State and Nevada in Ruston, etc.
It isn’t just about money. Few (if any) of those gains are made if we play at the FCS level (or Sunbelt).
Sadly, there isn’t really a good option for a conference closer to home. As you can see in ULM’s number up above, the Sunbelt’s lower conference payouts generally outweigh any savings in travel costs and it isn’t a given that they’d take us anyway. Until Conference has an opening, they aren’t even looking for another team. . . and, well, that’s it for realistic options.
Nobody is taking anything away from the State Fair game and what it used to mean. But that game was one-sided 20 years before we even decided to move up a division. It’ll never be what it used to be. And that’s ok. Tech has moved on.
That should be Conference USA above (that doesn’t have an opening).
Liz, I had several classes under your father, my wife graded papers for him. He left me with one impression that served me well in life; it was, “strive to be better every day, than you were the day before.” Only in recent years has Tech began to do that both in academics and athletics.
North Louisiana critically needs for Tech to be highly successful in both endevours. That part of the state needs the incubator businesses that bright technical students can develop if they feel good about the community and want to remain in the area. North Louisiana needs it’s own home grown fairly big time sports team of which it can feel proud. Yesterday it had LSU, the Cowboys, etc. Tommorow it can have its own, Tech, if we dedicate ourselves to growing what is possible. North louisiana needs its own idenity, one of which it can be proud. It will not happen if its population does not think it is possible and does not strive to achieve a vision.
Much has been accomplished in a short time both in athletics and academics, the facilitily improvements and the Enterprise Campus are of special note.
As for the old days of Tech athletics and campus life when no one stayed on the campus on weekends and 2000 attended games, I’m glad they are history. I sent the following note to the administration last week: “Can’t tell you how impressed I was with the Tech fans and the whole game day and environment around the campus and town. The students seem to have really become involved. The fans have learned how to get involved from the tailgating to the cheering. It looks like a Tech game is becomming a Saturday social event. The fans around my seats seem to have become a family, they are at every game much like fans at much larger venues. They know each other and their kids. Their kids are decked out in Tech gear and talk about going to Tech.
This will pay dividends with respect to recuiting both players and students.
Great progress.”
Mr Perry and Mr. Snapp!
FINALLY somebody who understands what I have been trying to say! No, I have not been to a game recently, but I’ve watched every single time Tech has been on TV! I am that hungry for some Tech football! I just got SO discouraged except for the Mississippi State game that we won—-well, I live in South Carolina now (Hate It!) and other than my Saints, Tech and LSU I have no ties here! Daddy instilled football into my psyche at a very early age—Joe Aillet’s football, the very best kind, and a love for Tech of course! We walked up the hill to the football field every day to watch practice! You both have restored some hope to me by your descriptions of the games now and I really thank you for that! With the members of WAC so far away I could not imagine the same kind of “hatred” in the air as we had for the Northwesterns and Northeasterns in our college experience! I am always so proud to be from Ruston and North Louisiana and proud to have been lucky enough to work in New Orleans, too! Thank you for the encouragement—Daddy would be proud to have taught you, Mr. Snapp, you learned well from him! Believe that I totally support and love Louisiana Tech—it is a great part of me—I only wish I had the means to support it more monetarily! Love you both for “getting it”!
Chad,
You also hav e misunderstood my remarks! I am NOT criticizing my Alma Mater nor am I trying to put time back to 1963 when I graduated from Tech! I am just a little disappointed that Tech has to play schools that they cannot possibly defeat all in the name of money without any thought for the feelings of, first of all, the players and secondly the student body! It feels too much like being used and I do not like it! It is simply wishful thinking on my part I guess, because everybody is jumping on me for talking trash about Tech—nothing could be futher from the truth! I remember when we won every game we played in a season but please do not think that I don’t love my school and simply wish anbd hope that one day that may happen again! In these circumstances I just worry that we won’t see that soon! Glad that your school spirit is so strong! SO IS MINE!!!
The problem is your idea that we “cannot possibly defeat” any school we play.
We can. Rather than just backing away and giving up, we’re going to keep growing until we beat any school with the regularity that we used to beat ULX and Northwestern.
Heck, we beat Bama the last two times we played. We beat MSU the last two times we played. We’ll get there.
Tom,
It seems as if you are missing the big picture. There are a number of items that Tech spends money on that it does not see a direct return on. If Tech dropped athletics to FCS, all of our diplomas would take a hit in value outside of the state. Just a personal example to illustrate my point – My past two employers have been Alabama grads, and both automatically assumed that Louisiana Tech was a quality institution even though neither knew anything specifically about our academics (and this is in an engineering/technical field, too). Both were die hard Bama football fans. Whether appropriate or not, athletics are the window through which the outside world views your university.
I really think you would change your mind about LaTech athletics if you went up to Ruston for a game. Things have changed so much in the past 5 years that you will find it hard to believe that it is the same place that you are writing about. We are proud because Tech is offering a quality collegiate experience to its students and is also attracting alumni back to the university in droves to help support the cause. Come and see for yourself.
It is no surprise that Tech’s average ACT admission scores are going up. Tech is improving and attracting better students.
You are right that the current economic climate and budget cuts will hurt Tech (as it will other schools). Athletics will surely see some cuts, and I suspect that some academic programs will be shut down completely. That is how recessions work, and in the long run it is a good thing. It forces institutions to evaluate where they get the best return on investment and identify areas where resources are being wasted. We are confident that Tech will, in the end, rise above the other ULS schools because it has a strong and proven commitment to self improvement. Tech has always been underfunded, but Tech has never let that prevent the university from improving.
Cutting athletics to FCS or worse is far too severe. Successful companies know that the one expenditure that you cannot afford to cut in a recession is marketing. In order for Tech to continue to improve, it needs to be able to attract the best students from Louisiana and surrounding states. It cannot do this by offering a sub-par collegiate experience to its peer institutions or degrading the value of its alumni’s diplomas.
I have no doubt that Tech can serve its primary academic mission while providing reasonable resources to support Div 1A/FBS program. The investment Tech has made is already yielding returns in the forms of increased corporate and individual giving and increase ticket sales. While Tech may never be entirely in the black when measuring the direct costs and revenues from athletics, I am glad they realize that there are more direct returns from athletics than the numbers found in the athletic department ledger. When we get through this tough period, you will see a Tech that is even stronger.
OK, Chad!
You know good and well what I meant by that remark—Tech may have beaten Alabama twice, but in the usual scheme of things and on MOST days, they would not win and you know it! I am NOT of the opinion that Tech cannot beat anybody—Tech is my Alma Mater and they CAN beat anybody! Go Bulldogs! I know the players from Tech who go on to the NFL and I follow them closely! You, too are twisting my words and you are not listening to what I’m saying! I love Louisiana Tech—I grew up on the campus—my father taught there for 40 years—go ask Pat Garrett about Dr. Sachs! So take my opinons for what they are—I want things to be different, better, perfect in my eyes and that means that I can watch my Bulldog team prevail always!!!
Actually, it was Austin that responded to you, but I will add that you are unlikely to see Tech play on TV at all if we dropped a division or played in a worse conference. It just so happens that are TV games are going to be against the large market BCS teams and weekday conference games.
Also, Tech has some unique advantages that should allow it to be more successful than programs with similar budgets. Louisiana and the surrounding states are a great place to be for recruiting purposes, Louisiana Tech has a proud athletic tradition, and provides a unique part-of-the-family environment to its students. Make no mistake, it is important that the athletic department work their tails off to bring in more corporate sponsorship dollars, more individual donations, and more ticket sales. Maybe even more importantly, right now they need to be working their tails off to get us in a conference that will allow us to succeed.
While I will not disagree that we have and will continue to lose more often than not when we play AQ BCS conference teams (in part, because we typically have to play at their home without a return game), the athletic department’s goal is to minimize the number of those games that we play. This year, we only had to play ONE, and that was at Texas A&M. The only way we can get to the point where we can continue this type of scheduling is for everybody to get behind the mission and buy season tickets and become LTAC supporters. Both season ticket sales and LTAC numbers have been on positive trends, and if this continues, we can get there.
Once we are able to schedule for success, we can send our teams to more bowl games, make more money, attract even better student-athletes.
Admittedly, we are behind the curve right now, but this recession may actually provide us an opportunity to catch our peers, because they are hurting too.
Here is some data to back up our pride –
http://news.latech.edu/2010/09/22/lo…udent-quality/
2010 Fall Enrollment
(+4.6%) 11,804 – LA Tech
(+3.4%) 8,941 – McNeese
(+2.8%) 28,771 – LSU
(+2.5%) 16,763 – ULL
(+1.3%) 15,351 – Southeastern
(+0.8%) 3,166 – SUNO
(+0.0%) 4,994 – Grambling
(+0.0%) 9,244 – Northwestern
(-0.3%) 2,667 – LSUA
(-1.2%) 7,093 – Nicholls
(-1.6%) 8,858 – ULM
(-4.0%) 7,313 – Southern
n/a – UNO
n/a – LSUS
Many schools were reluctant to release their new ACT averages.
2010 Freshmen ACT
“nearly 26” – LSU
23.63 – LA Tech
22.4 – ULL
22.1 – Southeastern
22.1 – Nicholls
n/a – UNO
n/a – LSUS
n/a – LSUA
n/a – ULM
n/a – Northwestern
n/a – McNeese
n/a – Grambling
n/a – Southern
n/a – SUNO
http://www.payscale.com/best-college…n-colleges.asp
Mid-Career Median Pay
$86,000 – LA Tech
$79,700 – LSU
$76,600 – McNeese
$72,900 – UNO
$71,500 – UL-Lafayette
$65,200 – Southern
$63,600 – Nicholls
$61,800 – Northwestern
$59,000 – Southeastern
$53,500 – Grambling
http://news.latech.edu/2010/08/18/lo…onal-rankings/
Louisiana Tech University has been recognized as being among the top public institutions in the nation according to recently-released rankings by multiple media outlets.
US News & World Report released its 2011 Best Colleges list on Tuesday with Louisiana Tech ranked seventh in the nation and first in the state for graduating students with the least amount of debt. This was the second consecutive year that Louisiana Tech has achieved a top ten national ranking in this category. Louisiana Tech, classified as a National University, landed in Tier 2 overall in the newly-configured rankings and was one of only four public institutions in the state and the only university in north Louisiana to earn a spot on the 2011 Best Colleges National Universities list.
Louisiana Tech also ranked as the top public university in the state for mid-career median pay for graduates, according to the newly-released 2010-11 College Salary Report from PayScale.com. In addition to its top spot in Louisiana, Tech was ranked among the top 30 of all universities in the southern United States in mid-career median pay for graduates.
“The national recognition that Louisiana Tech continues to receive is a clear example of what can be accomplished when an institution’s mission is embraced and executed by a dedicated group of faculty and staff,” said Louisiana Tech President Dan Reneau. “The product of this level of commitment from our people is a better Louisiana Tech for our students and a stronger Louisiana for everyone.”
US News & World Report recognizes institutions designated as a “national university” according to criteria from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Best Colleges survey criteria include metrics such as peer assessment, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rates, assessments by high school counselors, and alumni giving. The mid-career median pay ranking by PayScale.com is based on comparisons of annual salaries of employees that have graduated from an institution, have at least ten years of experience in their career or field, and who hold a bachelor’s degree but no higher degrees.
http://www.latechsports.com/genrel/071310aaa.html
Louisiana Tech is 1 of only 5 schools to have at least 1 player selected in each of the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and NPF drafts this year:
-Florida State
-Louisiana Tech
-Oklahoma
-Stanford
-Texas
Click to access lt_final.pdf
Annual Economic Impact: $462 million
10-Year Economic Contribution by Graduates: $973 million
State Funding per Full-Time Student 06-07
$11,367 – LSU
$7,473 – SU-New Orleans
$6,815 – New Orleans
$6,583 – Southern
$6,433 – UL-Monroe
$5,869 – Grambling
$5,082 – Louisiana Tech
$5,019 – Nicholls
$4,808 – LSU-Shreveport
$4,690 – UL-Lafayette
$4,408 – LSU-Alexandria
$4,336 – McNeese
$4,182 – Northwestern
$3,977 – Southeastern
State Funding as a Percent of Core Revenues
47% – UL-Monroe
45% – Nicholls
44% – McNeese
43% – LSU-Alexandria
42% – LSU
40% – LSU-Shreveport
40% – Southern
40% – SU-New Orleans
39% – Grambling
38% – New Orleans
38% – Northwestern
38% – Southeastern
37% – UL-Lafayette
37% – Louisiana Tech
State Appropriations plus Government Grants and Contracts as a Percent of Core Revenues
76% – SU-New Orleans
71% – LSU-Shreveport
69% – New Orleans
69% – UL-Monroe
69% – Southern
68% – LSU
67% – Grambling
66% – LSU-Alexandria
64% – Nicholls
64% – UL-Lafayette
62% – McNeese
57% – Northwestern
56% – Southeastern
51% – Louisiana Tech
State Funding per Degree Awarded 06-07
$54,852 – Southern
$52,617 – LSU
$40,547 – Grambling
$39,710 – UL-Monroe
$33,528 – SU-New Orleans
$31,801 – New Orleans
$30,500 – Nicholls
$27,975 – LSU-Shreveport
$27,784 – UL-Lafayette
$26,292 – LSU-Alexandria
$25,390 – Louisiana Tech
$24,008 – Southeastern
$22,503 – McNeese
$20,862 – Northwestern
Source: IPEDS Data Center
4-year grad rates
28% – LA Tech
24% – LSU
20% – Grambling
14% – Northwestern
14% – UL-Lafayette
13% – LSU-Shreveport
10% – McNeese
10% – UL-Monroe
9% – Nicholls
8% – Southeastern
7% – New Orleans
n/a – LSU-Alexandria
n/a – Southern
n/a – SU-New Orleans
Years to Complete Graduation
1. Louisiana State (4.8)
2. Louisiana Tech (4.9)
3. Grambling (5.5)
4. Northwestern (5.7)
5. UL-Lafayette (5.8)
6. Southeastern (5.9)
7. McNeese (6.0)
7. Nicholls (6.0)
9. Southern (6.1)
9. UL-Monroe (6.1)
11. New Orleans (6.3)
12. LSU-Shreveport (6.4)
13. LSU-Alexandria (7.6)
14. SU-New Orleans (8.9)
Thank you, Chad, it seems that we have finally merged into some sort of agreement and you finally “get” what my whole point was: that I want to see Tech succeed in every way and the WAC ain’t gittn’ it done at the moment! I hope to come to a game soon, but it probably won’t be until next year—I live in South Carolina at this time and trips to Ruston are few and far between so keep the Tech games on TV so I can at least see that much of my home town!
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
http://www.knoe.com/Global/story.asp?S=12766659
How do you feel about Tech now? C-USA with a nice tough winnable schedule under a coach who looks to have us moving upward.
I’m just thrilled to see Tech out of the WAC. That never made sense to me.
Glad you stuck around to say “I told you so.” I’d like nothing more than to be proved wrong.
We’ll see.
Nothing to see here folks….this was a whistle that never needed to be blown.
Tech’s budget is set to be doubled from what it was in 2009-2010 and boy is that sucker balanced. 🙂
Love my former School, 2006 grad class Louisiana Tech and former athlete
Such an insightful article. Thanks for making time to addressing this problem. I am a PhD student in Louisiana Tech university. Let me take a hand on tech high officials. Louisiana Tech takes pride of being a research university and being on Tier 1 university, unfortunately they still dont get the slightest idea about how to run a graduate program. There numerous budget cut in research and taking money which came from different govt and private sector for developing more cut throat hi tech research, funneling to pay other activities (sports). I am not against the spending money on athletics, but point is when there is limit of resource how do you justify spending bigger chunk of money from education to the athletics. Let me give some facts, LA Tech is in placed with in 1% of US universities, where a grad student has to pay tuition from his scholarship. Let me explain this with numbers for better understanding, recently all the PhD student are given a general 1200 USD in exchange of working as a teaching assistant in the university. After tax you will have roughly 1085 USD. This 1200 USD has been constant for say last 5/7 years. But the tuition is increasing every year by roughly 10%. During 2014/15 calender year for 6 credit registration you need to pay 893 USD per month. And you need to register 6 credit every quarters in order to make your assistantship active. So you will be left with 193 USD per month for your rent/food/gas and all other expense. really????? I really wanna see any university nut case policy maker to live of 193 USD per month and expect from a student to make significant research achievement. Just to help you understand, other 99% of university you dont need to pay for you classes (893 USD or whatever) when you are a schoalrship, as it does not make sense, giving money to you one hand (1085 or whatever amount) and then take money as tuition from your other hand. And at the end of the day you need to pay tax for 893 USD which you actually never seen lol. Even in Louisiana, supposedly LSU, University of Lafayette, University of New Orleans etc every where for PhD/MS with scholarship they pay roughly 1500/2000 USD and that’s it. They don’t need to pay any tuition. I am sacrificing 5 year of my life and spending 10/12 hours a day in LAB doing research and I dont feel appreciated by the university, which really makes me sad. Anyway I hope things will go better even if I was not present then.