Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters ( commonly LA Tech , Tech , or Dawgs ) refer to the sports teams of Louisiana Tech University , in Ruston , Louisiana . The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports . Since 2001 , LA Tech has been a member of the Western Athletic Conference ( WAC ) , but it will leave the WAC in July 2013 to join Conference USA ( C - USA ) . LA Tech adopted Bulldogs as its nickname in 1900 , the first of the four FBS Bulldogs to do so . ( Georgia followed in 1920 , Fresno State in 1921 , and Mississippi State in 1961 . ) For the second consecutive year , LA Tech ranks No . 1 in the state of Louisiana and No . 1 in the WAC in graduation rate among student - athletes . Sports . Louisiana Tech competes in the following varsity sports : Football . LA Tech ' s football team is currently coached by Skip Holtz and plays their home games at Joe Aillet Stadium with a capacity of 30 , 600 . With a program dating to 1901 , Tech would notch its first victory after a 6 - 0 win against LSU in 1904 . Following the 2011 regular season , the Bulldogs have complied an all - time record of 562 wins , 426 losses , and 37 ties ; won the 2001 and 2011 WAC championships and three Division II National Championships in 1972 , 1973 , and 1974 . Troy Edwards won the 1998 Fred Biletnikoff Award as the best wide receiver in college football . 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 . LA Tech has played in six Division I bowl games , most recently in the 2011 Poinsettia Bowl . In 2011 , LA Tech punter Ryan Allen won the Ray Guy Award . LA Tech ' s rivalry games include the Battle for the Bone with the Fresno State Bulldogs and Rivalry in Dixie with Southern Miss . Notable football alumni include Terry Bradshaw , Willie Roaf , Fred Dean , Matt Stover , Josh Scobee , Luke McCown , Ryan Moats , and Tramon Williams . Men ' s Basketball . 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 loss to Franciscan University of Steubenville 90 to 65 . 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 . Tech ' s notable men ' s basketball alumni include Leon Barmore , who went on to a Hall of Fame career as coach of Tech ' s women ' s team ; Karl Malone , who entered the Hall of Fame in August 2010 for his NBA career ; P . J . Brown ; and Paul Millsap . Women ' s Basketball . The Lady Techsters , currently led by head coach Teresa Weatherspoon , have 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 3 Wade Trophy winners , 5 olympic medalists , 6 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 1000 – 212 with a . 825 winning percentage , the best all - time winning percentage of any NCAA Division I program . LA Tech and Tennessee are the only women ' s basketball programs to win 1000 games . The Lady Techsters have made 27 appearances in the NCAA Division I Women ' s Basketball Tournament ; only Tennessee and Georgia have made more NCAA Tournament appearances . Standout former Tech players include Weatherspoon , Venus Lacy , and Karl Malone ' s daughter Cheryl Ford , among others . Another notable former Tech player is Women ' s Basketball Hall of Fame r 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 . Baseball . Louisiana Tech has an all - time baseball record of 1 , 590 wins , 1 , 290 losses , and 3 ties . 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 . 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 . Wade Simoneaux is in his tenth year as 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 . 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 after taking over the post from Sarah Dawson . 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 Parks , who became head coach in 2009 after 5 years as an assistant . 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 . Entering the Spring 2012 golf season , the Bulldogs were ranked No . 77 in the golfstat team rankings . The team is currently led by senior Sam Forgan . Tennis . The women ' s tennis team is coached by Freddy Gomez , who has led the program since 2012 . On October 15 , 2008 , the Louisiana Tech Tennis Complex was christened with a Lady Techster sweep of Grambling State in the inaugural match at the new facility . Track & Field . The Lady Techster Indoor Track and Field team won WAC Championships in 2005 , 2006 , 2008 , 2009 , 2010 , and 2011 . The Lady Techster 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 . LA Tech ' s home venue is Lincoln Parish Park , where LA Tech hosts the annual Mook 4 Invitational . Bowling . The women ' s bowling team is coached by Jerry Miles , who has led the program since 2012 . LA 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 skating , and paintball . The men ' s and women ' s powerlifting team have won 18 and 15 National Championships , respectively . The LA Tech NIFA flight team won the national title in 1973 . Championship history . National titles ( 41 ) . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > < nowiki > * * < / nowiki > Olympians . Louisiana Tech has produced nine known Olympians , five of whom are basketball players and four of whom are track and field athletes . LA Tech ' s Olympians have won a combined total of six gold medals and one bronze medal . Facilities . Athletic venues and facilities include : Regional athletic venues and facilities include : Rivalries . In football , LA Tech ' s 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 will become a conference rivalry in 2013 when LA Tech moves to C - USA . While in the WAC , LA Tech ' s conference rival was the Fresno State Bulldogs as both Bulldog football teams competed in the annual Battle for the Bone . Fresno State holds a 7 - 4 series lead in WAC play , but with Fresno State ' s 2012 move to the Mountain West in 2012 and LA Tech ' s upcoming move to C - USA , the future of the rivalry is in doubt . LA 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 , LA 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 . Notable athletes and coaches . Notable former student - athletes and coaches at LA Tech include :