Mommy and Daddy took me around campus and told me about places where Mommy, Daddy, Parin, Aunt Emmy, and Aunt Leslie all lived and went to class. We went into the student center where they took my picture.
They were really surprised when I held on really well and stood there next to the Spirit of '88 Bulldog for several minutes. Mommy says I'm growing up too fast. Parin says it's the Spirit of '88 that held me up. And if you don't know what the Spirit of '88 is, see below.
We stayed in a hotel in Ruston. I'm very experienced at hotels - I've stayed in hotels in Oklahoma City, Shreveport, Atlanta.... But this time I got to do something fun. I got to ride on the luggage cart.
We stayed in a hotel in Ruston. I'm very experienced at hotels - I've stayed in hotels in Oklahoma City, Shreveport, Atlanta.... But this time I got to do something fun. I got to ride on the luggage cart.
(Disclaimer: Mommy held her hand behind me the entire time, and it was only on the elevator.)We went to dinner at the Gallagher's house. I got to play with Mr. Peter and Mrs. Marty. I had a lot of fun playing on the floor on my blanket. It was good to stretch out and play, since I was about to get in my carseat for the 4-hour ride home.
Yesterday I played a lot. Granpa and Mrs. Judy came over to visit us, too.
And I helped Mommy fold my laundry. I really did help!
The results were as expected: losses like 60-0, 56-17 and 66-3 ... but as a team, the Bulldogs grew. Those experiences likely played a key role in Tech finishing 5-4-1 the following year, its first in Division I-A, and then 8-3-1 in 1990 and an Independence Bowl berth.
The statue, which every Bulldog player touches as he walks down the ramp before every home game, has also brought good fortune to the Bulldogs at Joe Aillet Stadium. On Oct. 14, 1989, when it was unveiled, Tech proceeded to pummel a highly respected Northern Illinois team by the score of 42-21. That was just the start of one of the best runs in Tech football history.
And for those of you who think someone else does all the work, and I take all the credit for this great website, here's proof that I really do it all myself!
Spirit of '88
At the south end of Joe Aillet Stadium stands a bronze Bulldog statue named the Spirit of '88. The statue commemorates the 1988 Bulldog football team which blazed the path into Division I-A football for Louisiana Tech.
That 1988 team had to endure one of the most difficult schedules in school history while playing with only 65 scholarships - the allotted amount for Division I-AA teams. In what was the nation's 11th toughest schedule that year, the Bulldogs faced five I-A bowl teams including Houston, Florida State and Texas A&M.
The results were as expected: losses like 60-0, 56-17 and 66-3 ... but as a team, the Bulldogs grew. Those experiences likely played a key role in Tech finishing 5-4-1 the following year, its first in Division I-A, and then 8-3-1 in 1990 and an Independence Bowl berth.
The statue, which every Bulldog player touches as he walks down the ramp before every home game, has also brought good fortune to the Bulldogs at Joe Aillet Stadium. On Oct. 14, 1989, when it was unveiled, Tech proceeded to pummel a highly respected Northern Illinois team by the score of 42-21. That was just the start of one of the best runs in Tech football history.
An identical Bulldog is displayed in the Tech Student Center. Legend has it that if students touch the Bulldog as they pass by, the Spirit of '88 will continue with them as the take exams, etc. (You'll notice in the photo that the head is a different color from the many times it's been rubbed by a student passing through.)
