In 1894, the U.S. economy was reeling from the Panic of 1893, one of the worst economic disasters ever suffered in this country. Things were particularly grim in the rural South, which had still not recovered from the Civil War. At the time, a lot of Southerners were attracted to the idea that the South should try to imitate the North and devote more resources to industrialization. So it's not surprising that the Louisiana legislature approved an act creating the Industrial Institute and College of Louisiana, which was supposed to instruct white children in the arts and sciences. The Institute opened in Ruston in 1895.
In 1898, the name was changed to the Louisiana Industrial Institute. By 1921, the Institute had begun issuing the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering. The same year, it was renamed the Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. The current name -- Louisiana Tech University -- arrived in 1962, soon after LaTech began awarding Masters degrees.
Unlike Georgia Tech or Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech has never been a big-time football program. Back in the 1920's, Governor Huey Long put his support behind LSU, and the Tigers have dominated the sporting scene in the Pelican State ever since. But LaTech has a nice history of its own. The Bulldogs won the national Division II title in 1973, and they won the 2008 Independence Bowl. They are probably best known as the alma mater of Terry Bradshaw.
LaTech has never won the UCFC, although they have played for it four times since moving to Division I-A in 1988. The closest of their four UCFC losses was a 31-42 defeat to Miami (Fla.) on October 28, 2000. Their last UCFC appearance was on November 10, 2007, when holders LSU beat them 58-10.
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