, Publisher
11-05-2009
The Ruston region came through for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs a little more than a month ago.
Now head football coach/athletics director Derek Dooley and his Bulldogs need you again.
The Bulldogs defeated Hawaii on a big nationally-televised contest on ESPN 2 on Sept. 30, as Dooley challenged the Ruston area to wear red and pack Joe Aillet Stadium for the Bulldogs’ “Red Out” game against the Warriors.
A “Red Sea” of 21,263 Tech faithful came through for Dooley, and his Bulldogs did, too, as the crowd got to cheer their team on to a 27-6 win on national television.
Tech plays again on national television Friday night, when the Bulldogs play host to the Boise State Broncos, ranked fifth nationally by the Associated Press.
And this time, it’s Ruston Mayor Dan Hollingsworth calling for the region to wear blue and pack Joe Aillet Stadium to spur on the Bulldogs.
“We’re encouraging everybody to wear blue and asking businesses if they have them to display Tech flags or banners to show support for the Bulldogs,” Hollingsworth said. “I’m going to the game, so I’ll be wearing blue that day.”
Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce President Scott Terry agreed and said he would love to see business owners permit their employees to wear blue on Friday. Boise State will be the highest ranked team Tech has ever to play at Joe Aillet Stadium, and Terry said the ’Dogs need all the support they can get.
“It’s a big deal to have Boise State come in here,” Terry said. “We’re going into a game where we’re definitely the underdogs. We need to do anything we can do to perk them up and get them to fight a little stronger against this big foe, whether it’s a dress, shirts or caps. I saw blue hair on Halloween, and I think it would be great to have a stadium full of blue-haired people.”
Such exposure can lure potential high school recruits. Showcasing rabid football fans having a great tailgating experience and cheering on their team can help lure some of the most talented potential players. That could help build a winning, championship-caliber team more quickly than without such exposure.
Ruston and Cedar Creek high schools moved their games to tonight to accommodate football fans, so come out Friday night to cheer on the ’Dogs.
And don’t forget to wear blue.
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