| Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium has been home to Louisiana Tech football for over half a century as Bulldog fans have watched legends such as Terry Bradshaw, Roger Carr, Fred Dean, Pat Tilley, Matt Dunigan, William Roaf, Troy Edwards, Tim Rattay, Luke McCown, Ryan Moats, Kenneth Dixon, Trent Taylor, and Jaylon Ferguson all don the Tech red and blue.
Opened in 1968 at a capacity of 23,000, Joe Aillet Stadium -- which was not given its current name until Nov. 11, 1972, when it was dedicated in honor of the former Tech coaching legend -- has proven instrumental in some of the biggest wins in the program's 100-plus year history. The facility was upgraded in 1985 when a luxury sky box was added to the press box and again in 1989, when an additional 7,600 seats were added, increasing the seating capacity to 30,600. One year later, the plans, renderings and timeline for the newest phase of facility improvements at Joe Aillet Stadium -- a new $16.7 million press box and guest suite facility would be built with an additions $1.9 million invested in other stadium improvements (LED lighting, a permanent west side ticket booth, renovations to the west side bathrooms and aesthetic improvements to stadium entry points). The new two-level facility is approximately 30,000 square feet and opened in time for the 2017 home opener. The stadium's namesake -- Joe Aillet is a member of the Louisiana Tech Athletics Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame -- guided his Tech teams to a 151-86-8 record and nine conference championships from 1940-1966. The winning tradition Aillet established during his days of coaching at Louisiana Tech has continued as the Bulldogs have posted 10 perfect seasons in the facility's history. From the first game ever played in the stadium, a 35-7 win over East Carolina on Sept. 28, 1968, Joe Aillet Stadium has been the site of some of the most magical moments in Louisiana Tech football history. "The Joe" has proven to be a tough place for opposing teams to play for more than five decades. Over the course of the stadium's history, LA Tech has a home record of 185-81-2. Since the Bulldogs moved up to Division I-A in 1989, they have registered a mark of 122-53 at Joe Aillet Stadium. The most dominant season as of late came in 2019 when the Bulldogs went a perfect 6-0 at home, something that had not been done since 1973. In that inaugural game against East Carolina at Joe Aillet Stadium, a young quarterback named Terry Bradshaw guided the Bulldogs to the victory as Tech fullback Buster Herren scored the first touchdown ever at the stadium on a two-yard run with 6:20 remaining in the second quarter. It was just the first of many memorable moments for Tech fans in Ruston. On two different occasions over the past 50-plus years, Tech has registered streaks of 18 straight wins at Joe Aillet Stadium. The first such streak started with a 23-0 win over UL-Monroe in the final game of the 1971 season and ended with a 49-20 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga in the fifth game of the 1975 season. That run by coach Maxie Lambright's teams included two small college and one Division II national championship seasons. During the late `80s and early `90s, the Bulldogs won their first 18 home games after joining the Division I-A ranks. Tech defeated Northern Illinois 42-21 in the first home game of the 1989 season to begin the streak with the last of the 18 wins being a 17-16 victory over Northern Illinois in 1993. Included in that string of wins was a 31-30 victory over Colorado State on Nov. 17, 1990, that catapulted the Bulldogs into the 1990 Independence Bowl. Tech trailed 30-14 late in the third quarter before scoring 17 unanswered points, capped by Gene Johnson's 16-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Slaughter with 2:14 to play. The Bulldog defense held the Rams to four and out on their final possession as a wild celebration ensued, which ultimately ended in the goal posts in the south end zone being torn down by Tech fans. One of the biggest individual matchups in the stadium's history came on Sept. 5, 1998, when two future NFL quarterbacks squared off as Central Florida's Daunte Culpepper led his team to a 64-30 win over Tech's Tim Rattay and the Bulldogs. Culpepper passed for 370 yards and four scores while rushing for 69 yards and two more touchdowns while Rattay passed for 524 yards and three touchdowns. The 2000 season saw a milestone reached at Joe Aillet Stadium as the Bulldogs under head coach Jack Bicknell recorded the 100th win in the facility's history. True freshman quarterback Luke McCown tied an NCAA Division I freshman record by tossing six touchdowns in the milestone 48-14 victory over UL-Lafayette on Oct. 14, 2000. Joe Aillet Stadium hosted its first nationally televised game on Dec. 5, 2002, when ESPN came to town to produce Louisiana Tech's game against Fresno State. Although LA Tech fell in the contest, it was another milestone for the program and the facility it has called home. The 2004 season opened with another nationally televised home game, as the Bulldogs defeated Nevada 38-21 Sept. 6 on ESPN2. This was just a preview of things to come during the season at Joe Aillet Stadium. Less than one month later, Tech fans were able to witness one of the greatest games in Joe Aillet Stadium history, as Louisiana Tech downed No. 17 Fresno State 28-21 on Oct. 2. Tech trailed 13-0 early in the second quarter before running back Ryan Moats and the Bulldog defense turned up their level of play. Moats rushed for 236 yards and four scores, including the game-winner with just under four minutes to play, which was set up by an interception deep in Fresno State territory. The win was sealed when Super Bowl XLV champion Tramon Williams intercepted Paul Pinegar with less than :30 remaining, starting a wild celebration that saw the goal posts in both end zones torn down. The 2011 season saw disappointing lows early on but a wet championship finish. After leading Houston 34-7 with 20 minutes to play, Tech dropped a heart-breaking 35-34 decision to the Cougars but ended the year with seven straight wins, including two at home, as the Bulldogs clinched the 2011 WAC Championship with a 44-0 rout of New Mexico State in a driving rainstorm in late November. The following season, LA Tech played its first ever game inside Joe Aillet Stadium as a nationally-ranked team. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 22 in the country when they overpowered UTSA in early November by a final score of 51-27. Bulldog fans have packed into "The Joe" for these games and many more. Most recently, a crowd of 27,905 (the second highest attendance in JAS history) saw LA Tech defeat Southern 62-15 in the 2015 season opener. One of the most anticipated home schedules is coming in the fall of 2026 as the Bulldogs make their debut in the Sun Belt Conference. The home slate that features several rivalry games including Northwestern State, UL-Lafayette, Southern Miss, and Arkansas State. |
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