RUSTON, La. - Any given Saturday in the fall, you might pass a charter bus traveling 360 miles north from Port Sulphur, Louisiana. The destination is Ruston and Joe Aillet Stadium. The goal is to cheer on senior linebacker Beau Fitte and the Bulldogs.

If you could take a peek into that bus, you would find about 50 of Beau Fitte's closest family and friends heading to watch their star player chase down opponents on the gridiron.

Beau is quick to recognize when the bus has made its way into town, too, and he welcomes his very own "Tech Family" with open arms.

"They are going to make themselves known," he laughed. "Looking up in the stands knowing that you have your family and friends there to support you ââ'¬" you can't get anything better than that."

For the Fittes, Louisiana Tech truly is a family affair. Beau is currently a linebacker for the Bulldogs. Older brother Lyle was a running back and return specialist for LA Tech from 2009-2013. Younger brother Evan is anticipating a fall graduation where he will earn his degree in engineering from Louisiana Tech.

Early on as a kid growing up in south Louisiana, however, Beau was only focused on one thing; looking up to his older brother, Lyle, who is exactly one year and two days Beau's senior.

"Lyle started playing football at the age of seven, so by watching him play, I took interest in it," Beau said. "From there, we both just ran with it and grew to love it. He was always the offensive player and I was always on defense. It was always about trying to see who was better. We were always working every day to compete against each other and that just made us better. We would play every day in the yard."

The brothers lived off pick-up football games in the backyard, which quickly grew into being high school teammates at South Plaquemines High School and eventually at Louisiana Tech. And even though Beau and Lyle continued to play on opposite sides of the ball the older they got, the two relished the opportunity to represent the Bulldogs as brothers on the collegiate level.

"It was a great experience knowing that after playing high school together we would get the chance to play at the college level," he said of having the chance to play college football with his older brother. "It was a great feeling knowing you have someone you have grown up with and now you are playing together on the same field as brothers showing what the Fitte family could do."

Although older brother Lyle closed out his playing days in 2013, Beau continues to give the Fitte family something to cheer about on Saturdays. Through the first four games of 2015, the redshirt senior led the Bulldogs in tackles and notched his best showing in a LA Tech uniform after totaling a career-high 14 tackles, including two and a half for a loss, in a win over FIU.

Beau, who has seen four defensive coordinators come and go in his five years at Tech, is determined to enjoy the experience of his senior season and the success that it has brought his way.

"It was always about catching up and getting used to the system before because every year I had to learn something new," he said. "But in these last two years, I have become more comfortable and I feel like I can play faster within the system.

When I got my shot to start, I just took it and ran with it. It is just about coming out every day and working. With this being the second year of the scheme we are running, it feels so much better because now I actually know what is going on and I have more of a feel for everything,"

When Beau dons the red and blue for the final home game against Southern Miss on Nov. 17, it will mark the end of an era for both Louisiana Tech Football and the Fitte clan. Next season, a Fitte will be absent from LA Tech's roster for the first time since 2008.

"[Senior Day] is going to be emotional knowing my time is up, but I will just remember all the great moments I have had here," Beau said. "I will remember my friends and all the blood, sweat and tears we went through, all the hard work. It makes you realize what you have and all the hard work you put in; you had your guys next to you doing the same thing. We were just fighting together."

And while the charter bus full of family, friends and fans may not make its way from south Louisiana to Ruston each fall, Beau and the rest of the Fitte family will continue to hold Louisiana Tech close to their hearts long after his playing days conclude.

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