RUSTON – The best friend student-athletes at Louisiana Tech could ever have for most of the past 50 years, Dr. William S. "Billy" Bundrick, passed away Saturday, December 9.
 
A celebration of Dr. B's extraordinary life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 19, at Noel Memorial United Methodist Church, 520 Herndon St., Shreveport. Officiating the service will be Rev. Max Zehner, Dr. Tom Harrison and Rev. James Davison III, one of Dr. B's 11 grandchildren.
 
All family and friends are invited to join in the celebration; a private burial will take place after the service.
 
"His was a life remarkably lived," said Wayne Smith, a four-year starter at point guard for the Bulldogs in the 1980s and an employee of Bundrick's for more than 25 years. "It's been an honor to serve Dr. B all these years. He was a wonderful man and friend who positively touched a lot of lives."
 
"I just hate Dr. B has left us," said former Tech Athletics Director Jim Oakes. "I am convinced Dr. Bundrick was the best team doctor in the country.  No other team doctor had the incredible impact on an athletic program that Dr. Bundrick had on our program.  His loyalty to Louisiana Tech is unparalleled.  It is simply impossible to think where this athletic program would be without Dr. B."
 
"I was so blessed to work with him for 30 years," said former Tech athletics trainer Sam Wilkinson. "He did so much that nobody even knows about, and if he had a bad day, you never knew it. I can see him spending 30 minutes on the phone or in person with a mom, assuring her that her injured son or daughter was in good hands and would be all right.
 
"He treated our athletes as he'd treat his own son or daughter," Wilkinson said. "To see how much he cared and how much time he spent with them … there were weeks when I wondered if he ever went to bed."
 
A native of Shreveport, Dr. B was a graduate of C. E. Byrd High School, Louisiana Tech, and LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. In 1964, he began his lifetime love of practicing orthopedic and sports medicine.
 
At Tech he was a three-year letterman in football and co-captain. He served as team physician for over 40 years and was enshrined into the Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. The Tower Medallion, Tech's highest honor, was given to Billy in 1995. The Dr. Billy Bundrick Softball Field on the Tech campus is dedicated in his honor.
 
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Northwest Louisiana, P.O. Box 5118, Bossier City, LA 71171, Noel Memorial United Methodist Church, 520 Herndon St., Shreveport, LA 71101, or other charities of the donor's choice.