Six Chapters, One Story. Chapter Four: Welcome Home
10/19/2026 8:00:00 AM | Football
Old roads. Familiar faces. Welcome home.
RUSTON Â | Welcome Home. No matter where the road takes us, it always leads home.
Maybe you graduated last year. Maybe you haven't set foot on campus in more than 20 years. Maybe you left Ruston with a diploma, a few good friends, and a plan, and a lot of life has happened since. It doesn't matter how long it's been. Louisiana Tech is still home, and it always will be.
This place still matters. It gave so many of us our start: the classrooms that shaped us, the teammates and classmates who stayed with us long after the last game or the last final, and the opportunities that opened up because we spent a few important years here. The longer we're gone, the more we realize how much Louisiana Tech gave us, and Homecoming is the weekend to come back and feel that again.
Homecoming is a reunion. Former students. Former athletes. Former teammates. Former classmates. Come back, find your people, walk the campus, and see how much has changed and how much hasn't.
On Saturday, October 24, Louisiana Tech welcomes home the people who helped build its story. Old Dominion makes its first trip to Ruston, kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+, and Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium hosts the program's first Homecoming as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
Homecoming Week
The reunion starts well before Saturday. Homecoming Week runs Monday, October 19 through Saturday, October 24, opening Monday with the Banner Competition and a kick-off party at Centennial Plaza, followed by the NPHC Unity Step Show on Tuesday night, which packs the Thomas Assembly Center and doubles as a Blue Bloods point opportunity.
Thursday, October 22 is the busiest day of the week. It starts at noon in the student center, where this week's Inside Bulldog Football coaches show goes on location from noon to 1 p.m. with last year's Homecoming Queen, Annie Heard, and SGA Student Affairs Director Francie Bishop as special guests to talk through the week's events.
Then comes the night. The SGA Homecoming Parade kicks things off at 6 p.m., followed by the Homecoming Pep Rally on the steps of the Thomas Assembly Center. The pep rally doubles as Tech Madness, where the Bulldog and Lady Techsters basketball teams are introduced to the crowd, and it flows into the Homecoming fireworks show around 7:15 p.m.
Around 7 p.m., Union Board's Tech-R-Treat gets going at Argent Pavilion and Bulldog Village, a festival-style night with trunk-or-treating, booths, games, music, food, and costumes, along with the haunted maze in Hideaway Park. At 7:30 p.m., Louisiana Tech soccer takes on Old Dominion at Robert Mack Caruthers Field, so the Monarchs get a Ruston welcome in more than one sport.
Alumni gatherings fill Thursday and Friday: the Alumni Awards Luncheon, the Golden Society Breakfast, the Loyal Blue After Hours young alumni reception, and college receptions across campus.
Friday afternoon, Dogs in Downtown takes over Railroad Park and downtown Ruston from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday morning starts with the College of Applied and Natural Sciences' Run for Research 5K at 8 a.m., which supports student research and learning, and the Alumni Association/LTAC Tailgate runs from 1 to 3 p.m. at Argent Pavilion ahead of kickoff.
Homecoming Week at a Glance
Monday, October 19
Familiar Faces
On Saturday, those familiar faces fill the stadium. Former Homecoming Court members, their families, and the current court join the team on the field for the pregame tunnel run-out, where the former court members are recognized as a long line of Louisiana Tech Homecomings steps out together ahead of the Bulldogs.
Pregame honors carry the reunion theme. A Bulldog legend comes back to ring the bell: former Louisiana Tech running back Boston Scott, a sixth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2018 who went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, including their trip to Super Bowl LVII.
Lucius McGehee Jr., Louisiana Tech's 2026 Alumnus of the Year, serves as the game's honorary coin toss. A 1985 graduate and president of institutional services at Argent, McGehee has spent more than 35 years in financial services and gives his time to the Health Hut, the Boys and Girls Club of North Louisiana, and the Industrial Development Board of Lincoln Parish.
McGehee is one of seven distinguished alumni Louisiana Tech is honoring during Homecoming. They're celebrated at Thursday's Alumni Awards Luncheon and recognized during the first quarter of Saturday's game:
"Homecoming is the weekend Louisiana Tech brings its people back to Ruston," said Ryan Ivey, Vice President and Director of Athletics. "Former students, former athletes, teammates, and classmates walk the same campus and fill the same stadium where so many of their memories began. October is also when we honor those fighting breast cancer, and One More gives all of us one more way to get involved. Come home. Show your support. Bring someone with you. One more person in the stands, one more voice, one more reason to keep fighting."
Old Roads in Ruston
Old Dominion, the Monarchs from Norfolk, Virginia, make their first appearance at Joe Aillet Stadium. Louisiana Tech and Old Dominion were Conference USA members together, and the two now meet again as Sun Belt Conference opponents, with Louisiana Tech playing its first Sun Belt season and the Monarchs making the trip to Ruston for the first time.
One More for the Fight
Throughout October, Louisiana Tech is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month rather than dedicating a single game to it. The month celebrates survivors, honors those currently fighting, remembers loved ones, and supports awareness efforts across the community.
On Homecoming Saturday, the ribbon cutouts at the gates remain up, and fans can sign the name of a fighter or survivor they want to honor right on a ribbon. In-game reads and recognitions continue to honor survivors and those still fighting.
One More Day. One More Screening. One More Treatment. One More Victory. One More Reason To Keep Fighting.
Old Roads. Familiar Faces. Welcome Home.
Maybe you graduated last year. Maybe you haven't set foot on campus in more than 20 years. Maybe you left Ruston with a diploma, a few good friends, and a plan, and a lot of life has happened since. It doesn't matter how long it's been. Louisiana Tech is still home, and it always will be.
This place still matters. It gave so many of us our start: the classrooms that shaped us, the teammates and classmates who stayed with us long after the last game or the last final, and the opportunities that opened up because we spent a few important years here. The longer we're gone, the more we realize how much Louisiana Tech gave us, and Homecoming is the weekend to come back and feel that again.
Homecoming is a reunion. Former students. Former athletes. Former teammates. Former classmates. Come back, find your people, walk the campus, and see how much has changed and how much hasn't.
On Saturday, October 24, Louisiana Tech welcomes home the people who helped build its story. Old Dominion makes its first trip to Ruston, kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+, and Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium hosts the program's first Homecoming as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
Homecoming Week
The reunion starts well before Saturday. Homecoming Week runs Monday, October 19 through Saturday, October 24, opening Monday with the Banner Competition and a kick-off party at Centennial Plaza, followed by the NPHC Unity Step Show on Tuesday night, which packs the Thomas Assembly Center and doubles as a Blue Bloods point opportunity.
Thursday, October 22 is the busiest day of the week. It starts at noon in the student center, where this week's Inside Bulldog Football coaches show goes on location from noon to 1 p.m. with last year's Homecoming Queen, Annie Heard, and SGA Student Affairs Director Francie Bishop as special guests to talk through the week's events.
Then comes the night. The SGA Homecoming Parade kicks things off at 6 p.m., followed by the Homecoming Pep Rally on the steps of the Thomas Assembly Center. The pep rally doubles as Tech Madness, where the Bulldog and Lady Techsters basketball teams are introduced to the crowd, and it flows into the Homecoming fireworks show around 7:15 p.m.
Around 7 p.m., Union Board's Tech-R-Treat gets going at Argent Pavilion and Bulldog Village, a festival-style night with trunk-or-treating, booths, games, music, food, and costumes, along with the haunted maze in Hideaway Park. At 7:30 p.m., Louisiana Tech soccer takes on Old Dominion at Robert Mack Caruthers Field, so the Monarchs get a Ruston welcome in more than one sport.
Alumni gatherings fill Thursday and Friday: the Alumni Awards Luncheon, the Golden Society Breakfast, the Loyal Blue After Hours young alumni reception, and college receptions across campus.
Friday afternoon, Dogs in Downtown takes over Railroad Park and downtown Ruston from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday morning starts with the College of Applied and Natural Sciences' Run for Research 5K at 8 a.m., which supports student research and learning, and the Alumni Association/LTAC Tailgate runs from 1 to 3 p.m. at Argent Pavilion ahead of kickoff.
Homecoming Week at a Glance
Monday, October 19
- 8 a.m. | Banner Competition, Centennial Plaza
- 5 p.m. | Kick-Off Party, Centennial Plaza
- 7 p.m. | NPHC Unity Step Show, Thomas Assembly Center (Blue Bloods point opportunity)
- Noon-1 p.m. | Inside Bulldog Football coaches show, student center, with Annie Heard and Francie Bishop
- Noon | Alumni Awards Luncheon, Davison Athletics Complex (registration required)
- 6 p.m. | SGA Homecoming Parade, campus
- 6:30 p.m. | Homecoming Pep Rally and Tech Madness team introductions, Thomas Assembly Center steps
- 7 p.m. | Tech-R-Treat, Argent Pavilion and Bulldog Village, with the haunted maze in Hideaway Park
- 7:15 p.m. | Homecoming fireworks, Thomas Assembly Center steps
- 7:30 p.m. | Soccer vs. Old Dominion, Robert Mack Caruthers Field
- Noon-5 p.m. | Dogs in Downtown, Railroad Park and downtown Ruston
- 8 a.m. | CANS Run for Research 5K, campus
- 1-3 p.m. | Alumni Association/LTAC Tailgate, Argent Pavilion
- 4 p.m. | Bulldogs vs. Old Dominion, Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium, on ESPN+
- Pregame | Former Homecoming Court recognition in the tunnel run-out
- Halftime | New Homecoming Court presented and Queen and King crowned
Familiar Faces
On Saturday, those familiar faces fill the stadium. Former Homecoming Court members, their families, and the current court join the team on the field for the pregame tunnel run-out, where the former court members are recognized as a long line of Louisiana Tech Homecomings steps out together ahead of the Bulldogs.
Pregame honors carry the reunion theme. A Bulldog legend comes back to ring the bell: former Louisiana Tech running back Boston Scott, a sixth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2018 who went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, including their trip to Super Bowl LVII.
Lucius McGehee Jr., Louisiana Tech's 2026 Alumnus of the Year, serves as the game's honorary coin toss. A 1985 graduate and president of institutional services at Argent, McGehee has spent more than 35 years in financial services and gives his time to the Health Hut, the Boys and Girls Club of North Louisiana, and the Industrial Development Board of Lincoln Parish.
McGehee is one of seven distinguished alumni Louisiana Tech is honoring during Homecoming. They're celebrated at Thursday's Alumni Awards Luncheon and recognized during the first quarter of Saturday's game:
- Lucius McGehee Jr. (1985), Alumnus of the Year — president of institutional services, Argent
- Caitlin LeMaire (B.S. 2010, M.S. 2012, Accounting), Young Alumna of the Year — CPA, owner/partner and chief operating officer, LJB CPA, Dallas
- Dr. Jason Cucchiara (B.S. 2001, A.D.N. 2005), College of Applied and Natural Sciences — Doctor of Nursing Practice and orthopedic trauma nurse practitioner
- Bruce Singleton (B.S. 1985, M.Acc. 1986), College of Business — recently retired senior vice president of network development strategy, Claritev, with 30-plus years in healthcare leadership
- Maj. Jeremy Carter (B.S. 2011, M.S. 2012), College of Education and Human Sciences — active-duty Marine officer, author and researcher in human performance
- Eric Johnson (1997), College of Engineering and Science — senior vice president, IDS Engineering Group
- Qui Nguyen (1999), College of Liberal Arts — playwright and screenwriter, co-founder of Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company, writer of Vietgone and She Kills Monsters
"Homecoming is the weekend Louisiana Tech brings its people back to Ruston," said Ryan Ivey, Vice President and Director of Athletics. "Former students, former athletes, teammates, and classmates walk the same campus and fill the same stadium where so many of their memories began. October is also when we honor those fighting breast cancer, and One More gives all of us one more way to get involved. Come home. Show your support. Bring someone with you. One more person in the stands, one more voice, one more reason to keep fighting."
Old Roads in Ruston
Old Dominion, the Monarchs from Norfolk, Virginia, make their first appearance at Joe Aillet Stadium. Louisiana Tech and Old Dominion were Conference USA members together, and the two now meet again as Sun Belt Conference opponents, with Louisiana Tech playing its first Sun Belt season and the Monarchs making the trip to Ruston for the first time.
One More for the Fight
Throughout October, Louisiana Tech is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month rather than dedicating a single game to it. The month celebrates survivors, honors those currently fighting, remembers loved ones, and supports awareness efforts across the community.
On Homecoming Saturday, the ribbon cutouts at the gates remain up, and fans can sign the name of a fighter or survivor they want to honor right on a ribbon. In-game reads and recognitions continue to honor survivors and those still fighting.
One More Day. One More Screening. One More Treatment. One More Victory. One More Reason To Keep Fighting.
Old Roads. Familiar Faces. Welcome Home.
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Saturday, April 25
Tuesday, December 30
