Fred Dean

An outstanding pass rusher during his days with the Bulldogs (1971-74), Fred Dean was four-time All-Southland Conference, a two-time Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-American with the Bulldogs. He led Louisiana Tech to a 44-4 record and two national championships (1972, 1973) and four consecutive Southland Conference titles during his four years in Ruston. He recorded 392 tackles in four years with the Bulldogs, the most ever by a defensive lineman and sixth most in LA Tech history. He was drafted in the second round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers where he played for seven seasons and later joined the San Francisco 49ers where he played for parts of five seasons. He was named as the UPI NFC Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year in 1983 when he recorded 17.5 sacks and led the 49ers to their first Super Bowl (he won two Super Bowls with the 49ers). During his playing days in the NFL, he was considered one of the premier pass rushers making four Pro Bowls while being named an All-Pro twice. He was inducted into the Louisiana Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.