The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs college football team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Louisiana Tech University in Conference USA. Louisiana Tech has played their home games at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, Louisiana since 1968. Since Louisiana Tech's first season in 1901, the Bulldogs lay claim to three National Championships, 25 conference championships, two conference division championships, 13 bowl berths, and four undefeated, untied seasons. As of the 2024 regular season, the Louisiana Tech football program has posted 645 all-time wins and an all-time winning percentage of .559. Currently, the Bulldogs are coached by Sonny Cumbie.
Official record as of December 8, 2024. [1] [2]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
† National Champions | |
| Season | Coach | Conference | Season results | Bowl/Playoff result | Final ranking | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | NCAA Poll | ||||||
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | ||||||||||
| 1901 | Edwin Barber | Independent | — | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1902 [A 1] | Frank Singleton | Independent | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1903 [A 2] | W. M. Robb | Independent | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1904 | E. G. Pierce | Independent | — | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1905 | J. U. Bragg | Independent | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1906 | Zack T. Young | Independent | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | — | ||
| 1907 | George L. Watkins | Independent | — | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1908 | A. L. Cornell | Independent | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1909 | Percy S. Prince | Independent | — | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1910 | Independent | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1911 | Independent | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1912 | Independent | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1913 | Independent | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1914 | Independent | — | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1915 ‡ | LIAA | 1st | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | |||
| 1916 | A. Flack | LIAA | 2nd | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1917 | V. S. Pugh | LIAA | T—3rd | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1918 | Percy S. Prince | LIAA | Louisiana Tech did not field a football team for the 1918 season due to World War I | |||||||
| 1919 [A 3] | LIAA | 4th | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1920 | R. Foster Clark | LIAA | 2nd | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1921 ‡ | LIAA | 1st | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1922 | William H. Dietz | LIAA | N/A | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1923 | LIAA | N/A | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1924 | Phillip Arbuckle | LIAA | N/A | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1925 | R.C. Kenney | SIAA | N/A | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | ||
| 1926 | Hugh E. Wilson | SIAA | N/A | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | — | ||
| 1927 | SIAA | N/A | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1928 | Tod Rockwell | SIAA | N/A | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1929 [A 4] | SIAA | N/A | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | |||
| 1930 | George Bohler | SIAA | N/A | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1931 | SIAA | N/A | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1932 | SIAA | N/A | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1933 | SIAA | N/A | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1934 | Eddie McLane | SIAA | N/A | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1935 | SIAA | N/A | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1936 | SIAA | N/A | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1937 | SIAA | N/A | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | — | |||
| 1938 | SIAA | N/A | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1939 | Ray E. Davis | LIC | N/A | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1940 | Joe Aillet | LIC | N/A | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1941 ‡ | LIC | 1st | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1942 | LIC | N/A | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1943 | LIC | Louisiana Tech did not field a football team for the 1943 season due to World War II | ||||||||
| 1944 | LIC | N/A | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1945 ‡ | LIC | 1st | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1946 | LIC | N/A | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1947 ‡ | LIC | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1948 | Gulf States | N/A | 7 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1949 ‡ | Gulf States | 1st | 7 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1950 | Gulf States | N/A | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1951 [A 5] | Gulf States | N/A | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1952 ‡ | Gulf States | T—1st | 6 | 1 | 2 | — | — | |||
| 1953 ‡ | Gulf States | T—1st | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1954 | Gulf States | N/A | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1955 ‡ | Gulf States | 1st | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1956 | Gulf States | N/A | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | |||
| 1957 ‡ | Gulf States | T—1st | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1958 ‡ | Gulf States | T—1st | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1959 ‡ | Gulf States | 1st | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1960 ‡ | Gulf States | T—1st | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1961 | Gulf States | N/A | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1962 | Gulf States | N/A | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1963 | Gulf States | N/A | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1964 ‡ | Gulf States | 1st | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1965 | Gulf States | 3rd | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1966 | Gulf States | T—5th | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1967 | Maxie Lambright | Gulf States | 6th | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1968* | Gulf States | T—2nd | 9 | 2 | 0 | Won Grantland Rice Bowl vs. Akron, 33-13 | — | |||
| 1969 ‡* | Gulf States | 1st | 8 | 2 | 0 | Lost Grantland Rice Bowl vs. East Tennessee State, 14-34 | — | |||
| 1970 | Gulf States | 6th | 2 | 8 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1971 ‡* | Southland | 1st | 9 | 2 | 0 | Won Pioneer Bowl vs. Eastern Michigan, 14-3 | — | |||
| 1972 †‡* | Southland | 1st | 12 | 0 | 0 | Won Grantland Rice Bowl vs. Tennessee Tech, 35-0 | — | |||
| 1973 †‡* | Southland | 1st | 12 | 1 | 0 | Won NCAA Division II Quarterfinal vs. Western Illinois, 18-13 Won Pioneer Bowl vs. Boise State, 38-34 Won Camellia Bowl vs. Western Kentucky, 34-0 | — | |||
| 1974 †‡* | Southland | 1st | 11 | 1 | 0 | Won NCAA Division II Quarterfinal vs. Western Carolina, 10-7 Lost Pioneer Bowl vs. Central Michigan, 14-35 | — | |||
| 1975 | Southland | 2nd | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1976 | Southland | T—4th | 6 | 5 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1977 ‡^ | Southland | 1st | 9 | 1 | 2 | Won Independence Bowl vs. Louisville, 24-14 | — | |||
| 1978 ‡^ | Southland | 1st | 6 | 5 | 0 | Lost Independence Bowl vs. East Carolina, 13-35 | — | |||
| 1979 [A 6] | Larry Beightol [A 7] | Southland | T—4th | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1980 | Billy Brewer | Southland | 4th | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | Southland | 4th | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1982 ‡* | Southland | 1st | 10 | 3 | 0 | Won NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal vs. South Carolina State, 38-3 Lost NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal vs. Delaware, 0-17 | 2 | |||
| 1983 | A.L. Williams | Southland | T—5th | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1984 ‡* | Southland | 1st | 10 | 5 | 0 | Won NCAA Division I-AA First Round vs. Mississippi Valley State, 66-19 Won NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal vs. Alcorn State, 44-21 Won NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal vs. Middle Tennessee State, 21-13 Lost NCAA Division I-AA Championship vs. Montana State, 6-19 | 9 | |||
| 1985 | Southland | T—2nd | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | 14 | |||
| 1986 | Southland | T—2nd | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1987 | Carl Torbush | Independent | — | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1988 | Joe Peace | Independent | — | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1989 | Independent | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1990^ | Independent | — | 8 | 3 | 1 | Tied Independence Bowl vs. Maryland, 34-34 | — | |||
| 1991 | Independent | — | 8 | 1 | 2 | — | — | |||
| 1992 | Independent | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1993 [A 8] | Big West | T—6th | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1994 | Big West | 9th | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1995 | Big West | T—8th | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1996 | Gary Crowton | Independent | — | 6 | 5 | — [3] | — | — | ||
| 1997 | Independent | — | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | |||
| 1998 [A 9] | Independent | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | |||
| 1999 | Jack Bicknell | Independent | — | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | ||
| 2000 | Independent | — | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | |||
| 2001 ‡^ | WAC | 1st | 7 | 5 | — | Lost Humanitarian Bowl vs. Clemson, 24-49 | — | |||
| 2002 | WAC | T—6th | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | |||
| 2003 | WAC | 7th | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | |||
| 2004 | WAC | T–3rd | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | |||
| 2005 | WAC | T—3rd | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | |||
| 2006 | WAC | T—8th | 3 | 10 | — | — | — | |||
| 2007 | Derek Dooley | WAC | T—4th | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | ||
| 2008^ | WAC | T—2nd | 8 | 5 | — | Won Independence Bowl vs. Northern Illinois, 17-10 | — | |||
| 2009 | WAC | T—5th | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | |||
| 2010 | Sonny Dykes | WAC | 5th | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 ‡^ | WAC | 1st | 8 | 5 | — | Lost Poinsettia Bowl vs. TCU, 24-31 | — | |||
| 2012 | WAC | 3rd | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | |||
| 2013 | Skip Holtz | C-USA | 5th (West) | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | ||
| 2014 #^ | C-USA | 1st (West) | 9 | 5 | — | Won Heart of Dallas Bowl vs. Illinois, 35-18 | — | |||
| 2015^ | C-USA | 2nd (West) | 9 | 4 | — | Won New Orleans Bowl vs. Arkansas State, 47-28 | — | |||
| 2016 #^ | C-USA | 1st (West) | 9 | 5 | — | Won Armed Forces Bowl vs. Navy, 48-45 | — | |||
| 2017^ | C-USA | 4th (West) | 7 | 6 | — | Won Frisco Bowl vs. SMU, 51-10 | — | |||
| 2018^ | C-USA | T–2nd (West) | 8 | 5 | — | Won Hawaii Bowl vs. Hawaii, 31-14 | — | |||
| 2019^ | C-USA | T–1st (West) | 10 | 3 | — | Won Independence Bowl vs. Miami (FL), 14-0 | — | |||
| 2020^ | C-USA | 3rd (West) | 5 | 5 | — | Lost New Orleans Bowl vs. Georgia Southern, 38-3 | — | |||
| 2021 | C-USA | 7th (West) | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | |||
| 2022 | Sonny Cumbie | C-USA | T–9th | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | ||
| 2023 | C-USA | T–6th | 3 | 9 | — | — | — | |||
| 2024^ | C-USA | 5th | 5 | 8 | — | Lost Independence Bowl vs. Army, 27-6 | — | |||
| Total | 626 | 495 | 36 | (only includes regular season games) | ||||||
| 8 | 4 | 1 | (only includes Division I-A bowl games; 14 appearances) | |||||||
| 11 | 4 | 0 | (only includes Non-Division I-A postseason games; 15 appearances) | |||||||
| 645 | 504 | 37 | (all games) | |||||||