Katrina changes life
for Bulldogs

WITH a bye last week, Louisiana Tech football coach Jack Bicknell had planned for a relatively leisurely Saturday of watching college football and beginning preparations to play at Florida this week.

Hurricane Katrina changed that.

Bicknell and other Bulldogs coaches and players spent the day helping hurricane evacuees get settled in Ruston.

"I was carrying box springs up to the eighth floor of a dorm (and) trying to get these refugees organized," Bicknell said yesterday. "It's an unbelievable situation. When you see it day to day it breaks your heart."

Many of those who fled the storm for Ruston are relatives of LaTech players. But some were missing last week and two practices were canceled while the Bulldogs tracked down family members and friends.

"At one time we had 15 or 16 players who didn't know about loved ones," Bicknell said.

All relatives were accounted for by yesterday, Bicknell said, but the news was not all good.

Senior defensive lineman Oren Lewis had driven to his hometown of Waveland, Miss., which was hit extremely hard.

He learned that his sister-in-law, godchild and uncle are among the estimated thousands who have died as a result of the hurricane.

"But luckily, the day before yesterday, he found out his mom is OK," Bicknell said. "He couldn't get in touch with her and he drove down there, searching for her. He got a message on his cell phone that she's OK. His mom is basically all he had, so it's a huge relief."

Hundreds of relatives of Bulldogs players are in Ruston. Linebacker Byron Santiago had more than 90 family members in town, and 40 of them spent a night in his house before they could find another place to stay.

Not all evacuees in Ruston have connections to LaTech players, but the Bulldogs are assisting them, too.

"I've really been proud of our team," Bicknell said. "These young men have wanted to help out any way they can."

Last night, Tulane, which was ravaged by the storm, accepted an offer to share LaTech's football facilities.

Both sides: Hawaii coach June Jones and New Mexico State's Hal Mumme expressed differing views of the "Taking on Goliath" syndrome.

"When you go on the road to do that you get a big check," Jones said. "If you're lucky enough to win it puts your conference and team on the map. If you don't, it makes you a better team. It's real easy bringing in a I-AA team for a feel-good win, but then you have a big game in the middle of the year and you don't know how to exist. Playing USC and Michigan State will help us win ... down the road."

Mumme's Aggies are at Colorado this week.

"We'll play any of 'em if they come here first. They're looking to give you half a million to play," Mumme said. "We'll be happy to (schedule home and home), but they never show up at your place. Problem is we don't have any takers. We want to do it on even-up terms."

See the Columnists section for some past articles.

Dave Reardon is a Star-Bulletin sportswriter who covers University of Hawaii football and other topics. His column appears periodically. E-mail him at dreardon@starbulletin.com

Katrina changes life for Bulldogs

Katrina changes life
for Bulldogs