Louisiana Tech announces naming rights agreement with Origin Bank for Academic Center

RUSTON – In conjunction with the Louisiana Tech University Foundation and premier partner Origin Bank, Louisiana Tech Athletics announced a naming rights agreement for the Center for Student-Athlete Success.

Origin Bank, the official bank of Louisiana Tech Athletics, will be recognized as the naming partner for the state-of-the-art facility after making the largest corporate gift ever to Louisiana Tech University.

“Origin Bank has been a highly valued and integral partner for Louisiana Tech in the past, and they continue to be for our present and our future,” said LA Tech Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Eric A. Wood. “The opportunity to have their name directly tied to our upcoming Center for Student-Athlete Success only strengthens our deep connection with them. They believe in being life changers and this academic center will most certainly change the lives of our Bulldogs and Lady Techsters.”

Origin Bank Center for Student-Athlete Success 2

The Origin Bank Center for Student-Athlete Success, scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2025, will be made possible through both state funding and private donations, including gifts through Louisiana Tech’s Aillet Society. The 17,150 square foot building will be located in the north end zone of Joe Aillet Stadium and will serve as a significant educational resource for all student-athletes with individual tutor rooms, flexible study spaces, computer lab, conference rooms, academic advising, career development, and life-after-sport programming.

“Origin has been deeply committed to our communities for more than a century, and our long-standing partnership with Louisiana Tech is a reflection of that commitment,” said Drake Mills, chairman, president and CEO of Origin Bancorp, Inc. “The Center for Student-Athlete Success will create a venue to strengthen the educational experience for student-athletes and build leaders that will shape our future.”

The space will also be utilized on home football game days, enhancing the experience with field-facing balcony viewing areas.

“While the center will primarily serve our current student-athletes year-round academically, the state-of-the-art facility will also give us an opportunity to provide another premium seating area six days out of the year for home football games,” added Wood.

The Origin Bank Center for Student-Athlete Success is part of a multi-phase project at Joe Aillet Stadium. Phases that have been completed include the addition of a Daktronics 10-millimeter LED ribbon board along the façade of the Davison Athletics Complex and the construction of the Sarah and A.L. Williams Champions Plaza that honors former LA Tech student-athletes who have reached the highest level of hall of fame induction in their respective sport. The plaza, which will officially be unveiled on Friday, Aug. 25 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, also honors the most highly-decorated teams in the University’s history.

Another phase will be the addition of a new Daktronics video board in the north end zone, replacing the current video board that was installed in 2009. Scheduled to be installed in the spring of 2024, the board will be the largest in the state of Louisiana, measuring 36-feet tall by 90-feet wide which is twice as wide as the current video board. The board will be funded with private gifts through the Louisiana Tech University Foundation.