Louisiana Tech’s football student-athletes didn’t know that when they signed up to play for the Bulldogs, they’d get more than their college classes and a chance to play football. They also get a chance to integrate some history lessons into the football experience.

Head coach Derek Dooley, who believes in giving his players “more memories than just football and a hotel,” took the student-athletes on two field trips in conjunction with road games. The day before the Bulldogs’ October 11 game at Hawaii, the team toured Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. The group had a history lesson from a veteran of World War II.

The trip to the memorial was a humbling experience for linebacker Quin Harris.

“Everyone thinks of Hawaii as just a vacation spot, but this experience helped us understand how big a part of history it is,” Harris said. “It makes the eight-hour flight worthwhile to be able to come out here and see history like this.”

Just two weeks later, the Bulldogs played Army, and the team toured West Point before the game, including the chapel and mess hall, which feeds 4,000 cadets in 30 minutes.

Next season, Louisiana Tech has Navy on its schedule. The Bulldogs are already planning a tour of the Annapolis, Maryland, campus.