News Release just Posted: Louisiana Tech Standardizes its Colors

Ruston -- True-blue Louisiana Tech fans will soon need to change colors -- to some extent.

In an effort to standardize its colors, the university is phasing in a return to the tradition of its early years with university-wide use of royal blue and red.

Royal blue will replace the lighter Columbia blue, which has been used in some applications since the 1960s.

The change was approved recently by Tech's Administrative and Planning Council. It ratified the recommendation of an ad-hoc committee of administrators, alumni, faculty, staff and students appointed to review the school's use of colors.

Matt Napoli, Student Government Association president and a member of the ad-hoc committee, endorsed the decision.

"The colors were confusing because students would buy shirtssupporting the football team, but they wouldn't match the band or the Lady Techsters," he said. "The new colors, a strong blue and classical red, will be great for the university."

Research by the committee showed that the baseball, football and men's basketball teams already use the darker blue in their uniforms, while the Lady Techsters' and marching band uniforms feature Columbia blue.

Uniform use of royal blue will emerge as the transition occurs over a maximum of three years. According to the approved recommendation, "Stationery and printed materials should begin immediately to use only the official school colors; uniforms and other items of uniform clothing should use the official colors as soon as possible."

By making the change, Tech returns to its first official colors, established two years after it was founded.

In 1896, Col. A.T. Prescott, president of what was then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, announced the selection of red and blue -- representing courage and loyalty, respectively -- as the institution's colors.

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