Louisiana Tech Athletics announced Wednesday the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the unveiling of the Jim Mize Track and Field entrance and fence is scheduled for April 27.
The event, slated to begin at 10 a.m. at the main entrance located off Stadium Boulevard, will kickoff a jam-packed day at the LA Tech Athletics Village that will also include the Bulldog Football Spring Game as well as the Diamond ‘Dogs hosting Sam Houston.
John Allen, a 1973 business graduate of LA Tech and Tower Medallion recipient who was a member of the Southland Conference track and field championship under coach Mize, will have opening remarks.
Other speakers at the ceremony will include Louisiana Tech University President Dr. Jim Henderson and Director of Athletics/Vice President Ryan Ivey.
In December of this past year, construction began on the new Jim Mize Track and Field entrance, which will feature prominent signage, lighting, and landscaping for a more welcoming entrance into the Jim Mize Track and Field Complex.
In addition to the new entryway, a new black wrought iron fence with brick columns will be added to help enclose the track and field and football practices areas. The perimeter of the fence will stretch from Tech Drive to West Alabama Avenue and around Stadium Boulevard.
Back on Nov. 1, 2008, then Louisiana Tech University President Dr. Dan Reneau announced that the track facility would be named the Jim Mize Track and Field Complex. Mize attended LA Tech as an athlete from Fair Park High School in Shreveport and later came back to the university as a coach.
He coached football alongside Joe Aillet and Maxie Lambright for 24 years. During his time, he also was at the helm of the track and field program for 31 years, a tenure that included conference championships in 1961, 1973, and 1974.
