A piece of Tech’s mascot history returns home
In the first days of 2025, a small package arrived at Louisiana Tech University containing something far larger than its size suggested: a dog collar from the 1950s that belonged to Tech IX, a member of the historic lineage of the University’s live bulldog mascots. Its return was not orchestrated by an alumnus or a longtime Bulldog fan, but by a college football enthusiast from across the country who understands the power of tradition.
The man behind the gift is Peter Kamb of Seattle, Washington. He’s a University of Washington graduate and collector of pieces of his alma mater’s history. Kamb has found plenty of mileage in this regard on eBay, where he’s worked to build a collection that includes game-worn Husky jerseys from the 1960s, and he often keeps an eye out for trophies or other one-of-a-kind relics. The leather and metal collar that appeared on the site in late 2023 struck him immediately. It’s worn and scratched, and the words “Tech IX, Mascot, LA Tech” etched into its plate have lost some legibility over the years, but all that helps to signify what it is: historic.
The seller of the collar on eBay ended up shipping the item to Kamb in Seattle from Grand Blanc, Michigan. Those two cities combine for over 3,000 miles of distance from Ruston, making the journey of Tech IX’s collar over time a lengthy and eventful one. The seller who posted the collar mostly sells clothing from their eBay store but stated they bought the collar from someone who purchased it at an estate sale in Houston, Texas, with the intent of adding it to their 1940s and 50s garment and textile collection.
It would seem, then, that in the case of this dog collar, collectors make the world go ‘round.
Though Kamb has no personal connection to Louisiana Tech, he recognized the item’s significance. For him, pageantry and tradition are what make college football distinct from professional sports, and live mascots are at the heart of that distinction. The Tech lineage, beginning in 1930 with Tech I, currently sits with Tech XXII, the University’s lovable and loyal best friend since 2018. Kamb’s alma mater shares that bond, as the University of Washington has maintained a lineage of Alaskan Malamutes since 1922. Their current dog, Dubs II, continues that line today. In Tech IX’s collar, Kamb saw both a piece of Ruston’s history and a reflection of his own school’s mascot story, and this was part of what encouraged him to find a way to get the collar back home.
“If the collar of one of the Husky live mascots from days past such as ‘King Chinook’ or ‘Sundodger Denali’ popped up for sale, I’d hope it would end up in the Husky Hall of Fame at Hec Edmundson Pavilion here on Montlake,” Kamb said. “As the fan of a fellow dog-mascot university, I decided to take a chance on the Louisiana Tech auction and see if I could get the collar back to the school.”
As the fan of a fellow dog-mascot university, I decided to take a chance on the Louisiana Tech auction and see if I could get the collar back to the school.”
Peter Kamb
Kamb kept the Tech IX collar in his collection through most of the 2024 football season, but the passing of ESPN sportscaster Kirk Herbstreit’s beloved golden retriever Ben — a fixture on College Gameday — reminded college football fans everywhere of the connection between sports and the animals that represent more than just sideline tradition. Kamb took to social media, trusting in the power of people and the internet’s tendency to shrink distances to help him spread the word.
His posts on platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit caught just enough attention to be found by someone who could arrange for the collar to get where it needed to go.
Alexander Henderson, a senior at Louisiana Tech and the son of University President Jim Henderson, spotted the Reddit post while browsing for insight into Tech’s search for the football team’s offensive coordinator, a question he may have found a more direct answer to if he’d asked his father instead. But fate intervened, and Alexander quickly opened a line of communication with Kamb. Soon after, Kamb and the Hendersons were working together to ensure safe and prompt delivery of the collar to campus.
When the collar arrived shortly after New Year’s Day, it was accompanied by a letter from Kamb that included a simple but touching line: “Please accept this donation to the Bulldogs.”
Now, the piece of history rests safely on campus, slipped nicely around the neck of a bulldog statue, 3D-printed by HR Training and Development Manager Vanessa Mullins, on display in the president’s office. A spot for the collar is already reserved in Louisiana Tech’s soon-to-come history museum. It serves as a reminder that tradition matters in the realm of higher education and college athletics, and that the kindness of strangers, even a stranger thousands of miles away, can have powerful impacts.
Thanks to the generosity of a Husky, a Bulldog’s legacy lives on.