Rickey Bustle always claimed he knew what he was getting into when he left a Virginia Tech program that perennially challenged for a national championship. He believed he could turn things around at University of Louisiana, a school in the heart of football-rich Acadiana. Louisiana Là not only hadn't had a winning season in six years, it had a total of nine wins in the previous five seasons.
Four years later, Bustle is not only coming off a 6-5 finish in which his Ragin' Cajuns won their last five to tie for the Sun Belt Conference title, but UL is the preseason pick to win the league in 2006.
"We're excited about that. We appreciate the confidence and respect that's been given toward our program," Bustle says.
It wasn't easy getting to this point.
When Bustle took over in 2002, it was his first head coaching job. Not only was the cupboard bare, but the once-proud program that produced such NFL players as Brian Mitchell, Jake Delhomme and Brandon Stokley, badly needed an injection of enthusiasm.
"Attitudes needed to be changed, from players to coaches to fans and even administratively," Bustle recalls.
Average attendance had dropped below 7,000.
Found under,
Top Stories
Lee Feinswog
Special for USA TODAY