NCAA Football louisiana tech Bulldogs

Derek Dooley thought he was happy practicing law at a private firm in Atlanta in the mid-1990s. Despite his football bloodlines -- he is the son of legendary Georgia head coach Vince Dooley -- Dooley believed his calling was the courtroom and not on the sidelines.

He was wrong.

"Football has been a part of my life, but I kind of grew up never really wanting to coach -- I am not sure why," Dooley told FanHouse.

"I did fairly well in school, I enjoyed the challenge of law school, and I went on to practice law. But I guess football was in my blood. It wasn't that I didn't like practicing law as much as was I just missed all the great things associated with athletics and football. I am really glad I made the switch when I did and it has worked out so far."

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Independence Bowl (Shreveport, Louisiana), which pits Louisiana Tech against Northern Illinois.

Overview/Matchup: If the city of Shreveport was hoping for a tourism boost this bowl season, well ... they're not going to get it. Unless Northern Illinois can drag 40,000 or so fans to this game. Which they can't. The Huskies closed out the season with a 16-0 skunking at the hands of Navy, giving them a sweet 6-6 and barely eligible bowl record. Only poor showings by the East Division of the MAC allowed them to sneak into a bowl and they were rewarded with a WAC matchup against the Bulldogs thanks to Boise St.'s perfect record. Yes, it is a scorcher.

Hotels: Shreveport is an odd town. Since it's located on the north side of Louisiana, you would think that it would qualify as a fairly conservative city. While that's accurate to a certain extent, Shreveport's main tourism draw is gambling. The southern city boasts several casinos and a racetrack, Louisiana Downs.

The Remingtion Suite Hotel is the highest end option available to travelers to Shreveport, but remember that while the city is a preferable stop along I-20, the number of elite hotels is few and far between. For a football weekend though, that's no huge problem. In fact, it's secretly kind of a bonus. It also means you can "go big" here or simply keep your budget down for other nightlife options. The Holiday Inn Shreveport West offers reasonable rates and easy access to the airport and stadium. For travelers on a tight budget, we recommend the Tajun Inn. Accommodations are meager, but they offer a convenient location and rooms for less than US$100 per night.