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LSU Athletics Hall of Fame
ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
QUALIFICATION
In order for an athlete to join the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame, he or she must have earned a baccalaureate, professional or graduate degree from LSU or by some other regionally accredited institution of higher learning, have earned one or more letters in a varsity sport at LSU, have gained national distinction through superlative performance as an athlete and have established a personal reputation for character and citizenship which reflects favorably on the University. Former LSU athletes are eligible only after three or more years have elapsed since the conferring of his or her degree.
In order for a coach or administrator to join the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame, the individual must have made significant contributions to LSU Athletics in a capacity other than as an athlete, have gained national distinction through exceptional accomplishments in his or her field of expertise and established a personal reputation of character for citizenship which reflects favorably on the University. Former LSU coaches and administrators are eligible for nomination only after five years or more have elapsed since retiring from the profession for which the individual is nominated.
SIDNEY BOWMAN
CLASS OF 1937 A three-year letterwinner at LSU from 1930-32, Sidney Bowman owns the distinction of being the first in a proud and storied tradition of LSU Olympians as he competed as part of the U.S. Olympic Team in Amsterdam in 1928 and Los Angeles in 1932. In fact, Bowman made his Olympics debut in 1928 following his high school graduation in Hammond, Louisiana, before even setting foot on LSU’s campus for his freshman season. Bowman was also inducted as part of the 1937 class.
BILLY HARDIN
CLASS OF 1970 With his induction in 1970, Billy Hardin joined his father, Glenn “Slats” Hardin, as a member of the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame following a distinguished collegiate career. Billy Hardin, who represented the United States at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, matched his father’s achievement by winning the NCAA championship in the 400-meter hurdles during his senior season in 1964. A three-time All-American and seven-time SEC champion, the younger Hardin is perhaps the greatest LSU Track & Field athlete of his era.
1933 NCAA CHAMPIONS
Pictured is the five-man team (from left to right) of Nathan “Buddy” Blair, Glenn “Slats” Hardin, Jack Torrance, Al Moreau and Matt Gordy, which captured LSU’s first of 31 NCAA track championships way back in 1933 with a 58-54 victory over the heavily-favored Trojans of Southern California. As LSU’s first national championship team in any sport, these men were inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 1937, cementing their place among the legends of the sport.
HARRY CARPENTER
CLASS OF 1986 The most accomplished LSU Track & Field athlete of the 1950s, Harry Carpenter racked up an incredible eight SEC event titles during a brief two-year collegiate career from 1956-57, while also leading the Tigers to an SEC team championship during the 1957 season. Most notably, Carpenter captured backto-back league titles in both the 220-yard dash and 220-yard hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships as one of the SEC’s most dominant sprinters and hurdlers of the decade. He was honored with induction into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.
D’ANDRE HILL
CLASS OF 2006 Lady Tiger great D’Andre Hill owns the distinction of being the only LSU sprinter on either the men’s or women’s teams to win back-to-back NCAA 100-meter titles with her victories at the NCAA Championships in 1995 and 1996. The 2006 LSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee won six NCAA titles, six SEC titles and 15 All-America honors during an LSU career spanning five seasons from 1992-96. Hill also competed for Team USA at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
CHERYL TAPLIN
CLASS OF 2006 Cheryl Taplin joined D’Andre Hill as an inductee into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame during the summer of 2006 in honor of her career as one of the NCAA’s leading sprinters during the 1990s. Taplin, who won three-straight NCAA crowns as a member of LSU’s prolific 4x100-meter relay team in 1992, 1993 and 1994, competed for the Lady Tiger program for four seasons while leading the team to seven NCAA team titles from 1991-94. She racked up 16 All-America honors during that time, which ranks fourth on LSU’s all-time list for career All-America accolades.
BERNIE MOORE
CLASS OF 2008 Bernie Moore’s accomplishments as LSU’s head track and field coach speak for themselves. In 18 seasons from 1930-47, the Tigers captured 12 Southeastern Conference championships during a stretch of 15 years following the league’s creation in 1933, as well as the school’s first of 31 NCAA team titles during the 1933 season. Moore, who also compiled an 83-39-6 overall record with two SEC crowns in 13 seasons as LSU’s head football coach, went on to serve as the SEC commissioner for 18 years from 1948-66.
ESTHER JONES
CLASS OF 2008 No athlete in the combined history of the LSU Track & Field program has been named an All-American more times than the great Esther Jones. With 21 All-America selections during her prolific collegiate career from 1988-91, Jones helped lead the Lady Tigers to six NCAA championships with two indoor and four outdoor crowns during that span. The 1990 NCAA 100-meter and 200-meter champion brought home a gold medal from the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, where she ran on the title-winning 4x100-meter relay team for the United States. - Inducted in 1941 - Lettered in 1938-41 - 1936 U.S. Olympian - 1941 NCAA Long Jump Champion ORIS “ARKY” ERWIN
- Inducted in 1947 - Lettered in 1941-42 - 4-time SEC Champion - 1942 NCAA All-American ROBERT LOWTHER
- Inducted in 1978 - Lettered in 1965-67 - 1967 NCAA Javelin Champion - 2-time SEC Champion JOSEPH T. BUTLER, SR.
- Inducted in 1982 ERIC REID
- Inducted in 2005 - Lettered in 1984-87 - 1987 NCAA 110 Hurdles Champion - 3-time NCAA All-American BOB SMITH
- Inducted in 1991 SCHOWONDA WILLIAMS
- Inducted in 1998 - Lettered in 1985-88 - 1988 NCAA 400 Hurdles Champion - 1988 U.S. Olympian SUZETTE LEE
- Inducted in 2011 - Lettered in 1996-97 - 3-time NCAA Triple Jump Champion - NCAA Indoor Record Holder - 1996 Olympian KIM CARSON
- Inducted in 2015 - Lettered in 1993-96 - 1996 NCAA 100 Hurdles Champion - 1996 NCAA 55 Hurdles Champion - 7-time NCAA All-American
LAVERNE EVE
- Inducted in 2015 - Lettered in 1986-88 - 1987 NCAA Javelin Champion - 2-time NCAA All-American - 5-time Olympian RUSS BULLER
- Inducted in 2017 - Lettered in 1997-2000 - Seven-time All-American - Six-time SEC champion DEBBIE PARRIS-THYMES
- Inducted in 2017 - Lettered in 1993-94 - Two-time Olympian - Five-time NCAA champion WALTER DAVIS
- Inducted in 2019 - Letterd in 2001-02 - Two-time Olympian - Six-time NCAA Champion PETA-GAYE DOWDIE
- Inducted in 2021 - 19x All-American - 3x NCAA champion - 12x SEC champion BRUCE REID
- Inducted in 2021 - 3x SEC champion - Former American record holder (pentathlon) LLOYD WILLS
