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Official Program Welcome from Gov. Bobby Jindal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Welcome from Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Welcome from Natchitoches Mayor Wayne McCullen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Welcome from NSU President Dr. Randy Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Welcome from LSWA President Lori Lyons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Welcome from La. Sports Hall of Fame Foundation President & CEO Lisa Babin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Tracing the History of the Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Hall of Fame Selection Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 2011 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism - Ron Brocato & Larry Hymel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Recipients of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 2011 Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award - Elmo Adolph & Billy Montgomery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Hall of Fame Artist Chris Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Remembering Clif and Carolyn Thorn, Hall of Fame Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Members of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
2011 Hall of Fame Inductee Profiles Morten Andersen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Kyla Hall Holas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 T.P. “Skipper” Heard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Vaughan Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Buford Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Don Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Todd Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Donald “Slick” Watts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Profiles of Previously Elected Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Louisiana Sports Writers Association President
Parent Organization of the Hall of Fame Lori Lyons New Orleans Times-Picayune
Executive Vice President
Jim Kleinpeter New Orleans Times-Picayune
Vice President/Sports Information
Michael Bonnette LSU Sports Information
Treasurer
Kent Lowe LSU Sports Information
Secretary
Brent St. Germain The Houma Daily Courier
Hall of Fame Chairman
Doug Ireland Northwestern State Sports Information
HOF Foundation President & CEO
Lisa Babin
www.lasportshall.com
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame 500 Front Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457 Telephone - (318) 238-4255 Email - lisababin@lasportshall.com
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Dear Inductees and Guests: On behalf of the Northwestern State University family, welcome to Northwestern and the City of Natchitoches. The induction ceremonies for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame are one of the highlights of the year in our community. All of us are pleased that you took time to be part of this wonderful event. I have watched with great anticipation as construction has progressed on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum in downtown Natchitoches and look forward to its completion. I offer my congratulations to each of the inductees along with their friends and families. These individuals make us all proud to be from Louisiana. We are especially proud that the Hall of Fame is welcoming Don Shows, who was an outstanding offensive line coach at Northwestern and helped the Demons win the 1988 Southland Conference championship. This year's class of inductees is another outstanding group that highlights the diversity of our state and shows what its people can accomplish through hard work and dedication to excellence. Northwestern State is honored to be a part of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Throughout its history, Northwestern has produced outstanding graduates that have gone on to successful careers in a variety of fields including education, nursing, business, law, medicine and the arts. Today, more than 9,000 students from throughout the United States and the world study at Northwestern. Thank you for your support of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. I look forward to welcoming you back to Northwestern and Natchitoches many times in the future.
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June 25, 2011 Inductees and friends, As president of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, it is my great honor to welcome all of you to the beautiful town of Natchitoches for the annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. Natchitoches has held a special place in my heart since my first Hall of Fame ceremony more than 25 years ago. And I'm sure it has - or will - win over each of you with its charm, its history and its lights. And soon it will be the home of the state-of-the-art Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Actually, it has always been the home of the Hall of Fame. But soon it will be the home of an actual hall - a real brick and mortar home for the greatest sports legends Louisiana has produced, where we mortals can go to revisit their exploits for all time. Such a building has been the dream of Louisiana's sports writers for more than 50 years, its promise sometimes seeming but a fog on a Halloween night. But if you'll take a drive over to Front Street during your visit here, you will see that it is about to become a dream-come-true. For that, we thank Governor Bobby Jindal, for his support and his vision of what the museum will mean to the rest of the state, and Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne for joining the team. We thank the state legislators, past and present, in particular Sen. Gerald Long, Rep. Rick Nowlin and former Rep. Taylor Townsend, who have kept our drive alive, with a special nod to Billy Montgomery, a recipient of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award tonight. He is one of our champions. We thank Natchitoches Mayor Wayne McCullen for being a friend to the LSWA and the Hall of Fame over the years. Northwestern State University president Dr. Randy Webb and vice president Jerry Pierce for their tireless efforts to keep the Hall of Fame here where it belongs, and build it a proper home. We thank Robert Wheat, the Interim Director of the Louisiana State Museum System, who is quarterbacking our final drive with a vision that none of us foresaw, along with project manager Charles Chamberlain and the rest of the museum system staff. And we thank our team captain, Lisa Babin, the President and CEO of the Hall of Fame Foundation, for turning the project from the dream of a couple of guys into the about-to-becometrue dream of generations. For some, tonight's celebration is a dream come true - the fulfillment of a lifetime of achievements in sports. For others, tonight is an unexpected surprise - the acknowledgement of a talent and the will to succeed. Or, maybe it's a little of both. The Louisiana Sports Writers Association congratulates all of this year's inductees, their families and friends, and our own Distinguished Service Award recipients, Ron Brocato and Larry Hymel. We celebrate with you all. Lori Lyons President, Louisiana Sports Writers Association
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Dear Inductees and Guests, Welcome to the most exciting time of the year for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame - the induction of a new group of outstanding athletes, coaches, sportswriters and sports leaders! Congratulations to each of our remarkable honorees. This is my first induction on the staff of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation and with each act of preparation for the induction; I became further in awe of the rich sports heritage our state possesses and the tireless efforts and boundless sports knowledge exhibited by Doug Ireland, Chairman of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. The induction provides an ideal platform for every community, every sports loving citizen to come together to honor those that have made Louisiana's sports successes a source of pride. As you hear the stories of our honorees, those successes will become more vivid in your hearts and minds and I just know that you will want to “Get in the Game.” How can you “Get in the Game”? There are so many ways to do so and I would welcome visiting with you about each and every one! You can also visit with any of the inaugural Foundation Board of Directors about your interest in supporting the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. This dedicated group of individuals from throughout the state and beyond have pledged to work with the Foundation staff to transition from an organization that for the past thirty-five years has supported a single event in a single location to one that will host events throughout the state and year. Our goals also include providing educational opportunities around the state and raising funds in support of the initial museum exhibits as well as future exhibits. Enjoy your evening and don't forget to call me, email me, mail me but let me hear about your desire to “Get in the Game!” Together we can take Louisiana sports to even greater heights. Sincerely,
Lisa S. Babin President & CEO Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation lisababin@lasportshall.com Inaugural Board of Directors for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation
Waynette Ballengee Bill Curl Ronald Corkern Sharon Gahagan Barbara Gresham Hammerman Bruce Hanks Doug Ireland Jim Kleinpeter
Kent Lowe Lori Lyons Dan McDonald Malcolm Myer Greg O'Quin Harold Porter Tag Rome Vic Stelly
Honorary Member - Archie Manning
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Tracing the History of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame A half-century after inducting its first class of sports legends, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame is realizing its fondest dreams and greatest aspirations. The Louisiana State Museum system is spearheading construction on a 27,500square foot museum building on Front Street in the National Historic District of Natchitoches. Trahan Architects of Baton Rouge designed the museum building. Thinc Design of New York City is developing exhibits. Construction began in 2008-09 with site demolition and preparation, continued with utility relocation and drainage work along with the pilings and foundation work, and has been at full bore since last August with construction of the actual building. The construction should be completed in by next spring with the plans for a grand opening sometime around the start of football season in 2012. The Hall of Fame itself will occupy the first floor of the new museum, with the second floor showcasing Louisiana's Sports Paradise, a blend of sports history and culture, along with half of the second floor housing the Northwest Louisiana History Museum, now the state-run Old Courthouse Museum in Natchitoches. Members of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association began planning a Hall of Fame to honor the state's outstanding athletes and coaches as far back as 1951, but the first election to the hall was not held until 1958. The three charter members of the organization -- Gaynell Tinsley, Tony Canzoneri and Mel Ott -- were inducted during the Ark-LaTex Sports Award Banquet in Shreveport in 1959. Three honorees were selected annually for several years and were inducted during the Shreveport banquet. Later inductions were held in different areas of the state, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Several members of the Hall of Fame were inducted at LSU football games and televised basketball games, and others were taken into the shrine during the VFW Sports Awards Banquets in New Orleans. Although LSWA members presented plaques to 41 Hall of Fame honorees and conducted induction ceremonies for the shrine members each year, there was never an actual Hall of Fame in the state until the facility was established at Northwestern State in Natchitoches in 1972 by co-chairmen Jerry Pierce and Jim McLain, with the support of NSU President Dr. Arnold Kilpatrick. Portraits of a few of the members were placed in Shreveport for a brief period, but
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Construction on the 27,500 square foot museum began in 2008-09 and is expected to be completed next spring with the grand opening in the fall of 2012.
the establishment of the Hall of Fame at Prather Coliseum was the first formal inauguration of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Following the 2011 inductions, 243 members will have entered the shrine since the Hall of Fame was opened in Natchitoches. The LSWA's dream of developing a true museum that showcases not only the art and artifacts, but provides a captivating experience for visitors and repository for state sports history, is becoming reality. From 2000-2002, the Hall of Fame induction activities shifted to Shreveport-Bossier City, due in large part to the support of mayors Keith Hightower and George Dement, administrative officers Ken Antee and now Bossier City Mayor Lorenz Walker, local businessman Jimmy Patterson and the Horseshoe Casino & Hotel. Hall of Fame member Joe Profit and Mitton Management Co. played important roles in the success of the three-year stint in Shreveport-Bossier. The expansion of Hall of Fame induction activities drew attention from then-Gov. Mike Foster, then-Lt. Gov. and future Gov. Kathleen Blanco, then-Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, and other state officials. Their interest, along with leadership by Natchitoches Mayor Wayne McCullen, and former local legislators state Rep. Taylor Townsend and state Sen. Mike Smith, along with Rep. Billy Montgomery, combined with the continuing support provided by Northwestern State University, led to quantum leaps forward for the Hall. The Hall of Fame was accepted into the state museum system in the 2003 state legislative session, setting the stage for the state
and city of Natchitoches to collaborate with the LSWA to develop the new museum In preparation for the beginning of the project, all of the artwork and memorabilia which was on display at Northwestern's Prather Coliseum was turned over to the state museum system after the 2005 induction celebration. Today's local and state government leaders have played crucial roles in advancing the project. Mayor McCullen and city officials, local legislators Sen. Gerald Long and Rep. Rick Nowlin have partnered with Gov. Bobby Jindal, recently departed Lt. Gov. Landrieu, and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne along with legislators around the state to assure a sparkling future for the museum. The Louisiana State Museum system, under the direction of Robert Wheat, is providing dynamic vision and careful stewardship as the Hall of Fame's dreams become reality. The current Hall of Fame collection includes color portraits of the 285 members and a continually growing collection of items such as baseballs, footballs, bats, gloves, jerseys, golf clubs, helmets, shoes and other memorabilia contributed to the shrine by Hall of Fame members and their families. It also includes the Grits and Mary Gresham Collection showcasing hunting, fishing and the outdoors. Items representative of major events in state sports history, such as the 2007 LSU football national championship and the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XIV title, have also been donated to the Hall.
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Hall of Fame members gather on stage as the 2005 induction banquet ceremonies, the last to be held in Prather Coliseum, comes to a close.
Selection Process Demanding for Election to the Hall of Fame The 30-member Hall of Fame Selection Committee of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association annually conducts a two-month review process before electing no more than eight new members of the Hall of Fame. A standing ballot, typically including more than 100 candidates, is supplemented each year by new nominees. Nominations can be made by the public as well as by members of the LSWA. Athletes, coaches and other sports figures are selected according to categories and criteria established long ago by the LSWA. To be eligible for consideration, athletes must have competed for at least two years at the varsity level in high school or college in Louisiana. Athletes who gain fame in Louisiana at the college or professional level are also eligible candidates. Coaches and nominees in other categories such as sports administration are eligible for membership if they are Louisiana natives who gain fame outside the state, or if they are out of state but gain fame while working in Louisiana. Other basic criteria require sports figures to be retired or inactive in their discipline for at least three years before
they can be considered. Athletes in lifetime sports, such as golf, become eligible when they reach the age of 50, even if they remain active. With rules refined in 2003, coaches and administrators become eligible once they turn 60, even if they remain active. Rules prevent a majority of the selections coming from any one sports category. The discussion of Hall of Fame candidates never stops among LSWA members, especially among the selection committee members. It’s a common topic in press rooms and on road trips for the state’s sports media, with the formal process now beginning with a committee meeting at the annual LSWA convention held in conjunction with Hall of Fame inductions each June. The selection process moves forward with confirmation of credentials for new nominees. Then the selection committee’s screening panel reviews the entire list of candidates, new and returning, and using electronic mail and teleconferences, pares them down to 30 semifinalists. The full selection committee reviews all candidates, and if there are any nominees who have not made the
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semifinalists lists, they may become finalists if seven committee members request their addition to the final ballot. The finalists are set and the entire committee will gather on the last weekend of August for a spirited discussion and election process. The elections for the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism and the Dave Dixon Sports Leadership Award are conducted electronically after discussion at the selection committee meeting. Announcement of the induction class is made during the holiday season at a formal announcement party in New Orleans. If you have a candidate to nominate, it’s easy to do. Biographical material on nominees should be mailed to Doug Ireland, Chairman, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, 500 Front St., Natchitoches, LA 71457, or sent to lasportshall_doug@live.com via email. The deadline to nominate new candidates each year is July 15. Supporting materials, especially for nominees not in high-profile sports categories, is helpful.
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2011 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism
Ron Brocato & Larry Hymel
Two iconic figures on the Louisiana sports media scene who remain active today, acclaimed New Orleans sports writer/historian Ron Brocato and trailblazing Southeastern Louisiana University sports information director Larry Hymel, are the winners of the 2011 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. Brocato has been producing award-winning content since the late 1960s in his hometown, while Hymel was SLU’s first SID, serving in that capacity for Ron Brocato 28 years and remaining active with the university’s alumni association coordinating relations and activities engaging former Lions and Lady Lions. Both have served on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame selection committee since its inception in 1982. The Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism is the most prestigious honor offered to sports media in the state. Recipients are chosen by the 30-member Hall of Fame selection committee based on their professional accomplishments in local, state, regional and even national arenas, with leadership in the LSWA a contributing factor and three decades of work in the profession as a requirement. Distinguished Service Award winners join the “writers and broadcasters wing” of the Hall of Fame and will be recognized in the Hall along with the 285 athletes, coaches and administrators chosen for enshrinement since 1959. Only 48 prominent figures in the state’s sports media have been honored with the Distinguished Service Award since its inception in 1982. “Few have told the story of Louisiana sports as well as Ron Brocato and Larry Hymel,” said Lori Lyons, president of the LSWA. “This recognition salutes their continuing contributions and decades of impact throughout Louisiana. They already are legends among their peers in the LSWA, and this honor ensures their rightful place among the greatest names in our state’s sports history.” Brocato, a New Orleans native, is regarded as the preeminent historian on high school sports in the New Orleans area and is one of the foremost experts on prep sports in Louisiana. His sports coverage has encompassed much beyond preps during his six decades in the field, all but one year in Louisiana and almost the entire time in New Orleans. After military service concluded in 1965, Brocato completed his formal education at Long Beach State (Calif.) University and began work as a reporter for the Anaheim (Calif.) Bulletin. After one year learning the ropes in a daily newspaper, which included covering four high schools, the Los Angeles Rams, Lakers and California Angels, UCLA and USC sports and news photography, layout and editing, Brocato returned to New Orleans where he went to work for the New Orleans States-Item and later the the Times-Picayune, until 1987. He currently serves as sports editor for the Clarion Herald, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. During his career, Brocato has won several awards for headline and feature writing, columns and photography. Among the top honors were being named Louisiana’s Sports Writer of the Year by the National Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association in 1974 and Prep Writer of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association in 1997. At the States-Item in 1971 Brocato began the annual college recruiting previews and coverage still used by the Times-Picayune today. He also designed the prototype of the T-P zone sports pages when the newspaper created area bureaus in 1980. He authored a definitive history book dedicated to perpetuating the evolution of high school football, “The Golden Game: When Prep Football Was King in New Orleans,” published in 2002. Brocato received the Apollo trophy, awarded to the outstanding journalist of 2004 by the American Italian Renaissance Foundation, and the 2006 Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Prep Journalism Award. He was inducted into the De La Salle Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 for his contribution to high school
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athletics in New Orleans. He has been placed in charge of assembling and disseminating the LSWA’s weekly statewide football leaders and boys basketball poll. He was also named to the Warren Easton Charter High School Steering Committee and Board, the only member of the 11-person board who is not an alumnus of the city’s oldest public high school. The school successfully re-opened in August, 2006. Brocato is past president of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and serves on the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Warren Larry Hymel Easton High School Hall of Fame and De La Salle Hall of Fame selection committees. Brocato has hosted a Friday evening high school football show on WGSO Radio and has served the Louisiana High School Athletic Association as media coordinator for the state football championship games in the Superdome for the past 16 years. He has also served as a volunteer at the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and speaks to high school booster clubs and civic organizations, while continuing to research and assemble football records for high schools to maintain their histories. Brocato is currently advising WLAE-TV for its upcoming television series on the history of the Catholic League Football, for which he researched and wrote the script and was asked to participate in other specials produced by LAE Productions. The first full time sports information director for Southeastern, Hymel served in that capacity for 28 years, the first 14 years working without full-time assistants. He was honored by the College Sports Information Directors with a Lifetime Membership upon retirement and cited by the organization for 25-year service to the association. Hymel was named to Southeastern’s Athletic Hall of Fame for Distinguished Service in the 1994-95 year. The LSWA bestowed its coveted Mac Russo Award to him in 1994, recognizing his valuable and varied contributions to the organization. He received All-American awards from the National Association of Intercollegiate athletics five times for his football game programs, including in 1974 when it was ranked second best in the nation. Hymel won two CoSIDA district awards, one in 1990 for Excellence in Writing and in 1988 for the men’s basketball brochure, co-edited by assistants Barry Niemeyer and Mickey Triche, as the best in the district. He won LSWA Awards for best football program in 1984 (third) and for feature writing (second) in 1985. After leaving the SID office, Hymel was director of Southeastern’s University Center basketball and events center for 11 years, managing the facility while it became the home for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s annual state girls basketball championship tournament known originally as the “Sweet 16.” The tourney set attendance records and the arena and its staff earned rave reviews for their management skills as fans filed in from around the state year after year. Upon his retirement from full-time duties at SLU in 2005, he began work as the Alumni Athletic Coordinator for the Southeastern Alumni Association. He coordinates the university’s Hall of Fame Day activities. Hymel managed the LSWA High School and College newspaper writing contests for several years beginning in the 1970s. As sports editor of the Hammond Daily Star in 1966, he won LSWA awards for writing (first, second and third places in different categories), while also gaining recognition for excellence from the Associated Press. Hymel earned an AP LaMiss honorable mention for photography in 1966 and AP La-Miss honorable mention for sports writing in 1966.
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Members of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Award The most prestigious honor offered to sports media personnel in Louisiana by their peers is the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism. The Louisiana Sports Writers Association presents the award each year during the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame ceremonies. Recipients are chosen by the 30-member Hall of Fame selection committee each year after the annual winter meeting. Nominees are drawn from the ranks of LSWA based on their professional accomplishments and impact in local, state, regional and even national arenas. Candidates must be 60 years old, or have three decades of journalism credentials, reflecting a lifetime of service in the profession. Names of the Distinguished Service Award winners have been displayed in the Hall of Fame. When the museum opens in 2012, there will be a “writers and broadcasters display” in the Hall of Fame much as there is in the Baseball Hall Of Fame at Cooperstown. Bob Anderson . . . . . . . . . . .Northeast Louisiana/ULM Sports Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Bernell Ballard . . . . . . . . . .Baton Rouge Advocate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Louis Bonnette . . . . . . . . . .McNeese State Sports Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Roger Brandt . . . . . . . . . . .Opelousas Daily World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Ron Brocato . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Item, Times-Picayune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Jerry Byrd . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bossier Press-Tribune, Shreveport Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Bill Carter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexandria Daily Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Ted Castillo . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baton Rouge Advocate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1987 Mike Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baton Rouge Advocate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Bill Curl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tulane, The Louisiana Superdome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 O.K. “Buddy” Davis . . . . . .Ruston Daily Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Fred Digby . . . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Item, Sugar Bowl Classic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Buddy Diliberto . . . . . . . . . .WWL-Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Pete Dosher . . . . . . . . . . . .Louisiana Tech, Grambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 John Ferguson . . . . . . . . . .LSU and New Orleans Saints radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Bill Finney . . . . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Times-Picayune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Jack Fiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Shreveport Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1983 Norm Fletcher . . . . . . . . . .Broadcaster, Northwestern State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Hap Glaudi . . . . . . . . . . . . .WWL-Radio/TV, New Orleans Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Bob Griffin . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shreveport Sportscaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Dan Hardesty . . . . . . . . . . .Baton Rouge State Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 Bob Henderson . . . . . . . . .Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana/ULL Sports Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Larry Hymel . . . . . . . . . . .Southeastern Louisiana Sports Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Bud Johnson . . . . . . . . . . .Southeastern Louisiana, LSU, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Connie Kaplan . . . . . . . . . .The Kaplan Herald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Bill Keefe . . . . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Times-Picayune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 Sam King . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baton Rouge Advocate/State-Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 M.L. Lagarde . . . . . . . . . . .Tulane University Sports Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Hal Ledet . . . . . . . . . . . . . .L’Observerteur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Ted Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Times-Picayune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Paul Manasseh . . . . . . . . .LSU Sports Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1986 Paul Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monroe News-Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 Ed McHale . . . . . . . . . . . . .Associated Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Bill McIntyre . . . . . . . . . . . .The Shreveport Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Jim McLain . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Shreveport Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Bud Montet . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baton Rouge Morning Advocate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 Marty Mulé . . . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Times-Picayune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Al Nassif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexandria Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Collie Nicholson . . . . . . . . .Grambling State Sports Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Jerry Pierce . . . . . . . . . . . .Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Northwestern State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Joe Planas . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Catholic Commentator, Baton Rouge Advocate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Keith Prince . . . . . . . . . . . .Louisiana Tech Sports Information, Monroe News-Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Jerry Robichaux . . . . . . . . .The Shreveport Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Bob Roesler . . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Times-Picayune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Arthur Schott . . . . . . . . . . .New Orleans Times-Picayune, States-Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Truman Stacy . . . . . . . . . . .Lake Charles American Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 R.L. Stockard . . . . . . . . . . .Southern, SWAC, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 George Sweeney . . . . . . . .New Orleans Times-Picayune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Austin Wilson . . . . . . . . . . .Associated Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Jim Wynn . . . . . . . . . . . . . .McNeese State, Abbeville Mericonal, Alexandria Town Talk, LSWA President . . . .2006
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
Year-by-year inductee class 1982: Bille Keefe, New Orleans Times-Picayune Paul Martin, Monroe News-Star Bud Montet, Baton Rouge Morning Advocate Truman Stacy, Lake Charles American Press 1983: Jack Fiser, The Shreveport Times 1984: John Ferguson, LSU and Saints radio 1985: Dan Hardesty, Baton Rouge State Times 1986: Paul Manasseh, LSU Sports Information 1987: Ted Castillo, Baton Rouge Advocate 1988: Bill Carter, Alexandria Town Talk 1989: Peter Finney, New Orleans Times-Picayune Bob Roesler, New Orleans Times-Picayune 1990: Collie Nicholson, Grambling Sports Information Hap Glaudi, WWL-Radio/TV, N.O. Item 1991: Fred Digby, N.O. Item, Sugar Bowl Classic Bill McIntyre, The Shreveport Times 1992: Connie Kaplan, The Kaplan Herald Mike Cook, Baton Rouge Advocate 1993: M.L. Lagarde, Tulane Sports Information Austin Wilson, Associated Press 1994: Bob Anderson, NLU/ULM Sports Information Bernell Ballard, Baton Rouge Advocate 1995: Jim McLain, The Shreveport Times 1996: Jerry Byrd, Bossier Press-Tribune, Shreveport Journal Joe Planas, The Catholic Commentator, Baton Rouge Advocate 1997: Roger Brandt, Opelousas Daily World 1998: Hal Ledet, L’Observerteur 1999: Bob Henderson, USL/ULL Sports Information Al Nassif, Alexandria Town Talk 2000: Sam King, Baton Rouge Advocate, State-Times Jerry Pierce, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Northwestern State 2001: Bud Johnson, SLU/LSU/Tulane 2002: Louis Bonnette, McNeese St. Sports Information 2003: Bill Curl, Tulane, The Louisiana Superdome 2004: Keith Prince, Louisiana Tech Sports Information, Monroe News-Star 2005: Buddy Diliberto, WWL-Radio 2006: Jim Wynn, McNeese State, Abbeville Meridional, Alexandria Town Talk, LSWA President 2007: Pete Dosher, Louisiana Tech, Grambling Arthur Schott, New Orleans Times-Picayune, States-Item 2008: Ed McHale, Associated Press R.L. Stockard, Southern, SWAC, New Orleans 2009: O.K. “Buddy” Davis, Ruston Daily Leader Bob Griffin, Shreveport Sportscaster 2010: Norm Fletcher, Broadcaster, Northwestern State Ted Lewis, New Orleans Times-Picayune 2011: Ron Brocato, States-Item, Times-Picayune Larry Hymel, Southeastern La. Sports Information
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2011 Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award Winners
Elmo Adolph & Billy Montgomery New Orleans native Elmo Adolph, a worldrenowned boxing official, and Billy Montgomery, who as a highly-regarded state legislator championed sports causes including construction of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame museum, are the 2011 recipients of the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award. Adolph is the only man to officiate both a professional world championship bout and an Olympic gold medal boxing match, and Montgomery, a Natchitoches Parish native, was Elmo Adolph a two-time state championship prep basketball coach at Haughton. The Dave Dixon Award is presented annually by the LSWA’s 30-member Hall of Fame selection committee to an individual who has played a decisive role as a sports leader or administrator benefiting Louisiana and/or bringing credit to Louisiana on the national and international level. It is named in honor of Hall of Famer Dave Dixon, the driving force behind bringing the NFL to Louisiana with the creation of the New Orleans Saints franchise. Dixon, who passed away last fall, is also considered the “father” of the Louisiana Superdome, developing the concept for the innovative domed structure and pushing state officials for its construction in the late 1960s. Adolph built an amazing career as a referee from 1964-2005. The New Orleans native officiated an estimated 23,000 amateur bouts, including in the 1988 Olympic Games. He became a professional referee in 1992, working another 1,000 bouts, 32 of those being world championship fights. In amateur boxing, he refereed AAU, military service and regional and national championships around the nation, and joined the ranks of international officials in 1975, overseeing more than 1,600 international bouts while traveling abroad on 26 occasions to many countries, the likes of Cuba, Germany, Russia, Korea and many more. Among the fighters he officiated were many of the great names of his era: Mike Tyson, Roy Jones, Jr., Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Larry Holmes, Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis, and Hector Camacho. Adolph also officiated Louisiana High School Athletic Association football games for nearly 30 years, including state title games in the Superdome Classic, and was the game clock operator for the NBA’s New Orleans Jazz in the 1970s when the team played in the Superdome. He is still involved in prep officiating by teaching and training officials in the River Parishes Football Association. He is already enshrined in the Greater New Orleans/Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame, Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame, Warren Easton Hall of Fame, Southern AAU Officials Hall of Fame and the USA Southern Boxing Hall of Fame. Jose Sulaiman, president of the World Boxing Council, is among those touting Adolph’s candidacy for the Boxing Hall of Fame. Rusty Rubin, managing editor of ringsports.com with more than 50 years of covering the sport, calls Adolph “a future Boxing Hall of Fame referee.” Montgomery was regarded as an exceptional tactician and teacher during his 10-year basketball coaching term and has been a mentor to many coaches and educators since then. He is also known statewide for serving 20 years in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 19882008. Montgomery was the leading legislative advocate for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, was a proponent for the horse racing
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industry and was a pivotal figure in obtaining funding for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame museum in Natchitoches. He remains in public service working for the Bossier Parish Police Jury. As basketball coach at Haughton High School from 1960-69 and at Lafayette High School in 1969-70, Montgomery posted a 30568 (81.8 percent) record, reaching the state playoffs all 10 seasons, winning two state titles, finishing second another time, reaching the “Top 20” state tournament in five seasons and compil- Billy Montgomery ing a 102-9 mark in district competition. One of the elite coaches in the game’s history has the highest regard for Montgomery’s coaching abilities. Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member Leon Barmore, enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his incredible career as the mastermind of the Louisiana Tech women’s program, was previously a highly successful boys coach at his alma mater, Ruston High School, a north Louisiana rival of Haughton’s. “In nearly 40 years of coaching basketball, the two coaches I faced who had their teams prepared the best were (Tennessee Lady Volunteers coach) Pat Head Summitt, and Billy Montgomery,” said Barmore. “One of the most valuable lessons that I ever learned was watching his practice and seeing the importance that he placed on valuing every possession. Taking care of the basketball was of the utmost importance. He was one of the best, bar none, at coaching the game,” said Barmore, “and it helped me tremendously to see how he imparted that knowledge to his players. Montgomery was chosen as “Mr. Louisiana Basketball” in 2009 by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches. He already has been enshrined in the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and has been honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association both as state basketball coach of the year (1967 and 1968) and for his pivotal role in advancing the Hall of Fame construction project. Haughton High School named its basketball court in his honor. Montgomery spent 18 years after coaching as a school administrator (assistant principal and then principal) at Haughton before running for public office. He based his political campaigns on his coaching identity and is humbled that friends and colleagues from all walks Past Dave Dixon Sports Leadership of life still refer to him as Award Winners “Coach Montgomery.” 2005 Randy Gregson He was raised in rural U.S. Tennis Association Natchitoches Parish and 2006 Emmanuel “Boozy” Bourgeois, Jr. Louisiana Special Olympics played at now-defunct Don Landry Provencal High School, and 2007 Nicholls State, SLC then was on the freshman Doug Thornton team at nearby Northwestern Louisiana Superdome 2008 Dr. James Andrews State, his college alma mater. Sports Medicine The Dixon Award winners 2009 George Dement will be recognized in a display Youth Sports Activist in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Benny Turcan Mr. Softball Fame museum. 2010
Gerald Boudreaux NCAA Basketball Official SEC Coordinator of Officials
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From Fastballs to Paint Brushes - Our Hall of Fame Artist Former Northwestern State baseball player Chris Brown has completed his second set of eight striking portraits of the 2010 Induction Class in his capacity as the artist for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Brown, a native of McCook, Nebraska, assumed the role as the organization's artist for the 2009 Induction Class after long-time artist, Carolyn Thorn, passed away in July 2008 after an illness. “The loss of Carolyn Thorn tremendously saddened everyone associated with the Hall of Fame,” said Hall of Fame executive director Doug Ireland. “Her passing closed a remarkable chapter. She and (late husband) Clif produced an amazing body of work that for many people was the defining visual image of the Hall and was certainly a key part of our identity. It was quite daunting for us to consider how
Former minor league baseball player Chris Brown is the Hall of Fame’s artist.
to move forward and identify our new artist. "The work Chris did last year was dynamic. He has honored the legacy of the Thorns and added his own distinctive style. Like them, he pours his heart and soul into these portraits and it shows in the finished product." Clif Thorn became the Hall of Fame artist when the shrine, created in 1958, found a permanent home in Natchitoches at Northwestern State in 1972. He drew 144 of the magnificent color portraits of Hall of Fame inductees until 1995, when Parkinson's disease forced him to retire and to teach his wife, Carolyn, an acclaimed watercolor artist, the techniques of portrait work in pastels. Mrs. Thorn matched her husband's style from 1995-2008. After graduating from NSU with a degree in art education, Brown has been active in the art world. He currently teaches art and is a baseball coach at Sharyland High School in Mission, Texas. “We love the fact that he's been a high school, college and professional athlete. As the Hall of Fame museum opens relatively soon, this is a very fascinating time for us and that is reflected in his portraits. We're excited about what we hope will be a very long association with Chris Brown as the official artist of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.” As a player at NSU, Brown was a member of the back-to-back Southland Conference championship teams in 1997 and 1998. In his two-year career as a member of the Demon pitching staff, Brown compiled a 13-9 record in 35 games with a 3.94 ERA. In 1997, he set a school single-season record with 110 strikeouts - a record that still stands today. Following his senior season, Brown was drafted in the 33rd round by the Chicago Cubs. Before NSU, Brown attended Cowley County (Kan.) Community College where he compiled a 17-5 record over two seasons and earned All-Conference honors as well as the league's Most Valuable Player. He earned All-Region and first team Junior College AllAmerican honors his sophomore season. He was also an AllAmerican Scholar as a freshman. Brown got started as an artist after a strong push from high school art teacher Jim Steinke, but it was the inspiration from close friend Fred Gianforte of Natchitoches that has made him what he is today. “Artistically, I consider my mentor to be Fred Gianforte of Natchitoches,” said Brown. “Fred has been a strong influence in my Christian path as well as an artist I have learned many techniques from. We continue to bounce ideas off one another and enjoy sharing each other's work. I owe many thanks to Fred.” Brown and his wife, Paula, reside in Mission, Texas.
Coming in July and August on Cox Sports Television The 2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Showcase hosted by Lyn Rollins Enjoy an hour-long recap of the 2011 Induction Celebration with profiles of each of the 2011 honorees! DVD copies $15 each will be available • contact the Hall of Fame to place an order
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Remembering the Thorns - Always Our Hall of Fame Artists
James C. & Carolyn Thorn
James C. Thorn
Carolyn Thorn
Just as all the Hall of Fame members have memorable stories, so does the artwork - rooted in the lives of the longtime official artists for the Hall, James C. and Carolyn Thorn of Natchitoches. With the passing of Mrs. Thorn in July 2008, a defining era in the history of Hall came to a close. Since 1972, the husband and wife team produced an iconic series of portraits of each year's inductees. The late James Clifton Thorn, retired associate professor of art at Northwestern State University, was responsible for 144 of the magnificent, hand-drawn color portraits of Hall of Fame members which from 1972-2005 appeared in the Hall of Fame showcases in Prather Coliseum. In 1995, four years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Clif grudgingly realized he was no longer able to produce the Hall of Fame portraits. When the disease left him unable to continue his artwork, Thorn taught his wife Carolyn, an acclaimed watercolor artist, the techniques of portrait work in pastels. She assumed the role as the Hall of Fame artist, matching her husband's style down to the distinctive “Thorn� signature on each portrait. Carolyn was also an award-winning artist and a professor of art. She had never done portrait work, doing mostly watercolors with a paint brush, prior to stepping in for her husband and working with pastels for the first time on the Hall of Fame portraits. With Clif's instruction and Carolyn's talent, the portraits continued in the striking style that Thorn originated more than a quarter-century earlier.
Said Thorn in an Alexandria Daily Town Talk feature on the teamwork between him and his wife on the Hall of Fame project: “I'd do them for $10 apiece if I could. I loved it that much.� To establish the first Hall of Fame display when the facility was established in Natchitoches in 1972, Clif drew 35 portraits in a three-month period to provide the shrine with portraits of all athletes and coaches that had been inducted since 1959. Clif passed away in early April 2003 at the age of 73. Mrs. Thorn, a member of the art faculty at Northwestern for 23 years, earned her master's degree at NSU and her Ed.D from the University of North Texas. She had been painting since retirement in 1986 and won numerous awards with paintings in many collections. She was a member of the Hoover Watercolor Society of Natchitoches. A graduate of Baylor University, Mr. Thorn earned his master's degree in painting from Texas Christian University. He also studied at the State University of Iowa and Louisiana State University and taught art for 25 years at Baylor, the University of Texas-Arlington and Northwestern. Widely acclaimed for his portrait work, Thorn supported his graduate studies by painting children's portraits and was commissioned to produce portraits of prominent individuals across Louisiana and Texas. He won numerous awards in art competition, and his works appear in private collections in several states. His artwork was displayed in more than 30 exhibitions.
Samples of Carolyn Thorn’s portraits
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Members of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Danny Abramowicz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pro Football, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Joe Adcock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Coushatta, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1975 Joe Aillet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1973 Charles Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Billy Allgood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coach, Louisiana College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 John Altobello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Basketball Coach, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Morten Andersen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pro Football, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Alex "Greek" Athas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Track & Field, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Carrice Russell Baker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, Jena, Winnsboro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Bill Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1978 Gary Barbaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans/Nicholls State/NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Leon Barmore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Women's Basketball Coach, Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Albert Belle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Skip Bertman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Bernie Bierman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1967 Buddy Blair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Track, Baseball, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Mel Blount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Southern University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Vida Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Mansfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Tommy Bolt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Golf, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1974 Zeke Bonura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Sid Bowman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1976 Warren Braden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Southern University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Terry Bradshaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Louisiana Tech, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Frank Brian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, LSU, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1986 Lou Brock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Southern University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1983 Michael Brooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Ruston, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Marty Broussard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sports Medicine, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Billy Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1969 Charlie Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Neville-Monroe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Dale Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Gernon Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Coach, Jesuit-New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 James E. "Big Fuzzy" Brown . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Istrouma-Baton Rouge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Joe Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Boxing, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1976 Willard Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Negro League Baseball, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Willie Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 Pat Browne Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .U.S. Golf Champion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Queen Brumfield (Nard) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Women's Basketball, Southeastern Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Buck Buchanan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1986 Chris Cagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Merryville, USL, Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1960 Billy Cannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, AFL, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1976 Tony Canzoneri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Boxing, Slidell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1959 Harold Carmichael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Southern University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Mark Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Nicholls, Church Point, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Tommy Casanova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 Jim Cason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Don Chaney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, McKinley-Baton Rouge, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Jimmy "Chick" Childress . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Ruston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Will Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Hollis Conway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, Shreveport, Louisiana-Lafayette, USA Olympic Team . . . . . .2004 Jim Corbett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Athletic Director, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 Clifford Ann Creed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Golf, Alexandria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 John David Crow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Springhill, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1976 J.T. Curtis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, River Ridge, John Curtis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Jerry Dalrymple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1964 Alvin Dark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Lake Charles, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1976 Willie Davenport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, Southern University, USA Olympic Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Tommy Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Willie Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1977 Fred Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Louisiana Tech, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Joe Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Athletic Director, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Eddie Delahoussaye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horse Racing Jockey, New Iberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Joe Delaney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Northwestern State University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Bill Dickey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Bastrop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Mel Didier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball, Baton Rouge, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Paul Dietzel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Dave Dixon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Entrepeneur, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Dr. Jack Doland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, McNeese State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Atley Donald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Choudrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 A.J. Duhe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Joe Dumars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Natchitoches/McNeese State/NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Ralph Dupas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Boxing, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Mark Duper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Northwestern State, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Billy Joe Dupree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, West Monroe/NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Tom Dutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1969 Eddie Dyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Morgan City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1966 Ken Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Southern, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Ronnie Estay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Marshall Faulk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Lenny Fant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Doc Fenton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1968 Joe Ferguson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Shreveport, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Jim Finks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Administrator, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Chuck Finley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball, ULM, Monroe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Peggy Flournoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1968 Steve Foley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane, Jesuit-New Orleans, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Alton "Red" Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Haynesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 John Franks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horse Racing Thoroughbred Owner, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Stan Galloway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Southeastern Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Lin Gamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Women's Basketball, Grand Cane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Ralph Garr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Grambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 L. J. "Hoss" Garrett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Ruston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Leslie Gaudet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Basketball Coach, Pine Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Paul Geisler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Centenary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1967 Larry Gilbert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1964 Matt Gordy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 Tad Gormley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coach, Tulane, LSU, Loyola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1968 Hoyle Granger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Mississippi State, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Mike Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Grits Gresham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Outdoorsman, Natchitoches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Bob Groseclose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track & Field Coach, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992
16
Year-by-year inductee class 1959: 1960: 1961: 1962: 1963: 1964: 1965: 1966: 1967: 1968: 1969: 1970: 1972: 1973: 1974: 1975: 1976: 1977: 1978: 1981:
1982: 1983:
1984:
1985:
1986: 1988:
1989:
1990: 1991:
1992:
Tom Canzoneri, Gaynell Tinsley Chris Cagle, Pete Herman, Ted Lyons Jack Torrance, Steve Van Buren Slats Hardin, Sparky Wade Bernie Moore, Al Moreau, Mel Ott, Mel Parnell Jerry Dalrymple, Larry Gilbert, Bo McMillin Ed Head, Willie Pastrano, Jimmy Perrin, H. Lee Prather Eddie Dyer, Cal Hubbard, Biff Jones Bernie Bierman, Paul Geisler Doc Fenton, Peggy Flournoy, Tad Gormley, Dana Jenkins Billy Brown, Tom Dutton, Monk Simons, Red Thomas Ken Kavanaugh, Jimmy McGonagill, Abe Mickal, Harry Rabenhorst, Clark Shaughnessy Bill Lee, Y.A. Tittle Joe Aillet, Bob Petit, Tank Younger Tommy Bolt, Rolland Romero, Jimmy Taylor, Harry Turpin Joe Adcock, Johnny Lynch, Eddie Price, Don Zimmerman Sid Bowman, Joe Brown, Billy Cannon, Alvin Dark, John David Crow, J.D. Mooney, John Pennel Willie Davis, Bobby Spell, Dave Styron, Don Styron Bill Banker, Freddie Haas, Jake Hanna, Charlie Hennigan, Bob Hopkins Buddy Blair, Bill Dickey, Faize Mahfouz, Tommy Mason, Howie Pollet, Willis Reed, Glynn Saulters, Jerry Stovall, Emmett Toppino Atley Donald, Jay Hebert, Lionel Hebert, Dub Jones, Charles McClendon Lou Brock, Hank Lauricella, Lester Lautenschlaeger, Bob Love, Ham Richardson, Jackie Smith Eric Guerin, Dwight “Bo” Lamar, Max McGee, Pete Maravich, Jackie Moreland, A.W. Mumford, Johnny Robinson Willie Brown, Tommy Casanova, Jim Corbett, Clifford Ann Creed, Ralph Garr, Matt Gordy, Eddie Robinson Frank Brian, Buck Buchanan, Bert Jones, Maxie Lambright, Carl Maddox, Dutch Reinhardt Terry Bradshaw, Willie Davenport, Tommy Davis, Paul Dietzel, Lenny Fant, Elvin Hayes, Archie Manning, Rod Milburn, Greg Procell, Bill Reigel, J.R. Richard Mel Blount, Zeke Bonura, Harold Carmichael, Stan Galloway, Grits Gresham, Johnny Morriss, Rusty Staub Vida Blue, Gernon Brown, Charlie Joiner, Fred Miller, Kim Mulkey, Leo Sanford, Rags Scheuermann Don Chaney, Gary Johnson, Charlie Tolar, Raymond “Buddy” Parker, Ralph Ward, Roy “Moonie” Winston Danny Abramowicz, Alex “Greek” Athas, James E. “Big Fuzzy” Brown, Bob Groseclose, Ron Guidry, Richie Petitbon, Andrew Toney
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
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Members of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Eric Guerin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horse Racing Jockey, Maringouin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Ron Guidry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Lafayette, USL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Sue Gunter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Women's Basketball Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Freddie Haas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amateur Golf, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1978 Kyla Hall (Holas) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Softball, ULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Darryl Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Baton Rouge, Nicholls State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Jake Hanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Centenary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1978 Billy Hardin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Slats Hardin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1962 James "Shack" Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Monroe, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Gayle Hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weightlifting Coach, Baton Rouge, Northwestern State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Joel Hawkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Basketball Coach, Southern Lab, Lake Providence, G.W. Griffin . . . . . . . .2007 Elvin Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Rayville, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Ed Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Selma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1965 T.P. “Skipper” Heard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Athletic Director, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Bobby Hebert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Cut Off, Northwestern State, NFL, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Jay Hebert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Golf, Lafayette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 Lionel Hebert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Golf, Lafayette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 Lee Hedges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Charlie Hennigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Northwestern State University, AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1978 Tommy Henry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Administrator, Alexandria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Pete Herman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Boxing, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1960 Dalton Hilliard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Tom Hinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Louisiana Tech, CFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Fred Hobdy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, Grambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Sonja Hogg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, Louisiana Tech, Alexandria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Bob Hopkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Grambling, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1978 Cal Hubbard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football & Baseball, Centenary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1966 Stan Humphries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, ULM, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Luke Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Olympic & NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Rich Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Southern University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Rickey Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Football, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Dana Jenkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1968 Kathy Johnson (Clarke) . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gymnastics, Centenary College, USA Olympic Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Gary Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Vaughan Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pro Football, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Charlie Joiner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Bert Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1986 Biff Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1966 Dub Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 Esther Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Buford Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Iota, McNeese State, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Ken Kavanaugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1970 Pam Kelly (Flowers) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Kenny Konz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Ernie Ladd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, AFL, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Dwight "Bo" Lamar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball University of Southwestern Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Maxie Lambright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1986 Hank Lauricella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1983 Lester Lautenschlaeger . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Football Coach, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1983 Janice Lawrence (Braxton) . . . . . . . . . .Pro Basketball, Louisiana Tech, USA Olympic Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Walter Ledet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track & Field Coach, Northwestern State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Bill Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Plaquemine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1972 Eun Jung Lee (Ok) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Albert Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Mansfield, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Frank Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Bob Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Southern University, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1983 Bobby Lowther . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Track & Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Johnny Lynch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Referee, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1975 Ted Lyons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Lake Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1960 Charles McClendon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1982 Dick McCloskey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Hanson Memorial-Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Ben McDonald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball, Denham Springs, LSU, MLB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Max McGee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Jimmy McGonagill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amateur Golf, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1970 Bo McMillin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Centenary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1964 Rudy Macklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, LSU, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Carl Maddox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Athletic Director, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1986 Ron Maestri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball Coach, University of New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Faize Mahfouz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Eunice, New Iberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Karl Malone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Summerfield, Louisiana Tech, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Archie Manning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Pete Maravich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, LSU, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Oliver Marcelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Negro Leagues Baseball, Thibodaux, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Leonard Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Franklin, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Eric Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Tommy Mason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Abe Mickal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1970 Rod Milburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, Southern University, USA Olympics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Fred Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Sam Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Brian Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, ULL, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 J.D. Mooney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horse Racing Jockey, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1976 Bernie Moore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Track Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1963 Jim Mora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Al Moreau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1963 Jackie Moreland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Johnny Morriss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track & Field, University of Southwestern Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Kim Mulkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Louisiana Tech, USA Olympic Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 A.W. Mumford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Southern University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Charles "Cotton" Nash . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Baseball, Lake Charles High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Calvin Natt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Northeast Louisiana University, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Mel Ott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1963 Emmett Pare' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tennis Coach, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Robert Parish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Woodlawn-Shreveport, Centenary, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2001 Raymond “Buddy” Parker . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Centenary, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Mel Parnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1963 Willie Pastrano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Boxing, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1965 Audrey "Mickey" Patterson (Tyler) . . . . .Track and Field, New Orleans, USA Olympics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 John Pennel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track & Field, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1976
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
Year-by-year inductee class 1993: Charles Alexander, Charles “Cotton” Nash, Calvin Natt, Connie Ryan, Edna Tarbutton, Doug Williams 1994: John Altobello, Ralph Dupas, Joe Ferguson, Fred Hobdy, Rich Jackson, Pam Kelly (Flowers), Ernie Ladd 1995: Fred Dean, John Franks, Walter Ledet, Bobby Lowther, Ron Maestri, James Silas, Sammy White 1996: Joe Delaney, Mike Green, Oliver Marcelle, Kathy Johnson (Clarke), Isiah Robertson, Rosey Taylor, Earl “Moose” Wilson 1997: L.J. “Hoss” Garrett, Leslie Gaudet, Dalton Hilliard, Emmett Paré, Harold Porter, Gary Reasons, Scotty Robertson, Joyce Walker 1998: Warren Braden, Pat Browne Jr., Billy Hardin, Luke Jackson, Eun Jung Lee (Ok), John Petitbon, Everson Walls 1999: Billy Allgood, Dale Brown, Dave Dixon, James “Shack” Harris, Rickey Jackson, Joe Profit, Pat Studstill 2000: Gary Barbaro, Ken Ellis, Jim Finks, Bobby Hebert, Kenny Konz, Michael Sanders, Audrey “Mickey” Patterson (Tyler) 2001: Charlie Brown, Jimmy “Chick” Childress, Joe Dean, A.J. Duhe, Lin Gamble, Sam Mills, Robert Parish 2002: Skip Bertman, Queen Brumfield (Nard), Eddie Delahoussaye, Dr. Jack Doland, Steve Foley, Nick Revon, Johnny “Red” Robertson 2003: Jim Cason, Mel Didier, Joe Dumars, Billy Joe Dupree, Dick McCloskey, Jim Mora, Lee Smith 2004: Leon Barmore, Will Clark, Hollis Conway, Alton “Red” Franklin, Albert Lewis, Tony Sardisco, Neil Smith 2005: Albert Belle, Mark Duper, Hoyle Granger, Sue Gunter, Tom Hinton, Rudy Macklin, Janice Lawrence (Braxton), Randy Romero 2006: Ronnie Estay, Chuck Finley, Frank Lewis, Eric Martin, Craig Perret, Rick Robey, George “Bo” Strickland, Sheila Thompson (Johnson) 2007: Willard Brown, Joel Hawkins, Stan Humphries, Esther Jones, Brian Mitchell, Warren Perkins, Kim Perrot, Pat Swilling 2008: Darryl Hamilton, Gayle Hatch, Tommy Henry, Karl Malone, Leonard Marshall, Jelly Pigott, Barbara Fay White, Aeneas Williams 2009: Carrice Russell Baker, Michael Brooks, Marty Broussard, Marshall Faulk, Sonja Hogg, Willie Roaf, Freddie Spencer, Hal Sutton 2010: Mark Carrier, J.T. Curtis, Lee Hedges, Ben McDonald, Mike Vining, Theresa Weatherspoon, Larry Wilson, Orlando Woolridge 2011: Morten Andersen, Kyla HallHolas, T.P. “Skipper” Heard, Vaughan Johnson, Buford Jordan, Don Shows, Todd Walker, Donald “Slick” Watts
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Members of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Warren Perkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Tulane, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Craig Perret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horse Racing Jockey, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Jimmy Perrin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Boxing, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1965 Kim Perrot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, ULL, WNBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 John Petitbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Notre Dame, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Richie Petitbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Bob Pettit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, LSU, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1973 Jelly Pigott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Basketball Coach, Jena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Howie Pollet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Harold Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track & Field, University of Southwestern Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 H. Lee Prather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, Northwestern State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1965 Eddie Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1975 Greg Procell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Basketball, Ebarb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Joe Profit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Monroe, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Harry Rabenhorst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coach, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1970 Gary Reasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Northwestern State University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Willis Reed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Grambling, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Bill Reigel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, McNeese State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Dutch Reinhardt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, University of Southwestern Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1986 Nick Revon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 J.R. Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1988 Ham Richardson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tennis, Tulane University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1983 Willie Roaf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Louisiana Tech, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Isiah Robertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Southern University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Johnny "Red" Robertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Football Coach, Ferriday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Scotty Robertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, Louisiana Tech, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Rick Robey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Eddie Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Grambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1985 Johnny Robinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1984 Randy Romero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horse Racing Jockey, Erath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Rolland Romero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, Loyola, U.S. Olympic Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1974 Connie Ryan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Leo Sanford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Louisiana Tech, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Michael Sanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, DeRidder, UCLA, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000 Tony Sardisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Shreveport, Tulane, AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Glynn Saulters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Rags Scheuermann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball Coach, Delgado, Loyola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1990 Clark Shaughnessy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Tulane, Loyola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1970 Don Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Farmerville, Jonesboro-Hodge, Pineville, West Monroe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 James Silas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Tallulah, ABA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Monk Simons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1969 Jackie Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Northwestern State University, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1983 Lee Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Castor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2003 Neil Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2004 Bobby Spell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Professional Softball, Lake Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1977 Freddie Spencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Motorcycle Racing, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Rusty Staub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1989 Jerry Stovall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 George “Bo” Strickland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball, New Orleans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Pat Studstill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Shreveport, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1999 Dave Styron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track & Field, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1977 Don Styron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track & Field, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1977 Hal Sutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Golf, Centenary, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2009 Pat Swilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2007 Edna Tarbutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .High School Basketball Coach, Baskin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Jimmy Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1974 Rosey Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Red Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Northwestern State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1969 Sheila Thompson (Johnson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Louisiana College, Pitkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Gaynell Tinsley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1959 Y.A. Tittle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1972 Charlie Tolar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Northwestern State University, AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Andrew Toney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, University of Southwestern Louisiana, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1992 Emmett Toppino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, Loyola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1981 Jack Torrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1961 Harry Turpin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Coach, Northwestern State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1974 Steve Van Buren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1961 Mike Vining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, Louisiana-Monroe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Sparky Wade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, LSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1962 Joyce Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, LSU, Harlem Globetrotters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1997 Todd Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Baseball, Airline HS, LSU, MLB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Everson Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Ralph Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball Coach, McNeese State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Donald “Slick” Watts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Xavier, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Theresa Weatherspoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Women’s Basketball, Louisiana Tech, WNBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Barbara Fay White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Golf, Shreveport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Sammy White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1995 Aeneas Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, New Orleans, Southern, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2008 Doug Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1993 Earl "Moose" Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Major League Baseball, Ponchatoula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Larry Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Nicholls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Roy “Moonie” Winston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, LSU, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1991 Orlando Woolridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Mansfield, NBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2010 Tank Younger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Grambling, NFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1973 Don Zimmerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football, Tulane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1975 Married Names of Women Members of the Hall of Fame Janice Lawrence Braxton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pro Basketball, Louisiana Tech, USA Olympic Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2005 Kathy Johnson Clarke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gymnastics, Centenary College, USA Olympic Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1996 Pam Kelly Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1994 Kyla Hall Holas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Softball, Louisiana-Lafayette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2011 Sheila Thompson-Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Louisiana College, Pitkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2006 Queen Brumfield Nard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Southeastern Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2002 Eun Jung Lee Ok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Basketball, Northeast Louisiana University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1998 Audrey (Mickey) Patterson Tyler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Track and Field, New Orleans, USA Olympics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2000
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Kicking, smiling, Great Dane is a Saints’ legend
Morten Andersen
By Brian Allee-Walsh Written for the LSWA Morten Andersen distinguished himself for 25 NFL seasons, arguably kicking a football between two unforgiving goal posts better than anyone who has played the game. Longtime NFL observers believe the leftfooter is destined to land in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and perhaps will be a first-ballot entrant with the Class of 2012 on the eve of Super Bowl XLVII (Feb. 3, 2013) in New Orleans. According to former Saints Coach Jim Mora, who coached Andersen in New Orleans from 1982 through 1994, the “Great Dane’’ is a shoe-in for Canton. "If you follow football at all, you got to marvel at the career Morten has had," Mora said. "Good kickers can make the 50yarders in practice and in pre-game warmups, but the great kickers are the ones who can put it through the uprights with the game on the line. I can remember so many
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New Orleans Saints Football
Dubbed the “Great Dane,” the native of Copenhagen was certainly that as he made six Pro Bowl appearances in 13 seasons with the New Orleans Saints (1982-94) to highlight his amazing 25-year pro career, one season shy of the NFL’s all-time record of 26 by George Blanda. He made the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1980s and the 1990s. In his time with the Saints, Andersen set franchise records with 1,318 points, 302 field goals and 412 PATs. He made 77.6 percent of his field-goal attempts (302 of 389) and had a long of 60 yards. He still holds the club record for games played with 196. Known for his accuracy and game-winning kicks after joining the team as a fourth-round draft pick in 1982, he was 31-of-35 on field goals in 1985 and 26-of-30 in ’86. He scored 100plus points nine times in his career with the Saints, including a club-record 121 in 1987 when they went to the playoffs for the first time in club history. His six Pro Bowl trips tie for second in club history. Andersen, who made 40 of 84 field-goal tries from 50 yards and out, was released by the Saints in 1995 and went on to play 12 more years with four teams. The three-time first-team All-Pro pick holds NFL career records in field goals made (565), attempts (709), points (2,544) and games played (382). He also ranks second in extra points made (849) and attempts (859) and set a league mark for consecutive games scoring (360) -- 97 more than Jason Elam (263). He made 25 of 28 field-goal attempts at the age of 47 with Atlanta in 2007, earning a seventh Pro Bowl appearance. Andersen is a member of the Saints Hall of Fame and the Walter Camp All-Century Team for college football for his career at Michigan State.
times standing on the sidelines when the game was on the line, no matter what the distance, and he would go out there with a great deal of confidence, with ice water in his veins, and he would stick it through the uprights. “That's the big difference between Morten Andersen and other kickers in the NFL. Not only should Morten Andersen go down as the greatest kicker in National Football League history, but he should go down as one of the great players in National Football League history. I really believe that.’’ Mora is not alone in his belief. "Sooner or later another specialist is going to go in," said Andersen, who finished his NFL career as the Saints' and NFL's all-time leading scorer with 1,318 points and 2,544 points, respectively. “Whether it's me or Gary Anderson or Nick Lowery or Ray Guy, I don't know. There are so many other great players out there who have been waiting for years and years and years. Based on the body of work, I think I belong, but there are other
guys that belong, too." Time will tell if Andersen makes the cut in Canton. Meantime, he has a few stops along the way. The first came on Nov. 6, 2009, when he was unanimously inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. The second comes when he will take his rightful place in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame during dinner ceremonies at the Natchitoches Events Center. Two down, one to go. “This is a tremendous honor,’’ Andersen said of his inclusion with the esteemed Louisiana Class of 2011. “I am very humble today. Today my heart is smiling, and today my spirit soars. "This means a lot to be able to come in now in an environment when the Saints are so successful and everybody is so upbeat and positive about the football team.’’ Andersen, a native of Copenhagen, Denmark, finished his storied career with the Atlanta Falcons (1995-00, 2006-07), New York Giants (2001), Kansas City
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Chiefs (2002-03) and Minnesota Vikings (2004). The seven-time Pro Bowl player is a member of the NFL’s “AllDecade’’ team for the 1980s and 1990s and the Walter Camp AllCentury team for college football for his career at Michigan State If elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Andersen said he would proudly represent each of the five teams he represented during his illustrious NFL career. But the feeling is New Orleans still commands a special place in his heart, despite being dumped unceremoniously by the Saints organization on the eve of training camp in 1995. Sixteen years later, the wound has scarred over and the good far outweighs the bad. "One of the reasons that my relationship was great with New Orleanians was that I immersed myself in the culture there and the city, and I became a New Orleanian,'' Andersen once said. "Even though I'm still a Danish citizen I became part of the fabric of the city and I got involved in community service. I was a visible Saint. I wasn't a guy who went home afterward. I liked to party. I was single back then and I had a good time there and New Orleans likes to party.'' Though Andersen claims to remember nearly every single kick, the makes and misses, of all his Saints memories, he cited two kicks that remain in the forefront:
• Oct, 27, 1991, Chicago beats New Orleans 20-17 to snap the Saints' season-opening sevengame winning streak: "I remember the sound of a 60-yarder I made in the Dome against the Bears before halftime. It was a sound unlike any kick I've ever hit. You wish you could can that thing and make it part of you always, but it sounded like a cannon going off in there. Then, of course, the roar in the crowd and my beating heart afterward was pretty intense as well.'' • Oct. 9, 1983, Andersen kicks Saints past Atlanta 19-17: "I come back to the 35-yarder from the left hash at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium with Kenny Stabler driving us down, and Kenny Duckett returning the kick, and Hokie Gajan getting a couple of swing passes and all of a sudden we're there. And it's two seconds to go and (Stabler) calls timeout. I'm coming on the field, and I'm nervous and I'm 23 years old and (Stabler) is 38 and he's in maybe his last year and he goes, 'Hey Morten, let's go home.' It calmed me right down and I kicked the 35-yarder from the left hash and we went home and it was a great experience.'' If given more time to reflect, Andersen probably could recall numerous occasions when he kicked his opponents where it hurt the most – right between the goal posts.
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Cajuns’ greatest gets rightful spot in legends lineup
Kyla Hall Holas
By Bruce Brown Written for the LSWA Kyla Hall hasn't changed much from her days as an All-American softball pitcher at Louisiana-Lafayette. She's Kyla Holas now, and she's coaching the University of Houston instead of playing, but you get the feeling she would suit up today if given the chance. Holas will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as the first in her sport to be so honored, but she downplays her role as pioneer. "When you're in the heat of the moment, that kind of thing doesn't seep in," Holas said, one day after coaching Houston past her alma mater in NCAA Regional play. "It's the kind of thing you realize in hindsight. "It (pioneer status) was never my intention. It was what I loved to do." She still loves growing with the game,
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ULL Softball
A three-time All-American -- twice a first-team selection -- Hall was a record-setting pitcher for Louisiana-Lafayette and led the Ragin’ Cajuns to their first Women’s College World Series in 1993. Former ULL and current LSU coach Yvette Girouard, the winningest coach in state history and a member of the National Fast Pitch Coaches Hall of Fame, called her a “pioneer” in state collegiate softball. In Hall’s four-year career from 1991-94, she compiled a 104-20 record (.839) for the best career winning percentage in state history and one of the nation's top 15 all-time marks. She compiled a career 0.50 ERA, including an 0.23 mark in 1992 which ranks in the NCAA’s all-time top 20, when she had a 30-4 record. She topped that with a 31-3 record as a senior in 1994, which also ranks in the NCAA’s top 20 all-time marks. The Cajuns had a combined 155-24 record her final three years, and she had a win over top-ranked Arizona in the 1993 WCWS in leading the Cajuns to a third-place national finish. Hall also hit third in the batting order and ranked second on the team in hitting as a senior. More than half of her career wins (56 of 104) were shutouts, and she holds school records for no-hitters (17) and perfect games (five). She is now the successful head coach at the University of Houston and becomes the first female softball player enshrined in the Hall.
years after her playing career. "You keep learning," Holas said. "You have to find different ways to reach athletes. You have to get to know them and understand them. As long as they're learning the game, you can be flexible. But there are certain things that have to be done correctly. "If you do those things, you can do other stuff that's yours. You have to be flexible, yet firm." It's the flexible part that some former teammates might find amusing. "The players around her played better, because she demanded that they did," said Yvette Girouard, who created the ULL program and retired this year as LSU's coach. "If you dropped the ball, you'd better field it." Girouard recalled one event that illustrated Hall's legendary intensity. "Lynn Britton couldn't hit a curve, even though she was a four-time All-American," Girouard said. "So one day, Kyla threw her curves until Lynn learned how to hit it. They worked until we turned the lights on at the park.
"Finally, Lynn hit it. But then she said something about it, and Kyla hit her in the back with the ball! Kyla wanted to raise that performance, and she was willing to help, but she's still got that fire inside her." That fire hasn't changed. Holas led her Houston team to its second NCAA Super Regional in 2011, capping a 10th straight winning season for a UH program she built from scratch, much as Girouard did at thenUSL. The latest Cougar team has tested flexibility for its famously intense coach. "This team had to do a little growing," Holas said. "They are a loose, fun-loving bunch, and that wasn't the type any of us coaches were as athletes. We were aggressive. If you punch us, we punch back. At first we didn't realize this difference. These kids love the game, and still have fun." Tempramental differences aside, the Cougars have a perfect role model in Holas, a three-time All-American (twice first team) and led the Ragin' Cajuns to the school's first appearance in the Women's College World Series and a third-place fin-
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Holas said. "I would study film and break things apart until Girouard would tell me to stop. I truly think that separates good from great. That negative, breaking that down - that's where I live, where I work. I want to make sure it doesn't happen. "I used to love to practice. Working hard is exciting to do. I loved and hated every minute of it. Even now, I can't wait for practice." The Cajuns' breakthrough to the national stage was not repeated in 1994, reflecting the transitory nature of success. "That was clearly the high point," Holas said of the 1993 squad. "I wish we could have repeated in my senior year. No matter how many times you go, the World Series is special, unique. That experience changes lives. "Getting there is not something that can be measured or boxed. It takes the 'it' factor, a timely hit, the right 10 people in the lineup. It's not always the 10 you'd choose, but it's the right 10. When it's right, you know it." Holas majored in psychology, a perfect field for getting inside athletes' heads. She never had a doubt about her own mind. "She wasn't too tolerant of players who couldn't match her talent," Girouard said. "I told her, 'You're special; you have to be patient with others.' I'm sure it's still hard for her. I guess she's found that balance." As long as her players play the game the right way, balance can be a part of the game for Holas.
ish in 1993. In Hall's four-year career from 1991-94, she compiled a 104-20 record (.839) for the best career winning percentage in state history and one of the nation's top 15 all-time marks. She compiled a career 0.50 ERA, including an 0.23 mark in 1992 which ranks in the NCAA's all-time top 20, when she had a 30-4 record. She topped that with a 31-3 record as a senior in 1994, which also ranks in the NCAA's top 20 all-time marks. The Cajuns had a combined 155-24 record her final three years, and she had a win over top-ranked Arizona in the 1993 WCWS. Hall also hit third in the batting order and ranked second on the team in hitting as a senior. More than half of her career wins (56 of 104) were shutouts, and she holds school records for no-hitters (17) and perfect games (five). "She was a bulldog," Girouard said. "She had a take-no-prisoners attitude. She was an incredible athlete who could hit in the No. 4 hole for us. She could have been a shortstop. She was an athletic pitcher, not just a thrower. She simply refused to lose. "She was one of the premier pitchers in the game, and I think these days she would be just as good. She's still the best player I ever coached." "I remember being obsessive about the details of the game,"
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Skipper Heard had amazing impact on LSU Athletics
T.P. “Skipper” Heard Heard was a transcendent innovator as LSU’s second athletic director, serving from 1933-54. He reshaped the face of the Tigers’ football program. The most vivid image of LSU sports is “Saturday
By Marty Mulé Written for the LSWA
Night in Tiger Stadium.” That was the idea of Heard, then in the position of graduate manager of athletics, in part to solve scheduling problems and conflicts with Tulane and Loyola. It also
More than eight decades after he arrived on the scene, his fingerprints remain all over the LSU athletic program. A case could be made that in the 118year history of Tiger sports no one – not Doc Fenton, Billy Cannon, Pistol Pete or even the Kingfish, Huey Long – left an deeper imprint on the program, which owns an Southeastern Conference-leading 43 national championships, than Thomas Pinckney Heard. A force behind three expansions of Tiger Stadium (1931, 1936, 1954) – without which LSU could not evolved into the potent football entity it has become – Heard, known as “Skipper,'' was the farsighted athletic director when the Tigers became a charter member of the SEC (1933); when LSU first hooked up with 50,000-watt clear-channel WWL-AM (1942), giving the Tigers a national broadcast platform; when LSU became one of the first teams to fly to faraway inter-sectional football games (1939). He even coached the LSU golf team to a national championship (1947). Heard was also an early pioneer in the establishment of legal and above-board athletic grants-in-aid, and is described in Times-Picayune columnist Peter Finney's book “The Fighting Tigers'' as “a man who might well be considered the father of the tremendous sports plant on today's Baton Rouge campus.'' Prime example is relayed from Finney's tome in which he writes, “The first addition to the stands in Tiger Stadium reflected the shrewd business sense of LSU's graduate manager.
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allowed the refinery workers in Baton Rouge time to get off their shifts and get to the stadium in time for an 8 p.m. kickoff. He was also on the scene when LSU became a charter member of the SEC in 1933, and when the school hooked up with WWL-AM radio -- whose nighttime signal helped cultivate more Tiger football fans
LSU
all over the country. Heard was responsible for two expansions of Tiger Stadium -- without which LSU couldn’t have become the program it is today. Heard was also credited as the catalyst behind
Athletic Director
LSU in 1931 putting 1,500 dorm rooms in Tiger Stadium, which became a treasured home to many students over the years. Hall of Fame sportswriter and historian Peter Finney wrote Heard “might well be considered the father of the tremendous sports plant on today’s Baton Rouge campus.” Born in 1898, he died July 11, 1980 at the age of 82.
Later, though the grapevine, Heard learned that LSU president James M. Smith had $250,000 earmarked for dormitories. Armed with that knowledge he proceeded to sell Smith on the idea that the president could have his dormitories in the stadium simply by raising the stands on both sides and extending them to each goal line. Explained Heard: “What it meant was, for $250,000, the president got his dormitories and we increased the seating capacity.'' The dorms housed 1,500 students and the stadium grew by 10,000 seats. But what Heard will forever be remembered for is his invention of “Saturday Night in Tiger Stadium.'' Night football, which changed the landscape of fall evenings in Louisiana – and gave LSU its signature sports persona. As Jim Corbett, who succeeded Heard as LSU athletic director, told Finney, “Skipper Heard was a real trailblazer.''
The revolutionary change to night football came early, in 1931 when Heard was serving as “graduate-manager,'' meaning he was given the responsibilities of running the program for Russ Cohen, too busy coaching the football team for anything else. In the vernacular of today, Heard was thinking outside the box, though this was not a first in college football. Illinois defeated Carlisle in an 1897 game played indoors at the Chicago Coliseum. But the concept of “after dinner'' games would become popularized at LSU. There were several reasons Heard experimented with such a radical notion: First and foremost was the shift changes of refinery workers in Baton Rouge. Many couldn't attend afternoon games, but they could in the evening and getting off work at 7 p.m. allowed laborers enough time to make 8 p.m. kickoffs.
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Also it's said that competition for fans played a role. Tulane, then in its football heyday, and Loyola, both in New Orleans, were both playing on Saturday afternoons. A late Tiger kickoff would allow more fans to take in one of those games, then motor to LSU. The move extended LSU's reach because an estimated 80 percent of Tiger crowds in those days came from within a 30-mile radius of Baton Rouge. Then there was the factor – and this may have been the most important – of the scorching Louisiana afternoon heat in September. Those concrete seats that could get mighty hot at mid-afternoon were comfortable when the sun went down. Anyway, for the princely Depressionera sum of $7,500, Heard took a gamble, installed lights – and forever changed the setting of LSU football.
letic director but in reality continued as its first, and began building further on an enviable and long-lasting program. Dan Hardesty, who covered LSU athletics the Baton Rouge State-Times for six decades, described Heard's tenure as “outstanding.'' But not every story has a fairytale ending. After more than two decades on the job, Heard was forced out of office in 1954 largely because of his persuasion of the state legislature to again enlarge
Tiger Stadium by more than 20,000 seats enclosing the south end to 67,500. It was a good idea, but not when Heard's boss, LSU president Troy Middleton, wanted a badly needed new library to come first. Both projects eventually came to fruition, but when Heard's idea prevailed, his fate was probably sealed. Still, Heard got off the last word, or least the most memorable, on the subject. Four years later, when LSU filled the expanded stadium for the first time with the new-ranked No. 1 Tigers playing undefeated Ole Miss, Heard was sitting in the press box he had built, watching the fans squeeze into the stands. “I wonder,'' he said low, but loud enough for those immediately around him to hear, “how many people are at the library tonight?''
* * * When Cohen resigned, Army's Biff Jones was brought in. But Jones was also an instructor in military science and did not have extra time from his coaching to oversee the entire program. Thus, Heard became LSU's second official ath-
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Johnson key to Dome Patrol LBs and Saints’ rise
Vaughan Johnson
By Sheldon Mickles The Baton Rouge Advocate When people talk about the New Orleans Saints of the late 1980s and early 1990s, it doesn’t take long for the conversation to evolve into the heart and soul of the organization’s best teams to that point in franchise history. The term “Dome Patrol,” a moniker given to the team’s four starting linebackers, was synonymous with helmet-rattling, pad-popping tackles especially in a six-year stretch from 1987-93 in which the Saints won 70 games and made the playoffs four times. Rickey Jackson. Sam Mills. Pat Swilling. Vaughan Johnson. While the first three names received most of the attention, former Saints defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell said Johnson was every bit as good -- which is why he’s taking his place alongside his three close friends in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. With Jackson, who was enshrined into
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Johnson was a four-time Pro Bowl pick as perhaps the hardest-hitting member of the Saints’ famed “Dome Patrol” linebacking corps in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A sturdy 6-foot-3, 235-pounder, Johnson was part of the star linebacking corps that also included Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills and Pat Swilling. Johnson was chosen by the Saints in the USFL Supplemental Draft and joined the team in 1986. He played eight seasons with the Saints, making the Pro Bowl four times from 1989-92. In 1991, he, Mills and Swilling became the first set of three linebackers from the same team to start the all-star contest; one year later they were joined by Jackson to be the first club with four linebackers in the Pro Bowl game. Johnson was a secondteam All-Pro pick by The Associated Press in 1989. He became a starter in 1987 -- the first year the Saints made the playoffs -- and collected more than 100 tackles three times (including a careerhigh 114 in 1988) while starting 98 of the 120 games he played with the team. He also had 12 sacks, four interceptions, 11 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in his NFL career. In 1991 and ’92, the Saints had arguably the best defense in the NFL as they led the league in fewest points allowed (211 in 1991 and a club-record 202 in ’92). They also ranked second in fewest yards allowed in both those seasons.
the Pro Football Hall of Fame last summer, and Swilling going after the quarterback, Mills and Johnson did a lot of the dirty work -- taking on extra blockers at times to free up Jackson and Swilling to rush the passer. At the same time, Mills and Johnson were no slouches against the run. “The people who knew football back then realized that Vaughan was as good as any of those guys,” said Sidwell, who ran the Saints defense from 1986-94. “Rickey, Sam and Pat got a little more acclaim, but Vaughan was playing a position that’s harder to get acclaim. Vaughan was a solid player, too, and it’s great to see him getting this kind of recognition.” Sidwell remembers the 6-foot-3, 250pound Johnson, who was selected by the Saints in the USFL Supplemental Draft after that league folded in 1986, as a versatile athlete with a rare combination of size and speed. “The thing that stuck out to me is that Vaughan was a wonderful athlete,” Sidwell said. “He was big and fast, and he had an incredible ability to keep his feet when he was moving laterally. He could move like a
gazelle -- and when he drew a bead on you, he would knock you silly.” Indeed, the hard-hitting Johnson, who missed the first month of Jim Mora’s first training camp, was quickly welcomed by the linebackers corps headed by Jackson - who also was the leader of the entire defense. By his second season, in 1987, Johnson became a starter and proceeded to cement his spot with the “Dome Patrol.” He eventually played eight seasons with the Saints from 1986-93 and was named to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1989-92. Together, Jackson (6), Mills (4), Swilling (4) and Johnson (4) combined for 18 Pro Bowl berths. In 1991, Johnson, Mills and Swilling became the first set of three linebackers from one team to start the Pro Bowl. One year later, Jackson joined them, giving the Saints the distinction of being the first club with four linebackers in the all-star game. Johnson said recognition was never his thing, as long as his peers knew who he was. That was evident when opposing players and coaches voted him to four Pro
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Bowls. He also was a second-team All-Pro pick in 1989. “I wasn’t into the publicity thing, like who was getting this and who was getting that,” he said. “I just came to work every day and gave it 100 percent. … That’s all I could do.” It was plenty enough. The “Dome Patrol,” of course, was a big reason the Saints allowed the fewest points and ranked second in fewest yards allowed in 1991 and ’92. The Saints captured their first division title in 1991 and won a total of 23 games in ’91 and ’92, a club record for a two-year span until the 2009 and ’10 Saints surpassed that with 24 regular-season victories. Twenty-five years after walking into the Saints’ training camp, Johnson, who earned a spot in the Saints Hall of Fame in 2000, can look back fondly on the experience. But, he said, it wasn’t a sure thing when he arrived. Johnson said there were a number of inside linebackers on the practice field and he had a lot less time to prove
himself. “I wasn’t nervous because I never thought I would have a problem making the team,” Johnson said. “I was confident I could make it on my play given the opportunity.” Getting the opportunity was the key. He didn’t play in the first preseason game because he hadn’t picked up the defense yet and was told by Mora that he would play the second half of the next game against New England. “He told me, ‘Don’t worry, just go out and play and we’ll make our decision,’” Johnson recalled. “It never dawned on me that they might cut me if I didn’t show out in that game. They didn’t know anything about me.” Johnson shouldn’t have worried. On his first play, he remembered making a thunderous hit on the ball carrier that drew oohs and ahs from the stands, and on the next play provided blanket coverage downfield on the tight end. Apparently, that’s all they needed to know. “One of the good things was Jim Mora came from the USFL,” said Johnson, who played for the Jacksonville Bulls in 1984 and ’85. “He had seen me play; I just had to refresh his memory.” From there, Johnson fit in well with the rest of the linebackers. They developed a strong bond that has lasted a quarter of a century and Swilling said there’s a reason for that: they didn’t care who got the credit. Jackson and Swilling came off the perimeter of the defense to combine for 152 sacks with Mills and Johnson in the lineup. Johnson lined up mostly on the weak side with Swilling, who twice earned first-team All-Pro honors with the Saints and was the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1991. “I always said that my success was predicated on Vaughan’s ability to play the run,” said Swilling, who had 76 1/2 sacks in seven seasons with Johnson. “A lot of the time, Vaughan would look over and give me the OK to go after the quarterback. He took on a lot of extra blockers to let us run free.
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“He was a killer in the middle of our defense,” he continued. “Sam was great, but Vaughan was an integral part of what we did as a defense. He definitely made some major stops for us.” Johnson had 100-plus tackles in a season three times with the Saints, including a career-high 114 in 1988. He also recorded 12 sacks, four interceptions, forced 11 fumbles and recovered five. Individual stats aside, Johnson was more thrilled to find out he would be joining his sidekicks in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Jackson was inducted in 1999, followed by Mills in 2001 and Swilling in 2007. “Playing with those guys really made me a better player and a complete player,” Johnson said. “It was outstanding playing with those guys. We took great pride in that ‘Dome Patrol’ label, and I think our play indicated that.”
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Jordan shined at Iota, McNeese and New Orleans
Buford Jordan
By Louis Bonnette Written for the LSWA The Iota “two step” was fashionable in Southwest Louisiana in the early 1980s. It was the touchdown signature of McNeese State tailback Buford Jordan and he entered into a long striding, high knee kick each time he scored during his four year career with the Cowboys. And, he scored often. Ernie Duplechin, his first collegiate coach, made the call. “I started it the first game he played,” the coach said. “We were playing at West Texas State (Canyon, TX). Our tailback was Theron McClendon but he was injured during the game and we sent in our backup, Tony Burlingame. “Tony was a hard worker but things weren't going good so I told Ted (offensive coordinator Brevelle) to send Buford in. Ted didn't want to because he didn't think that Buford (in his freshman year) was ready. “But, he sent him in. If I remember right, Buford carried the ball six straight times, and scored.” The Cowboys won the game, went on to a 10-1 Southland Conference championship win-
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After a stellar four-year career at McNeese State, Jordan was Louisiana’s all-time rushing king with 4,106 yards when he left the school and now ranks third behind Kevin Faulk and Mewelde Moore. Jordan, a prep star at Iota, was a four-year All-Southland Conference pick for the Cowboys who played nine pro seasons including seven with the New Orleans Saints (1986-92). A fullback during his Saints career, Jordan helped the team win 69 games, posting their first winning season and first playoff appearance (1987), and first division title (1991). He was a starter during five NFL seasons and was also a special teams standout. He rushed for 687 yards on 184 career attempts and scored six TDs while blocking for Rueben Mayes and Dalton Hilliard, two of the team’s top all-time rushers. Jordan also played in the USFL in 1984 and ‘85 for the New Orleans Breakers and Portland Breakers. In 1984, he was the league’s fourth-leading rusher (behind Joe Cribbs, Kelvin Bryant and Herschel Walker) with 1,276 yards and eight TDs, while catching 45 passes for 427 yards and four TDs. Jordan later coached the Louisiana Bayou Beast to a 1998 Indoor Professional Football League arena title and was hired to coach the New Orleans Thunder in the Regional Football League in April 1999.
ning record and met up with Southern Miss in the Independence Bowl. Jordan, even though he ranked behind McClendon and quarterback Stephen Starring on the team in rushing totals, earned conference rookie of the year honors, setting the tone for three more outstanding seasons with the Cowboys. And, the “Iota two-step” caught on. He became McNeese's and the Louisiana all-time leading rusher and it wasn't easy, sharing tailback duties with McClendon for another year and then being injured in his senior year and missing several games while brother Simon filled in. Jordan would go on to become a first round draft choice in the old USFL (New Orleans Breakers and then Portland Breakers) and then play seven seasons with the New Orleans Saints as a starting fullback, becoming one of the team's most popular players. But it was those nights at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles when his magic as a running back made him one of the best in the nation that his star shined the best. He left McNeese with the Louisiana collegiate all-time rushing record, a mark that would remain his until broken by LSU's Kevin Faulk in the late 1990s. Jordan carried the football 763 times for 4,156 yards for the Cowboys, an average of 5.5 yards every time he handled the ball. He still ranks in the top five on the Louisiana all-
time rushing list. He would score 45 touchdowns and one two-point conversion for 272 points and he would amass 4,888 all-purpose yards. “What I am reminded of when we talk about Buford's football career here,” said former McNeese assistant coach Hubert Boales, who also served as Jordan's head coach in his junior year, “is that Iota two-step. “Like Coach Dup said, it got started there in West Texas when he scored with someone nipping at his heels and he began high stepping to get out of the way. It just went on from there. “You knew what you were going to get from Buford on the practice field and in a game. It was going to be his all. He was a team player from the start and he would do whatever the coaches wanted him to do.” Daryl Burckel, who was a teammate at McNeese and is now a professor in the accounting, finance and economics department at the university, said, “He was very humble and he worked very hard. He was a competitor in everything he did…on the practice field, in the weight room, in the games on Saturday. “He was always ready to play and he made the best of it…here at McNeese and as a pro player.” Having to platoon at tailback his first two seasons wasn't the easiest way for Jordan to pile up the more than 4,000 yards rushing he did in his career with the Cowboys.
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That first year, McClendon ran for 1,272 yards, quarterback Stephen Starring picked up 974 and Jordan got 766 as the Cowboys ranked among the nation's leaders with a 295.3 yards per game average. His sophomore season Jordan ran for 1,267 yards, as a junior he collected 1,116 yards and as a senior despite missing three games and parts of a fourth he rushed for 1,007 yards. When he wrapped up his career, not only did he hold the school career record for yards rushing but he also had his name stamped on those for rushing attempts (763), touchdowns rushing (44), total touchdowns (45), points scored (272) and all-purpose yards (4,888). “Like Coach Bum Phillips used to say,” said current McNeese defensive coordinator Lark Hebert, who blocked for Jordan in college, “he may not be in a class by himself but it doesn't take long to call roll. “I don't know that I can recall any one particular game but I do remember the plays that he made and all the great hits. He was one of a kind but he was always Buford. He didn't think of himself as being a celebrity or any different from any of the players on the team. “He was always positive and he just had that energy that everyone feeds off. He was always about the team.” Hebert, who played in the offensive line for the Cowboys, was part of an event that hasn't happened on the field often in McNeese history. Following Jordan's final game with the Cowboys when he had rushed for enough yardage to become the all-time McNeese and
Louisiana collegiate leader - in 1983 on the road against a Lamar University team - Hebert and Ivy Woods, another offensive lineman and now a Louisiana State trooper, put Jordan on their shoulders and carried him off the field. “I can remember thinking 'Wow' back then,” said Jordan. “That was really something.” He still ranks as one of the more decorated players in McNeese history….all-America recognition (Associated Press), four time allSouthland Conference, twice all-Louisiana, SLC and Louisiana Player of the Year, twice SLC rushing leader, Louisiana amateur athlete of the year and twice McNeese team MVP. As a tailback his strength was his speed and his power. His single game rushing high was 208 yards on 25 carries against then Northeast Louisiana (now UL Monroe) and he had 10 other games in which he rushed for more than 135 yards. His road to McNeese tells a lot about the man. “I had a lot of schools recruiting me and they told me a lot of things. Coach Tate (former Cowboy assistant and later head coach Tommy) was always truthful to me. And, then when I met Coach Duplechin he told me that he knew that I could play four years of college ball but he couldn't guarantee me anything.” The Cowboys had a returning star at tailback - McClendon - and Jordan would have to make his way - something that he also did in the pro ranks. He started not with the Saints, but with the New Orleans Breakers in the new USFL. He played two seasons (the team moved to Portland for the second year) and rushed for over 1,000 yards each time, 1,276 yards in 1984 when he was the league's fourth-leading rusher behind Joe Cribbs, Kelvin Bryant and Herschel Walker. “I signed my contract on Friday, January 13 and that has been my lucky number since,” he said. When the USFL folded, the NFL held a special draft and Jordan was picked by the Green Bay Packers. He spent a couple of weeks there, was released and signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints. “It was an opportunity for me and I was going to make the best of it. I just wanted to play.” The Saints had drafted four tailbacks that year (Dalton Hilliard and Ruben Mayes among them) and since he was the biggest of the group, Jordan was shifted to fullback. “It really didn't matter. Just tell me what I had to do,” he said. With that attitude it's no wonder he became one of the team's most popular players. “Anytime anything came up involving the Saints with the public, I was there,” he said. “I really enjoy meeting and visiting with people.” He was with the Saints in the Jim Mora era, played on the squad's first winning team and
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was the starting fullback when the Saints made their first playoff appearance (1987) and won their first division title (1991). He was also a special teams standout. When he got the chance he made the most of his rushing attempts, compiling 687 career yards on 184 attempts while blocking for Hilliard and Mayes, two of the team's leading all-time rushers. “That was Buford,” said Hebert. “Here he had been a first round draft choice as a tailback and he moved to fullback to help his team.” At 30 years of age, Jordan retired from the game and went into coaching. He led the Louisiana Bayou Beast to the 1998 Indoor Professional Football League arena title and also coached the New Orleans Thunder in the Regional Football League in 1999 and later the Lafayette Roughriders. Since 2002 he's been in the personal training profession, bringing fitness programs to the young people of the state. “I had a great football career,” he said, still possessing the physique that made him one of the most talented running backs in the state's history. “It's all been good.” Can he still do that “Iota two-step?” You bet, on any given Saturday or Sunday.
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Members in Other Prominent Halls of Fame National Baseball Hall of Fame Cooperstown, New York Lou Brock Willard Brown Bill Dickey Cal Hubbard (Umpire)* Ted Lyons Mel Ott
Marshall Faulk Jim Finks Cal Hubbard * Rickey Jackson Charlie Joiner Jackie Smith Jim Taylor Y.A. Tittle Steve Van Buren
Basketball Hall of Fame Springfield, Massachusetts Leon Barmore Joe Dumars Sue Gunter Elvin Hayes Pete Maravich Robert Parish Bob Pettit Willis Reed
Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Knoxville, Tennessee Leon Barmore Sue Gunter Sonja Hogg Janice Lawrence Braxton Kim Mulkey Edna Tarbutton Teresa Weatherspoon
NBA 50 Greatest Players Elvin Hayes Karl Malone Pete Maravich Robert Parish Bob Pettit Willis Reed
College Baseball Hall of Fame Lubbock, Texas Skip Bertman Will Clark Ben McDonald Todd Walker
Pro Football Hall of Fame Canton, Ohio Mel Blount Terry Bradshaw Wilie Brown Buck Buchanan Willie Davis Fred Dean
College Football Hall of Fame South Bend, Indiana Joe Aillet Bill Banker Bernie Bierman Terry Bradshaw Buck Buchanan Chris Cagle Billy Cannon
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Tommy Casanova John David Crow Jerry Dalrymple Fred Dean Joe Delaney Doc Fenton Cal Hubbard * Gary Johnson Ken Kavanaugh Hank Lauricella Lester Lautenschlaeger Charles McClendon Bo McMillin Archie Manning Abe Mickal Bernie Moore A.W. Mumford Eddie Price Gary Reasons Eddie Robinson Clark Shaughnessy Monk Simons Jerry Stovall Gaynell Tinsley Doug Williams Tank Younger National High School Hall of Fame Indianapolis, Indiana Red Franklin Kim Mulkey Edna Tarbutton * - Only player inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame, National Baseball Hall of Fame, and College Football Hall of Fame.
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Sparking success, dynasty building are Shows’ legacy
Don Shows
By O.K. Davis Written for the LSWA “Finish what you have started.” The words might as well been 10 feet tall and highlighted in red as Don Shows left his home on Lea Drive in West Monroe one morning en route to West Monroe High School. He couldn't help but notice them and particularly so on this day when thoughts of not completing what he had begun circulated through his mind. “Finish what you have started,” Shows recalled about the words on that sign located outside of the Good Hope Baptist Church. “Those words weighed heavily on me as I made my way to school.” How couldn't they? Shows had just completed his first year as head football coach at West Monroe in 1989 and the Rebels had gone 5-5. Given the struggles of so many Rebels' squads before his arrival, that record was tantamount to winning a district championship orheaven forbid-even a state title. Still, Shows wasn't so sure what he was getting into when he accepted the West Monroe job following a three-year stay as an offensive line coach at Northwestern State. “West Monroe had not won a district game in the previous five years,” he said. “The first meeting I had as a head coach there, only 33 players showed up. I went home and told my wife, Daune, that I think I might have made a mistake taking this job.” To nudge his thoughts of maybe exciting Rebels' country and going elsewhere, Shows had gotten a call from the principal at Pineville High, where he had been the head coach from 1979-84 and captured four district championships and averaged 8.6 wins per year. “They wanted me to come back,” he said. “My wife grew up in Alexandria, so it would have been going back home for her. It was very tempting.” But then there was that sign. “So here I am, wondering what I had gotten into at West Monroe and thinking about the opportunity of returning to Pineville, and I see that sign. And those words just kept staying with me, telling me that I needed to finish what I had started.” And so, in a decision that would significantly alter the course of the sport not only with his program but throughout the state in the years to
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Shows, 71, has a 314-66 (.832) record after his 13th state championship game appearance in 30 years as a head football coach at four public high schools (Farmerville, Jonesboro-Hodge, Pineville, West Monroe). He has won seven state championships (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2009) in the state’s largest classification and has been state runner-up five times at WMHS (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2010) and once at JHHS. West Monroe has won 17 district titles and two mythical national championships. At West Monroe in 1989, he took over a program that regularly finished last in its district, going 3-6 in 1988. Shows built one of Louisiana’s great prep football powerhouses complete with remarkable facilities and sellout crowds of 8,000. The Rebels reached the state finals seven consecutive seasons from 19962002 and won 40 straight games from 1996-1999. West Monroe’s program was the focus of an ESPN season-long reality show in 2008. He took over a 1-9 JHHS team and guided the Tigers to a 13-1 state Class AA runner-up season in 1977, earning the first of his state “Coach of the Year” honors. Shows moved to Pineville and steered those Rebels to an undefeated regular season before joining the Northwestern State staff as offensive line coach, helping the Demons win the 1988 Southland Conference crown before taking the WMHS post. He was a standout running back at Ruston High under Hall of Fame coach “Hoss” Garrett.
come, Don Shows opted to remain at West Monroe. Over a 22-year stay as the architect of the Rebels' amazing rags-to-riches script, Shows has compiled a 252-40 record and won seven state championships. There's also been 15 league titles, a 66-12 playoff mark and six state runner-up finishes. Where once West Monroe would do well to produce at least 10 wins over a combined two or three seasons, the Rebels will enter the 2011 season with a streak of 15 consecutive years of double-digit victories. Fittingly, on 12 occasions, there's been no fewer than 12 wins. The last time a West Monroe team suffered more than one - repeat, one - loss in a season was 2003 when the Rebels went 12-2. If you exclude his first two teams that had 55 marks, only once during his 22 seasons at the helm have the Rebels lost more than four games in a single year. His 321 victories over an overall 35-year head coaching career ranks No. 3 in state prep history. He's a 21-time district Coach of the Year honoree and a multi-winner of state Coach of the Year awards. So little wonder, then, that Shows will be among the members of 2011 induction class of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. “Don is certainly deserving of the honor,”
said longtime friend and coaching adversary Billy Laird of Ruston High. “It's amazing what he's been able to do and he's remained true to his principles and what has helped make the program at West Monroe successful.” Whatever success has followed in the foot prints of Shows, he will quickly credit the influence of one man in his life: the late L.J. “Hoss” Garrett, his football and track coach at Ruston High and a Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer. “The thing that sets him apart is that I always wanted to please him,” Shows said. “If you played for 'Hoss,' you had the utmost respect for him. And for me, there was nothing better than to just be able to hear some words of praise from him. I always wanted to do well and succeed for him.” Shows got a double dose of the “Hoss” philosophy by running track and playing football, plus was also on the basketball team. “My second year at RHS, I came back late one August from a summer trip to Florida visiting my uncle,” he recalled. “I had told my father that I was planning not to play football. Well, when I told him that, my dad said, 'Okay, let's get in the truck and you're going to go tell Coach Garrett.' “So I go over to the school and tell him I'm not going to be playing football. He grabs my arm, leads me over to where our equipment was located and said that I knew what needed
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to be done. By the time I got to where my equipment was, I knew I'd be going out for football again. “And that's what I did. When Coach Garrett told you something, it was like God speaking. I couldn't disappoint him.” While Shows chose forestry as a major while attending Louisiana Tech University, the seeds were being planted for a career in coaching. “I was doing some student teaching at Ruston Junior High while going to Tech and that's when my interest in coaching began,” he said. “Growing up, I had played all sports and loved being around athletics. “Once I got into coaching, I would always come back to Ruston High and pay some visits to Coach Garrett. It was just a natural part of my life.” Shows' first head coaching job was at Farmerville in 1976, when the team had a 3-7 record. One year later, he took over at JonesboroHodge, a proud program which had struggled through a slump. Shows took a team that had gone 1-9 with 18 players ending the 1976 season, got nearly 60 players dressed out and completely turned around the Tigers, who went 13-1, won a district title and finished as state runner-up in 1977. After a 10-2 mark the following year, Shows moved for another challenge. His seemingly magical touch made a major imprint at Pineville High School, which went 4321 and captured five district titles during his sixyear stay (1979-84). Following a 10-1 record and district crown in 1984, Shows was chosen as an inside lineback-
ers' coach at then named Northeast Louisiana. That stint lasted one year before he joined the Northwestern State staff as an offensive line coach. And while he enjoyed his stay with the Demons, a daily trek from Pineville to Natchitoches began to wear on Shows and his family. After a 1988 Southland Conference championship season, West Monroe principal Frank Machen called with a job offer. “I told Daune either we needed to move to Natchitoches so we could end that daily drive from Pineville or call West Monroe High back and tell them I was going to take the job there.” Shows took the Rebels' job, beginning a path that would lead him and the once-hapless program into one of the most remarkable runs of any high school coach in history. After suffering a heart attack in 1996, the same year WMHS would win their second state title, he said: “I learned to not let things upset me as much as they once did. I'm as passionate as I've always been, but I've learned how to control the stress better.” Besides, he's having too much fun doing what he considers is a proverbial stroll in the park. He's 71 going on 31. “I've always told people that I've never gone to work a day in my life,” he said, “because what I'm doing is fun and pleasure. I've never dreaded coming to work. Never. Being around young people keeps you young and so do the challenges you face in this profession. “I don't see it as work. Again, athletics has always been a part of my life, so I don't see it as a job.” In terms of facilities, West Monroe High's layout can equal - or surpass - some found in the
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NCAA or the junior college ranks. Credit Shows' ingenuity of adding on something different every year to what some admirers term as “the Rebels' palatial surroundings.” One year, it was a state-of-the-art fieldhouse. The next, artificial turf. And later, a video scoreboard. His latest project? “We're enlarging our stadium, moving the home side to the visitors side and making room to seat about 13,000,” Shows said. For him and the Rebels' program, it's all about getting the community pumped up about another season and - yes - another shot at a state championship. “Here's the thing,” said Doug Ireland, chairman of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame who played on Shows' first team at JonesboroHodge High in 1977. “He's a great salesman. Each stop that he's made, he's gotten both community leaders and athletes to buy in and believe in what he's doing.” Says former Rebels' star and current starting Cincinnati Bengals' offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth: “He's created a legacy and a powerhouse that can match any school in the country. He is always looking to make things better. He's got a tremendous drive for excellence and never settles for anything but being the best.” And forget about any discussion of retirement or signing up for AARP newsletters. That can wait. “The best is yet to come,” Shows said. And to finish what he started.
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One mighty swing launched Walker toward stardom
Todd Walker
By Scott Ferrell Shreveport Times One swing took Todd Walker from a good high school baseball player to a great one. One swing sent Walker on a journey that carried him from Bossier City's Airline High School to LSU and eventually the major leagues. One swing set in motion a career that will culminate with his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. That one swing came early in Walker's high school baseball career. As a sophomore at Bossier City's Airline High School, Walker was the Vikings' leadoff hitter on a team that reached the 1989 Class 4A state tournament at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. In his first at-bat in the stadium he would later call his collegiate home, Walker turned on a pitch and sent it over the right-field wall for a home run, setting the tone for a game Airline would win on its way to reaching the state championship game. “It was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, home runs of my life,'' Walker recalls. “Because
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A 12-year major league baseball veteran, Walker is already a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame (2006) and College Baseball Hall of Fame (2009). The Bossier City native was named to the 28-person College World Series Legends Team announced in May 2010. During a three-year career at LSU from 1992-94, Walker, an infielder, was one of the greatest hitters in SEC history. In just three seasons, he became the SEC’s all-time leader in hits, runs, RBI and total bases. A first team All-American in 1993 and ’94, he earned CWS MVP honors while helping LSU to its second national title in 1993 after being named SEC Player of the Year that spring. He was a first-team All-SEC performer in each of his three seasons at LSU. After the 2010 season, he still ranked first in school history in batting average (.396) and triples (15), second in total bases (557), third in hits (310) and RBI (246), and fourth in home runs (52), runs (234) and doubles (61). Selected in the first round of the 1994 draft by the Minnesota Twins (No. 8 overall), he played mostly second base for seven teams from 1996-2007 (12 seasons). He batted .289 in 1,288 career games with 1,316 hits, 107 home runs and 545 RBIs. Walker eclipsed the .300 mark twice (posting a career-best .316 in 1998 with Minnesota and hitting .305 with the Chicago Cubs in 2005) and batted .280 or better seven times in his 12 seasons. He had a career-best 183 hits when he batted .299 with the Cincinnati Reds in 2002. Walker made just 96 errors in 5,088 total chances in the major leagues for a career fielding percentage of .981.
it was the first significant home run, especially being a sophomore in high school. I'm not sure if it gave me confidence but I definitely remember it distinctly. I remember it being a high and inside pitch and there was nowhere to go with it but to right field.'' Walker's Vikings lost the 1989 state championship game. The next year, he was named Shreveport-Bossier City's Player of the Year and he led his team back to the state tournament. The Vikings lost in the quarterfinals in 1990. As a senior he was named the state's Most Outstanding Player and led an Airline team that didn't suffer its first loss until the state title game. A prep career that started well had blossomed after the home run at Alex Box Stadium. “That had to have boosted his confidence,'' says former Airline coach Clay Bohanan says. “He realized that he could he play in the big arena, even moreso than what he was already playing in. Maybe that was just a sign that there were great things to come for him.'' Just a few weeks after finishing his high school career, Walker was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 51st round of the 1991 First-Year Player Draft. His selection round was
affected by a couple of issues. He had rotator cuff surgery earlier in his senior year and a scholarship offer to play at LSU. Walker, though, passed on the opportunity to sign a professional contract after high school in a move he calls the “greatest decision I ever made.'' “There were so many reasons to sign and reasons not to,'' Walker recalls. “One of the main reasons not to (sign) was to let my shoulder heal a little bit. I felt like in college, not playing six, seven days a week would help me. “And getting the opportunity to play at LSU was better than any minor league deal I could find. I jumped at that.'' Walker arrived at LSU when the Tigers were coming off their first baseball national championship. He was also arriving at a time when there were a couple of players - Keyann Cook and Mike Neal -- ahead of him at second base. “Now we're all stacked up at second base and I'm the third-string guy. That was another reason people told me to sign (with the Rangers),'' Walker recalls. “They (LSU) were one of the top programs and they had some younger guys. A lot of people told me I'd get buried down there. It was a big risk for me. But it was where I wanted to go to school. I remem-
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ber thinking if the baseball thing doesn't work out, I'm where I want to be.'' The baseball thing worked out, all right. During fall practice, Walker hit. And hit. And hit until LSU coach Skip Bertman called him into his office at the end of fall practice. “By the end of the fall,'' Bertman recalls, “I called him into the office as I did all the players. I said, 'Listen, you're our starting second baseman from start to finish' as a freshman.'' “For him to tell me that I was going to be the starting second baseman, it was like that scene from 'Major League' when Willie Mays Hayes makes the team and he tries to play it cool and he goes outside and screams, that's kind of how it was for me,'' Walker says. If the home run at Alex Box ignited Walker's high school career, then the meeting with Bertman during the fall of 1991 set Walker up for one of the historic careers in college baseball. “Once Skip told me that, I've never been more motivated to do anything in my life,'' Walker says. “I wanted badly to play well. That requires a lot of sacrifice, but I wanted it bad enough that I didn't care. I didn't care about going to the beaches in the summer or going out with friends at night. Instead, I was hitting baseballs until four in the morning and that's what I loved to do. It wasn't that I felt like I had to do that to get to the big leagues. I was just in
the moment and wanting to be the best at that time.'' As a freshman, he did something no one had ever done at LSU - hit .400 for a full season. While the Tigers didn't return to the College World Series in 1992, Walker earned several individual accolades. He was named national Freshman of the Year by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball and he was a consensus second-team All-American. He didn't hit .400 as a sophomore but he did something better - he helped the Tigers win a second national championship. In his first trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CWS, capping a season that also included an SEC-record 33-game hitting streak. Walker hit a grand slam against Texas A&M. He had a game-winning single against Long Beach State to send the Tigers to the national championship game. In the title game, he hit an early home run to help LSU win, 8-0 against Wichita State. He hit .350 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in the CWS, paving the way for him to later be named to the all-time CWS team. The national championship provided some solace for the near-misses in high school. But it also provided more evidence that Walker was a clutch hitter. He left LSU after his junior season as a firstround draft pick of the Minnesota Twins. Although he played parts of 12 seasons with seven teams, it was the fall of 2003 with the Boston Red Sox that allowed Walker to thrive on the big stage again. In that 2003 postseason, Walker hit a Red Sox franchise record five home runs. He hit .313 in the American League Division Series against Oakland and .370 in the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. Only an Aaron Boone home run in Game 7, kept Walker off baseball's biggest stage - the World Series. “My good friend Doug Mientkiewicz had been in the playoffs the year before and we talked about that,'' says Walker. “He said, 'You can tap into something in the playoffs that you can't tap into in the regular season. I don't know what it is but you can just focus better.' “It takes you two different ways. It makes you better or way worse. When we started the play-
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
offs in 2003 I was hitting between Nomar and Manny. It was Johnny Damon, Nomar Garciaparra, Todd Walker and Manny Ramirez. That was a lot of pressure. I was just able to focus better than I ever have in my life. I couldn't repeat it the next season in the regular season. It's just something you draw power from.'' Walker's baseball career came to a close in 2007. It was a career, though, that included selection to College Baseball's Hall of Fame and the LSU Hall of Fame. It was a career that included 1,316 hits in the big leagues and a .289 career batting average. It was a career that took off after that one swing in high school and now has him in the state's sports Hall of Fame. “Growing up, if you had told me I would be in the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the LSU Hall of Fame and now the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, I not only would have told you that you were crazy, I never would have thought about it again,'' Walker says. “For it to be a reality now, I look at the people I'm surrounded by and I'm just in awe and I'm very blessed.''
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Time at Xavier paved the way for Slick Watts
Donald “Slick” Watts
By Brent St. Germain The Houma Courier Donald “Slick” Watts is proof that perseverance does pay off. Being persistent is what helped Watts excel on the basketball court. After spending one season at Drake University, Watts yearned for a chance to play closer to his Mississippi home and to escape Iowa winters. He found that spot at Xavier-New Orleans. After being passed over in the 1973 NBA draft, Watts wanted a chance to prove that he could play in the league. He got that chance as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics and parlayed it into a memorable six-year NBA career with the SuperSonics, New Orleans Jazz and Houston Rockets. Perseverance also helped Watts endure the long road to become a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. At the age of 59, he will officially join the Hall of Fame 32 years after retiring from the NBA. “I’m really pleased to be included with such an elite group of basketball players,” Watts said. “It’s truly an honor and privilege to be considered a Hall of Famer. It doesn’t matter if it was football, baseball or basketball
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An NAIA All-American at Xavier in New Orleans and a first-team NBA All-Defensive selection as a 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard, Watts was a dynamic pro guard who made the Seattle SuperSonics 40th Anniversary Team in 2007. He averaged 18.3 points and 3.5 assists per game during a three-season career at Xavier University (1970-73), earning All-America honors as a junior and helping the Gold Rush post back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the late 1930s. Xavier won NAIA District 30 championships his junior and senior seasons and reached the NAIA national quarterfinals his senior year after a second-round upset of top-seeded and unbeaten Sam Houston State. An undrafted free agent who played six NBA seasons, he led the league in assists, assists per game, steals and steals per game in his third season with the Seattle SuperSonics (1975-76) en route to making the All-Defensive team. He was the first of only four players to lead the NBA in assists per game and steals per game in the same season. He ranked second in assists and third in steals in 1976-77. He averaged 8.9 points and 6.1 assists in 437 career NBA games and ranks eighth in NBA history with 2.2 steals per game for his career. He played 4 1/2 seasons with the SuperSonics, half a season with the New Orleans Jazz and one season with Houston before retiring in 1979 because of injuries. His best seasons were in 1975-76 when he averaged 13.0 points and 8.1 assists and 1976-77 when he averaged 13.0 points and 8.0 assists. He was the first Xavier player inducted into the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame (1991) and the 18th-leading vote-getter on the LABC All-Louisiana Team of the Century. Watts was credited by NBA.com as the “first NBA player to turn a bald head into a fashion statement.” In 1975-76, he was the second winner of the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for exemplary community service.
because this is truly an honor for all athletes.” In addition to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Watts is a member of the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame (Class of 1991). Watts made a name for himself as an NAIA All-American guard at Xavier playing for Bob Hopkins. In three seasons, he scored 1,460 career points (eighth in school history) and averaged 18.3 points per game (fourth in school history) and 4.1 assists per game (sixth in school history). Watts said getting an opportunity to play for Hopkins helped make him a better overall player and eventually paved the road to his success in the NBA and in life. “Going over there was a blessing because I learned so many things at Xavier,” Watts said. “I learned so much about life and diversity. It also gave me a chance to be closer to home. It was a blessing to be over there and be around all of that.” Xavier thrived during Watt’s tenure at the school. The program had back-to-back 20win seasons for the first time since the late
1930s and won the NAIA District 30 championship his junior and senior seasons, reaching the national quarterfinals in his senior season. Hopkins said Watts was the type of player that most coaches would dream of having on their roster. “Slick was never a player who lacked confidence. He didn’t have that great shooting touch, but he had the ability to score in a variety of ways. He was also such a terrorizing defensive player that he had the ability to change the momentum in a game.” Watts also earned the respect from his Xavier teammates. Sammy Young said playing with Watts was an experience he will never forget. “He was such a unique guy,” Young said. “Everything he set out to do, he did it. He was doing things most guys were not doing back then. That’s one of the reasons why he was able to make it to the NBA.” Despite becoming an NAIA All-American, Watts’ NBA dreams appeared to end before it even started after he was passed over in the
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1973 draft. Hopkins made a call on Watt’s behalf to his cousin – NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell – who was the head coach and general manager of the SuperSonics at the time. Russell took a chance on Watts and invited him for a tryout. “Russ asked me to send him to Seattle for a tryout, so I decided to make the trip with him,” Hopkins said. “Slick said that the Sonics told him that he would get $10,000 if he went for a tryout and another $10,000 bonus if he was invited back to camp. Slick told me that it was money in the bank.” Watts made the most of the opportunity and became a reserve for the 1973-74 SuperSonics. Going into training camp as an undrafted player and trying to make an NBA roster was a challenge Watts was willing to accept. “It was tough, but to me, it was more rewarding because I know I earned it,” he said. “I had to work hard to achieve it. It didn’t matter if you were from UCLA, North Carolina or Xavier because when they throw
the ball up, it’s all about the game of basketball.” Watts eventually became a starter for the SuperSonics, earning All-NBA defensive honors during the 1975-76 season. That season, he also averaged 13.0 points and 8.1 assists per game and was won the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his service to the community. He followed it up averaging 13.0 points and 8.0 assists per game in the 1976-77 season. After 4 1/2 seasons, Watts had an opportunity to return to the city where he made a name for himself as a college player. He finished the 1977-78 season as a member of the Jazz. Watts said he welcomed the change of scenery. “It was always fun to come back home and play in Louisiana,” he said. “It was the end of an era in Seattle, but it was to come back to New Orleans.” Watts was traded to the Houston Rockets following the 1977-78 season and played one more season before retiring. Since retiring and moving back to Washington, basketball has remained a big part of Watt’s life. He became a high school basketball coach in the Seattle and has been running a successful youth basketball camp – Watts Basketball – for nearly 20 years. Watts said he attributes his success as basketball camp director to the same person that launched his college and professional career – Bob Hopkins. “I learned everything about running a camp from Bob Hopkins,” Watts said. “Training kids is something I enjoy doing. It’s something that appeals to me and helps stay involved in the game I love so much.” Watts’ legacy as a basketball player will always live on. However, it has nothing to do what he did on the court. NBA.com credited Watts as being the “first NBA player to turn a bald head into a fashion statement.” Watts said it is a recognition that he will always embrace. “When I played, I used to think that I was Walt Frazier because I liked to dress nice,” he said. “When you would for shopping for clothes in department stores, all the mannequins would have no hair on their heads. It
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made me think that having no hair on your head was a good fashion statement. When I dressed like that, people used to joke around and tell me that I went from a two to a nine real quick. “It’s also a good way of hiding how old you really are.” Young said he will remember Watts for more than just his play on the court. “We can never forget his bald head. He was such a character,” Young said. His induction in the hall confirms he’s unforgettable among the greatest in Louisiana sports lore.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers
A complete list of Hall of Famers already enshrined DANNY ABRAMOWICZ Abramowicz carved out a memorable 11-year NFL career, emerging as a star receiver for the fledgling New Orleans Saints from 1967-73. He holds club records for most touchdown passes caught (37), most consecutive games with receptions (79), most career receptions (309) and most yards gained receiving(4,975). He was named to The Sporting News NFL Eastern Conference All-Star team in 1968. He averaged 15.4 yards per catch and scored 30 TDs in his career. Abramowicz set an NFL record, and ranks second today, with catches in 105 straight games. He was the second player inducted in the Saints Hall of Fame. JOE ADCOCK Adcock was a power-hitting first baseman in the major leagues for 17 years. He is among the all-time home run leaders with 336. Adcock broke in with Cincinnati in 1950, played at Milwaukee from 1953 through 1962, Cleveland in 1963 and California from 1964 through 1966. He managed the Indians in 1967. Adcock had a career batting average of .277, and his highest home run years were in 1956 when he hit 38 and 1961 when he had 35. Adcock, in addition to his home runs, had 35 triples and 295 doubles in the majors. JOE AILLET Aillet was head football coach at Louisiana Tech from 1940 through 1966, compiling a record of 151-86-8 for a winning percentage of .633. During that time, he won or shared nine Gulf States Conference championships and finished second seven times. Aillet received virtually every honor available for coaches, including a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. The impressive Joe Aillet Stadium and Fieldhouse at Louisiana Tech is named in memory of the former coach and athletic director. CHARLES ALEXANDER LSU’s Charles Alexander was a consensus All-America run-
ning back in 1977 and 1978 before a seven-year NFL career with Cincinnati. Alexander is LSU’s No. 2 career rushing leader with 4,035 yards and the single season leader with 1,686 yards (1977). He is LSU’s all-time season scoring leader with 104 points 1977). He was named the SEC’s MVP by the Nashville Banner in 1977. In the 1977 Sun Bowl he set records with 31 carries for 197 yards. The 12th player taken in the 1979 NFL Draft, he scored 15 career NFL touchdowns. He was a member of the Bengals’1981 Super Bowl team. BILLY ALLGOOD Basketball coach at Louisiana College from 1959-85 and athletic director from 1965-96, Billy Allgood retired as baseball coach in 1998 at age 65. He is Louisiana's fifth-winningest college basketball coach (327-332) despite a barebones budget and willingness to play much bigger foes. On Feb. 5, 1970, LC defeated Grambling 71-52 in the first-ever regular season meeting of predominantly black and mostly white state schools. In 1994, LC beat LSU 7-5, the first time an NAIA school had beaten a defending NCAA champion. His overall baseball coaching record is unknown. JOHN ALTOBELLO Altobello posted an .865 career winning percentage at two New Orleans high schools and won 12 state titles, eight in basketball and four more as a baseball coach. His basketball teams at St. Aloysius and DeLaSalle won eight state and 16 district championships and had a combined 589-92 record. His baseball teams at the same two schools won four state and seven district titles and had a combined record of 629-202 (.759). In 25 years of coaching, his teams never had a losing season in basketball or baseball and he won at least one championship every year. ALEX ATHAS A three-time All-Southeastern Conference basketball standout for Tulane, Alex “Greek” Athas led the Greenies to a 7214 record from 1943-48. Before serving in the Navy he led the SEC in scoring in 1943-44 and set an SEC Tournament single-game record with 28 points. He played halfback for the 1943 Tulane football team and also was one of the SEC’s premier trackmen, once single-handedly beating LSU in a dual meet by winning five events. In the 1944 SEC Championships, he scored 14 points for the Wave. Athas played pro basketball for three years.
CARRICE RUSSELL BAKER During her 39-year girls high school basketball coaching career, Carrice Russell Baker won over 1,000 games and is the state's winningest girls coach. Her teams posted an astounding 972-191 (.836) record (three of her seasons in the late 1940s do not have records available, but there was a 22-5 record sandwiched between two of them). They won eight state championships and finished second four more times. Four state titles came at Winnsboro HS in the era of six-player, three at each end of the court competition, and four more came in the 1970s at Jena HS in the five-player full-court game. She was 588-138 (.810) with 20 playoff appearances and 11 district titles at Winnsboro after taking over as head coach at the age of 19 for the 1946-47 season following her graduation from Louisiana Tech. Her 1952-53 team made history by ending the national-record 218-game win streak by nearby Baskin HS, coached by Hall of Famer Edna Tarbutton. BILL BANKER Banker, inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame, was an All-American at Tulane in the late 1920’s. He still holds Tulane records for all-purpose career running with 597 plays, career touchdowns with 37 and total points with 259. His average yardage per game rushing in 27 contests was 93.2. He ran the ball 515 times in 1929 when Tulane was unbeaten and was the nation’s second-leading scorer in 1928 with 128 points. He later became a professional player with the old Memphis Tigers. GARY BARBARO A New Orleans native and Nicholls State product, Barbaro was a three-time All-Pro safety with the Kansas City Chiefs who started every game (101) with KC in his first seven NFL seasons. He was voted as a Pro Bowl starter by his fellow players in 1980, 1981 and 1982. He is fourth in the Chiefs’ career interception list with 39, including a club-record 102yard return that tied the NFL record in 1977. He had a career-best 10 interceptions in 1980, second in club history, and a single-season high of 96 tackles in 1981. LEON BARMORE The first male coach enshrined as a women’s coach in the Basketball Hall of Fame, Barmore compiled a 576-87 record in 20 seasons as head coach at Louisiana Tech University, where he began his college coaching career as an assistant in 1977. Upon his retirement following the 2001-2002 season, Barmore’s .869 winning percentage was the best in men’s or women’s college basketball history. He was the fastest coach in women’s basketball history to reach 500 wins. In the 1988 season, Barmore led Tech to the NCAA championship with a 32-2 record. Under his direction, Tech reached five national championship games and nine Final Fours, second best in women’s basketball history. Named the Naismith national Coach of the Year in 1988, Barmore led Tech to thirteen 30-win season (best in history) and nineteen 20-plus win season (seventh best in history). ALBERT BELLE A Shreveport native, the former LSU star and second-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 1987, Belle became one of the most feared power hitters in major league baseball in the 1990s while playing for Cleveland (1989-96), the Chicago White Sox (1997-98) and Baltimore Orioles (19992000). He finished his career playing in 1,539 games with 1,726 hits, 389 doubles, 381 home runs and 1,239 RBIs. Belle had a career batting average of .295 and a career slugging percentage of .564. Among his highlights were tying Babe Ruth with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in eight straight seasons from 1992-99 (only Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx had more) and becoming the first player in baseball history to hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a season (he had 52 doubles and 50 homers) in 1995.
LSU coach Skip Bertman, who was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame, led the Tigers to five national championships and was named national coach of the year six times.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers SKIP BERTMAN Bertman steered LSU to five national championships in a brilliant 18-year career as head baseball coach at LSU. The College World Series wins came in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000 among 11 CWS appearances. From 1984-2001, Bertman guided LSU to a 870-330-3 (.724) record, including Southeastern Conference championships in 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997. He was named national coach of the year six times -- 2000, 1997, 1996, 1993, 1991 and 1986. He served as head coach of the 1996 USA Olympic Team which won the bronze medal in Atlanta. Bertman directed LSU to the highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.754, 89-29). BERNIE BIERMAN A native of Minnesota, Bierman forged powerful football teams at both Tulane and the University of Minnesota before retiring from the game in 1950. From 1927 through 1931, his Tulane teams produced three All-Americans. He later served as head coach at Minnesota from 1932-41 and 1945-50. He guided Minnesota to national championships in 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940 and 1941. The Gophers also won six Big Ten titles under his leadership. At Tulane and Minnesota, he had seven unbeaten teams. BUDDY BLAIR Blair, a native of Sicily Island, was a forward on LSU’s only national championship basketball team, a member of the school’s only national championship track squad as a javelin ace and a regular on the Tiger baseball team. He earned nine letters at LSU and later played pro baseball for five years in the Yankee and Athletics organizations. In the national championship basketball game against Pittsburgh, Blair scored 20 of LSU’s 41 points. He is a member of the LSU Hall of Fame as an all-around athlete. MEL BLOUNT Blount, also a member of the National Football League Hall of Fame, is a Georgia native who played at Southern University before becoming one of pro ball’s all-time best defensive backs in 14 seasons with the Steelers, winning four Super Bowls. He set a team career interception record with 57 and was seventh in NFL history when he retired. Blount, who played in a record 200 games for Pittsburgh, was the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player on defense in 1975, when he had 11 interceptions. VIDA BLUE A Mansfield native, Blue played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues for Oakland, Kansas City and San Francisco. He won the 1971 Cy Young Award and was named the American League Most Valuable Player after posting a 248 record with a 1.82 ERA and eight shutouts for the Athletics. Blue played in six All-Star Games, becoming the first pitcher to start and win the All-Star Game for both leagues. He pitched in three World Series. Blue had 2,175 strikeouts in his career. TOMMY BOLT Bolt won 16 tournaments on the PGA tour, including the 1958 U.S. Open and the Colonial Invitational. He set a PGA record of 60 at Hartford, Conn., and set another record by playing 72 holes without a five on his card. He was twice selected to the Ryder Cup team, and as a senior he won the PGA, Open and World, three events considered the senior Grand Slam. Bolt is the only Louisiana golfer ever to win the National Open. The Shreveport native was also noted for his hot temper and club-throwing. ZEKE BONURA Bonura, who grew up in New Orleans, was a first baseman for seven seasons in the major leagues. He played in 900 games, hit 119 home runs, drove in 704 runs and had a career batting average of .307. In three of his seven seasons in the big leagues, Bonura hit more than 20 homers. He had over 90 RBI’s in five seasons. His slugging percent-
age for his major league career was .487. Bonura played for the Chicago White Sox, the Washington Senators, New York Giants and Chicago Cubs from 1934 through 1940. SID BOWMAN Bowman jumped 49-1 in the triple jump in the 1928 Olympic trials while still a student at Hammond High School, and he competed in that event in the Olympics. After enrolling at LSU in 1929, Bowman set school records in the broad jump and triple jump with leaps of 23-11 and 49-7 1/2. He won the national triple jump title in 1932 and earned a berth that year in the Olympics at Los Angeles. As a senior at LSU, Bowman won the conference championship in the triple jump, an event he also won in the Penn Relays. WARREN BRADEN Warren "Jug" Braden led the Southern University football teams of Coach Ace Mumford to consecutive national championships in 1948-49. A two-time All-America quarterback, the New Orleans native guided the Jaguars to records of 8-2-1, 10-2, 12-0 and 10-0-1. Braden played safety on defense, averaged 44 yards per punt and returned punts and kickoffs. He made the Tom Harmon and Pittsburgh Courier All-America teams, joining Eddie LeBaron on the 1949 Tom Harmon team. On Dec. 5, 1948, Southern met San Francisco State in college football's first integrated bowl game (the Fruit Bowl) and Southern won 30-0 as Braden was voted the game's MVP. He played professionally in Canada. TERRY BRADSHAW Bradshaw, also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, quarterbacked the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships in the 1970’s and was chosen the game’s Most Valuable Player in the last two in 1978 and 1979. He was also the 1978 NFL Player of the Year and the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1979. A Louisiana Tech All-American before going to the NFL, Bradshaw completed 2,025 of 3,901 passes for 27,989 yards and 212 touchdowns in 14 years as a pro. He played in four Pro Bowls and was 49 of 84 with nine TD’s in Super Bowls.
Detroit). After earning AP and Scripps-Howard News Service All-America honors as a junior for LSU, an injury curtailed his bid to become one of the few two-time AllAmericas in LSU history. He was All-Southeastern Conference in 1985 (AP, UPI and SEC Coaches). Brooks was a third-round NFL Draft pick who starred at linebacker while playing 138 career games with 4 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries. Brooks was a two-time Class 4A (at the time the state's largest classification) All-State pick and a three-year all-district selection at Ruston High. He posted 97 tackles as a junior, 104 as a senior and added two pass interceptions, three aerial deflections as a junior, along with three pass interceptions and four deflects as a senior when Brooks helped lead Ruston to the 1982 state title. MARTY BROUSSARD Broussard, a trainer for the USA in the 1960 Rome Olympic Games and the 1955 Pan American Games, was one of the nation's most innovative trainers and a fixture at LSU for five decades. Among his accomplishments are being codeveloper of the Drury-Broussard Torque Table to test muscular strength, co-authoring booklets on functional isometric contraction for football and functional isometric contraction for golf and writing the noted Athletic Training Guide. He developed the Quickkick energy drink. An Abbeville native and 1944 graduate of LSU, Broussard lettered in track and baseball during his undergraduate days and was high point scorer in the 1944 SEC meet. He also served as trainer at Florida and Texas A&M before returning to LSU in 1948. He was selected National Trainer of the Year by the Rockne Foundation in 1963. Broussard was elected to the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame, after being among the organization's five founding fathers years earlier. He was one of three founders of the Southeastern Conference Trainers' Association. In 1982 he was named to the LSU L Club Hall of Fame.
FRANK BRIAN An All-State basketball player at Zachary, Brian as All-Southeastern Conference as a sophomore at LSU in 1943. He was also a conference champ on the LSU track team, competing in hurdles, broad jump and the mile relay. After a military stint, Brian was again chosen to the All-SEC basketball team as a senior in 1946. He signed with the Anderson Packers of the NBA, where he was Rookie of the Year. Brian was named to NBA All-Star teams twice and ranked in the top six in scoring in the NBA three times in 10 years. LOU BROCK An El Dorado, Ark., native who starred at Southern University, Brock broke into the big leagues in 1961 with the Cubs and joined the Cardinals in 1964. He broke the major league stolen base record in 1974 with 118 and held the record for most stolen bases in a career with 938 (broken by Rickey Henderson, 1991). Brock had a lifetime batting average of .293 and was the Sporting News Player of the Year in 1974. He played in three World Series and five All-Star games and set series records for batting average and most stolen bases. MICHAEL BROOKS A Ruston native who was All-America as a junior at LSU, hard-hitting Michael Brooks reached the Pro Bowl in 1992 for the Denver Broncos to highlight 10 NFL seasons (1987-92 in Denver, 1993-95 with the New York Giants, 1996 with
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
Shreveport native, Louisiana Tech and Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers BILLY BROWN Brown graduated from Baker High and became one of LSU’s best-known track stars. The highlight of his career was in 1936 when he represented the United States in the triple jump at the Olympic Games in Berlin. He won the NCAA broad jump crown in 1941 with a leap of 24-7, and he set a conference record in the 220 with a time of 20.6. He also ran a 9.5 century and collected a total of 43 points in SEC championship meets during his three years on the LSU team.
GERNON BROWN Few coaches have dominated their arena as Gernon Brown did in prep sports during the 1930’s and 1940’s at Jesuit High in New Orleans. Brown won 19 state championships for Jesuit in three sports during the so-called “Golden Era” of prep sports. In 20 years as football coach, he compiled a 146-43-11 record, a .757 winning percentage. He had five state championships, seven city titles and coached four unbeaten teams. Brown won three state basketball titles and 11 state baseball crowns.
CHARLIE BROWN Head football coach at Monroe-Neville for 30 seasons (1963-92), Brown compiled a record of 263-66-6 that puts him sixth on the state all-time wins list. His .794 winning percentage is No. 3 among coaches ranked in the top 15 in wins. Brown’s Tigers won three state titles, reached three other state championship games and claimed 11 district crowns. His teams had only one losing season. As a top assistant coach for 12 years at Neville prior to succeeding Bill Ruple as head coach, he helped the Tigers reach five championship games, with four state title wins. Also coached four baseball state championship teams at Neville before taking over for Ruple as football head coach.
JAMES “BIG FUZZY” BROWN “Big Fuzzy” Brown took Istrouma of Baton Rouge to the heights of Louisiana state high school football after succeeding his brother, “Little Fuzzy,” as coach. From 1950-62, Istrouma won eight state championships, and 11 of 13 district titles, in the state’s top classification. He retired after the 1967 season with a record of 162-40-11. Among his players were Hall of Famers Billy Cannon and Roy Winston. While his brother was president of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, “Big Fuzzy” was president of the Coaches Association, thus creating a power base never since equaled in state prep athletics. He died in 1977.
DALE BROWN An unequaled figure in state basketball history, Brown retired in 1997 after 25 seasons as basketball coach at LSU. He built a mediocre program into a nationally prominent one which reached two Final Fours among 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. LSU is the only Southeastern Conference school to appear in 10 straight NCAA Tournaments and 15 consecutive national tournaments. Only six schools in NCAA history have made more consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Brown (448 wins from 1973-97) is the second-winningest coach in SEC history behind Adolph Rupp of Kentucky. Brown won three national Coach of the Year awards.
JOE BROWN Brown won the lightweight boxing championship of the world in 1956, fighting 13 of the 15 rounds with a broken hand. He defended his title 11 times in his seven-year reign as champion before losing the crown to Carlos Ortiz in 1962. During his 25-year boxing career, Brown-known as the Creole Clouter won 104 fights, lost only 12 and fought to two draws. He retired at the age of 44 and went out a winner, beating Ramon Flores in his last fight. Of his 104 wins, 47 were by knockouts. WILLARD BROWN Inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2006, the Shreveport native was black baseball’s premier slugging outfielder in the 1940s. He joined Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and Hank Thompson as blacks who made their Major League Baseball debuts in 1947. Brown, 36 at the time, lasted 21 games with the St. Louis Browns and was released after batting .179. He became the first black American Leaguer to hit a home run during his short stay with the last-place team. He returned to the Negro League and batted .374 with 18 homers in 1948 and .317 in 1949, ending his Negro League career with a .355 batting average. In Puero Rican winter ball, he had a career .350 batting average, won three batting titles and set a home run record in the 1947-48 season (27). Future Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda played winter ball with Brown and a decade later called him “one of the greatest hitters I ever saw.” Brown’s career ended in the Texas League with Dallas and Houston, averaging .306 and 23 home runs despite being in his 40S. Brown,. nicknamed “Home Run” by Negro Leagues slugger Josh Gibson, died in 1996. WILLIE BROWN Brown, a Grambling product, played with the Broncos and Raiders in the NFL. He earned All-NFL honors in 1968 and 1969 and was All-Pro four straight times from 1970 through 1973. He played in four Pro Bowls in the early 1970’s and had a record-breaking 75-yard pass interception return in the 1977 Super Bowl. Brown, who retired in 1978, finished his career with 54 interceptions, and he shares the NFL record of four interceptions in a game. Brown was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1984.
Joe Brown won the 1956 Lightweight World Championship after defeating Wallace “Bud” Smith in 15 rounds.
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PAT BROWNE JR. A lifelong New Orleans resident, Pat Browne, Jr.. has been champion of the United States Blind Golfers' Association 21 times since 1975, including the last 20 years. He was threetime captain of the U.S. Stewart Cup Team in competitions held against Great Britain's blind golfers. In 1988, he was selected by the Golf Writers of America for the Ben Hogan Award for the national golf figure who has battled adversity and triumphed. Before losing his sight in an auto accident,
Buck Buchanan was a No. 1 draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963 and played in six straight AFL All-Star games.
Browne captained Tulane's golf and basketball teams, setting a single-game basketball scoring mark with 33 points in 1954. He has won 50 tournaments, including nine victories in the Heather Farr Drive for Sight Tournament. QUEEN BRUMFIELD (NARD) Brumfield is the greatest player in the history of Southeastern Louisiana University women's basketball. The only three-time All-American in the history of Lady Lions' basketball, Queen Brumfield set career marks in points (2,972) and rebounds (1,586) which have remained untouchable. The rebounding total is a state record. Brumfield, a three-time All-Louisiana player, led the Lady Lions to the 1977 AIAW National Championship as well as four consecutive LAIAW state and SWAIAW regional championships. Along with her career points and rebounds marks, Brumfield also holds numerous other SLU standards. BUCK BUCHANAN Considered one of Grambling’s all-time greatest players, Buchanan was a No. 1 draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963 as a 6-foot-7,287-pound defensive tackle. He played 13 seasons in the NFL, appearing in 12 playoffs, championship and Pro Bowl games. The Gainesville, Ala., native missed only one game in his long pro career. Buchanan played in six straight AFL-All-Star games starting in 1964 and was picked for the Pro Bowl after the 1970 and 1971 seasons. He was a standout in the Chiefs 1969 Super Bowl win. CHRIS CAGLE Cagle was a high school star at Merryville who went on to collegiate greatness at Southwestern Louisiana and Army. At Southwestern, he completed 54 percent of his passes in 1924 for 859 yards. He scored 120 points in 1925 and in one game against LSU hit on 22 of 33 passes. In his three years at Southwestern, he ran back 10 punts for touchdowns. Cagle was a three-time All-American halfback at Army from 1927 to 1929. He was considered one of the best run-pass-kick combination players in the game.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers Nicholls' all-time leader in catches (147), receiving yards (2,709) and TDs (24), and ranks fourth all-time in punt return average (8.9) with two TDs. A third-round draft pick (57th overall) by the Tampa Bay Bucs in 1987, he played 12 NFL seasons with Tampa Bay (1987-92), Cleveland (199394) and Carolina (1995-98), posting career totals of 569 catches, 8,763 yards, 15.4 yards per catch, 48 TDs. TOMMY CASANOVA An All-Southeastern Conference defensive back for three straight years at LSU, Casanova was a consensus AllAmerican selection as a senior in 1971. He had a six-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals, earning All-Pro honors in 1975 and playing in the Pro Bowl. Casanova still ranks fourth in interceptions for the Bengals with 17. He had 90 punt returns in the NFL, including runs of 89 and 74 yards. Casanova was chosen as a member of the Sporting News’ all-time college team as a cornerback after his LSU career. JIM CASON A Tallulah native, and an LSU halfback from 1944-47, Cason played eight years of pro football, twice reaching the Pro Bowl as a defensive back (1952, 1955). He was elected defensive team captain in five of his eight pro seasons in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Denver. He played from 1948-52 for the San Francisco 49ers, leading them in interceptions in three years and serving as defensive captain. He was an International News Service All-Pro in 1949 and honorable mention All-Pro in 1955. At LSU, he was a highly-respected defender who had some memorable offensive highlights in the era of two-way players.
New Orleans native and Major League Baseball All-Star Will Clark was inducted in 2004.
BILLY CANNON Cannon is perhaps the greatest folk hero in Louisiana sports history. He led LSU to the national championship in 1958 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1959. He played both running back and defensive back before the return of twoplatoon football. He was a fearsome blend of speed and size, tipping the scales at 205 and running the 100 in 9.4. Cannon was one of the earliest stars of the American Football League with the Houston Oilers. He played 11 years in the pros, finishing his career with the Raiders. TONY CANZONERI Born in Slidell, Canzoneri began his professional boxing career in 1924, the year after winning the New York 118pound AAU title. He retired in 1939 to become an actor and restauranteur. Canzoneri had 181 pro bouts, winning 138, drawing in 11, losing 29. He kayoed 44 opponents and held three world titles-featherweight, lightweight and junior welterweight. Canzoneri, who died in 1959, appeared in 21 world title bouts in four divisions from 118 to 140 pounds between 1925 and 1939. HAROLD CARMICHAEL A product of Southern University, Carmichael had a brilliant career as a wide receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1971 through 1983. He played his final NFL season in 1984 with the Dallas Cowboys. He set an NFL record by catching at least one pass in 127 consecutive games and had club records with the Eagles for most receiving yardage with 8,978, most passes caught with 589 and most touchdown passes with 79 during his career. Twice an All-Pro, Carmichael played in four Pro Bowls and was NFL Man of the Year in 1980. MARK CARRIER A 12-year NFL veteran receiver, Carrier was a 1989 All-Pro pick at Tampa Bay after an All-America career at Nicholls. The Church Point native played for Nicholls State from 1983-86 and was a first-team Division I-AA All-American in 1986. A first-team All-Gulf South performer in 1986 when he caught 78 passes for 1,513 yards and 20 TDs, he is
DON CHANEY A Baton Rouge native, Chaney played on two Boston Celtic NBA Championship teams(1969, 1974) and was the 199091 NBA Coach of the Year with the Houston Rockets. An All-American guard, all-state first baseman and a football star at McKinley High, Chaney played collegiately at Houston, helping the Cougars reach two NCAA Final Fours. A second-team All-American in 1968, Chaney scored 1,133 points and was a first-round NBA draft pick. He played 12 seasons and was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team five times. Chaney scored 6, 616 career points.
HOLLIS CONWAY The top-ranked high jumper in the U.S. seven straight years from 1988-94, Conway is the only American ever to win two Olympic medals in the high jump. The Shreveport native went 7-8 3/4 in the event at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, as a sophomore at USL, setting a U.S. collegiate record and earning a silver medal. He won a bronze medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona after going 7-8 1/2 in winning the U.S. Olympic Trials that year. In 1989, Conway broke the American record twice in the high jump, winning the NCAA Outdoor Championships at 7-9 3/4 and the U.S. Olympic Festival at 7-10. A six-time NCAA AllAmerican and three-time NCAA champ at USL, Conway set an American indoor record of 7-10 1/2 while winning in 1991 World Indoor title. His NCAA outdoor record of 7-9 3/4 still stands 15 years later, as does his mark of 7-9 1/4 at that year’s NCAA indoor meet. Conway won 10 USA Championship titles (five outdoor, five indoor) and was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1990 and 1991 before announcing his retirement in 2000. JIM CORBETT Athletic director at LSU from 1955 until his death in 1967, Corbett guided the Tigers sports program through a period of remarkable growth and prosperity that included a national football championship and continuous sell-outs at Tiger Stadium. A forceful spokesman for college athletics at the national level, Corbett helped develop the NCAA football television package. The National Association of Athletic Directors’ award to the nation’s outstanding athletic director each year is named in memory of Corbett. CLIFFORD ANN CREED The first woman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Creed was the state amateur women’s golf champion five times, including four straight titles from 1956 through 1959. An Alexandria native, she was a Curtis Cup player in 1962 before turning pro in 1963. She was the women pro tour’s rookie of the year that season and fifth in money winnings. Clifford Ann finished in the top 10 in money winnings on the pro tour for six consecutive years while winning 11 LPGA tournament championships and one team tournament in the 1960’s.
JIMMY “CHICK” CHILDRESS One of the most successful prep football coaches in state history, Childress is a member of the Louisiana High School Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame after leading Ruston to a 131-27 (.829) mark in 12 seasons. He won four state titles, in 1982, 1986, 1988, and 1990, and his 1990 unbeaten team was ranked No. 1 nationally in one poll. He was voted Class 4A Coachof the Year five times and district coach of the year seven times. Childress, raised in an orphanage, was Most Valuable Player at Northeast Louisiana University in 1956 and a third-team All-Gulf States Conference pick. He was defensive coordinator at Neville High for 15 years, helping the Tigers win four state titles, and played on the 1947 Ruston High state championship team coached by Hall of Famer “Hoss” Garrett.” WILL CLARK A six-time All-Star selection, Clark retired from professional baseball after the 2000 season, concluding his 15-year MLB career with a .303 batting average, 2,176 hits, 1,205 RBI and 284 home runs. A native of New Orleans and graduate of Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Clark starred as a first baseman during a record-setting three-year collegiate career at Mississippi State. A two-time All-SEC standout, he earned All-American honors in 1984 and 1985. Clark earned collegiate baseball’s highest honor that season, the Golden Spikes Award. He played in the bigs for San Francisco, Texas, Baltimore and St. Louis. He helped teams to postseason playoffs in five years, including 1987 and 1989 with the Giants, highlighted by an incredible NLCS in ’89 when he batted .650 (13-for-20) in five games and had two home runs.
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An Alexandria native, Clifford Ann Creed was the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers the National League pennant the next year. He took the 1974 Oakland A's to the AL pennant. Dark was a multi-sport athletic great at LSU and Lake Charles High. WILLIE DAVENPORT Davenport competed in four Olympic Games and at one time held the Olympic record in the high hurdles. A Troy, Alabama, native who attended Southern University, Davenport won the gold medal in the 120-high hurdles in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. He won a bronze medal in the 1976 Olympics at Montreal and just missed another bronze at the 1972 games in Munich. He lost in the semifinals of the 1964 Olympics at Tokyo after an injury. He had a career best time of 13.2 in the 110 meter high hurdles. TOMMY DAVIS Davis was an All-America prep linebacker-fullback for the 1952 state champion Fair Park team, was a fullback and kicking specialist for the 1958 LSU team that won the national championship and had a brilliant 11-year NFL career. He had 234 consecutive extra point kicks at one point during his pro career and overall was 348 of 350 for a record 99.4 percentage. His career punting average of 44.6 was second on the all-time NFL list when he retired. In two straight seasons, he had the NFL’s longest field goals, 53yarders.
Recently inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, Fred Dean was enshrined into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
J.T. CURTIS Curtis has won a record 23 state titles, including a recordtying five straight from 2004-08. His Patriots have 14 consecutive state championship game appearances through 2009 and 25 overall appearances in the state finals. Curtis has taken his team to the state playoffs 36 times in his 40 seasons and has made the postseason every year since 1975. From 1979-82, Curtis won 43 consecutive games and from 1979 to 2001, Curtis was not shut out in a national record 303 straight games. Curtis won 136 consecutive district games from 1977-2001 before losing to O.P. Walker 200. Curtis was 0-10 in 1969 -- his first season -- and 3-3-3 in 1974 for the only non-winning seasons in his tenure. JOHN DAVID CROW Crow, former head football coach at Northeast Louisiana University, was an All-American at Springhill who won the Heisman Trophy in 1957 during a brilliant career for Bear Bryant’s Texas A & M teams. As a professional, he played for 11 years with the Chicago and St. Louis Cardinals and later the San Francisco 49ers. He rushed for 1,071 yards in 1960 and holds the Cardinals’ single game rushing record of 203 yards. The No. 1 draft choice of the Cardinals, he was the first Cardinal ever to rush for 1,000 yards. JERRY DALRYMPLE A two-time All-American at Tulane, Dalrymple played on Bernie Bierman’s great teams from 1929 to 1931. During his three years, the Greenies were 28-2, went unbeaten in 1929 and 1931 and went to the 1932 Rose Bowl. One of the finest defensive ends in the history of Southern football, Dalrymple was only six-feet tall and weighed 170 pounds. Referring to his vicious tackling, Knute Rockne said of Dalrymple, “You can sit in the stands and see him play or close your eyes and hear him play.” ALVIN DARK Dark was a versatile athlete, excelling in golf, football and baseball. But the Lake Charles native won stardom in baseball, earning Rookie of the Year honors with the Boston Braves in 1948 when he batted .322. He played from 1948 until 1960, compiling a .298 career batting average with the Giants, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies and Braves. He managed the San Francisco Giants in 1961 and guided the Giants to
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WILLIE DAVIS Grambling coach Eddie Robinson calls Davis the best defensive end he has ever seen. Davis, who now resides in Los Angeles, was an All-American selection at Grambling in the 1950’s. The 6-foot-3, 245 pounder later won All-Pro honors while a member of Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. Green Bay dominated the National Football League during Davis’ career, winning the NFL championship five times, and Davis was considered the premier defensive end and one of the best defensive players in pro ball. He is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. FRED DEAN Dean emerged as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers with San Diego and San Francisco after a remarkable college career at Louisiana Tech. The Ruston native was a three-time All-American for the Bulldogs from 1972-74. He was the 33rd player picked in the 1975 NFL Draft. Dean, undersized for a defensive lineman ( 232 pounds), made 94 sacks in his 11 NFL seasons and played on two Super Bowl championship teams with San Francisco. He played in three Pro Bowls (1979-81) and was picked for another in 1983, when he led the NFL with a 49ers record 17 1/2 sacks. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. JOE DEAN In 13 years as director of athletics at his alma mater (19872000), Dean oversaw incredible athletic success in the 1990s as LSU won 21 national championships (5 baseball, 16 track) and 25 SEC titles. During Dean’s tenure, LSU won more national championships than in the entire previous history of the school. A former three-time All-SEC basketball player who helped the Bob Pettit-led Tigers reach the Final Four, Dean also played baseball and competed in track for the Tigers. He was an alternate on the 1956 U.S. Olympic basketball team after winning honorable mention AllAmerica honors in 1952. EDDIE DELAHOUSSAYE A New Iberia native, Delahoussaye was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1993. He has won five Triple Crown races, the 1982 Kentucky Derby with Gato Del Sol and the 1983 Derby with Sunny’s Halo; the 1988 Preakness and the 1988 Belmont Stakes on Risen Star; and the 1992 Belmont on A.P. Indy. He is one of only four riders to win consecutive Derbys. Delahoussaye, who began riding thoroughbreds at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans in 1967, rode his first win-
ner in 1968 at Evangeline Downs. He became the 14th rider in history with 5,000 wins in 1993. He won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1981. He has seven total Breeders’ Cup victories. JOE DELANEY A 1997 inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame, Delaney was an All-America star in football and track at Haughton High and Northwestern State. He was the 1982 AFC Rookie of the Year as a running back for Kansas City. He set Northwestern’s career rushing record with 3,047 yards (5.0 average). Delaney set Demon records in the 100 (10.26) and 200 meters (20.6) and ran the second leg on NSU’s 1981 NCAA champion 4x100 relay team. As a rookie with the Chiefs, he set four club records and his 1,121 yards rushing still ranks among the top 5 rookie totals in NFL history. He drowned in a heroic rescue attempt in June 1983. BILL DICKEY Dickey, a native of Bastrop, broke into organized baseball with Little Rock of the Southern Association in 1925 and played until 1947. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, he is considered one of the top catchers in baseball history. Dickey played in 1,789 games as a Yankee catcher and had a lifetime batting average of .313. He had 202 home runs and 1,209 runs batted in. Dickey played in eight World Series and scored the winning run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1943 Series. MEL DIDIER A longtime major league baseball executive and scout, Didier has served as Assistant General Manager for Arizona, the Los Angeles Dodgers (twice), the Baltimore Orioles, and as Director of Minor League Operations and Scouting Director for two expansion teams, Montreal (196975) and Seattle (1977-78), and is now working for the Texas Rangers. He is best known for his scouting report which Kirk Gibson credited for his dramatic 1988 World Series Game One-winning pinch-hit home run, voted one of the 10 Most Exciting Moments in World Series History. Among the major league stars he helped develop were Mike Piazza, Andre Dawson and Gary Carter. Didier was a third-team (UPI) football All-American at LSU in 1945, and captain of the Tigers’ SEC-champion baseball team in 1947. He founded the Louisiana High School All-Star Baseball Game in 1981 while baseball coach at USL (83-35 in two years). Didier also served as athletic director at USL in 1981-82. PAUL DIETZEL Dietzel coached LSU for seven years-from 1955 through 1961-and his unbeaten 1958 national championship team was the crowning achievement of LSU’s long football history. The team featured the fabled three units, the White Team, Go Team and Chinese Bandits. His 1959 team extended LSU’s winning streak to 18 games, and Dietzel’s 1961 Tigers ended a 10-1 season with a victory in the Orange Bowl. In a four-year span, he guided LSU to a No. 1 national finish in 1958, No. 3 in 1959 and No. 3 again in the 1961 season. DAVE DIXON A New Orleans businessman, Dixon is considered the "father of professional football" in Louisiana along with being the driving force behind development of the Louisiana Superdome. He also has helped found several professional sports ventures such as the United States Football League and World Championship Tennis. Dixon also played key roles in attracting events such as the NCAA Final Four, the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials to New Orleans. His efforts, extending over a period of several years, resulted in the NFL awarding a franchise to New Orleans that became the Saints in 1966.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers JACK DOLAND Dr. Doland served as head football coach, athletic director and then president of McNeese State, and served in the Louisiana Senate until his death in 1991. As football coach, he was 64-32-3 from 1970-78, leading the 1971 team (9-1-1) to a No. 1 national ranking in Division II and a spot in the Grantland Rice Bowl. He guided the 1976 (10-2) squad to the Southland Conference title and a berth in the inaugural Independence Bowl in Shreveport. A native of Lake Arthur, he played football and basketball at McNeese when the school was a junior college, then went to Tulane, where he was a football and baseball standout and played on the Green Wave’s 1949 SEC championship team. He was head coach at DeQuincy and Sulphur High, winning a state title at Sulphur. He became an assistant coach under Charlie McClendon at LSU before taking the McNeese head coaching post. ATLEY DONALD A native of Morton, Mississippi, who grew up in North Louisiana, Donald pitched for the New York Yankees from 1938 through 1945. He compiled a record of 65 victories and 33 losses and had a career earned run average of 3.52. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound righthander had his best season in 1939 when he went 13-3 and 1942 when he had an 11-3 mark. He appeared in two games in the 1941 and 1942 World Series, Donald set a record for Major League rookies when he won 10 straight games at the beginning of the season. A.J. DUHE All-Pro as a rookie and the AP’s NFL Rookie of the Year in 1977, Duhe was a prep star at Godchaux (Reserve) who blocked three punts in the 1973 Louisiana High School Athletic Association All-Star Game. He then became a four-year starter at LSU, averaging 72 tackles per season and making all-SEC in 1976. He was the outstanding defensive player for the South in the Senior Bowl. A first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1977, Duhe (6-4, 248) played both defensive end and linebacker in eight seasons for the Dolphins and helped them reach the 1982 and 1984 Super Bowls. He was named to the All-AFC team by UPI in 1981 and was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl in 1984. JOE DUMARS A six-time NBA All-Star, Dumars averaged 16.1 points per game during a 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons (1985-99). The Natchitoches native was named MVP of the 1989 NBA Finals after averaging 27.3 points in a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, giving the Pistons the first of two consecutive league championships. He was all-NBA three times, including a second-team selection after averaging a career-best 23.5 points per game in 1992-93. A four-time NBA all-defensive selection, including three times on the first team, the McNeese State product was the first winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award, which is now named the Joe Dumars Trophy, in 1996. He is the Pistons’ all-time leader in three-point field goals made (990) and second in points (16,401), assists (4,612) and steals (902). A 6-foot-3 shooting guard drafted by the Pistons in the first round in 1985, he was a two-time Southland Conference scoring champion at McNeese (26.4 ppg as a junior, 25.8 as a senior) and the SLC Player of the Year and a second-team All-America in 1984-85. RALPH DUPAS Dupas held the world junior middleweight crown during a 16-year pro boxing career. The clever New Orleans native was noted for his fancy footwork and was nicknamed “Native Dancer.” At 17 he was the fourth ranked lighweight after beating No. 1-ranked contender Johnny Gonsalves and fifth -ranked Amond Savoie. He claimed the junior middleweight championship on a decision over Denny Moyer on April 29, 1963 and then beat Moyer in a June 17 rematch. In his career, which went from 1950-66, he was 104-23-6 and that included losing title bouts with such champions as Joe Brown and Emile Griffith. MARK DUPER A three-time Pro Bowl receiver with the Miami Dolphins (1982-92), Duper was inducted into the Dolphins’ Honor Roll during a 2003 Monday Night Football game. He was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American as a sprinter at Northwestern State, running the anchor leg on the Demons’ 1981 NCAA champion 4 x 100-meter relay team that also included Hall of Famer Joe Delaney. Duper, a Moreauville native who didn’t play prep football, was a second-round NFL Draft pick in 1982 after two college seasons. He played in 146 regular-season games with Miami, catching 511 passes for 8,869 yards (17.7 career average) and 59 TDs. He averaged better than 16 yards a catch in seven of his 11 seasons. He also caught at least 50 passes five times and went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving four times - finishing with 1,313 yards in 1986 and 1,306 yards in 1984. He owns the Dolphins’ all-time mark for 100-yard receiving games (28), the single-season record (eight in 1986) and the single-game record for receiving yards (217 vs. N.Y. Jets in 1985). Dolphins QB Dan Marino and Duper are tied for eighth all-time in NFL history among QB-WR scoring combinations (55 TDs). BILLY JOE DUPREE Dupree was a West Monroe native who began playing football at Richardson High, helping his team reach three state championship games from 1966-68, with two wins. He became an All-American at Michigan State, earning a trip to the Blue-Gray All-Star Game, and was a first-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1973. Dupree played 11 seasons at tight end as the Cowboys became known as "America's Team." He played 159 regular-season games in a row and in 22 playoff games. His career totals were 267 catches for 3,565
Louisiana Sports and Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars advises the Northwestern State Demons basketball team before their thrilling NCAA Tournament victory over Iowa on March 17, 2006.
yards, 13.4 yards per catch, and 41 touchdowns. He played in three Pro Bowls (1977, 1978, and 1979) and was part of three Super Bowl teams (X, XII, XIII), winning in 1978 as the Cowboys defeated Denver in his home state, at the Louisiana Superdome. TOM DUTTON Dutton went to LSU from Minden and became a legend as a defensive player and blocker for the Tigers in 1913, 1914 and again in 1919 after the war. He was All-Southern all three seasons. Dutton played “roving center” on defense, following instructions to find the ball and make the tackle. Dutton, a monster in those days at 6-3, 225 pounds, was also an outstanding field man for the LSU track team. He held the school’s shot put record prior to the arrival of Olympian Jack Torrance. EDDIE DYER Dyer was known throughout baseball as “That Little Cajun Lefthander.” He was from Morgan City. A halfback at Rice, he earned a spot in the Hall of Fame by managing the 1946 St. Louis Cardinals to the National League pennant and victory in a seven-game World Series with Joe Cronin’s Boston Red Sox. He was a freshman manager that year, and he stayed at the helm of the Cardinals until 1960. At Rice, he lettered in football, baseball and track and was football captain in 1921. KEN ELLIS Inducted (1998) in the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame, Ellis was a Southern University great who won three All-Pro honors during a 9-year NFL career as a cornerback. All-Pro in 1972, 1973 and 1974 and playing in the Pro Bowl in 1974 and 1975, Ellis played six years with Green Bay. He played in Super Bowl XIV for the Los Angeles Rams and also played for Cleveland, Detroit, Houston and Miami. He made 22 career interceptions, 20 for Green Bay, and scored 9 TDs, 5 on kickoff returns. In college, he led the nation in punt returns in 1968 with a 33-yard average while also starring at halfback and flanker on offense for the Jaguars. RONNIE ESTAY The second Louisiana native enshrined in the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame (joining Tom Hinton), Estay was an All-American at LSU who played in played in nine Grey Cups - winning six. He is in the Hamilton Tiger Cats Hall of Fame. He was elected by fan vote to LSU’s “Modern Day Team of the Century” encompassing teams from 1936-93, joining three other defensive linemen. A defensive tackle at LSU from 1969-71, Estay was a Kodak Coaches All-American and the ABC-TV Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year as a senior when the Tigers led the nation in total defense. The Larose native, was a finalist for the Lombardi Award for the country’s top defensive lineman. A two-time All-SEC pick, he tackled standout quarterbacks Archie Manning and Pat Sullivan for safeties and helped corral Notre Dame’s Joe Theismann during a memorable 3-0 confrontation at South Bend in 1970. In his three years at LSU, the Tigers twice led the nation in rushing defense.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers LENNY FANT Head basketball coach at Northeast for 22 years-from 1957 through 1979-Fant ranked 11th among active Division I coaches in career victories when he retired. He coached at Louisiana College and East Texas Baptist before going to Northeast and had a career record of 388-253. He had 18 consecutive winning seasons at Northeast-the longest among active Division I coaches at the time of his retirement-and his Northeast teams won eight conference championships or district titles and 12 tournament championships. MARSHALL FAULK Marshall Faulk was one of the NFL's most dynamic running backs during a brilliant 12-year career with the Indianapolis Colts (1994-98) and St. Louis Rams (1999-2005). The New Orleans native and Carver High graduate was a three-time AP All-Pro pick and seven-time Pro Bowl selection. He was named by the AP as the NFL MVP in 2000 and was the AP's Offensive Player of the Year from 1999 to 2001. He was also the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1994 after being the second overall pick in the draft. He piled up seven 1,000-yard rushing seasons, gaining more than 1,300 yards on the ground for four straight years (1998 to 2001). Faulk, who played in 176 games with 156 starts, finished his career with 12,279 rushing yards, which ranked ninth alltime going into the 2008 season. He set the NFL single-season record in 1999 with 2,429 yards from scrimmage, helping the Rams to the playoffs and a win in Super Bowl XXXIV. GEORGE “DOC” FENTON Fenton was LSU’s first great football player. As a quarterback in 1907, 1908 and 1909, Fenton was considered a wizard. He could do everything-run, pass, kick, block. Nicknamed “The Artful Dodger,” Doc led the 1908 team to a 10-0 record with 132 points, six field goals, 36 extra points and a 45-yard field goal, all records during their time. In three varsity seasons, Fenton scored 36 touchdowns and helped LSU win 23 games while losing only five. JOE FERGUSON Ferguson set national prep passing records at Shreveport’s Woodlawn High, starred at Arkansas and ranks among the all-time NFL pasing leaders. He played 7 NFL seasons, 12 for the Buffalo Bills (1973-84) and also with Detroit (198587) and Tampa Bay (1988-89). In 1976, he set NFL records for fewest interceptions (1 in 151 attempts) in a season and lowest interception ratio per attempt. Upon his retirement, he ranked ninth all-time in pass attempts (4,511), 11th in completions (2,367), 12th in yardage (29,756) and 18th in touchdown passes (196). He completed 52.2 percent of his passes while starting 171 of his 185 games. JIM FINKS As president and general manager (1986-93), Finks masterminded the remarkable turnaround of the New Orleans Saints. The club won 60 percent of its regular season NFL games and posted a streak of six consecutive non-losing records, matched only by two other NFL teams over the same timespan. In 1987, after the Saints’ first-ever winning season (12-3), Finks was named NFL Executive of the Year by the Sporting News, Football News and Touchdown Club of Washington. Also GM earlier in his career for playoff teams at Minnesota and Chicago, Finks was posthumously inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. CHUCK FINLEY A West Monroe native and former UL-Monroe pitcher, he was a first-round pick (fourth overall) of the California Angels in the 1985 amateur baseball draft. A five-time AllStar, the left-hander played 17 seasons in the major leagues with California (1986-99), Cleveland (2000-02) and St. Louis (2002) and had a career record of 200-173 with an ERA of 3.85 and 2,610 strikeouts in 3197.3 innings (averaging 7.35 Ks per nine innings pitched). He started 467 games and had 63 complete games and 15 shutouts. His best seasons were in 1989, ‘90 and ‘91 when he went 16-9, 18-9
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Alton “Red” Franklin coached 35 seasons at Haynesville High School and won 11 state championships while compiling a 366-76-8 record. The Golden Tornado reached the state playoffs in 31 of his 35 seasons and won 27 district titles.
and 18-9 for a 52-27 record over that three-year span. Had a career-best 2.40 ERA in 1990, ranking second in the American League, and was seventh in the AL Cy Young voting. CHARLES “PEGGY” FLOURNOY Flournoy starred for Tulane’s football team from 1923 to 1925. He was more than a triple threat, showing prowess as an inside runner, outside runner, passer, punter and place kicker. Tulane was 23-4-2 during his career. As a senior, Flournoy led the Green Wave to an unbeaten season and became the school’s first All-American. He led the nation in scoring with 128 points, a total which still stands as a Tulane record. He also holds the single-game scoring record with 31. STEVE FOLEY A star quarterback at Tulane, Foley played 11 seasons at safety for the Denver Broncos (1975-86) and led the team in interceptions for four straight seasons (1978-81). Named to the UPI All-AFC Team after the 1978 season, he played in 150 games, starting 135, and picked off 44 career interceptions, piling up 627 return yards and scoring one touchdown. He started in two Super Bowls (XII and XXI) and was one of only three players, upon his retirement, to have started all of the postseason games in Denver’s AFC history. At Tulane, the New Orleans (Jesuit HS) product led the Green Wave to the Bluebonnet Bowl, rushing for a team-high 601 yards. ALTON “RED” FRANKLIN When he retired in January 2002, Franklin capped a career of 35 seasons as head coach at Haynesville High School including 11 state championships, 4 state runner-up finishes, 366 wins (366-76-8), a career-ending run of 15 consecutive district titles and 33 straight winning seasons. The Golden Tornado reached the state playoffs in 31 of his 35 seasons and won 27 district crowns. He was district coach of the year 23 times, and state coach of the year six times. Twice (1985, 1993), Franklin was named the National High School Athletic Association’s Region 5 coach of the year, making him a finalist for national prep coach of the year honors. In seven consecutive seasons from 1990-96, Haynesville’s won-loss record was a mind-boggling 96-4. Among his wins in the 1990s were victories at national pow-
erhouses Evangel and West Monroe. Franklin was inducted in the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1991. JOHN FRANKS Franks, a Shreveport resident, was the only man to win four Eclipse Awards as the nation’s top thoroughbred owner. He won his first Eclipse Award in 1983, repeated in 1984, then won back-to-back in 1993 and 1994. Voting is based not just on wins or purses, but the quality of the victories. Franks led the nation in wins and earnings in 1983, 1984 and 1986 and was the leading breeder of stakes winners in 1989 and 1990. Ranked No. 1 nationally for money winnings four times, including 1993, he also finished second three more times since 1983. STAN GALLOWAY Galloway was football coach at Southeastern Louisiana University from 1951 through 1964, winning six Gulf States Conference championships and finishing second five times. His 1954 team went undefeated. Galloway’s conference record was 50-20-3, and his overall record was 82-41-5. In 12 years of coaching at the prep level at Donaldsonville, Hammond and Bogalusa, Galloway compiled a record of 80-30-5. His overall prep and college mark was 167-71-10 for a .700 winning percentage. He was GSC Coach of the Year four times. LINDA “LIN” GAMBLE A three-time All-American guard at Ouachita Baptist in the heyday of AAU women’s basketball, Gamble represented the USA in the 1971 World University Games and the 1971 Pan American Games and was a three-year member of the USA National Team before women’s basketball became an Olympic sport in 1976. The DeSoto Parish native was the first female athlete inducted in the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. At Grand Cane High School, she was a two-time Class C All-State pick who had a career 37.4 ppg average, including 48.2 as a senior. In the 1971 Pan Am Games, she had 28 points vs. Cuba in a win that gave the USA the silver medal. RALPH GARR Garr was in the major leagues for 11 years with the Braves, White Sox and Angels. He led the National League in bat-
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers ting with a .353 average in 1974. Nicknamed “Roadrunner” because of his speed on the base paths, Garr had a career total of 175 steals, including 35 in 1973. He finished his big league career with a .306 batting average, 75 homers, 65 triples and 220 doubles. Now a coach for the Braves, Garr played college baseball at Grambling, where he led the NAIA in batting with a .567 average in the 1967 season. L. J. “HOSS” GARRETT The impact of Hoss Garrett on Louisiana high school football remains, a quarter-century after he retired in 1971 as the state’s winningest all-time coach. His teams were 270122-21 (.682) in 38 years, 35 of them at Ruston High. His Ruston teams won 247 games, 14 district championships and state titles in 1941, 1947 and 1951. His 1944 Bearcats finished second in the state and five other Ruston teams reached the state semifinals. Ruston won 47 straight regular season games and four straight district titles from 195154. Garrett also guided the Ruston track team to four straight state championships, beginning in 1956. LESLIE GAUDET Gaudet was America’s winningest all-time high school basketball coach when he retired from Pine Prairie High School in 1970, and he retained that honor for more than two decades. His 1,026 wins still ranks sixth-best all time in the nation’s high school record books. He won 74 percent of his games in his 30 years as boys coach, and also won an estimated 350 games as girls coach. He never received a technical foul in the nearly 2,000 games he coached. Gaudet averaged 34 victories a season and had two teams that won more than 60 games in a season. He was inducted in the National High School Hall of Fame in 1991 along with John Wooden and Tom Landry. PAUL “HOSS” GEISLER Geisler, a native of Berwick, was one of Centenary College’s all-time great defensive players. A standout on Coach Homer Norton’s powerful Gent teams of the early 1930’s, Geisler was an All-American. One of the highlights of his career was in 1932 when he caught the LSU quarterback for a 15-yard loss to preserve a 6-0 upset victory for Centenary over the Tigers. In later years, he coached at Lake Providence and Tallulah High Schools and Stephen F. Austin State College in Texas.
LARRY GILBERT A New Orleans native, Gilbert spent 25 years as a manager in the Southern Baseball Association. Before becoming a manager, he was an outfielder with the 1914 “Miracle” Boston Braves. He played at New Orleans from 1917 to 1925, batting .309 and fielding .977. He managed New Orleans from 1923 until 1938. When he left the league in 1948, Gilbert had established Southern Association records for 2,128 wins, nine pennants, five Dixie Series championships, and he was All-Star manager five times. MATT GORDY Gordy was a member of LSU’s famed five-man national championship track and field team in 1933, and his 14-foot vault in the final event of the national meet in Chicago tied him for first and enabled the Tigers to take the title. An Abbeville native, he set state high school records in high jump and pole vault and later set records in these events at LSU. Coach Bernie Moore and all five members of the championship team-Gordy, Buddy Blair, Slats Hardin, Al Moreau and Jack Torrance-are now in the Hall of Fame. TAD GORMLEY Gormley went to Loyola University in New Orleans in 1927 as head boxing, basketball and track coach and athletic trainer for the Wolfpack football team. In 1932, two of his boxers and two of his track and field stars competed in the Olympics at Los Angeles. Before he began developing championship teams at Loyola, Gormley coached track at LSU and Tulane. He holds membership in the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame as an athletic trainer and is a charter member of the Loyola Hall of Fame. HOYLE GRANGER An Oberlin High product, Granger was an All-AFL fulback for the Houston Oilers in 1968 and played in the AFL AllStar Game in 1968-69. He ranks as the Oilers’ No. 2 alltime rusher with 3,514 yards (topping La. Sports Hall of Fame members Charlie Tolar and Billy Cannon and trailing only Earl Campbell), has the team’s all-time best career average of 4.5 yards per carry and scored 18 rushing touchdowns, sixth-best in franchise history. He was second in the AFL in rushing yards in 1967, fourth in 1968 and third in 1969, and first in yards from scrimamge in 1967. Granger is second to Earl Campbell with 11 100-yard rushing games in club history and is second, with Campbell, in most consecutive games scoring a TD (5). At Oberlin, he was a two-time All-State back as OHS lost in the state finals twice before winning the Class B crown in his senior year, when he was the All-State Outstanding Player, scoring 199 points and rushing for a 12.5 average per carry. MIKE GREEN A 6-10 center, Green set Louisiana Tech career records for points (2,340) and rebounds (1,575), averaging 22.9 points and 15.4 rebounds from 1969-74. He played seven pro seasons and averaged 11.5 points per game. Green was the national College Division “Player of the Year” as a senior, when he averaged 30.9 points and led the Bulldogs to several No. 1 national rankings. He was a four-time all-conference pick, a three-time All-American. Of the first 12 scoring records at Tech, Green either owns or shares each of them. He was a first-rounder in both the ABA and NBA drafts.
Louisiana Tech product Mike Green played seven pro seasons. He was a first round pick in both the ABA and NBA drafts. He was inducted in 1996.
GRITS GRESHAM The first outdoorsman chosen for membership in the Hall of Fame, Gresham was the Winchester Outdoorsman of the Year and Louisiana Conservationist of the Year. He spent 13 years as a field host, consultant and producer for ABCTV’s “The American Sportsman.” Well-known for television commercials and personal appearances as a Miller Lite AllStar, Gresham was shooting editor of Sports Afield Magazine, and published his sixth book, “Grits on Guns.” He was a consultant for numerous outdoor industries.
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
Grits Gresham was the first outdoorsman inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. His enshrinment came in 1989.
BOB GROSECLOSE Groseclose coached track and field at Northeast Louisiana for 29 years, winning 10 conference titles and developing nine national champions. He coached Hall of Fame members John Pennel and Dave and Don Styron. Pennel, a pole vaulter, broke the world record nine times and the Styron twins, sprinters and hurdlers, shattered numerous world records. NLU finished in the top 20 in both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor meets for his last three seasons before he retired in 1989. His teams, which included four unbeaten squads, never finished below fourth place in a conference meet. ERIC GUERIN A member of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, Guerin is best-known as the jockey who rode Native Dancer. He lost only once in 21 rides aboard the gray colt, finishing second in the 1953 Kentucky Derby. Guerin won the Kentucky Derby in 1957 with Jet Pilot, and he rode Native Dancer to wins in the 1953 Preakness and Belmont. He also won the Belmont in 1954 on High Gun. Among the top five riders in the nation for five straight years, Guerin rode for 35 years, and his mounts earned $17.3 million. RON GUIDRY Nicknamed “Louisiana Lightning” and “Gator,” left-handed pitcher Ron Guidry had more than 13 great years with the New York Yankees, posting a 170-91 career record with a 3.29 earned run average. The Lafayette native, a USL product, is second on the Yanks’ career strikeout list, (1,778). In 1978 he won the American League Cy Young Award and AP Male Athlete of the Year, going 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA and setting club records for single-game (19) and season (248) strikeouts, 13 straight wins, and an AL record-tying nine shutouts. Guidry was 41-10 in 1977-78 as the Yanks won two World Series titles. He made four AllStar Game appearances.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers .310 with 161 hits for the Brewers and 1996 when he batted .293 with a career-high 184 hits in 148 games with the Rangers. At Nicholls State from 1984-86, he stole a schoolrecord 140 bases with a career-high 52 in 1985 and led the team in runs all three seasons, finishing with 193 for his career. JAKE HANNA One of the great Centenary football stars of all times, Hanna led the Gents to an undefeated season in 1927. Jake scored 93 points during the season, in which Centenary upset four Southwest Conference schools. He missed much of the 1928 season with injuries but still scored 15 touchdowns to lead the team in scoring. A 5-foot-8, 167pound quarterback and halfback, Hanna was selected to play in two all-star games in Dallas that were forerunners of the Cotton Bowl. He also starred at Byrd High.
Sue Gunter compiled an overall record of 708-308 and retired as the fourth-winningest head coach in NCAA women’s basketball history.
SUE GUNTER Retired after 22 years at LSU as women’s basketball coach, Gunter collected a 442-221 mark with the Lady Tigers and an overall record of 708-308 during her career. She retired as the fourth-winningest head coach in NCAA women’s basketball history and in 2005 was posthumously enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Gunter took over as coach at LSU in 1983, three years after she was head coach of the 1980 USA Olympic team while at Stephen F. Austin. At LSU, she was the Basketball News National Coach of the Year (1983), the Louisiana Coach of the Year (1983, 1997, 2000, 2003) the SEC Coach of the Year (1997, 1999), the WBCA District III Coach of the Year (1999) and was inducted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. Her Tiger teams made 14 NCAA Tournament trips and reached the Final Four in her final season of 2004. FREDDIE HAAS Haas won 125 amateur golf tournaments, including the 1934 and 1938 Southerns and the 1937 National Intercollegiate, before turning pro, where he earned money on the PGA tour for 30 consecutive years. His best year on the pro tour was in 1953, when he won five major tournaments. He was PGA senior champion in 1966 and won the Gulf States senior title three times. Haas was the first golfer to play on both the Walker and Ryder Cup teams. He is a resident and native of New Orleans. DARRYL HAMILTON A speedy, left-handed hitting outfielder who didn't play high school baseball at University High in Baton Rouge because it didn't field a team (he played football and basketball), he went on to star at Nicholls State and played 13 seasons with Milwaukee, Texas, San Francisco, Colorado and the New York Mets. In 1,328 big-league games, he had a .291 career average with 1,333 hits and 454 RBIs. He had 163 stolen bases -- including a career-best 41 in 1992. An 11thround draft pick of the Brewers in 1986, he played center field primarily, but also played the corner outfield positions and committed just 14 errors in 13 seasons for a .995 career fielding percentage. Hamilton batted .300 four times, hitting a career-high .315 with the Rockies and Mets in 1999. His best all-around seasons were in 1993 when he hit
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BILLY HARDIN A member of the 1964 USA Olympic track and field team and a semifinalist in the 400 meter hurdles at the Tokyo Games, Billy Hardin was a three-time All-American at LSU. He won seven Southeastern Conference track titles -- the 100 yard dash (twice, once in a record 9.5time), in the 120 yard hurdles (twice, including a record 13.9 time), the 220 yard hurdles, the 330 yard hurdles and as part of the mile relay team. Hardin captured the 1964 NCAA and AAU championships in his specialty. Son of Hall of Famer Slats Hardin, the Baton Rouge native set an LSU record in winning the Olympic Trials with a 49.8 time. He and his father became the first father-son duo to represent the USA in Olympic competition.
who set numerous American and junior American records. Hatch was a dynamic basketball player for Northwestern State in 1960-62 who was drafted to play professionally. While at Northwestern, Hatch led the Demons in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage before he was chosen by the Chicago Majors of the American Basketball League, forerunner of the American Basketball Association which eventually merged with the NBA. JOEL HAWKINS An ultra-successful high school basketball coach at Southern Lab (Baton Rouge), Lake Providence and G.W. Griffin (Lake Providence) with a career record of 1,071-263 (.803) through 2007. A win in the Class 1A title game with Southern Lab over Plain Dealing in March 2005 made Hawkins the all-time wins leader in Louisiana high school basketball history, passing Hall of Famer Leslie Gaudet of Pine Prairie, who had 1,026 wins. Hawkins began his coaching career in 1965 at his alma mater, G.W. Griffin High, and moved to Lake Providence High a few years later when the schools were combined during integration. He has been the boys coach at Southern Lab since 1989, winning 11 state championships in a 13 year span. A 1985 title at Lake Providence gives Hawkins 12 state crowns to go along with 39 winning seasons and 21 district titles. Hawkins was inducted into the LHSAA-LHSCA Hall of Fame in 2001.
GLENN “SLATS” HARDIN Hardin was an outstanding sprinter and hurdler for LSU in the early 1930’s. He won the NCAA 440 yard dash in 47.1 and the 220 low hurdles in 22.9 in 1933 and repeated the following year with times of 47 flat and 22.7, equaling the national record. Hardin was in the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games and earned a silver medal at Los Angeles in 1932 in the 440 hurdles with a time of 52.0. He won a gold medal at Berlin in 1936 and set a world record in the 400 meter hurdles in 1934. JAMES “SHACK” HARRIS A 12-year pro, Harris started for three NFL teams, becoming the first black quarterback to open the season as a starter and complete a season as a starter in NFL history. A nationally-recruited star at Monroe's Carroll High School, he set a state collegiate passing record with 4,705 career passing yards at Grambling. He led Grambling to Southwestern Athletic Conference titles in 1967 and 1968. Harris played for Buffalo, the Los Angeles Rams, and San Diego. He was the 1975 Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player, leading an NFC victory. He led the NFL in passing in 1976 and ranked No. 2 in 1974. His career NFL stats include 8,136 passing yards and 45 passing TDs. He is now the player-personnel director of the Jacksonville Jaguars. GAYLE HATCH Hatch and Skip Bertman are the only state residents to serve as head USA Olympic coaches. The USA men's weightlifting head coach at the 2004 Olympic Games, Hatch was inducted into the USA Strength and Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame's inaugural 14-member class in August 2003, along with Baton Rouge's Alvin Roy; and the USA Olympic Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame in April 2002. He received the NFL Strength & Conditioning Coaches' Society “President's Award” for his role in developing the profession at the 2005 NFL Combine. Hatch served as meet director of the 2000 USA Olympic Trials. In 2007-08, Hatch worked at LSU as basketball strength and conditioning coach after his program helped the 2006 Tigers reach the Final Four. The Baton Rouge resident has won 12 national Coach of the Year honors from USA Weightlifting. He has coached 43 national champion lifters
James “Shack” Harris was the first black quarterback to open the season as a starter and complete a season as a starter in the NFL.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers JAY HEBERT Jay won the PGA Championship in 1960 to make he and his brother Lionel the first brothers to win the prestigious title. He also won the Texas Open in 1957, Lafayette Open in 1958, Orange County Open in 1959 and the Houston Classic and American Golf Classic in 1961. He was a member of the Ryder Cup team in 1959 and 1961. Runner-up in the 1960 Tournament of Champions, Jay also finished second in the 1955 St. Petersburg Open, 1957 Los Angeles Open, 1958 Canadian Open and several other events. LIONEL HEBERT PGA champion in 1957, Lionel won the Cajun Classic in 1960, the Tucson Open in 1958, Memphis Open in 1962 and Citrus Tournament in 1966. He was runner-up in St. Petersburg in 1956, the Azalea Open and Oklahoma City Open in 1964 and White-marsh Open in 1963. A member of the U.S. Ryder Cup in 1957, Lionel was chairman of the PGA Tournament Committee in 1962-63 and 1972-73. A golf pro since 1950, Lionel was active on the senior tour. Lionel and Jay were runner-up in the 1965 National PGA 4Ball.
Elvin Hayes is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and was a first round NBA draft pick.
ELVIN HAYES A Rayville native inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame, Hayes was a three-time All-America at the University of Houston and was The Sporting News Basketball College Player of the Year in 1968, when he averaged 36.8 points a game. In three varsity seasons at Houston, he averaged 31 points a game and had 1,602 rebounds. A first-round NBA draft pick, he played for 16 seasons and was All-NBA six times. He played in 12 All-Star games. Hayes led the league in scoring as a rookie and was the NBA’s leading rebounder in both the 1970 and 1974 seasons. ED HEAD Head was born in 1918 in Selma, La. He was a left-hander as a youngster, but a serious injury forced him to become a right-handed pitcher. Head went with the old Brooklyn Dodger organization in 1940 and was sent to Montreal of the International League in 1941 where he won 18 and lost 8, leading the team to the International League title. He won four games in the playoffs. He pitched for the Dodgers from 1942 until 1946 and had a no-hitter against the Boston Braves in 1946. BOBBY HEBERT “The Cajun Cannon” spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Saints (1985-89, 1990-92) and Atlanta (1993-96) following three years in the USFL, leading Michigan to the inaugural USFL title and being named championship game MVP as a rookie. Hebert had a 49-26 (.653) record as the Saints’ starting quarterback, leading the club to its best record and only division title. In high school, Hebert led South Lafourche to the Class 4A championship, then was an honorable mention All-America at Northwestern State while setting single-season and single-game passing records. In his NFL career, he completed 60 percent (1,856-3,104) for 21,683 yards, 135 TDs. He had 15 NFL games with 275+ yards passing.
LEE HEDGES In 28 years as a head coach, Hedges touched four of the most historic schools in Shreveport, serving as head coach at three and taking each of those to the state championship game in the state's largest classification. After briefly joining the coaching staff for the 1966 season at Louisiana Tech, Hedges returned to the prep ranks at Captain Shreve, where he was head coach for 18 seasons (1967-84), making 14 playoff appearances and winning eight district titles. A year after missing the state title by a point, his Gators roared to the 1973 Class 4A championship, the last time a public school from Shreveport won the state title at the highest classification. Including a 24-game win streak in 197273, Hedges' career record stands at 216-92-5 (.698), still the most wins by a Shreveport-Bossier City coach. He coached future NFL players as head coach at each school, including state Hall of Fame members Pat Studstill and Terry Bradshaw. CHARLIE HENNIGAN Hennigan, a collegiate football and track star at Northwestern, played for the Houston Oilers from 1960 through 1966. With the AFL Oilers, Hennigan caught 410 passes for 6,723 yards and 51 touchdowns. An All-AFL choice three times, Hennigan set pro football records for yards gained receiving in a season with 1,146 (1,700)in 1961 and receptions in a season with 101 in 1964. His AFL single game record of 272 yards receiving against the Patriots in 1961 still ranks highly in the pro football records. TOMMY HENRY Before he retired in 2007 after his 24th year as commissioner of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Henry emerged as one of the most progressive high school athletic commissioners in the nation. During his tenure the LHSAA became a self-efficient legislative organization. Henry was named the LHSAA's third commissioner in 1983 after having served as an assistant commissioner since 1976. He founded the Superdome Classic football championships in his first year as commissioner and steered state championship events to many outstanding venues around the state. Prior to his tenure, many of the state championship competitions were held at high schools. Henry secured a major television contract for championship events. A native of Alexandria and a graduate of Bolton High School and Northwestern State, Henry was a teacher and coach at Bossier High from 1963-75, guiding one of the state's top prep baseball programs. PETE HERMAN A native of New Orleans, Herman had 134 professional fights. He won 59 times and lost only 12. Six were draws, and the others “no-decisions.” In the 134 fights, he was
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
stopped only once while knocking out 19 opponents. He won the world bantamweight championship in 1917, lost it in 1920 but regained the title by defeating Joe Lynch in 1922 because of blindness. He was enshrined in the National Boxing Hall of Fame in 1959. DALTON HILLIARD One of the golden figures in state sports history, Hilliard was one of LSU's greatest running backs and led the New Orleans Saints into the NFL playoffs. A Patterson native, Hilliard is the fourth-leading rusher in Southeastern Conference history and the all-time leader at LSU with 4,050 yards and 302 points. A three-time All-SEC pick, Hilliard set NCAA freshman records with 16 touchdowns and 96 points in 1982. The 5-8, 195-pounder is the secondleading rusher in Saints history with 4,164 yards, just 104 yards out of first place after his eight pro seasons. He led the Saints in career rushing attempts, total TDs (53) and rushing TDs (39). In 1989, he led the NFL with 13 TDs in a Pro Bowl season. TOM HINTON The first Louisianan in the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame, Hinton was a five-time all-star offensive guard for the British Columbia Lions during nine pro seasons, including a 1964 Grey Cup title. Also picked for the Lions Dream Team spanning 39 years in 1993, Hinton became only the fifth football player elected to the B.C. Hall of Fame, even though it had been in existence 26 years and the Lions were 38 years old at the time. A high school All-American at Ruston High who was also all-state in track, he was a Louisiana Tech standout in both sports, winning All-GSC honors four years, three times unanimously. He was a three-year honorable mention All-American and won NAIA All-America honors as a senior in 1957. Named the GSC Athlete of the Year in 1957, he was the first Tech player in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game and was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in the NFL and the B.C. Lions. FRED HOBDY Hobdy is the state's all-time winningest college basketball coach and led Grambling to the 1961 NAIA championship. He was Grambling's head coach for 30 years (1956-86) with a 567-287 (.664) record. He won 10 conference championships (8 in the Southwestern Athletic, 2 in the Midwest), led the Tigers to 14 national tournaments (including the major college NIT in 1980) and won the 1961 NAIA title. His Tiger teams won six regional or district NCAA or NAIA titles. He is credited with discovering and launching the career of all-time great Willis Reed. SONJA HOGG Starting from scratch, without any previous basketball experience, Sonja Hogg engineered the development of one of the country's iconic women's basketball programs, the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech. The Alexandria native was the first head coach, coined the nickname of Lady Techsters while also teaching in the College of Education, and became Women's Athletic Director in 1976 and continued coaching at the same time. Her overall coaching record at Tech was 307 wins and 55 losses in 11 seasons (1974-85), featuring six consecutive Final Four appearances (19781984), including two national championships. In 1981, Tech won the AIAW national crown while posting perfect record of 34-0 and then rolled to the first ever NCAA sanctioned national title in 1982 with mark of 35-1. BOB HOPKINS Hopkins, a 6-10, 210 pounder from Jonesboro, scored 3,759 points in 126 basketball games at Grambling for a career average of 29.1 a game. At one time, he held NCAA and NAIA college basketball records for the most points scored with 3,759, most field goals made with 1,292, most free throws made with 953 and most rebounds with 2,191. His remarkable career point total of 3,759 is still a state record. Hopkins played pro basketball for Syracuse.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers BERT JONES A Ruston native, Jones played in the NFL for 10 years, and he was All-Pro three times. The NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1976, he had 1,430 completions in 2,551 attempts in his pro career for 18,190 yards and 124 touchdowns. Jones was a Sporting News All-American at LSU, where he had 220 completions and 418 attempts for 3,225 yards and 28 TD’s. He was a No. 1 draft choice of the Colts in 1973. Jones joins his dad, Dub, as the first father-son members of the Hall of Fame.
CAL HUBBARD A 225-pound lineman at Centenary College in 1922-23-24, Hubbard was the school’s first All-American. In his first collegiate game, he returned a kickoff for a touchdown, but his greatest game was in an upset against Maj. Frank Kavanaugh’s Boston College team. Hubbard left Centenary to accompany Coach Bo McMillin to Geneva College. He later became an all-time great professional player with the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. Hubbard later spent 10 years as a Major League Baseball umpire. He is the only person enshrined in both the NFL Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame. STAN HUMPHRIES Humphries quarterbacked Louisiana-Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana University) to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship in 1987 (the only I-AA championship ever won by a Louisiana team) and led the San Diego Chargers to their only Super Bowl appearance in 1995. He retired in 1998 for health reasons after a 10-year NFL career. Humphries led the Chargers to three playoff appearances and ended his career ranked third on the Chargers all-time regular-season passing list. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 2002. A Shreveport native, he was a prep all-American at Southwood High, signed with LSU, then transferred to ULM. In only two seasons he threw for 4395 yards and 29 touchdowns, figures which ranked No. 2 among ULM quarterbacks at the time he completed his career (these statistics do not include playoff games). Humphries is a member of the ULM Hall of Fame and one of only two Warhawks football greats to have his number retired. LUKE JACKSON Luke Jackson launched his sensational basketball career at Morehouse High School in Bastrop. The 6-foot-9 lefty left Louisiana to become a college All-American at Texas-Pan American, a member of the 1964 USA Olympic gold-medal basketball team and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1965 with the Philadelphia 76ers. Jackson, whose Pan American uniform is on display at the Basketball Hall of Fame, became the first Louisiana prep basketball player to win Olympic gold. Jackson won a national NAIA title in 1963 as a junior at Pan American, and was a starting forward on the 76ers' squad that claimed the 1967 NBA title. That team was voted the best in the first 50 years of the NBA. He played eight pro seasons. RICH JACKSON Jackson was an All-Pro defensive end for the Denver Broncos. A Southern University graduate, the New Orleans native is on Mile High Stadium’s Ring of Honor as one of the Denver Broncos’ all-time best players. He joined the Broncos in 1967 and made All-Pro at defensive end four consecutive seasons (1968-71). Writer Paul Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated chose him on the magazine’s all-time AllPro team selected as part of the publication’s 40th anniversary celebration in 1993. RICKEY JACKSON A durable six-time All-Pro linebacker (1983-86, 1992-93), Rickey Jackson was the heart and soul of the New Orleans Saints' defense from 1981-94. He spent the last two of his 15 NFL seasons with San Francisco, helping the 49ers win Super Bowl XXIX. Jackson had 128 official career sacks, getting his first 8 before it became an NFL statistic. He still ranks seventh in NFL history in that category. A secondround NFL Draft pick from Pitt, he also averaged 85 tackles for New Orleans. Jackson ranks second all-time in NFL history with 28 fumble recoveries, including a club-record 26 for the Saints. He played in 227 NFL games and started all 195 games he played in for New Orleans. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 DANA JENKINS Jenkins was one of the nation’s outstanding high school and college sprinters in the early 1900’s. He established
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DUB JONES An All-American back at Tulane in 1944, Jones played in the 1950’s on some of the Cleveland Browns’ greatest teams. He was selected as an All-Pro in 1951 and played in the 1952 Pro Bowl. Jones is still in the Browns’ record books for scoring six touchdowns in a single game against the Bears in 1951 and for 10 pass receptions in a game against the Redskins in 1950. Father of LSU All-American and pro star Bert Jones, Dub served as an assistant coach for the Browns under Blanton Collier when his playing days ended.
Ruston native Bert Jones played 10 seasons in the NFL and earned All-Pro honors three times. He was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
eight high school track and field records before his senior year at Eunice. Jenkins entered Louisiana State University in 1916 and led LSU to outstanding seasons in the old Southern Amateur Athletic Union from 1916 until 1918. At LSU, he established records in the 50, 100, 220 and 440 yard dashes, 220 low hurdles, broad jump and triple jump. KATHY JOHNSON (CLARKE) Clarke is one of only three American women to win an individual medal in both World Championship and Olympic gymnastics competition. At 16, she moved near Shreveport to train. An All-American at Centenary College in 1978 and 1979, Kathy Johnson made the U.S. Olympic team in 1980 and won two medals in the 1984 Games, taking a team silver and an individual bronze on the balance beam. She is one of only five U.S. women to win an individual Olympic medal. She was the 1984 USA Olympic gymnastics team captain and twice was named America’s Gymnast of the Year (1977, 1985). She has also been a network analyst for ABC and ESPN. GARY "BIG HANDS" JOHNSON A Bossier City native and Grambling football All-American, Johnson made four Pro Bowl appearances during an 11year NFL career with San Diego and San Francisco, playing for the 49ers' 1984 Super Bowl Champions. The 6-2, 251-pounder had 72-1/2 sacks for 659 lost yards and recovered 11 fumbles as a pro. He made The Sporting News NFL All-Star Team in 1980 with 17-1/2 sacks. As a senior at Grambling, Johnson had 134 tackles to earn his third straight All-America award and the Sheridan Black College Defensive Player of the Year Award. CHARLIE JOINER Born in Many, raised in Lake Charles, and a star receiver for Grambling, Joiner held NFL records for catches (750) and reception yardage (12,146) when he retired in 1986 after 18 seasons as a pro. He set league records for most games played by a receiver (239) and had a streak of 194 consecutive games played. Joiner played three seasons with Houston, four with Cincinnati and joined the San Diego Chargers in 1976, where he earned trips to the Pro Bowl in 1976, 1979 and 1980.
ESTHER JONES A 21-time All-American for the nationally-acclaimed LSU women’s track and field team from 1988-91, Jones is the most decorated athlete -- male or female -- in the history of the sport at the school. Jones helped the Lady Tigers claim six national titles (four outdoor and two indoor) during her four-year career. A native of Chicago who grew up in Milwaukee, she was a dominant short sprinter and a force in relays. She won 10 Southeastern Conference titles. Jones won a gold medal with the U.S. 4 x 100 team in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. LAWRENCE “BIFF” JONES Biff Jones coached football at LSU from 1932 through 1934, guiding the Tigers to a 20-5-5 record. In 1933, his Bengals were tied twice but unbeaten in a nine-game season. A native of Washington, D.C., Jones captained the 1915 West Point Cadets. He was head coach at West Point, Oklahoma and Nebraska and had a career record of 87 wins, 33 defeats and 14 ties. He’s best remembered for a rhubarb with Gov. Huey P. Long when Jones ran the governor from LSU’s dressing room in the 1934 Tulane game. KEN KAVANAUGH Kavanaugh was one of the country’s outstanding ends while playing for LSU in the late 1930’s. He was AllSoutheastern Conference in 1938 and 1939 and AllAmerican in 1939. Kavanaugh led the team in scoring in 1938-39 and made the longest touchdown run in modern LSU football history, a 100-yard gallop with a fumble against Rice in 1937. Kavanaugh was later an outstanding professional player with the Chicago Bears. At LSU, he was a star baseball player from 1938 through 1940. PAM KELLY (FLOWERS) Kelly became only the fourth woman elected to the Hall. Kelly was a three-time Kodak All-America women's basketball star at Louisiana Tech and won the Margaret Wade Trophy as the country's top player in 1982. A Columbia native, the 6-footer helped Louisiana Tech to four "Final Four" appearances and a record 54-game winning streak along with national championships in 1981 and 1982. Her 2,979 points and 1,511 rebounds are career records at Tech. She averaged 19.5 points and 9.9 rebounds in her 153-game career while shooting 62.3 percent from the field. KENNY KONZ A speedy defensive back in the LSU Hall of Fame, Konz was LSU’s MVP in 1950 and played on three world championship teams with the Cleveland Browns. The MVP in the 1950 Blue-Gray Classic, Konz was a No. 1 draft pick for Cleveland. He led, or shared the team lead, in interceptions in five of his seven pro seasons. After topping the NFL in punt returns with a 14.4 average, Konz played in the 1956
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers Pro Bowl. The Texas native and New Orleans resident also averaged almost 40 yards as a punter in one NFL season.
An athletic post player, Lawence led Tech to a mark of 1306, 4 Final Fours and 2 National Championships.
ERNIE LADD Ladd, a Grambling product, was an All-AFL defensive tackle in an eight-year pro football career. He appeared in four straight AFL All-Star games from 1962-65. Ladd, nicknamed "The Big Cat" because of his remarkable size (6-foot-9, 325 pounds) and agility, did not miss a game in his pro career. Ladd joined the San Diego Chargers in 1961 and played on their AFL championship team in 1963. He capped his career as a member of the powerful Kansas City Chiefs, where he played alongside Buck Buchanan. He became a popular professional wrestler at age 30 and is in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
WALTER LEDET As head track and field coach and assistant football coach at Northwestern State, Ledet built the state's dominant track program for more than a decade and helped shape the remarkable careers of three Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members -- Charlie Hennigan, Jackie Smith and Charlie Tolar. Ledet, Northwestern's first football All-American as a guard in 1938, was a second-round NFL Draft pick by Philadelphia. As head track coach from1952-64, Ledet led the Demon thinclads to five straight Gulf States Conference titles from 1953-57 -- missing a sixth title by half a point.
DWIGHT “BO” LAMAR Lamar earned All-American honors three times during his career at Southwestern Louisiana in 1969 through 1973. He averaged 31.2 points a game, and his 3,493-point career total is second only to Pete Maravich in both the state and the nation in major college rankings. As a sophomore, he led the nation’s college division teams in scoring with a 36.0 average, and he led the country’s university division as a junior with a 36.3 average. Lamar led USL to a 74-13 record in his three final seasons and later played in the NBA and ABA. MAXIE LAMBRIGHT Lambright guided Louisiana Tech to national football prominence during his 1967 through 1978 tenure as head coach with a record of 95-36-2 for a winning mark of 73 percent. His teams won seven conference championships, including six of the last eight years he coached after Tech joined the Southland Conference in 1971. His teams won five national championships, and Lambright guided Tech to the nation’s longest winning streak of 23 games in 1973-74. His teams were 44-4 from 1971 through 1974 and 12-0 in 1972. HANK LAURICELLA Lauricella was an All-American running back at the University of Tennessee from 1949 through 1951 and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in his senior season. He gained more than 2,500 yards in total offense for the Vols and in Tennessee’s 1951 Cotton Bowl win over Texas had 131 yards, including a 75-yard run. Lauricella, a member of the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, averaged five yards a carry during his career at Tennessee and scored 29 touchdowns. He later served in the Louisiana state senate. LESTER LAUTENSCHLAGER A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Lautenschlaeger was Tulane’s quarterback for four seasons and captain of the Greenie baseball team. He holds Tulane’s single game record for two touchdowns on punt returns set in 1925 and also scored four touchdowns in one game to share a Tulane record. An honorable mention Grantland Rice All-American, he had a 95-yard touchdown run against North Carolina in 1922. Lautenschlaeger later coached such Tulane stars as Monk Simons and Don Zimmerman. JANICE LAWRENCE (BRAXTON) A first-team pick on the LSWA’s All-Century All-Louisiana Women’s Collegiate Basketball Team chosen in 1999, she was a seven-time All-Europe star who didn’t stop playing professionally until 2001. Considered perhaps the greatest Lady Techster player ever, Lawrence starred from 1980-84 and was a two-time Kodak All-American (1983, 84), the 1984 Wade Trophy winner, the 1982 NCAA Final Four MVP, a three-time Final Four All-Tournament pick (1982, 1983, 1984), twice NCAA Regional MVP (1983, 1984) and three times on the NCAA All-Regional Team (1982, 1983, 1984). She was the second-leading rebounder and third-leading scorer for the gold-medal winning 1984 USA Olympic team.
BILL LEE Lee went from Plaquemine to the Chicago Cub organization in 1933. He won 20 games as a pitcher at Columbus his first season in baseball and moved up to the Cubs the next year. He went 20-6 in 1935 and 22-9 in 1938, leading the Cubs to the pennant both years. Several other years, he won between 17 and 19 games. After nine years with the Cubs, Lee spent three seasons with the Phillies and Braves before returning to the Cubs to finish out his active playing career. EUN JUNG LEE (OK) Nobody who ever saw Eun Jung Lee play college basketball will ever forget her dazzling, crowd-pleasing style. A concensus All-America point guard at Northeast Louisiana University, she led the Lady Indians to a four-year 102-15 record. In 1985, NLU was 30-2 and reached the NCAA Final Four. She finished her career with 2,208 points (18.8 average), 878 assists (7.5 average) and 297 steals (2.5 average). A four-time pick as the Southland Conference Player of the Year, she led the conference in assists all four seasons, with a high average of 10.3 as a sophomore and a single-game best of 17 vs. LSU and Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Joyce Walker. She played professionally in Europe. ALBERT LEWIS A four-time Pro Bowler, Lewis was a cornerback and safety who played 16 NFL seasons with Kansas City (1983-93) and Oakland (1994-98) after a stellar career at Grambling, where he was a first-team All-SWAC pick his final two seasons. The Mansfield native was a third-round draft pick of the Chiefs in 1983 and earned AP All-Pro honors in 1989 and ’90 and went to four straight Pro Bowls (1988-91). He played in 225 NFL games and finished with 42 interceptions, 123 passes defensed, 13 sacks and 13 forced fumbles. He ranks fifth on the Chiefs’ all-time interceptions list with 38, leading them in that category in 1985 (8), 1989 (4) and 1993 (6). A 10-year starter for Chiefs, he was chosen to that team’s “40 Years in Kansas City” 40-man squad in 2002. Lewis was also one of 75 players on the initial Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot for 2003. FRANK LEWIS A Houma (Southdown High) product who starred as a running back/wingback/wide receiver at Grambling State University, then played 13 NFL seasons - seven with the Pittsburgh Steelers and six with the Buffalo Bills. He was a first-round draft pick by the Steelers in 1971. In his NFL career, he caught 397 passes for 6,724 yards and 40 touchdowns. He played on two Super Bowl championship teams. In his top pro season, he caught 70 passes for 1,244 yards (four touchdowns) in 1981. He earned a Pro Bowl start that year and made the All-AFC team chosen by UPI. He broke the Buffalo single-season records for passes caught and the number of yards that year. He was the first player in NFL history to gain 100 yards receiving in postseason games for two different teams. At Grambling, he had 42 career touchdowns, earned third-team Little All-America honors as a senior and twice made the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference team. He rushed for 1,428 yards, an average of 10.8 per carry.
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
Three-time basketball All-American Pete Maravich was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.
BOB LOVE Love, a Bastrop native and Southern University star, was known during his playing days as “Butter-bean.” He was All-South and NAIA All-American after his 1965 senior season at Southern. A fourth round NBA pick in 1965, Love had his greatest years with Chicago, leading the team in scoring seven straight seasons. In nine years with the Bulls, he averaged 21.3 points. He set Chicago records for most points in a season with 2,043 for a 25.2 average in 1970-71 and for career scoring with 12,623. BOBBY LOWTHER Lowther is the only two-sport All-America athlete in LSU's storied sports history. In 1946, he made the Helms Foundation basketball All-America squad and was a twoevent All-American in track and field, finishing second at the NCAA Championships in the javelin and fourth in the pole vault. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Alexandria native was also the triple jump champion at the 1946 National AAU Championships. He was voted LSU's "Best All-Around Athlete" in 1947 over future Louisiana Hall of Fame members Y.A. Tittle, Al Dark and Joe Adcock. JOHNNY LYNCH Lynch is the only referee to officiate in all of the major bowl games. He worked in the Southeastern Conference from 1946 through 1961. Lynch officiated in the Orange Bowl in 1942, 1947 and 1951, the Sugar Bowl in 1944 and 1959, the Rose Bowl in 1945, the Cotton Bowl in 1955 and the Gator Bowl in 1952. Lynch helped form the Louisiana High School Officials Association, and he started officiating college games in 1931. He was president, vice-president and chief of referees for the Southeastern Conference. TED LYONS Born in 1900 at Lake Charles, Lyons pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 1923 until 1946 and managed the Chicago team from 1946 to 1948. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, he won 260 games for the White Sox and had an ERA of 3.67 in 4,162 innings. He had a no-hit game against Boston in 1926 and led the league in shutouts in 1925 and 1940. He led the American League in ERA in 1942 with a 2.10 clip. He posted more than 20 victories in three seasons (1925, 1927 and 1930).
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers JIMMY McGONAGILL From 1945 to 1959, McGonagill won the La. State Amateur golf title nine times, including five straight titles from 1948 through 1951. During that same period, he won 110 tournaments and was a medalist in 30. He qualified and played in five National Opens and four National Amateurs. He played in the Masters in 1950 and won the Louisiana Pro championship in 1938 and 1940. He and son Pat won the U.S. Father and Son championship twice. He had 12 holes in one and two double eagles in his career and held stroke records at 37 courses. He won the 1975 Heart of Ohio Amateur Championship. ALVIN “BO” McMILLIN McMillin was a standout halfback for Centre College’s famed “Praying Colonels,” and won prominence as a coach at Centenary, Geneva College, Kansas State, Indiana and in the professional ranks. He coached at Centenary from 1922 to 1925, guiding the Gents to a 25-3 record and coached at Indiana for 14 years, winning the conference championship in 1945. He was head coach of the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles from 1948 until 1951. McMillin was a native of Prairie Hill, Texas.
Eric Martin played 10 years in the NFL, nine with the New Orleans Saints and set LSU’s all-time career receiving records before his pro career.
CHARLIE McCLENDON In 18 years as LSU’s head football coach, McClendon led the Tigers to more victories and more bowl appearances than any coach in LSU history. He compiled a record of 137 wins, 59 losses and 7 ties for a winning percentage of .698. While guiding the Tigers to 13 bowl engagements, McClendon produced 17 first-team All-Americans. After leaving LSU in 1979, he became executive director of the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla., and later served as executive director of the American Football Coaches Association. RICHARD “DICK” McCLOSKEY McCloskey coached Hanson Memorial of Franklin for 39 years (1947-85), becoming the winningest high school football coach in Louisiana late in his career and finishing with a record of 286-141-6 (.667). His 271st victory -- on Sept. 7, 1984, 13-9 over University High of Baton Rouge -- broke the record of L.J. “Hoss” Garrett of Ruston. McCloskey coached 21 teams into the state playoffs, the last 12 in a row. His 1976 team won the Class A state title with a 13-2 record. His next best year was 11-3 in 1983 and his 1984 team reached the state semifinals. He is in the LHSAALHSCA Hall of Fame. He died in 1986. MAX McGEE McGee is a Texas native who played college football at Tulane and later starred on Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers teams. He led the Packers in receiving four times and grabbed 342 passes for 6,410 yards and 51 TD’s in 11 seasons with Green Bay. A member of the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame, he played on five NFL championship teams, including both Packer Super Bowl wins. At Tulane, he averaged 4.4 yards per carry as a running back and also handled kickoff and punt returns. He played in the 1953 Blue-Gray game. McGee caught the first TD pass in Super Bowl history, a 37-yard toss from Hall of Famer Bart Starr.
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RUDY MACKLIN The first All-American of the Dale Brown coaching era at LSU, Macklin came out of Louisville, Ky., to become a fouryear starter for the Tigers. He finished as the No. 1 rebounder in LSU school history (1,276 in 123 games and 10.4 average) and as the No. 2 scorer (2,080 points and 16.9 average). His point total stands behind only Pete Maravich’s 3,667 points. Macklin was a third-team All-SEC pick as a freshman, first team his last three seasons and was the SEC Player of the Year in 1981 when LSU made the NCAA Tournament and Final Four. He was a third-round NBA draft pick by Atlanta in 1981 and played three seasons in the league, two with the Atlanta Hawks and one with the New York Knicks.
KARL MALONE Selected as an all-star 13 times in 19 NBA seasons, Malone ranks among the league's all-time great scorers and rebounders. The Summerfield native scored 36,928 points (second all-time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387) and pulled down 14,968 rebounds (sixth all-time) in 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz and one with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was also a member of the fabled USA “Dream Team” that won gold in the 1992 Olympic Games, and returned for another gold medal in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. A first-round draft pick of the Jazz in 1985, he averaged 25.0 points and 10.1 rebounds a game for his career. During a legendary college career at Louisiana Tech, he averaged 18.7 points, hitting on 57 percent of his field-goal attempts, and 9.3 rebounds in 92 career games. ARCHIE MANNING The New Orleans Saints’ first-round draft choice out of Ole Miss in 1971, Manning played for the Saints until 1982, when he was traded to the Oilers. He was Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the National Football Conference in 1978 and played in two Pro Bowls. He passed for 21,734 yards and 115 touchdowns as a Saint and ran for 2,058 yards and 13 touchdowns. Manning had three consecutive 3,000-yard-plus passing seasons from 1978 through 1980 and 12 straight games with at least one TD pass in 1978-79. PETE MARAVICH Pistol Pete was a three-time basketball All-American at LSU. He averaged 44.2 points a game during his 19671970 career, and his 3,667 career total is still a Division I record. Later a standout in the NBA, Maravich still holds numerous LSU records, including most points in a game with 69, most field goals with 26, most free throws with 30, most points in a season with 1,318 in 1969-70 and most career points. He was an NBA All-Rookie in 1971 and played in five All-Star games during his pro career.
CARL MADDOX A Natchitoches native, Maddox was athletic director at LSU from 1968 to 1979. During his tenure, Tiger Stadium was expanded and the LSU Assembly Center was constructed. Five men’s sports were added at the university level while he was AD, and he was also instrumental in the establishment of five women’s varsity sports. When Maddox reached the mandatory retirement age at LSU, he was appointed AD at Mississippi State, where he guided a program of unprecedented expansion. Maddox coached football before becoming an AD. RON MAESTRI In 14 seasons as baseball coach, Maestri developed a fledgling University of New Orleans program into a national power, posting an overall 518-247-1 (.677) record and reaching nine NCAA Tournaments. UNO finished second in the 1975 Division II World Series and tied for fifth in the 1984 Division I CWS. Six of Maestri's players reached the major leagues and another 40 played professionally. UNO ranked among college baseball's attendance leaders three times. Coach of the 1981 USA team that played in the Far East, Maestri was inducted in the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1991. FAIZE MAHFOUZ The first high school coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Mahfouz coached at Eunice High for 22 years and had 20 winning seasons. He later took over a New Iberia team that had lost 29 consecutive games and turned the program around. Known as an offensive innovator, Mahfouz was the first prep coach in the state to install the Wing-T and Split-T, and he spoke at coaching clinics nationwide. He servcd as both president and vice president of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association. Ben McDonald’s best college season came in 1989 when he posted a 14-4 record with a 3.49 ERA.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers straight years (1987-93). He caught at least one pass in 107 consecutive games (105 with New Orleans). In 1988, Martin set club records for receptions (85) and yards (1,083) with 7 TDs. He broke the yardage record in 1989 with 1,090 and that mark remains standing. TOMMY MASON An All-American running back for Tulane University in 1960 and a participant in several post-season all-star games, Mason became one of the first stars of the Minnesota Vikings expansion team in the NFL. The 6-foot-1, 195pounder led the Vikings in rushing for two years and played in three pro Bowls in 1962, 1963 and 1964. In his 11-year professional career with Minnesota, Los Angeles and Washington, Mason rushed for 4,203 yards, caught 214 passes for 2,324 additional yards and scored 45 touchdowns.
Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey led the Baylor Bears to the 2005 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship.
OLIVER MARCELLE Nicknamed "The Ghost of New Orleans," Marcelle was one of the great players in Negro League baseball in the 1920s. A 1952 Pittsburgh Courier poll named the Thibodaux native as the Negro League's greatest third baseman, ahead of future Baseball Hall of Famers Ray Dandridge and Judy Johnson. When he and Johnson teamed for five years in winter ball, Johnson played second base. Marcelle had a Negro League lifetime average of .310 from 1919-30, posted a .305 average in eight seasons in Cuba including a league-high .393 in 1923-24, and hit .333 in exhibitions against all-white major league teams. LEONARD MARSHALL A two-time Pro Bowl defensive end, Marshall is a Franklin native who played defensive end for LSU from1979-82 and was a second-round draft pick of the New York Giants in 1983. He blossomed into a highly regarded pro player in 12 NFL seasons with the Giants (1983-92), New York Jets (1993) and Washington Redskins (1994). A two-time Pro Bowl pick in 1986 and 1987, he helped the Giants win two Super Bowls (XXI, XXV) and led the team in sacks twice, recording 15 1/2 in 1985 and 11 in 1991, He also had 12 sacks in 1986 when the Giants went on to win Super Bowl XXI. During his 10 seasons with the Giants, they ranked fifth or higher against the run five times and were in the league's top 10 in total defense seven times. ERIC MARTIN Martin set LSU’s all-time career receiving records before a 10-year NFL career, nine with New Orleans, highlighted by a Pro Bowl season in 1988. At LSU, was chosen as a member of the “Modern Day Team of the Century” in conjunction with the football program’s centennial in 1993. For the Tigers, He led the team in receiving in his last three seasons. In his junior year, he caught 52 passes for 1,064 yards and 5 TDs, earning Sporting News All-America honors and LSU’s Offensive MVP award. He twice made AllSEC. After going in the seventh round of the 1985 NFL Draft to the Saints, he started 11 games as a rookie. The 61, 207-pounder led New Orleans in receiving for seven
BEN MCDONALD An intimidating pitcher at 6 feet, 7 inches, the flame-throwing McDonald was a two-time All-American baseball star at LSU and a 1988 Team USA Olympic gold medalist who became the first player chosen in the major league draft. He capped a magnificent 1989 season for coach Skip Bertman's Tigers by receiving the Golden Spikes Award, given by the United States Baseball Federation to the nation's most outstanding amateur player. McDonald, who was also named National Player of the Year by Baseball America, The Sporting News and Collegiate Baseball, was the first player chosen in the amateur draft and made his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles in September 1989. McDonald set an LSU career mark with 373 strikeouts, and he established Southeastern Conference standards for single-season strikeouts (202), innings pitched (152.1) and consecutive scoreless innings (44.2), finishing his LSU career with a 29-14 record and a 3.24 ERA. ABE MICKAL Abe Mickal, who grew up in McComb, Miss., is an LSU football legend. A dazzling passer and deadly place-kicker, Mickal led LSU to a 23-3-3 record from 1933 through 1935. Feared by opponents for his ability to unleash the long bomb, Mickal led LSU in scoring in 1933 and was twice allSEC. He established a long-standing record of 18 straight PAT’s without a miss. Huey Long took a special liking to Mickal and made a State Senator of Abe for a brief period while Mickal was still at LSU. ROD MILBURN An All-American hurdler at Southern University, Milburn was the Olympic Games high hurdles gold medalist in 1972 at Munich. He tied an Olympic record of 13.24 but 13 times in his career was clocked at 13.0. In 1970 and 1971, Milburn won 78 straight races and was named “Most Outstanding Athlete in the World” in 1971. He swept four major titles in one year—NCAA Division I and II, NAIA and AAU. A member of the NAIA Hall of Fame, he was chosen in 1972 for the Jim Corbett Award as the state’s top college athlete. FRED MILLER A star tackle on the fabled 1957 Homer High “Iron Men” state runner-up team, Miller became an All-American defender at LSU from 1960-62. He led LSU to a Cotton Bowl upset of Texas as a senior, played in three postseason all-star games and instantly became a starter for the Baltimore Colts, holding that job throughout his 11-year NFL career (1963-74). He played in Pro Bowls in 1967, 1968 and 1969 and was captain of the 1970 Colt team that beat Dallas in the Super Bowl. SAM MILLS A five-time Pro Bowl selection, four while playing for the New Orleans Saints, Mills was nicknamed the "Field Mouse" by teammates because of his size (5-9, 225) and ability to make plays all over the field, especially from sideline to sideline. In a 12-year NFL career as a middle linebacker with the Saints (1986-94) and Carolina Panthers (1995-97), he recorded more than 100 tackles in eight seasons. Mills finished his
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
Robert Parish earned All-American honors at Centenary before embarking on a stellar NBA career.
career with 934 tackles while playing in 133 games during his nine years with the team. BRIAN MITCHELL A standout quarterback at Plaquemine High School and ULLafayette, he went on to become one of the NFL’s greatest kick returners -- setting nine records while playing 14 seasons for the Washington Redskins (1990-99), Philadelphia Eagles (2000-02) and New York Giants (2003). Mitchell, a fifth-round draft pick, helped the Redskins win Super Bowl XXVI. When he retired in 2004, he held NFL career records for total kick return yards (19,013), combined kick returns (1,070), combined kick return touchdowns (13), kickoff return yards (14,014), punt return yards (4,999), kickoff returns (607), punt returns (463) and fair catches (231). He was also the leader in all-purpose yards (23,330) until Jerry Rice (23,546) passed him in 2004. At the age of 34, Mitchell averaged a career-best 27.0 yards on kickoffs and also averaged 12.3 yards on punts. He was a Pro Bowl pick in 1995. At ULL from 1986-89, Mitchell became the first quarterback in NCAA Division I history to pass for 5,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards, finishing with 5,447 and 3,335, respectively, with both setting school marks. J.D. MOONEY Mooney, who died in 1966, rode the famed Black Gold to victory in the 1924 Kentucky Derby. He also guided Black Gold to wins in the Louisiana, Ohio State and Chicago Derbies and the Kentucky Derby Trial. Mooney rode for 10 years, posting 261 victories, placing second 258 times and finishing third on 280 occasions. Horses he rode were in the money 30 per cent of the time. Mooney and Black Gold were the subject of the popular book, “Black Gold.” The New Orleans native won the Louisiana Derby on Amole in 1923. BERNIE MOORE Former commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, Moore coached LSU to three national championships in three different sports between 1933 and 1936. He became head track coach at LSU in 1930, and his teams won 14 Southern and Southeastern titles. His Tiger football teams went 83-39-
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers CHARLES "COTTON" NASH A four-sport star, "Cotton" Nash attended Lake Charles High School in 1958-60, was a three-time All-America basketball star at Kentucky and played pro basketball and baseball. He played end on a state champion football team at Lake Charles High, was twice the “Outstanding Player” on the Class AAA All-State basketball team and won the state discus title twice. A three-time basketball AllAmerican, he was the first Kentucky player to score more than 20 points a game (22.7) in three straight seasons. Nash played in the NBA and in baseball’s major leagues. CALVIN NATT A Bastrop native and All-America star at Norhteast Louisiana, Calvin Natt was the eighth player taken in the 1979 NBA Draft and played 10 seasons in the pro ranks. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team and played in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game. He retired with a career scoring average of 17.5 points. At NLU, he was an All-America pick who averaged 23.0 points and 11.9 rebounds in his career. The 6-5 Natt was the top scoring freshman in the country in 1976, averaging 20.6 points per game. His 2,581 points still ranks 29th best all-time in NCAA major college history.
Craig Perrett, a native of New Orleans, won the 1987 Belmont Stakes and the 1990 Kentucky Derby. While riding Impeachment (above), he finished 3rd in the 2000 Kentucky Derby as future hall of famer, Kent Desormeaux, won while riding Fusaichi Pegasus.
6, playing in three Sugar Bowls, the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl in the 1930’s and 1940’s. He won the national track title in 1933, basketball championship in 1935 and national football crown in 1936. JIM MORA The only successful head coach in Saints history, holding the job for 10 1⁄2 years (1986-'96). During that time, Mora coached the Saints to four playoff appearances and an overall record of 93-74 with a franchise that had never seen a playoff game or a winning season. In '87, Mora was named NFL Coach of the Year after leading New Orleans to a franchise-best 12-3 record. After serving as an assistant at Stanford, Colorado, UCLA and Washington, Mora's pro coaching career began in Seattle, where he was named the team's defensive line coach in 1978. Five years later, Mora got his first head coaching chance in the USFL, where he led the Philadelphia Stars to two consecutive league championships before departing for the NFL. After New Orleans, Mora took the Indianapolis Colts to NFL respectability before his coaching career ended after the 2001 season. AL MOREAU Moreau won international recognition both as a track and field star at LSU and later as the Tigers’ track coach. He was three times conference hurdles champion and was captain of the famous five-man LSU track team which won the national college title in 1933. Moreau was the world 110 meter high hurdles champion in 1935 with a time of 14.2 and won 13 straight races during a tour of Europe, including a 13.9. He coached LSU track teams to seven SEC titles between 1949 and 1963. JACKIE MORELAND A charter member of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame, Moreland was Tech’s first basketball All-American, winning the honor in 1958, 1959 and 1960. The Minden native finished his three-year career with 1,491 points and 1,124 rebounds. In three seasons at Tech, he had a 21.3 scoring average. At Minden High, he was twice a Prep All-
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American and established a national high school record of 5,000 points. Moreland, who died in 1971 at the age of 33, also had an outstanding professional career. JOHNNY MORRISS One of Louisiana's early track standouts, Morriss tied the NCAA high hurdles record of 14.6 in 1930. An All-American at Southwestern Louisiana, he won the hurdles in 14.5 in the World Games in Italy. An alternate on the 1932 Olympic team, he toured Europe in 1933 and won 17 straight hurdles races, tying the world record of 14.3. After his athletic career, Morriss coached at Southwestern Louisiana, Arkansas, University of Houston and Houston Baptist. He coached seven members of Olympic teams and 72 AllAmericans. KIM MULKEY The second woman inducted in the Hall of Fame, Mulkey was a crowd-pleasing, championship caliber point guard at Hammond High, Louisiana Tech and on the 1984 United States women’s basketball teams. She led Hammond to four state prep titles, guided Louisiana Tech to two national championships and four Final Four appearances and a 130-6 record, helped the U.S. win the 1984 Olympic gold medal, and coached Baylor to the 2005 NCAA National Championship. She won the Corbett Award as Louisiana’s top amateur athlete in 1984. A.W. MUMFORD Mumford coached Southern University football teams for 25 years—from 1936 through 1961—and compiled a record of 169-57-14. His Southern teams won or shared the league championship 11 times and won the national black college title four times. His total football record, which included stints at Bishop College, Jarvis Christian and Texas College, was 232-82-25. Mumford, who also coached basketball, baseball and track in his early years at Southern, produced 35 All-Americans. Many became pro stars.
MEL OTT Ott left New Orleans at the age of 16 to join John McGraw’s New York Giants. For 22 years, he played outfield and third base for the Giants. During his career, Ott set a National League career home run mark of 511. He played in 2,739 major league games, drove in 1,860 runs and scored 1,859 runs. Ott starred in the 1933, 1936 and 1937 World Series and posted a lifetime batting average of .304. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, he also had a lifetime fielding average of .974. EMMETT PARE' In his 37 seasons as the Tulane Green Wave coach, Tulane was 285-61-19, including a share of the 1959 NCAA Championship with Notre Dame. He produced 20 Southeastern Conference team champions, 14 SEC singles titles, six NCAA singles winners and two NCAA doubles champions. He also coached Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame player Ham Richardson, a Davis Cup star. Pare' won the National Clay Courts singles title in 1929 and turned pro two years later. He toured with the original Bill Tilden troupe and in 1933, the same year before he took the Tulane job, he won the National Professional doubles title. ROBERT PARISH A Shreveport native and Centenary All-American who was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversity All-Time Team, Parish was a nine-time NBA All-Star with Boston and a four-time NBA champion (3 with Boston, 1997 with Chicago). After his retirement Aug. 25, 1997, Parish ranked 13th on the NBA all-time scoring list (23,334 career points), sixth in rebounds (14,715) and sixth in blocks (2,361). He holds NBA career marks for seasons (21), games (1,611) and defensive rebounds (10,117). His trademark “00” jersey was retired by the Celtics on Robert Parish Day (Jan. 28, 1998). From his rookie year of 1976-77 until his next-to-last season, Parish was able to play in 95 percent of his team’s games, missing only 73 games over 20 seasons. In 1982, he was second to Larry Bird in MVP voting. RAYMOND "BUDDY" PARKER Parker was a star player on the Centenary College powerhouse football teams of the 1930s and played six seasons in the NFL before launching a great coaching career. He became Detroit's head coach in 1951, and starting a year later, the Lions won three straight division titles and two NFL championships with stars like Bobby Layne and Doak Walker. He took over the moribund Pittsburgh Steelers and posted a 51-48-6 record through 1964. His overall NFL coaching record was 115-74-9 through 14-plus years.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers football, basketball, baseball and track behind Petitbon. The 1946 state MVP in football, he accounted for 50 touchdowns in his last two years. As a sophomore safety in 1949, he played for an unbeaten Notre Dame team that won a national title. In his last two years, Petitbon had 1,432 total yards and 10 TDs at halfback. In his pro career, delayed by the Korean War, he made 8 interceptions. His younger brother Richie is also in the Hall of Fame.
MEL PARNELL A native of New Orleans, Parnell has been rated the greatest left-handed pitcher in the history of the Boston Red Sox. He pitched for Boston from 1947 through 1956, winning 123 games and losing 75. He had career bests of 25-7 in 1949 and 21-8 in 1953. Parnell threw a no-hitter against the White Sox in 1956. He coached Tulane’s baseball team in 1958 and was general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans in 1959 before rejoining the Red Sox to manage Alpine, Tex., and Seattle, Wash. farm clubs.
RICHIE PETITBON A star Tulane quarterback, Richie Petitbon played 14 years in the NFL as a safety with Chicago -- helping the Bears win the 1963 NFL title -- Los Angeles, and Washington, helping the Redskins to the 1973 Super Bowl. Petitbon made four Pro Bowl appearances (1963, 1964, 1967, 1968), was AllPro in 1963 and made the Sporting News All-NFL Western Conference first team in 1966. He had a career-high 8 interceptions with Chicago in 1963 and made 48 in his career. The New Orleans native helped coach the Redskins to Super Bowl titles in the 1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons.
WLLIE PASTRANO Pastrano won the light-heavyweight boxing championship in 1963 over Harold Johnson and successfully defended his title twice the following year against Gregorio Peralta and Terry Downes. He lost the title to Jose Torres in 1965 and retired from the ring. Pastrano, who campaigned as a heavyweight toward the end of his career, had 83 fights, winning 62, losing 13 and drawing in eight. He had 14 knockouts and won on 48 decisions. Pastrano lost 11 decisions but was knocked out only twice. MICKEY PATTERSON (TYLER) A New Orleans native, Patterson in 1948 became the first black American woman to win an Olympic medal by taking the bronze in the London Olympics in the 200 meter dash. After graduating from Gilbert Academy in New Orleans, she competed at Tennessee State and retained her undefeated record in prep and collegiate competition. She won the 200 at the 1948 U.S. Olympic Trials. She was named Woman Athlete of the Year by the Amateur Athletic Union. Patterson later became a driving force in track and field, managing a 1969 USA women’s team and serving as vice president of the AAU. JOHN PENNEL Pennel was the first pole vaulter to break the 17-foot barrier, and he held the world record in 1963 and his last one six years later. His first world standard was 16-3. The Northeast Louisiana University star cleared 17-0 3/4 in the Gold Coast AAU meet in Miami in 1963, and his last record was 17-10 1/4 in 1969. He competed in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and was selected as the Athlete of the Year in the United States in 1963. WARREN PERKINS An iconic sports figure in New Orleans as an athlete and civic leader, Perkins was in the starting lineup for the firstever NBA game featuring his Tri-City Blackhawks against the Denver Nuggets. He was the first basketball player enshrined in the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977 (playing career from 1945-49) as one of 11 charter members and is also a member of the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame. He is a three-sport Tulane letterman. He set scoring records for the Green Wave. He is a member of the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Twice an All-SEC selection (1948, 1949). He played in the NBA for the Tri-City Blackhawks from 1949-51. CRAIG PERRET A New Orleans native who began riding quarter horses at the age of 10, he ranked 33rd all-time with 4,384 career wins (through the 2004 season). Has a career winning percentage of 16.26 in 26,955 races, earning $111,832,051 on those mounts. Won the 1987 Belmont Stakes on Bet Twice and the 1990 Kentucky Derby aboard Unbridled. Claimed the prestigious Eclipse Award (equivalent to the Heisman Trophy) as the top jockey of 1990, riding Unbridled, Housebuster, Safely Kept, Rhythm, and With Approval to Grade I victories. He guided Safely Kept to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint title in 1990 and capped the year by tying Jorge Velasquez’s record for most stakes wins in a single season (57). Also won Breeders©ˆ Cup races on Eillo (1984 Sprint) and Rhythm (1989 Juvenile) and rode Peteski to the Canadian Triple Crown in 1993. Recorded his 4,000th career win aboard Heloise at Turfway Park on Sept. 30, 1995. Was inducted into Fair Grounds Hall of Fame in New Orleans in 1994.
BOB PETTIT An All-American at Louisiana State University in 1953-54, Pettit went on to become one of the all-time great professional basketball stars and one of only four men to score over 20,000 points during his career in the NBA. He had 20,880. Pettit started with the Milwaukee team in 1954-55 and stayed with the Hawks for 10 more years in St. Louis. He was first team All-NBA every year he played except one and had a career scoring average of 26.4 points per game as a professional.
Richie Petitbon, a star QB for Tulane, played 14 seasons in the NFL and helped lead the Chicago Bears to the 1963 NFL title and the Washingont Redskins to the 1973 Super Bowl.
JIMMY PERRIN Perrin, whose real name was James LaCava, was born in New Orleans in 1916. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic boxing team before entering the professional ranks. His greatest years in the ring came in 1939 and 1940. By late 1940, he had rolled up 46 victories and had been defeated only three times. He was one of the world’s most successful boxers in 1939, winning 12 of 13 bouts. Perrin laid claim to the featherweight title by beating Bobby Ruffin and Joey Archibald in 1940 fights. KIM PERROT Named to the LSWA’s 20-woman All-Century Team for women’s hoops, she starred at Louisiana-Lafayette in her hometown from 1986-90, played for Team USA and overseas and became a star in the first two years of the WNBA. She helped lead the Comets to back-to-back WNBA titles in her first two years in the league as the team's starting point guard. Perrot inspired the Comets to their third title despite being stricken with cancer and passing away in late August 1999. She etched her name into numerous spots in the Cajun record book as well as the NCAA record book. She registered 14 games in which she scored 30 or more points during her career. Perrot ended the 1989-90 season as the nation’s leading scorer with a 30.0 average. The Comets retired her No. 10 jersey, the WNBA’s Sportsmanship Award is named in her honor and the children’s treatment center at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is named “Kim’s Place.” She was an all-state performer at Acadiana HS in Lafayette. JOHN PETITBON A New Orleans native, John Petitbon had an amazing foursport career at Jesuit High School, starred in football at Notre Dame and won an NFL championship in 1955 with the Cleveland Browns. In 1946, Jesuit won state titles in
2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration
JELLY PIGOTT The girls prep basketball coach at Dry Prong, Selma, Greensburg and Jena, she made an indelible impact on state prep history as the Lady Giants coach. She coached at Jena from 1952 to 1970, averaging 35 wins a year and losing no more than five games a season. Jena girls basketball became one of the state's premier high school programs in any sport during her reign. In 34 years of coaching her teams never had a losing season, winning about 90 percent of their games. She had two one-loss seasons. Her teams won 29 district championships, six state titles and finished second three times, but no precise won-loss career record can be compiled. She is thought to have won 900+ games. She was the second girls basketball coach inducted to the LHSCA Hall of Fame (1980) a year after Edna Tarbutton was part of the first-ever induction class. A Northwestern State alumnus, she died in 1988. HOWIE POLLETT Pollett, a New Orleans native, gained fame as a member of the outstanding St. Louis Cardinals teams of the 1940’s. The stylish left-hander had a 14-year pitching record in the Major Leagues of 131-116 and a career ERA of 3.51. His best season was 1946 when he had a 21-10 record and helped the Cardinals win the World Series. He also had a 20-9 record in 1949 and led the National League in ERA in 1946. He closed out his career with the Pirates, Cubs and White Sox. HAROLD PORTER Harold Porter blazed into national track and field circles at USL after setting state sprint records at East Jefferson High. He was the state Class 3A 100 and 220-yard dash champion in 1970, running a wind-aided 9.3 in the 100 to win the state title. He went on to set eight school records at USL, where he became the school's first NCAA Division I AllAmerican as a freshman. He ran on the U.S. Track and Field Federation's national championship 400 meter relay team and went on to represent the USA in international tours of Russia, China and Cuba. He set USL records with a 9.2 100-yard dash, 20.8 in the 220 and 20.90 in the 200 meters. Porter was also a ninth-round NFL Draft pick as a football receiver.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers DUTCH REINHARDT Associated with USL athletics for more than a half-century, Reinhardt was head basketball coach for 27 years, compiling a career mark of 346-253. His number of all-time wins is the second highest among Louisiana coaches. Reinhardt, who retired as a coach in 1957, is a member of the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, Sugar Bowl Basketball Classic Hall of Fame, USL Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Association of Coaches Hall of Fame. He also served at USL as football coach, tennis coach and trainer. NICK REVON A New Orleans native, he is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame as the leading scorer in the history of basketball at the University of Southern Mississippi. Revon later won nearly 500 games as a prep coach and won nine district Coach of the Year honors. After scoring 2,136 points from 1950-54 at USM, Revon was a second-round NBA Draft pick in 1955 but chose along with 50 other first-or second round picks to join an industrial league. Before knee trouble ended his career, he played for the USA in the Pan American Games.
Connie Ryan spent 45 years in professional baseball as a player, coach, manager, and a scout and played in the 1948 and 1957 World Series. He also earned a spot in the 1944 All-Star game.
H. LEE PRATHER Prather coached at Northwestern for 38 years, winning more than 385 basketball games between 1913 and 1950, when he became president of the college. He was president of the NAIB, and his team represented Louisiana in the NAIB Tournament six of the last 10 years he coached. A native of Odessa, Mo., Prather coached all sports at Northwestern before becoming athletic director and basketball coach in 1934. He helped organize the old Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
HARRY RABENHORST Rabenhorst, who had a 115-yard punt for Wake Forest in 1919, coached at LSU for 32 years. During the Bob Pettit era at Tigertown, his basketball team had records of 17-7, 24-3 and 21-5. He also coached LSU All-American Sparky Wade. Rabenhorst coached all sports during his three decades at LSU, and he also served as assistant athletic director and acting athletic director. At Wake Forest, he actually served as a player and assistant coach during his sophomore year.
EDDIE PRICE Price had 3,095 yards rushing as a Tulane running back, which stood as a state record for 27 years. He earned AllSEC honors in 1948 and 1949. In the 1949 game against Navy, he gained 289 yards in all-purpose running, a record that still stands. He averaged over six yards a carry at Tulane and became an outstanding pro back with the New York Giants. He had more 100-yard rushing games than any other Giant in history with 11 and still ranks in the top five in eight running categories in Giant records.
GARY REASONS A 1995 inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame, Reasons was the first three-time All-American in NCAA Division I-AA. The 6-4, 235-pound linebacker set Northwestern State records with 394 career tackles, 172 as a senior and 24 in one game. A fourth-round NFL Draft pick, he made the NFL All-Rookie Team and started on the New York Giants' two Super Bowl champion teams in 1986 and 1991. He was the leading tackler for the Giants in the 1991 Super Bowl win over Buffalo, making six stops. He is now a college football analyst for ABC-TV.
GREG PROCELL Procell, the nation’s top high school basketball scorer of all time, had 6,702 points—a 37.2 per game average—in four years at Ebarb High from 1966 through 1970. As a senior, he scored 3,173 points and averaged 46.7 a game. He set a state single game scoring record that year of 100 points. All-State twice and All-America as a senior, Procell was also the state’s Most Valuable Player in Class C twice. He later led the conference in scoring at Panola College and completed his collegiate career at Northwestern State. JOE PROFIT A dynamic running back at Monroe’s RichwoodHigh School and an All-American at Northeast Louisiana University, Profit was a first-round NFL Draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons and the seventh player selected in the 1970 draft. In 1967, he was the first black to play football for a predominantly white university in the state. At NLU, he became the career rushing leader in the old Gulf States Conference with 2,818 yards and was GSC Athlete of the Year in 197071. Despite a serious knee injury in his rookie year, Profit played six pro seasons with Atlanta, New Orleans and in the World Football League with Birmingham.
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J.R. RICHARD Richard, from Vienna, had a remarkable prep career at Ruston’s Lincoln High that made him a first-round draft pick by the Houston Astros in 1969. He pitched for 15 seasons as a pro. His major league record of 107-71 included a 2015 mark in 1976 and 18 wins in each of three consecutive seasons after that. Richard struck out 1,489 batters in 1,606 innings and had a career earned run average of 3.15. He led the league in strikeouts in 1978 with 303 and in ERA in 1979 with a 2.71 mark. HAM RICHARDSON Twice National Collegiate Men’s Singles Tennis Champion while competing for Tulane, Richardson was the nation’s top-ranked player in 1956 and again in 1958 after leaving Tulane and was a member of the Davis Cup team in 1958. He competed for years at Forest Hill, Wimbledon and all other major tennis tournaments. Richardson won numerous awards, including the Johnston Trophy and the Marlboro Award. A Rhodes Scholar, he was a Southeastern Conference champion at Tulane.
WILLIS REED Reed was a standout at Grambling, scoring 2,235 points while leading the school to an NAIA championship, but he was best known for his career with the New York Knicks of the NBA. He was Rookie of the Year in 1964-65 and was named to five straight NBA All-Star teams beginning in 1966-67. He was Most Valuable Player in the league and MVP in the playoffs in 1969-70 in leading the Knicks to the world championship and was also MVP in the 1973 playoffs. He averaged 18.7 points a game in his 10 year career. BILL REIGEL Reigel, who played basketball for only two seasons at McNeese, led the Cowboys to a 50-15 record during those 1954 through 1956 campaigns. He was the nation’s top scorer as a senior with a 33.9 average. Reigel was named NAIA Player of the Year and All-American in 1956 when McNeese won the national NAIA championship. In two years at McNeese, he scored 1,501 points for a 31.7 per game average. He is a member of the McNeese, AAU, NAIA and Louisiana Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Eddie Robinson is the winningest coach in college football history, having compiled a 408-165-15 record in 57 years of coaching. He was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers WILLIAM ROAF The mammoth 6-foot-5, 320-pound tackle was the firstround pick of the Saints in 1993 (eighth pick overall and first offensive lineman) after a stellar career after developing from a diamond in the rough at Louisiana Tech. Roaf played 13 NFL seasons, the first nine with the Saints and the final four with the Kansas City Chiefs. As one of the top tackles in the game, he was a three-time AP All-Pro first-team pick (1994-95 with the Saints and 2004 with the Chiefs) and six times earned second-team honors. He was chosen to play in 11 Pro Bowls, including a club-record seven with the Saints. Is considered by many to be the greatest player in Saints' history. A three-year starter at Tech, he made numerous All-American teams and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy as the nation's best lineman as a senior when he allowed just one sack. played in the Hula Bowl and EastWest Shrine games before becoming the eighth selection in the 1993 NFL Draft. ISIAH ROBERTSON A New Orleans native, Robertson starred at Southern University, then became a six-time Pro Bowl linebacker in a hard-hitting 12-year NFL career. Southern's first College Division All-America pick in 1970, Robertson was the Los Angeles Rams' first-round draft pick and won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honor in 1971. He made his first Pro Bowl appearance that year, then from 1973-77. He started all but two games in his first seven pro seasons, then started 51 straight games after being traded to Buffalo in 1979. He had 25 career interceptions, and three touchdowns. JOHNNY “RED” ROBERTSON This Northwestern State graduate coached Ferriday High School to an undefeated football streak of 56 games and four state titles in the mid 1950s. The unbeaten streak was a state record until the 2000 season. The four straight titles is also still a record, tied by Haynesville in the mid 1990s and Evangel and John Curtis in 1999. The winning streak began after the opening game of 1953 and ended with a defeat in the 1957 season opener and included two ties, both in 1956. Robertson ended his coaching career after seven years with a 78-9-3 record, becoming a school principal. SCOTTY ROBERTSON Robertson spent more than two decades in the NBA after 10 years as head coach at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech. Head coach of three NBA teams, including the first coach of the New Orleans Jazz, he currently serves with the Miami Heat. He was 163-91 as a prep coach in Louisiana for 12 seasons. Robertson, 165-86 as Tech's coach, led the Bulldogs to No. 1 in the national college division rankings in the early 1970s and developed Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Mike Green. After launching the Jazz into the NBA, he became head coach in the pros with Chicago and Detroit.
12 years. He was All-Pro five straight seasons—1966 through 1970—and is in the Chief record book with 57 career interceptions and 10 interceptions in a season. He appeared in two Super Bowls. RICK ROBEY A New Orleans (Brother Martin HS) native, Robey played on teams that won NBA, NCAA, NIT and Louisiana Class AAAA titles. The 6-10 Robey was an All-American center at Kentucky who played eight NBA seasons with Indiana (1978-79), Boston (1979-83) and Phoenix (1983-86). The third player chosen in the 1978 NBA Draft, Robey was traded to the Celtics for Dennis Johnson and helped Boston win the 1981 NBA Championship. In 500 NBA games, he scored 3,762 points (7.5 ppg) and grabbed 2,292 rebounds (4.6 pg). At Kentucky, he helped lead the Wildcats to the 1976 NIT title and the 1978 NCAA crown, wrapping up his career as the all-time school leader with a .581 shooting percentage. At Brother Martin, he was an All-American center. RANDY ROMERO A highly-regarded jockey, Romero had 4,294 career wins on 26,091 mounts (16.5 win %) and earned $75,264,198 in purses. Romero, an Erath native, won riding titles at every Louisiana track (Delta Downs, Evangeline Downs, Fair Grounds, Jefferson Downs, Louisiana Downs). He won four riding titles at the Fair Grounds in six seasons from 1979-80 to 1984-85. His 181 wins in 1983-84 remains a FG record. He holds the single-meet record for wins at Evangeline Downs (136). In the mid-80s, he shifted his tack to New York and became the regular rider of Hall of Fame horses Go For Wand and Personal Ensign, who retired 13-0, the only horse in the last 50 years to retire unbeaten in as many starts. Included in that record was a dramatic win in the 1988 Breeders Cup Distaff, one of three Breeders Cup wins for Romero. ROLLAND ROMERO Romero was twice a member of the U.S. Olympic track team, being selected for the 1932 team at the age of 17 and repeating in 1936. Romero placed the highest of any U.S. triple jumper in the two Olympic Games. He went to Loyola
from Welsh High School, and at Loyola, Romero established a number of Amateur Athletic Union track and field records. Romero was a charter member of the Loyola Sports Hall of Fame, honored for his Olympic performance in Los Angeles and Berlin. CONNIE RYAN A native of New Orleans, Connie Ryan spent 45 years in professional baseball, making two trips to the World Series (1948, 1957) and earning a spot in the 1944 All-Star Game. In 12 years as an infielder with the New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, he carried a career .248 batting average with a single-season best of .295 in 1944. He spent the last 30 years of his baseball career as a scout, coach and manager with Atlanta, Texas, Milwaukee, Houston and Kansas City, briefly serving as manager of Atlanta (1975) and Texas (1977). MICHAEL SANDERS Twice the Louisiana Prep Player of the Year and a third team All-American at DeRidder High School, Sanders was a UCLA co-captain for two years as a 6-6 center. He was two-time All-Pac 10 player who played 11 NBA seasons with four teams, averaging in double figures for three years (1984-87) with Phoenix. At DeRidder, he was a three-time All-State pick, averaging 27.3 ppg, 17.2 rebounds, shooting 68% from the field and 76% on free throws as a senior. At UCLA, he finished 15th in career scoring (1,210 points) and 17th in career rebounds (577). LEO SANFORD A native of Shreveport, Sanford starred at Fair Park High and Louisiana Tech before beginning a standout NFL career in 1951 with the Chicago Cardinals. He was defensive captain and played in Pro Bowls for the Baltimore Colts in 1957 and 1958. At Tech, Sanford was a 1950 All-American linebacker and was a two-time All Gulf States Conference center and linebacker. When the All-Louisiana First 100 Years of Football mythical team was picked in the 1970’s, Sanford was chosen for a linebacking spot.
EDDIE ROBINSON Robinson, whose entire 57-season coaching career was spent at Grambling, is the winningest coach in Division I college football history with 408 victories (408-165-15). He surpassed Bear Bryant as college football's most successful coach. Robinson is also noted for sending more than 200 players to the pros including four Pro Football Hall of Famers. A native of Baker, Robinson is a former president of the American Football Coaches Association. As recently as 1994 he was Southwestern Athletic Conference coach of the year, and he led the Tigers to 17 SWAC titles since 1960. He retired in 1997 and passed away in 2007. JOHNNY ROBINSON Robinson played halfback opposite Billy Cannon on the great LSU football teams of the late 1950’s. He was an AllConference selection in 1958 when the Tigers won the national championship. Robinson gained his greatest fame in pro football. He joined the Dallas Texans out of LSU and stayed with the team through the move to Kansas City for
Members of the 2005 Hall of Fame induction class. (L-R) Hoyle Granger, Mark Duper, Tom Hinton, Rudy Macklin, Janice Lawrence Braxton, Albert Belle.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers JAMES SILAS Silas, a Tallulah native, became a pro basketball All-Star with San Antonio. He was the first Spurs player to have his jersey retired after averaging 16.1 points (11,038 total) in 685 games during 10 seasons, eight with San Antonio and two with Cleveland. An ABA All-Star in 1975 and 1976, Silas averaged 15.7 points in 41 career playoff games. He was called "Captain Late" for his knack of making clutch plays late in games. After a great career at McCall High School, Silas was an NAIA All-American star at Stephen F. Austin, where his jersey was retired. He set 14 school records and averaged 18.7 points in his career. MONK SIMONS One of the South’s greatest running backs in the early 1930’s, Simons played in his hometown for the Tulane Green Wave. He was an All-American halfback in 1934, leading Tulane to a 9-1 record. It was Simons who scored on an 85-yard kickoff return to ignite Tulane’s comeback victory in the 1935 Sugar Bowl over Pop Warner’s Temple Owls. Simons later became a successful businessman and served as president of the Sugar Bowl. He coached at Tulane from 1942 through 1948 and is a national Hall of Fame member.
Pat Swilling had a stellar NFL career, mostly with the New Orleans Saints (1986-92), where he was a five-time Pro Bowl pick.
TONY SARDISCO The first Tulane guard ever to make a major All-America team (Look Magazine, alongside stars like Paul Hornung in 1955, Sardisco won All-AFL honors with the Boston Patriots in 1961. A 6-foot-2, 210-pounder in college (240 in the pros), the Shreveport native doubled as an offensive guard and linebacker. He captained the Greenies two years and was the Patriots’ first captain. Following his senior season at Tulane, he played in the Blue-Gray, Senior Bowl and College All-Star game in Chicago, being named outstanding lineman in the Blue-Gray after making 14 unassisted tackles. After a year in the NFL, Sardisco spent two years in the Air Force, then played a year in Canada before helping launch the AFL with the Patriots from 1960-63. GLYNN SAULTERS The first collegiate player in Louisiana to make a U.S. Olympic basketball team, Saulters starred at Northeast Louisiana University for four years. Named to the all-time All-Louisiana team in 1970, Saulters was the Gulf States Conference Athlete of the Year in 1968. He was All- GSC three times, All-America twice and Player of the Year in the conference in 1968. He was the league’s all-time leading scorer with a career average 23.5 points a game. In his senior season, Saulters had a 31.3 point scoring average. RAGS SCHEUERMANN Considered the patriarch of modern-day baseball in New Orleans, Scheuermann won well over 1,000 games as coach at Delgado Community College, Loyola University and All-America Amateur Baseball Association teams. His clubs won eight national championships. Before retiring as head coach at Delgado in 1990 at the age of 67, Scheuermann won 80 percent of his games and guided his 1985 team to the Junior College World Series. He was 24282 as coach at Loyola. CLARK SHAUGHNESSY Shaughnessy coached football for 31 years after his graduation from the University of Minnesota in 1914. He launched his head coaching career at Tulane, coaching the Greenies for 11 years before taking over at Loyola of New Orleans for six years. The father of the T-Formation, Shaughnessy also coached at the University of Chicago, Stanford, Maryland and Pittsburgh before joining the pro coaching ranks. His 1940 Stanford team was unbeaten and won the Rose Bowl.
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JACKIE SMITH Smith, elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994, is a native of Kentwood and a former Northwestern football and track star. He became the NFL’s all-time leading tight end with 480 career receptions for 7,918 yards. A five-time Pro Bowler, Smith played 121 consecutive games for the Cardinals and 198 altogether. Smith holds the Cardinal record for the most yards receiving in a season with 1,205 in 1967. After “retiring” in 1977, Smith was lured back for a final season with the Dallas Cowboys and played in the Super Bowl after the ’78 season. LEE SMITH Born in Shreveport, Smith is a lifelong resident of Castor who became Major League Baseball's career saves leader with 478. Smith still holds the MLB record for consecutive errorless games (546) by a pitcher. A seven-time All-Star, Smith was named the National League Fireman of the Year in 1991 and shared the award in 1983 and 1992. He won the American League award in 1994 and holds the Cubs and Cardinals club records for saves. (then pick up the sentence. He pitched 18 seasons (1980-97) for eight clubs (Cubs, Red Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Reds and Expos). A hard-throwing 6-6 right-hander, Smith appeared in 1,022 games and had a career record of 71-92 and 3.03 ERA, with 486 walks and 1,251 strikeouts. He recorded 30 or more saves 10 times in his career. Smith led the National League in saves in 1983, '91 and '92 and the American League in 1994. His best seasons were from 1991-93 when he had 47, 43 and 46 saves. Smith holds the Cubs and Cardinals club records for saves.
BOBBY SPELL Selected as a member of the National Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame, Spell was considered the world’s greatest softball pitcher during the period from 1956 to 1960. During that time, he pitched on three world championship teams and was All-World three times. Spell, whose riser fastball was clocked at 126 miles per hour, pitched 205 innings in world tournament competition, allowing only eight runs, and he hurled over 200 no-hitters during his incomparable softball career. FREDDIE SPENCER Known to motorcycle racing fans as "Fast Freddie," Spencer will go down in history as one of the greatest road racers that America has ever produced. The Shreveport native is a member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. In addition to winning three world championships, he was the only rider ever to win the 250cc and 500cc Grand Prix World Championships in the same season (1985). He was the only rider to win three major races during Bike Week at Daytona International Speedway (Superbike, Formula One and International Lightweight races in 1985), the youngest to win the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship (21) and the youngest ever to win an AMA Superbike race in 1979 (18). He is the first motorsports inductee in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. RUSTY STAUB A New Orleans native, Staub played for 23 seasons in the major leagues, finishing with a career batting averge of .279. A first baseman outfielder, he established records in the twilight of his career for most appearances in games as a pinch hitter and most at bats as a pinch hitter. During his career, which started at Houston and included stays with Montreal and New York of the National League and Texas and Detroit of the American, Staub hit 292 home runs and 499 doubles. He had a fielding average of .980 in the majors. JERRY STOVALL A consensus All-American running back for LSU in 1962 and runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year, Stovall was an All-Southeastern Conference selection three times. He was the St. Louis Cardinals’ first-round draft choice in 1963 and became an All-Pro defensive back. Stovall played in two Pro Bowls during his nine-year career with the Cards. In addition to his play in the defensive secondary, Stovall handled punting chores and still holds the St. Louis record for single game punting average.
NEIL SMITH A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Smith is a product of McDonogh 35 High School in New Orleans who went on to star at Nebraska and in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers during a 13-year career as a defensive end. The second overall pick in the 1988 draft, Smith was a fierce pass rusher for the Chiefs from 1988-1996. He made the AP All-Pro team in 1993 when he led the NFL with 15 sacks and was a fivetime Pro Bowl selection (1992-96) for Kansas City. He also tied for the Chiefs team lead in sacks with 14 1/2 in 1992 and had 11 1/2 and 12, respectively in 1994 and ’95. His 86 sacks with the Chiefs (he had 18 1/2 with the Broncos and Chargers) ranks him second in club history behind the 126 1/2 recorded by Derrick Thomas. At Nebraska, Smith was a first-team All-America pick by The Sporting News and a second-team choice by the AP and Football News as a senior, and was the defensive MVP of the Ricoh Japan Bowl. Charles “Red” Thomas was an All-American basketball player at Northwestern State was was named MVP of the NAIA Tournament in 1941.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers GEORGE “BO” STRICKLAND A big league shortstop for 10 seasons and a coach, manager and scout for 11 more, the New Orleans native managed the Cleveland Indians in the 1964 and 1966 seasons. He was the starting shortstop for the Indians when they won the 1954 World Series. Regarded as a slick fielding defensive specialist, he led American League shortstops in double plays in 1953 and in fielding in 1955. He shares the major league record for shortstops involved in double plays in a game (5) in 1952. He had a career fielding average of .965 and was in on 558 double plays. In 1955, he led all big league shortstops with a .976 fielding percentage. He batted .224 with 36 homers and 284 RBI. As a manager he had a 33-39 interim record replacing Birdie Tebbetts. Strickland is a member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. PAT STUDSTILL A Shreveport native and Byrd High School product, Pat Studstill played 12 seasons in the National Football League and made three straight Pro Bowl appearances from 196567 as a wide receiver and punter for Detroit, also playing for the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots. He led the NFL in punt returns in 1962, averaging 15.8 yards, and topped the league in receiving yards in 1966 with 1,266 on 67 receptions, second in the NFL. The Lions voted him their MVP that season. Studstill set an NFL record with a 99-yard TD reception against Baltimore. He ranked among the NFL's top punters for more than 10 years. He first gained notice as one of the nation's fastest prep sprinters, with a 9.9 100-yard dash to his credit. DAVE STYRON An internationally-renowned sprinter at Northeast Louisiana University from 1959 through 1962, Dave once held the junior world record in the 100-yard dash at 9.4. He tied the world indoor records in the 60 and 70-yard dashes and tied the world outdoor 100-yard dash record of 9.3. He also tied the American record in the 100 meters of 10.1. Dave also competed in the 220 dash, broad jump and high jump while teaming with twin brother Don to give Northeast one of the nation's best track teams. DON STYRON A hurdler, Don helped lead Northeast Louisiana to unbeaten seasons of 14-0 in 1960 and 9-0 in 1962. Don still holds the world record for the 220-yard low hurdles at 21.9 and at one time he shared the 60-yard low and high hurdle world
records. Don was twice selected as the world’s best hurdler by Track and Field News. Don and twin brother Dave were chosen Athletes of the Year in the old Gulf States Conference in 1959, 1960 and 1962, becoming the only athletes to win the prestigious honor three times. HAL SUTTON Hal Sutton has reached the pinnacle in amateur, professional and world golf, and is believed to be the only player who has outdueled both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in the final holes of major golf tournaments. The Shreveport native. who played collegiately in his hometown at Centenary, was named by Golf Magazine as the 1980 College Player of the Year after winning the U.S. Amateur, North and South Amateur, Western Amateur and Northeast Amateur titles. He also was a member of two U.S. Walker Cup-winning teams in 1979 and '81. After that, he embarked on a PGA Tour career that would net him 14 wins and more than $15 million in career earnings between 1982 and 2006. His biggest win on Tour came in the 1983 PGA Championship when the 25-year-old Sutton opened with scores of 65 and 66 and went on to win his only major title by one stroke over a late-charging Nicklaus. Sutton's best years came in the late 1990s when he claimed the title at The Tour Championship in 1998 and in 2000 beat Woods to win The Players Championship, which is often considered to be the fifth major. Sutton was a standout on four U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1985, 1987, 1999, 2002) and was the non-playing captain of the 2004 team. PAT SWILLING An outside linebacker with the Saints who played with the club from 1986-92, he was a five-time Pro Bowl pick (four with the Saints) during a 12-year NFL career. He was a member of the famed Dome Patrol (with fellow linebackers Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills and Vaughan Johnson) who made league history in 1992 when, for the first time, four linebackers from the same team were voted to the Pro Bowl. He is third on the club’s all-time list with 76.5 sacks and trails only Rickey Jackson (115) and Wayne Martin (82.5). Swilling was the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1991 when he led the NFL with 17 sacks and recorded 60 tackles while forcing six fumbles. He was traded to Detroit and played for the Lions (1993-94) before moving on to the Oakland Raiders (1995-96, 1998). He finished his NFL career playing in 185 games and had 106.5 sacks and six interceptions. He later served 2 1/2 years in the Louisiana legislature as a representative from New Orleans East. EDNA TARBUTTON Edna Tarbutton, elected to the National High School Hall of Fame, posted an unparalleled success record as the girls’ basketball coach at Baskin High School. In 33 years, her teams won nine state championships, including eight in a row (1948-55) with a combined record of 654-263-2. Her teams put together 218 straight victories from 1947-53; in eight years, they lost only twice in 313 games. Nicknamed “Tiny,” the Northwestern graduate was a strict disciplinarian and fierce competitor, but was one of the most popular teachers at Baskin High.
JIMMY TAYLOR An All-American fullback at Louisiana State University, Taylor led the Tigers in rushing in 1956 and 1957. Both Dave and Don Styron held world records while at ULM. Dave held World Indoor records He became an all-time in both 60 and 70 yard dash while Don the World Record in 220 yard low hurdles. great in the NFL with the
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Everson Walls played 13 years in the NFL and is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in interceptions for three seasons (1981, 1982, 1985).
Green Bay Packers, gaining more than 1,000 yards rushing for five straight years beginning in 1960. He had a 10-year total of 8,597 yards in the pros and was considered one of the league’s best blocking backs. When Taylor was traded to New Orleans after the 1966 season, he ranked third on the all-time rushing list in the NFL. ROSEY TAYLOR A New Orleans native, Taylor starred as a defensive back in a 14-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, winning six Pro Bowl selections. He played twice in NFL title games, winning with the 1963 Bears and losing with the "Over the Hill Gang" Redskins in the 1973 Super Bowl. A Grambling College product, Taylor led the NFL with nine interceptions in that 1963 championship season with Chicago, coached by George Halas. Taylor is best remembered for a 96-yard interception return for a TD in 1968 against Philadelphia. CHARLES “RED” THOMAS Thomas, from Texarkana, was an All-American basketball player at Northwestern despite the fact he was only 5-6. He scored in double figures for the Northwestern team, led in assists and steals and was a good playmaker. In 1941, Thomas was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the prestigious NAIA Tournament. He returned to Northwestern as basketball coach in 1950 and won 129 games while losing 76. His teams also won three Gulf States Conference championships. He is a former Vice-President of Northwestern. SHEILA THOMPSON-JOHNSON A great player (1977-81) and coach (1985-89) at Louisiana College, who led the Lady Wildcats to national prominence in both roles. A two-time All-American (AIAW Division II), she led LC to a national AIAW Division II fourth-place finish in her junior season. She is LC’s career scoring leader, male or female, with 2,659 points, a total which ranks among the state’s all-time top five women’s totals. Her performance led LC into the national semifinals in only the fourth year of the program’s existence. In her four years as head coach, after a successful high school coaching stint at Pitkin, she was 75-43. In her first season, she guided the Lady Wildcats to third place in the NAIA National Tournament. She was an all-state player -- and is believed to be the first prep All-American in state history -- at Pitkin High School. She made the 20-member LSWA’s All-Century Team for college hoops in 1999.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers ANDREW TONEY Andrew Toney starred at USL from 1976-80, leading the Ragin' Cajuns into the NIT second round as a senior. Chosen eighth in the 1980 NBA Draft, Toney averaged 15.9 points per game in an eight-year career with the Philadelphia 76ers, shooting 50 percent in 488 NBA games. He averaged 17.4 in six postseason trips, including a 198283 World Championship. He twice played in the NBA AllStar Game (1983, 1984), scoring 13 points in 1984. He graduated ahead of his class at USL, had a 23.6 average in 107 games (2,526 points), and set nine school records. EMMETT TOPPINO A world class sprinter for Loyola of New Orleans in the 1930’s, Toppino ran a leg on the U.S. Olympic gold-medal winning 400-meter relay team in 1932. The time was a world record 40.0. Toppino also equalled the world mark of 6.2 in the 60-yard dash six times in his career and tied the world record of 10.4 in the 100-meter dash in 1932. Known as the “Human Bullet,” Toppino was a charter member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame and is a member of the Loyola University Hall of Fame. JACK TORRANCE Torrance won the NCAA shot put championship in 1933 and 1934 while performing for the LSU track and field team. He was also the National AAU shot put champion in 1933, 1934 and 1935. He set a world shot put record of 55 feet, 1-1/2 inches in 1934 and broke it twice with heaves of 55-5 and 57-1. He finished fifth in the 1936 Olympics at Berlin. When Torrance broke the world record of 57-1, coaches voted it the most perfect record on the books and predicted it would never be broken.
Y.A. Tittle starred at LSU from 1944 to 1947and during his NFL career, he set what was then a NFL record in 1963 by throwing 36 touchdown passes.
GAYNELL “GUS” TINSLEY A native of Claiborne Parish, Gus was LSU’s first AllAmerican football player, winning the honor in 1935 and 1936 as one of the nation’s outstanding ends. He was runner-up for college football’s MVP award in 1936 after leading all ends in the country in scoring. An All-Pro with the Chicago Cardinals for two years, Tinsley returned to LSU to serve as head football coach from 1948 through 1954. Football great Bronco Nagurski picked Tinsley on his alltime football team. Y.A. TITTLE Tittle played at LSU from 1944 through 1947 and established a handful of records, including most plays, total offense, most touchdowns accounted for, most passes attempted, yardage gained and touchdown passes. He began his brilliant professional career at Baltimore and later played for San Francisco and the New York Giants, leading the Giants to three straight titles and winning the National Football League Player of the Year Award in 1961 and 1963. CHARLIE “TANK” TOLAR One of the most popular figures in the early days of the American Football League, the 5-6, 210-pounder had dozens of nicknames, including "the Human Bowling Ball," and was named to AFL All-Star Teams in 1961-63. Tolar helped Houston win 1960-61 AFL titles and finish as runnerups in 1962, when he was the team's Offensive MVP with 1,012 yards and a league record 244 carries. he was named to the Oilers' 30th Anniversary Dream Team chosen by fans in 1989. At Northwestern, Tolar was twice Gulf States Conference MVP and still holds a pair of school records.
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HARRY TURPIN Turpin was head coach at Northwestern from 1934 until 1956. In his 23 years as head coach, he compiled a record of 101 victories, 83 losses and 11 ties. His 1939 team posted a record of 11-0 and held eight of its opponents scoreless. The other three teams had a combined total of only 18 points. Turpin was also an outstanding athlete at Tulane and later at Northwestern. At Tulane, he scored on a 65yard play which stood for years as the longest pass completion in college football. STEVE VAN BUREN Van Buren, an LSU All-American, was football’s greatest running back from 1944 through 1951 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Born in British Honduras, Van Buren played high school football at Warren Easton of New Orleans. He was outstanding at LSU but enjoyed his greatest success in the professional ranks. In 1949, he chalked up 1,146 yards rushing and guided the Eagles to their second straight world championship. He led the NFL in rushing in only his second year with 832 yards.
onship playoffs, Wade was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the national tournament. JOYCE WALKER One of the great scorers in women's basketball history, Walker still ranks fifth all-time in NCAA history with 2,906 points at LSU from 1981-84. Her 24.8 average ranks sixth all-time and her 1,259 career field goals is an NCAA record. Twice a Kodak Coaches' All-American, the 5-8 guard was a three-time All-Southeastern Conference pick. She shot a remarkable 56.2 percent from the field and also ranks in the LSU career top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots. An alternate for the 1984 USA Olympic Team that won a gold medal, Walker later played with the famous Harlem Globetrotters. EVERSON WALLS One of the greatest ball-hawking defensive backs in pro football history, Everson Walls defied the odds as a walk-on player at Grambling and a free-agent NFL rookie. He played 13 pro seasons, finishing with 57 career interceptions to tie for ninth place on the all-time NFL list with fellow Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members Mel Blount and Johnny Robinson. Walls is the only player to lead the NFL in interceptions three times (1981, 1982, 1985). His 11 interceptions as a rookie with Dallas in 1981 are the most in a season by an NFL player in the last 17 years. He later played for the New York Giants and led them in interceptions in 1991, when they won the Super Bowl. At Grambling, he led all collegians with 11 interceptions in his senior year. RALPH WARD Ward, born in Jena and raised in Natchitoches, is one of only two Louisiana men's basketball coaches to win a national championship, leading McNeese State to the 1956 NAIA title. Coach at McNeese for 19 seasons, until 1971, Ward won 59 percent of his games (282-194) and was named Gulf States Conference Coach of the Year six times. He earned national acclaim for his teams' tough defense and disciplined offense. TERESA WEATHERSPOON “Spoon” sparked Louisiana Tech to the 1988 NCAA women's basketball national championship, was the national player of the year and helped Team USA win Olympic gold later that year before launching a great WNBA career. She retired from the pro ranks in 2004 after having been chosen an honorable mention member of the WNBA All-
MIKE VINING One of only four men to win 400 or more basketball games at a Louisiana college (401-302 record), Vining is the alltime coaching leader in the Southland Conference and led Louisiana-Monroe to seven NCAA Tournament appearances. He posted six 20-win seasons. He coached ULM to seven Southland titles, most of any coach in the history of the conference. He won another championship in his first ULM season, when the Indians won the Trans America Conference tournament title in 1982 and represented the league in the NCAA Tournament. Vining won SLC Coach of the Year honors in 1986, 1990, 1993 and 1996. MALCOLM “SPARKY” WADE A native of Jena, Wade is considered the greatest dribbler and backcourt guardian in LSU basketball history. Standing only 5-9, Wade played from 1932 until 1935, winning AllAmerican honors both as a junior and a senior. Before moving to LSU, he was named to the Louisiana All-State Team three times from 1928-1930. In his senior year, when Jena lost by four points in the National high school champi-
Earl Wilson played 11 seasons in the Major Leagues with Boston, Detroit, and San Diego.
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Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers AENEAS WILLIAMS A third-round draft pick of out of Southern University in 1991, after walking on to the Jaguars team out of Fortier High School, Williams earned a reputation as one of the NFL's top cornerbacks during a sparkling 14-year NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals (1991-2000) and St. Louis Rams (2001-04). He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro pick in becoming one of the league's top shutdown corners before moving to safety late in his career. He played in 211 regular-season games with 206 starts, seeing action in 183 consecutive games with 180 straight starts before a broken fibula in 2002 ended those streaks. DOUG WILLIAMS MVP in Super Bowl XXII, Doug Williams set records for yards passing (340), yards passing in one quarter (228), touchdown passes (4) and longest completion (80 yards). The Zachary native and Grambling All-American played nine seasons in the NFL (1978-82, 1986-89) for Tampa Bay and Washington. He threw for more than 25,000 yards and 147 touchdowns, and ran for 19 more touchdowns, as a pro. At Grambling as a senior (1977), he was a first-team AP All-American, won Louisiana’s College Athlete of the Year award, was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting and was MVP of the East-West Shrine Game.
Doug Williams led his Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl XXII championship, and in return, was named MVP.
Time squad after starting 220 straight games in her first seven years in the league. The Wade Trophy recipient at Louisiana Tech in 1988, Weatherspoon helped rally the Leon Barmore-coached Lady Techsters from a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Auburn for the NCAA title. It was the second straight national championship game appearance for the Techsters, who went 118-14 as Weatherspoon started all but one of her 132 career games. The all-time leader for Tech in assists (958) and steals (411), she also scored 1,087 points while earning All-America honors twice and being named Louisiana's player of the year in 1988. BARBARA FAY WHITE A Shreveport product, she was one of America's top amateur players in the 1960s - a three-time Curtis Cup selection and a two-time member of the U.S. team in the World Amateur. She never lost a match (3-0-1 in singles, 4-0-0 in foursomes) in two Curtis Cup appearances and had to withdraw from a third because of pregnancy. She was second in the World Amateur individually in 1966 and helped lead the U.S. team to the Women's World Amateur Championship. She was the medalist in the State Amateur six times. She was the Western Amateur champion in 1964 and 1966. She played on the LPGA tour in 1973-74 and won $3,500 in 1973 (including one second-place finish) and $4,000 in 1974. SAMMY WHITE White, a sensational football and basketball star at Monroe's Richwood High School, won All-America honors as a wingback at Grambling and starred in the NFL for 11 seasons as a receiver with Minnesota. He is the Vikings' club record-holder with 6,400 receiving yards and 50 touchdown catches, and his 393 receptions ranks No. 2 in team history. He was the NFL "Rookie of the Year" in 1976, played in the Pro Bowl twice, and was named to Minnesota's 25th Anniversary All-Star Team in fan voting. At Grambling, White scored 43 TDs. In his senior year, he was named Black College Offensive Player of the Year.
EARL WILSON A Ponchatoula native, Wilson had an 11-year major league baseball career with Boston, Detroit and San Diego. The right-hander was 121-109 lifetime with 1,452 strikeouts in 2,051 2/3 innings with a 3.69 earned run average. He made the 1967 American League All-Star Team and led the AL in wins with a 22-11 record for Detroit. He started the third game of the 1968 World Series and helped the Tigers win the world title. Wilson, the first black player signed by the Red Sox, fired a no-hitter for Boston against the Los Angeles Angels in 1962. He clubbed 35 career homers.
with 485 starts, averaging 16.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 28.3 minutes a game. Woolridge scored 13,623 points and had 3,696 rebounds in his NBA career before retiring in 1994. He shot 51.3 percent from the field and 73.7 percent from the free throw line and also recorded 553 steals and 569 blocked shots. Woolridge averaged 11.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 36 post.
eason games.
TANK YOUNGER Younger set a modern intercollegiate scoring record while at Grambling College from 1945 through 1948 with 60 touchdowns. He was the first of a long string of Grambling AllAmericans, and in 1947 he led the nation in total offense. He was a black pioneer in pro football, joining the Los Angeles Rams in 1949 and gaining immediate stardom. Younger, who also played linebacker, was the last player in the NFL to earn All-Pro honors on both offense and defense. He spent 10 years in the NFL. He was the first black person inducted in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. DON ZIMMERMAN Zimmerman set nine football records at Tulane from 1930 through 1932, some that stood for five decades. A consensus All-American in 1932, he led the 1931 Tulane team to the Rose Bowl and passed for a touchdown in the bowl game. A passer, runner and punter, Zimmerman was in on 569 plays on total offense that were good for 3,293 yards in his career. He averaged 5.8 yards a play and was responsible for 219 points. In his three years at Tulane, Zimmerman helped lead the team to a 25-4-1 record in Tulane’s most successful era.
LARRY WILSON A three-time NCAA Division II All-American at Nicholls State, Wilson established 42 school and Gulf South Conference records from 1975-79. His school-record 2,569 career points ranks ninth in state history. He was only the 18th player in NCAA history below the Division I level to score 2,500 career points and also own a 25-point career average (25.7 ppg). The Central Lafourche product, twice All-State in Class 4A (largest classification) and All-State MVP as a senior, was a consensus prep All-American after averaging 33.5 points per game. He was ranked one of the nation's top 10 prospects by the BC Scouting Service. At Nicholls, he twice led the Don Landry-coached Colonels to GSC titles and a pair of NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. He was named conference Player of the Year in 1977 and 1979. ROY "MOONIE" WINSTON A Baton Rouge native, Winston was a prep (Istrouma) and college (LSU) All-American who played 15 seasons (196276) with the Minnesota Vikings as a standout linebacker. He played in four Super Bowls (IV, VII, IX and XI), was the Vikings' Most Valuable Defensive Player in 1972, and was named to the Vikings' Silver Anniversary Team in 1985. He had 835 career tackles and 649 career solo stops. Team captain of LSU's 1961 SEC Champions, Winston was an All-SEC and All-America offensive guard as a senior. He played left field for the LSU baseball team that won the 1961 SEC baseball title. ORLANDO WOOLRIDGE A sharp-shooting Mansfield native who starred collegiately at Notre Dame, Woolridge posted a career 16-point scoring average over 13 seasons in the NBA. A first-round (sixth overall) 1981 draft pick of the Chicago Bulls, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward played with seven NBA teams -Chicago, New Jersey, L.A. Lakers, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. He saw action in 851 games
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Tank Younger played at Grambling from 1945 through 1948 and set a modern day intercollegiate scoring record with 60 touchdowns.
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