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Thank you for supporting LPB Hello, and welcome to your all access.

Look at the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

I'm your host, Karen LeBlanc.

With a front row seat and behind the scenes stories from the Hall of Fame induction weekend held in Natchitoches.

This year's inductees ranged from famous name athletes, including Drew Brees and Seimone Augustus to the journalist who covered them.

Each year, up to 12 Louisiana sports legends have their name enshrined in the hallowed Hall of Fame.

Based in Natchitoches, home of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum, which is where we began.

Along the banks of the cane River lake in downtown historic Natchitoches, you'll encounter an eye catching structure that looks out of sorts with all the historic buildings.

It's a museum.

And inside, you'll discover that Louisiana's rich culture and history share the spotlight with the state's world class athletes.

The real reason this is here was that for the first 14 years of the Hall of Fame's existence, from 1958 forward, it was nomadic in nature.

it was there were inductions done, halftime of LSU basketball games at sports banquets all around the state.

there was a small collection of artwork that went on display certain places, but it didn't have a home.

And in 1972, Northwestern State University offered a home and built a permanent display case that expanded to two that expanded it for three.

for years it was housed in Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State, and the fine folks in Natchitoches wanted the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame to be in their town.

When other towns and cities didn't want it.

When it was built in 2003, we won the top architectural award in the world by Azur magazine.

And if you look down this hallway a lot of people guess, oh, it's a tunnel for the sports was actually supposed to be the cut of a river, as we have cane River Lake right outside.

Even outside we have the copper and they have the louvered look of the copper, which is suppose to be the louvered look of, plantation shutters.

So that's really sort of the the inspiration for the design of the building.

Two museums and one the ground floor showcases Louisiana sports legacy, and exhibits upstairs chronicle the history of the region.

We stand here in Louisiana's oldest city, in fact, the oldest city in the Louisiana Purchase.

All of the New Orleans founded in 1714.

So this is certainly the cradle of history in our state and really west of the Mississippi River.

Yeah.

We encourage people to come.

That's one of the, attractions that we tell tourists who are coming.

Make sure you stop by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

So many great artifacts, memorabilia here.

We're bigger than just a meat pie.

The Christmas fest market.

This is where the Sports Hall of Fame is anchor.

So we're again, we're just.

It's just really amazing.

There.

this is not a Natchitoches thing.

This is a Louisiana museum, and it celebrates Louisiana greatness.

And it's from Lake Providence to Lake Charles.

It's from Ida to Grand Isle.

And anybody who walks in here can quickly find something or somebody that speaks to their home in Louisiana.

Each year, the museum sets the scene for a weekend long celebration of Louisiana's newest sports hall of Famers.

Welcome to the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame celebration.

Events kicked off here in Natchitoches at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, where a press conference was held announcing the 12 inductees into the 2024 class.

Now, during the ceremony, each one of them received a signature Sports Hall of Fame blazer.

You could say it's a fashion statement of honor.

And that's just the beginning.

it's really overwhelming to be considered, at a place that I called home for a long time.

So to come back and be honored by the hall I'm going to cherish this weekend and enjoy it.

When anytime you state or your nation honor you, that's great.

That's joy.

It means a lot to you.

I mean, I received something like seven or eight other hall of fame honors, might be more than that, but this one meant more than any of them.

Each year, Hall of Fame inductees loan their personal mementos for a memorabilia exhibit that debuts during the Hall of Fame induction celebration.

I brought my bobblehead, which is, one of the bobbleheads that was created to kind of, you know, strike me as far as one of the Olympians.

Three time Olympian.

London Olympics, Rio Olympics, as well as Beijing.

I have my ball here.

I'm the all time leading scorer for the Minnesota Lynx.

with 3600 points, 3606 points.

and also the inaugural McDonald's All-American game, which makes me feel old.

What did you bring?

Tell me about the memorabilia that you brought.

Oh, this is the George Wolfe Award the other riders Vote on it from around the nation.

I spotted some memorabilia that Ray is holding out on.

What is that?

Yeah, it's a ring that they give.

They gave for the Breeders█ Cup It's ironic.

They only gave it one year.

They gave it to the jockey and a trainer.

But they only gave it one year.

And I was lucky enough to be the year they gave it.

Well, that ring would go really nice with those two gold blingy bracelets on the case.

Another highlight of the memorabilia exhibit are the portraits of the 2024 inductees in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

The athletes.

And Chris Brown is the artist.

He's been painting these athletes since 2009.

And here is a fascinating factoid.

Chris is colorblind.

You would never know from the bright renderings of these paintings.

I've adapted, you know, it's it's just like anybody that would lose a leg, they would adapt to life.

So I've adapted in that way.

I know what I see.

I have no clue what you see.

Each inductees name is etched into the museum's illuminated Sports Hall of Fame.

Wall names date back to 1959, with the first class of sports greats.

after 16 years of working ten or 12 portraits a year, it's starting to fill up with all these names that I that I know and I love and I'm invested in.

And it's you know, I consider them all friends.

So it's it's pretty cool.

During the Sports Hall of Fame induction weekend, Chris presents each inductee with an official portrait print, which is the culmination of months of work in his studio.

Well, I think that's great.

You made me look a lot younger, made me look taller, As did, you know, he actually looks like I lost weight, which is.

That's not true, is it?

Just built like a meatball.

you know, I'm excited about being here.

I'm excited about all the places that we've coached at.

And more importantly, the experiences we had at every every stop along the way where there's Tulane or high school, With such a rich pool of talent in our state, how are the names selected each year to be the newest inductees to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame?

Well, the process begins each summer where a committee of sportswriters gather to narrow down the hundreds of names to a select few who will be forever enshrined among the state's greatest sports contributors.

Each year we study, a ballot nearly 30 pages long, and we narrow it down to roughly a third of that to go into a meeting room somewhere and vote like you used to see, voting in a political convention It's it's a very, challenging process.

Even up to the day of the selection.

We have a tremendous trove of great sports figures and even the competition to get in this Hall of Fame, while it's not a competition, is such the challenge the voters face each year.

There are some astounding people who have not yet been elected because of the depth of great, not good, but great elite sports.

Fast forward ten months later to the biggest night in Louisiana sports, or the inductees of the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class are celebrated.

let's recognize these Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers.

Among these are individuals whose careers have paralleled great athletes.

We introduce our first inductee of the 2024 Hall of Fame class, Bobby Ardoin, recognized by his peers as a recipient of the Distinguished Award in Sports Journalism.

Bobby can cover everything, and Bobby has covered everything.

He's covered everything from high school, college pro football to murder trials to, city council meetings.

Parish council meetings.

That's a unique talent.

He covers a national championship game the same way he would cover a Tuesday non-conference soccer match in Saint Landry Parish.

He treated the same way with respect and dignity.

And that's why he's one of the best.

Back when newspapers had hard and fast deadlines.

And here's a game that would end at 955.

Bobby would have that story in by 10:00.

But he made the transition.

You know, he does things for websites.

He does a lot of social media.

He keeps the public informed.

And that's the big thing that he does is that he has kept up with the times when people need to.

News in Saint Landry Parish.

Bobby Ardoin is a name.

They turn to and a name they trust.

shares a conversation with Bobby about his career that began over 50 years ago.

I call you a Renaissance journalist because you've worked in newspaper, you've excelled in newspaper, excelled in radio, excelled in television, and an English teacher.

You've written sports, he's written hard news.

He has kept up with the times.

Not everybody has.

Bobby.

It's been a challenge, I know.

Yeah.

my skills with the computer wasn't very, very good to start off with, but, I had a lot of help with my students.

They taught me how to use the computer.

And to be honest, I stayed around in the school system long enough for them to show me just about everything that I need to know about modern journalism.

And as as Lynn knows, because he was back there, too.

I started off on a typewriter.

Some of you may not know what that is.

What you may not know is the toughness, the resiliency of Bobby Ardoin.

He's had a heart attack.

He's had cancer.

He kept working through all of it.

And Bobby, the people who know you best say they didn't expect anything else from you.

Well, I just pretended that it never happened.

You know?

You know, let's let's count those words.

I pretended that it never happened.

Six words.

The greatest.

cure in history, right?

Just pretend it doesn't happen.

Before we end this conversation, let's talk about some people in your life who've been instrumental.

They have been bedrock to your career.

The folks that you would like to recognize tonight.

Yeah.

Even though I have a pretty, strange biological background.

I had two fantastic, adoptive parents, and they were just, you know, the greatest parents in the world because they didn't have to adopt me.

But they did.

And they were.

You.

They were in their late 40s when they adopted me.

And it was like being raised by my grandparents.

But, they let me do just about any anything that I wanted, although I wasn't, always, a summers breeze, I promise you.

And, I won't tell you some of the mischief that I got into, but that they were great.

And, they're they're they're really the reason why I.

That I'm here today, The journalism awards continue with our second inductee in the Hall of Fame, class of 2024, Ron Higgins, followed in the footsteps of his father, Carl Ace Higgins, a well respected sports communicator who served as the sports information director for LSU Athletics in the 1950s and 60s.

a young Ron Higgins would get his first crack at sports writing as a teenager, which would be the spark that ignited a career in sports media that has led him to covering local and national sporting events, Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, Olympic Games and beyond.

The name Ace Higgins was so symbolic in the world of sports journalism.

The LSWA still has an award named the Ace Higgins Award.

But Ron Higgins has really stepped that forward an awful lot and has done some amazing things in his career.

He probably one of the best dressed sportswriters in the southeast.

But secondly, his ability to take and look out for colleagues and other people in the media, bar none, is at the very top.

He loves, absolutely loves basketball.

But he's.

I think he is best known nationally for his work in football because of what what LSU has done.

And he's he's been on top of that beat for a long time now.

He has made it a point to kind of mentor younger journalists that have come up.

Mad dog has done that with a couple of generations of younger sports journalist, and that's what kind of makes him great.

Your father, Ace Higgins, so well respected, but died three days before Christmas when you were only 12 years old and you had already had some limited experience in journalism.

Did that propel you, or did that step make you step back for a while?

No, I kind of dove headfirst into it.

And in retrospect, maybe I should have stepped back too.

But I just from that point on, I just felt like I really wanted to prove myself.

It, because I knew since I was eight I wanted to be a writer, that I loved it.

And and, I just worked really hard.

And I just remember him telling me that, you know, be fair with the way you write.

Be balanced with the way you write.

if you write a column with an opinion, really believe in your opinion, just don't write it to just to draw readers, be ethical.

when, when you're dealing with people.

And I tried to do that.

I've always tried to do that.

it disappoints me sometimes in journalism today.

That's not that way.

That guys.

Right.

People write things basically just to get internet hits.

And you look at you like, your, you just you're so disappointed that this is what your profession has come to, that you just basically, like, watch this person.

writing that, it█s not even a story, and I hate that.

I hate that man.

And it's kind of, you know, made for some tough relationships with coaches and players because they don't know me from anybody else.

And so they don't have any kind of natural trust or when to open up.

and that kind of, I wish the business hadn't gone that direction.

I really that kind of bothers me.

from those who wrote about sports greats to an individual who's considered one of the greatest of all time in his sport.

Our next inductee is NFL and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

When Hurricane Katrina struck southeast Louisiana in 2005, it left many questioning the future of the Saints franchise.

Brees was the leader fans were looking for, and as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Back in 2006, I don't know that any one of us knew how significant that first season was going to be, and how significant that team was going to be relative to the rebuild.

I mean, that first game back in the Superdome.

I think for anyone that was at that stadium that night.

it was really hard to describe You watch him lead by example.

you see all the hard work that he puts in and, and the will to go out there and always compete.

We got all the things we expected leadership wise off the field.

But then his skill set continued to flourish and get better and get better and get better.

The tight ends, the receivers, the running backs, everyone's play was better.

The Saints are going to do it.

The miracle in Miami has happened.

You know, when I first met drew, when he first came here, he was so young and I grew to meet he and eventually his family.

I have a good relationship with all of our players.

And drew and I very close.

he lived it, you know, on the field.

He lived it off the field.

We█ve got to be special, we█ve got to smell greatness.

Did everything at an elite level.

In an interview with Baton Rouge sports reporter Jacques Doucet shared what he's up to since retiring from the NFL.

towards the end of my career with football, one of the, one of the great things about it was the fact that my kids were getting to that age where they understood what dad did, and they could be a part of it.

so, you know, countless moments throughout the week where I had a chance to bring my boys into the locker room.

they had the opportunity to just kind of be a part of my, my weekly routine, but also, kind of be around some of the, you know, their idols and the people that they were looking up to and that they were able to watch.

On Sundays.

And, they were really into the games too, as well.

but, there was also that draw for me, I think as they got older to, to just be be at home with them more and to be, a part of all the things that they had going on, all of their activities, you know.

And so for me, retirement has been coaching my kids in just about every sport you can imagine.

my favorite thing in, in life is to watch them play with whatever they're doing.

my, my my daughter loves gymnastics.

I love just taking her to gymnastics practice and sitting there and watching, I do miss the structure of football that, football provided that, you know, like down to the minute, you know, structure and habits, you know, each and every day.

So it's a little bit of a Wild West at times with four kids around the house, but, it's fun.

Drew, you were a Texas kid who then played at Purdue.

You came to Louisiana in 2006, in a special relationship, and a special bond was formed.

Like the green Bay Packers, the Saints, a pro team, so to speak, with a college atmosphere and a college connection.

What was it like playing in the Superdome and playing for the Who Dat Nation?

It was unbelievable.

Yeah.

You know, and it's funny how life works out because I, you know, I, I never had any exposure with New Orleans.

didn't know much about it.

even when I was, when I was coming out of college at Purdue, going into the draft, there was a ton of possibilities as to places that I would end up in.

You know, New Orleans, you know, wasn't one of those.

So it was never really a topic.

sort of think of the sequence of events that just, you know, got me to a place where I was gonna have the opportunity to come and play, actually, one of the Saints, and, I mean, I could not imagine, a better place to play football or a better fan base to be able to play in front out.

To your point, it is kind of like that college atmosphere of the fans are just so invested and they love the team so much, and it is just such a part of the fabric of the community.

And you feel that very quickly.

and I've always felt like our, our connection between our team and the Who Dat Nation is really the example for professional sports across the world.

as to how a team can be integrated in the community and such a, such a special way.

Our next Hall of Famer heralds from Saint Landry Parish, an area of the state with a rich horse racing history.

And for sunset native Ray Sibille the path to be a Hall of Fame jockey began at a very young age.

But I can always remember Ray wanting to ride ever since he was a little bitty boy.

My mama would sit in the window sewing and when she'd see Rayon, that horse fly by, she wanted daddy to take that horse away from the house.

One Sunday we were, We had us a race for a dime.

Then the old cow come walking across and Ray ran into the cow.

So we had to rerun the race.

With Larry being the trainer, my daddy being the owner of Mud being the trainer.

A lot of hard work because horses are 365 days a year, seven days a week.

They tell him to say, you better come to school because you ain't going to get nowhere in life riding a horse.

He was going to be a jockey until then and there was nothing going to stop him.

And there off Over 4000 career wins, which shaped the racing success of the Sibille it was a tough circuit.

I mean, you had Bill Shoemaker, he had Lafayette Pinckney, you had, Chris McCann, you had the Fernando Toro.

You were with the elite.

highlighted with a triumph at Churchill Downs in 1988 to win the Breeders Cup Turf.

I had rode that horse for Thad Arkle in the morning right before Ray got on him, and I told that.

I said, I'm not going to finish this horse.

And so he got Ray, now race appeal asking great communicator for run there trying to shake loose from sunshine forever of blooms a threatening menace just off his bike on the outside.

But that day, Ray was at his best, taking great communicator to the front as the rest of the pack started closing in on him.

Brings him in a corner.

Unyielding sunshine, forever determined.

Great communicator, great communicator.

Will not be denied.

He's worked hard all these years, and, been a great asset to our sport.

He was well known and well liked Very, very glorious.

He's world famous.

Yeah.

Many a time you tell people who you are, and they want to know if you█re kin to Ray.

He really put the Sibille name on the map.

Sunset.

Come to Natchitoches, For a celebration.

Yes.

Welcome.

Hope everybody's having a good family over here.

Absolutely.

A lot of them heard them a little earlier as well.

we saw in the video, what, 5 or 6 years old you were.

You were racing in the family was watching you at that young age.

What got you hooked into racing?

Was it just was it just being around the horses or, what was it that that got you?

I don't know, just being around horses because we always had horses, you know, in the pasture we go to catch them, me and my brothers, and we'd race them, you know, and everything.

And it was just the part of life or the life that we did, and we all loved it.

And I had, two brothers that rode, you know, Ronnie, one here and another one, Jimmy, who got killed.

But, they both could be right here with me if things would have worked out for them like it did for me.

They'd both be right here.

Do you have over 4000 wins?

Obviously.

If you would have won, if you would have won every race, we'd be talking about a whole nother story right now.

so that certainly means there were losses as well.

But over 4000 victories.

How do you measure success being a jockey with the number of races that were under your belt?

Certainly 4000 over 4000 wins is ridiculously impressive.

But as a jockey, as a racer, after all these years, how do you measure success?

Well, you measure of success, for me was did I make that owners of money without the owners with nothing, the owner, the owners, they pay all the bills, they pay all the vet bills, they pay everything.

And without them we don't have a game.

And you know, of course we need people that bet to 2 to $2 bettors.

We need them to.

But the owner, he gets you know, he gets all the bills and everything.

And you know he's not going to win every time.

But what he does need is a jockey that tries every time.

And that's what I always tried to do you.

And I had a chance to talk on the phone about a week ago.

And speaking of basketball and football, unlike that, when you know, you know, basketball coaches and football coaches will tell you it's year round now because they're recruiting right all the time.

But there's a season for football.

It starts at the end of August, and we know it's going to end in January with the national championship.

And basketball is going to start in November, and it's going to end with March Madness.

There's no real season for horse racing as as your family said, it's seven days a week, 365 and every holiday is our big day.

The 4th of July, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

That's our biggest days.

So they you have no holidays.

You know, you you got to work around that.

And that's where your family comes in.

That's what I was going to ask.

What's your family life, what the family life is like for a schedule like that?

Yeah.

Well, we're not going to eat the turkey.

We'll eat it after the races and they'll eat it.

I'll smell it, that's all.

You know, you can't eat just find out what it was been like this weekend, meeting so many people when we've talked on the purple carpet, you and I finished, you immediately were over taking pictures.

You were at Bert Jones over there.

Kim Mulkey at just walked in.

You look like you're having a lot of fun meeting everybody.

Oh, Lord.

Especially Bert Jones.

You know, I can't remember what she sent me to the store for yesterday to get, but Bert Jones and I asked him, I said, I saw you play a game on a Monday night game, and you threw three touchdown passes with the Baltimore Colts.

And you walked off the field holding your shoulder like this.

And you said that was 1978 with Washington Redskins.

And I told you he tore all of his shoulder up.

He said it was one year before I ever played another game.

And he said 1978 and said, well, I remember that game.

You remember that, but you're not sure why she sent you to the store?

Can't remember yesterday.

it's an outstanding class all the way around.

And you are certainly a big part of it.

It's a pleasure meeting you.

And congratulations on your induction.

Thank you.

Ray.

Email everybody.

Thank you.

Still to come, the room erupts for Grambling Coach Wilbert Ellis.

Plus, Seimone Augustus explains how it takes a village, and more of the festivities at the annual Hall of Fame celebration in Natchitoches.

The annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony is sponsored by the following.

State Farm Insurance Agents of Louisiana.

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Support the programs you love on LPB by becoming a member today.

Join our team at $12 a month and receive the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame combo, including the official Sports Hall of Fame tumbler.

The Hall of Fame Koozie and a DVD of this award ceremony for $10 a month.

Choose the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame 20 ounce tumbler or for just $6 a month.

Receive the Sports Hall of Fame Koozie and this award ceremony on DVD.

Plus receive the monthly LPB Program Guide Visions and the streaming service LPB Passport.

We also have a special credit card offer for one LPB superfan.

For the first Pledge of 1500 dollars or more on a credit card, receive the Natchitoches Christmas Experience, which includes a delightful array of festivities and accommodations.

Enjoy two tickets to the Northwestern State University Christmas Gala on Friday, December six.

Two tickets to the City of Natchitoches Christmas Festival Reception at the Prudhomme Rouqier House with an all you can eat and drink experience and a prime spot to watch the parade.

The package also includes admission for two to the Natchitoches Christmas Festival, renowned for its spectacular fireworks display, live music, kids activities and so much more to complete the festive weekend.

Lodging is provided at the Church Street in.

Plus, receive a pair of tickets to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum and all gifts from this show.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Charlie Windham along with legendary sportsmen of Louisiana Ronnie Rantz, because we're talking about LSU baseball World Series.

Back in the early nineties, Louisiana Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, President and CEO, owner of the Baton Rouge Rougarou.

I don't have enough time, but welcome nonetheless.

Thank you, Charlie.

Glad to be here.

Hey, LPB and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame have begun a partnership just a couple of years ago.

How important is something like that?

Not only for you, it's already incredibly important.

LPB Now it's a great partnership because you know you talking about two entities that care about the state of Louisiana and represent the state of Louisiana, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, of course, is in Natchitoches, Louisiana and which is in the northern part of the state.

But yet the population bases in the southern part of the state and a lot of the Hall of Famers come from the south as well.

And we represent the state and we do events throughout the state, Louisiana, not just in Natchitoches.

So it makes sense for us to us to tell the stories of the Hall of Fame and with the help of LPB Louisiana Storyteller right there, right here all around you, and having the ceremonies of the 2024 ceremonies, once again live streamed and then you're watching it right now during our pledge break.

How important and how exciting and busy just was it this past?

It always is.

It's a whirlwind of fun.

You know, the we're like a swan.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, we look very calm above the water, but below we are paddling like crazy and seven events in three days.

And of course you're seeing a lot of it here tonight.

And we're honoring the Hall of Fame class each and every year.

There's tremendous stories of tremendous Hall of Famers.

Everybody knows about baseball, football, basketball.

It's all those other stories.

It's jockeys, it's wrestling, it's coaching, it's the administrators.

It's all there stories that are probably even more incredible.

And the sportswriters.

Well, the people don't realize the history, right?

The Louisiana Sportswriters Association started in the fifties and in the late fifties, are getting around and think about it.

Every little town had a newspaper and every every newspaper had a sportswriter or maybe more than one.

Right.

And so they were hundreds of sportswriters in Louisiana.

And they started a a hall of Fame in the late fifties.

And for about 15 years it was just a banquet and they were looking for a home.

And in the early seventies, Natchitoches and Northwestern State stood up and said, We'll house you in Natchitoches.

And that's how the Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State, their basketball arena became the home of the Hall of Fame.

And then finally in 2013, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame got a building of its own thanks to the federal government, which thanks to LPB you're getting to see what exactly that structure is.

If you haven't been there yet, you need to want to.

Again, this is a pledge drive.

We're getting the Louisiana stories out here through Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, as well as help.

And Ronnie, I want to let people know that this is a corporate challenge.

What exactly does that mean, my friend?

Well, Bo Harris, who is a heck of a football player at LSU in the early seventies, was a second team.

All SEC player, played eight years in the NFL, even got to a Super Bowl and with the Cincinnati Bengals as a linebacker.

Hey Bo Harris wealth management up in Shreveport they are going to match dollar for dollar up to 1500 bucks every donation while this is airing.

So we urge people to support LPB, get out their credit cards, make a donation.

We got some nice official Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame swag for you as well.

This is so important.

We are able to tell these Louisiana stories out there because of viewers like you, because this is the time you take the moment and give us a call or go online and tell you tell us you want to join the team and we want you to be part of the first string.

And actually, you could be second or third string because no amount of money is too small or too great.

Everybody can be a part of the team right now.

Charlie, I can remember the very first time I gave to public broadcasting, I was living in Phoenix, Arizona.

I was in the minor leagues and I, I made a donation and I got the Kenny Loggins Live from the Redwoods concert CD.

I still have it to this day.

I was like, I got to make a donation, I got to support.

And I was like, It was like early twenties.

So you can be old, you can be young and just give yeah, get some Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame official swag.

And of course, we hope that you'll you'll come see us in Natchitoches, the museums open Tuesday through Saturday and it's well worth a day trip, a weekend trip to a beautiful city.

you know what I mean?

As much as I'm familiar with this, because I've enjoyed it so much.

And coming up in our next break, we're going to tell you how to enjoy Natchitoches firsthand and enjoy the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Before we go back to our program, let's take a look again at some of those wonderful thank you gifts.

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Join our team at $12 a month and receive the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame combo, including the official Sports Hall of Fame tumbler.

The Hall of Fame Koozie and a DVD of this award ceremony for $10 a month.

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For the first Pledge of 1500 dollars or more on a credit card, receive the Natchitoches Christmas Experience, which includes a delightful array of festivities and accommodations.

Enjoy two tickets to the Northwestern State University Christmas Gala on Friday, December six.

Two tickets to the City of Natchitoches Christmas Festival Reception at the Prudhomme Rouqier House with an all you can eat and drink experience and a prime spot to watch the parade.

The package also includes admission for two to the Natchitoches Christmas Festival, renowned for its spectacular fireworks display, live music, kids activities and so much more to complete the festive weekend.

Lodging is provided at the Church Street in.

Plus, receive a pair of tickets to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum and all gifts from this show.

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the annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction weekend is not just an awards ceremony.

It's also an opportunity for honorees to spend quality time with family, friends and fans.

A celebrity bowling event is a fun way to showcase the natural, competitive nature of these individuals.

Someone with 1.00.

Always.

It's all in the flick of the wrist itself.

You know it's not going this way.

It's going this way.

And it's the way you grab the ball.

It's the way you position your hand on the ball.

So it kind of works both ways.

But I'm struggling a little bit right now.

But I'll find my rhythm.

I'll find my groove.

Have a tendency to.

The gutter is too big for me.

You know what I mean?

I want a bigger ball or bigger pins.

One of the two, you know.

But you know, it's exactly not my sport, because I don't know what it is.

It's still trying to figure that out.

Mixing in some sightseeing during this all sports weekend.

With a cruise down the cane River on the cane River.

Queen paddle Wheeler.

It's a new event kicking off the rockin River Fest in downtown.

Natchitoches The party continues all day with events in and around the city of Natchitoches featuring live music, games, and fun for all ages.

this is exciting because, just a warm welcome to reception that the state of Louisiana has shown me.

It's just been unbelievable.

The welcome they've shown me and my family.

And, this band alone is, second to none.

And now we're going to we're going to cap it off with, with a night of, speeches and awards.

It's going to be outstanding.

It's this joy of life, fellowship and community that makes Louisiana unique and is carried around the world through the sports journeys taken by each athlete.

I have my aunts, my brother and my mom, you know, and just shows you the people that you can impact along this journey and the people that support you because you got to have great support.

And I see it with my family, my friends, teammates.

You know, I got some coaches coming in tomorrow is awesome.

This is true with the next inductee, Kerry Joseph, a multi-sport standout in high school and a college record breaker at McNeese and football.

Kerry Joseph's career led him from the Bayou State to playing in the NFL, a world championship in Europe, and a champion in the Canadian football League.

Colleagues throughout his journey will always remember the athletic talent he displayed.

I brought a 12 year old All-Star baseball team to Liberia Parish to face their All-Stars, and Kerry Joseph was on the mound today.

I'll never forget when somebody strikes out, 15 of your batters.

You never forget that.

I remember covering a game against Comeaux and I had heard about them, but I had not seen an arm quite like his.

And as a high school thrower around here, for sure.

Was the Nicholls State game, He comes and scores two touchdowns.

We win.

And then he started every game out of that.

Or almost four years.

I█ve seen him throw a football, the length of the football field He went to Cincinnati Bengals as a quarterback.

We went to the Redskins as a running back.

From there he went to the World League, played safety and of getting picked up by the Seahawks and then he sat out a year coaching, high school football.

And then the CFL picked him up.

And he became a quarterback again.

Kerry obviously was supremely talented as an athlete.

He was big and strong.

He was a great runner, had a great arm.

players were drive to him, naturally.

he's a great human being.

He was easy to coach.

was a great person.

And to lead that team in a way that that brought dignity not only to himself.

Most important to his to his team, his teammates.

We knew he had a special ability.

He's a winner.

He's always been a winner.

Just an amazing journey for amazing person.

I'm a big fan.

Of course.

I'm a true friend.

And I love you.

My brother.

so, so much to talk about football.

But as we heard in the video, you strike out 15 in the game.

And certainly you had people say it's best arm they had seen in baseball.

Was baseball ever a thought or was it always going to be your football is going to be your path?

when I think about baseball, baseball was a, a love for me.

I played it at a young age.

Played all the way up until my sophomore year in high school.

And, just listening to that video kind of brings back some memories of being on the mound and being able to, to get it up in the mid 80s as a youngster.

But I just, for some reason, I decided to go throw the javelin in the discus in win state instead of playing baseball.

And then football enters the scene and you take over from there.

So, the success in high school, what landed you in Lake Charles to be a cowboy?

McNeese.

I tell you what, I, I had the opportunity I got offered by Southern University.

Northwestern State University, ul Lafayette.

I think it kind of made me upset.

It was USL at the time.

They wanted me to come and walk on as a punter and to be an athlete.

So it kind of discouraged me a little bit.

And I said, you know what?

I might as well go down to Lake Charles.

you saw Coach Bobby Keesler up there talking about.

He's from New Iberia, went there for a visit.

Just the opportunity, the atmosphere, you know, to go there to get a degree and to play with some great coaches and some great players.

I decided to take my my skill set to Lake Charles in.

If it was one of the best decisions I ever made, I wasn't sure I wanted to do that.

Had the opportunity to come here to northwestern, and I turned that visit down once.

My dad said, I think you need to turn around, go up in that room and take that offer to McNeese And I listened to my dad.

That's what happens when you get a lot of whip█ins and and your mom is an educator, and she decides to whip you also, you know, you listen as a young kid, and I went in there and I did that, and it was the best decision I made.

And you can see the career that I was able to have, but it wasn't because of me.

It was also because of my great coaches and teammates and friends that I was able to develop along that journey at McNeese State University.

And I want to take this time off, so to say, from from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you.

Because I had the right people in my corner to make sure I didn't go the wrong way.

When I talk about family, when I talk about faith, when I talk about my my dad, the late Donald Joseph, my mom, Geraldine Joseph.

When you talk about faith, you talk about growing up in the South in the Southern Baptist Church, and you had to be in church at 630 in the morning.

you learn, you know, what your faith is that you know, and you always remember that.

And I'm grateful that I was able to lean on that, to lean on my faith, my perseverance throughout my career.

Because it wasn't always easy.

I had to switch positions.

I had to go to the CFL, I had to go to NFL Europe.

It wasn't always easy for Kerry Joseph, but I was able to always to, to rely on my foundation to go back on the things that I was taught as a young kid.

And I was able to do that.

I was I was always able to go back to that competitive environment that my dad created for myself and my brothers, and just leaning on that one thing I, I learned was I wasn't always the most talented, but the hard work and the dedication with the faith, you wouldn't go outwork me.

I was going to always be the last one in the building, the last one on the field.

And that's the perseverance.

Now that I share as a professional coach.

From the gridiron to the hardwood.

The next inductee of the 2024 class elevated Tulane basketball to national prominence in the 1980s, a point shaving scandal forced Tulane to suspend its basketball program.

Perry Clark entered as a young head coach with new ideas and revitalized the Green Wave to heights no one could have ever imagined.

But this was the late 80s, and Perry Clark was the first African-American head coach at Tulane University.

Perry was being asked to start or to restart a division one men's basketball program.

There was no blueprint that he could follow.

In the 1990s, with no transfer portal, no NIL no one and done, no unionization of players having to recruit to a school with higher academic standards, Perry Clark resurrected a program here at Tulane.

The biggest story in college basketball that year was Duke going for back to back national titles.

The second biggest story was Tulane basketball.

we knew we were going to have the opportunity to be good, and we just kind of grew into, you know, one of the top two, college basketball teams in the nation at that time.

It quickly became the hottest ticket in town, not just the best four years of my life, but also all the lasting relationships that, you know, we were able to cultivate.

And Coach Clark was the person who put all those things together.

How about that response right there?

Says it all about college basketball.

Well, Not just Tulane basketball or in the state of Louisiana, but for what he did for college basketball during that time.

You have nothing but great things to say about coach.

And, yeah, just so proud of them for what this program was able to do.

From no program to two years later winning a conference championship.

It's something that is truly remarkable and may never be done again in the history of college athletics.

Today, Coach Clark still cherishes that time he spent coaching in the Crescent City.

I am very, very privileged to be able to be in the state of Louisiana.

the people here have absolutely inspired me and my growth as a person, as a coach, you're the most wonderful group of people I've ever been around any place in this country.

What you love, you love with your heart.

You give with dedication and care.

And it allowed us to do something very special because we had to live up to your energy, your desires, and the things that you hold very, very special, which is loyalty and caring.

And if I ever get accused of being too loyal, I hope they find enough evidence to find me guilty.

Well said, and I have to give a tip to coach Dale Brown because he's the architect of basketball here in Louisiana.

And if it wasn't for his effort to make basketball relevant and how hard he worked, I would not have a place here.

And I he is the guy that got all this going.

And I owe him an awful lot to be able to be able to be successful at Tulane.

I, I think Before I let you go, let me ask you this.

As your career moved on, we saw in the video you made it to what, the Final Four with South Carolina before you got into the TV business?

I'm trying to be Tim Brando.

when when you go to these other places and you finish up with South Carolina on the run, you did what was what was the biggest thing you maybe took from your Tulane experience that helped you at your other schools, and maybe even something that's still with you now when you're sitting on the sideline as an analyst, I think the biggest thing is your love for you for kids in this generation and wanting to see them do better.

Wanting to see them mature, wanting to see them grow.

These kids today are facing the toughest challenge of any generation that's out there in athletics right now with the transfer portal, with with, all the things that they have to face with the Nil.

Nobody's talking about education.

We came to school to get educated, to make friends, to have relationships, to be able to build community.

Nobody's talking about that, and it's all transactional.

And we have to get back to the values that made education special, that made our culture special, that made our community special, which is taking care of our young people by instilling them certain values and holding them to certain standards and motivating them to be special.

Very well said.

And it's it's you have to you have to stay tuned closely because it seems to be changing at lightning speed.

Right?

There's a lot going on out there.

But thank you for sharing your passion for Louisiana, how it affected you, and it's an honor to be on the stage as we induct you in the Hall of Fame.

Congratulations, guys.

Thank you so very.

Clark.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Let's.

Often forgotten in the world of sports are the movers and shakers behind the scenes for Tom Burnett, a mentor he met as a college student at Louisiana Tech, would lay the groundwork to becoming a sports administrator who served as commissioner of the Southland Conference for two decades.

Tom also served on countless national collegiate committees, becoming a highly respected trailblazer for college athletics.

you knew.

Being around Tom.

That he was destined, to make great strides and have great success professionally.

Tom was at the Sun Belt.

Was when television on the level of conference that the Sun Belt was at the Southland was kind of in its infancy.

And he sort of brought it in and made television a part of what we do.

You know, Tom was ahead of his time when he talked about TV contracts, and it started in regional.

Right.

And some of those, you know, regional partnerships that really brought the cell phone brand to the market.

Kind of took the Southland Conference to a different level.

Now, when I first got in here and seeing what Tom has done with this conference, it's remarkable.

The job he did with it, you know, and then there was a time where all the conferences in the country were kind of splitting up and breaking up.

Tom deserves credit for keeping this conference not just intact, but strengthen I think the most vivid thing I remember about Tom, and the health and well-being of our student athletes was watching his leadership during 2020, during Covid.

And Tom, always with the student athletes health and well-being.

Whether it was testing, how were we going to have championship sporting events?

Americans should be thankful because at one point in time we weren't sure.

Of course, matters were returned where it was, but because of Tom and the things that he was able to take up and persuade that group to do what was right by the student athlete.

What I think sets Tom apart from from, a lot of others was his genuine concern for the student athlete.

First and foremost, student athletes.

Welfare was the most important thing for Tom Burnett.

But Tom did a great job of making every student athletes experience first class.

Yeah, he made everybody feel like they were the most important person in the world.

That says a heck of a lot about a leader.

Innovation is the word that comes to my mind when I when I think of your leadership at the Southland Conference.

Well, thank you, Lynn.

I think the credit of that really goes to our school president.

You saw Doctor Maggio there.

He was a great leader in this conference.

And yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Chris.

and we we were so fortunate and blessed in the Southland.

Today is still, led by a wonderful group of administrators and, they kind of gave me, carte blanche or a blank canvas to really work on some things.

We didn't have television.

We didn't have a single site basketball tournament.

we were struggling academically, and we had the best turnaround in the, in the Apr that the coaches in the room and administrators know what I'm talking about.

The NCAA academic standards.

And that was really on the schools.

But I really felt proud.

We finally convinced the presidents how important this was and really turned around and put the Southland in a great academic shape.

And, you know, we don't talk about that.

That's not the sizzle you mentioned.

you know, the video mentioned television and where we went from maybe five games a year on broadcast to that big contract.

we signed before I left the conference.

So innovations in officiating, other things like that, corporate sponsorships.