The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame got a little larger and more diverse Saturday night.

The LSHOF inducted 11 new members during an award ceremony held in historic Natchitoches, and just like in years, and decades, past this year’s induction class was diverse as the state it proudly represents.

There were the usual major sports stars who were enshrined Saturday night with two Super Bowl champion wide receivers in New Orleans native Reggie Wayne and former Ragin’ Cajuns record-setter Brandon Stokley, former LSU star and longtime MLB pitcher and World Series champion Russ Springer, NBA champion and Grambling All-American Larry Wright, and legendary high school football coach Lewis Cook of Crowley High and Notre Dame High.

This year’s class, though, also features non-typical major sports figures. 

The winningest tennis coach at both LSU and UL Lafayette, Jerry Simmons; the first Bassmaster Classic champion from Louisiana, Jack Hains; and the late drag racing team owner Paul Candies also were enshrined Saturday.

The diversity didn’t stop with the competitive ballot inductees.

Former New Orleans Saints special team star Steve Gleason was enshrined as the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award for his continued work in the fight against ALS, with which he was diagnosed in 2011.

The Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism went to longtime award-winning LSU beat writer/columnist Scooter Hobbs of the Lake Charles American Press and longtime broadcaster and the Voice of the Hall of Fame Lyn Rollins.

To recap, that means this class included two football players, one baseball player and one basketball player, a fisherman, a drag race owner, two journalists (one print and one broadcast) and one former football player raising money to cure a disease.

That is a whole lot of greatness, achievement and diversity and that is what makes the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame so special — and well worth the trip to Natchitoches to walk through the halls and see our state’s most celebrated sports figures.

RAYMOND PARTSCH III

MANAGING EDITOR