The University of Louisiana at Lafayette honored the members of the USL Olympic Weightlifting team Sept. 9 and 10 for winning the 1966 National Collegiate Olympic Weightlifting Championships held at the University of Maryland.

Fifty years ago the USL lifters were undefeated in year-long competition, winning meets in several states—both in collegiate and open competition. The total team consisted of 18 lifters that trained daily in the Earl K. Long gym in an old handball court. The team had no university sponsored coach, were self-regulated — and motivated — and unanimously decided which seven members would represent the university at the national championships at the University of Maryland in March, 1966.

The team won the NCAA National Weightlifting Championship by defeating teams from over 30 universities, including University of Michigan, University of Texas, Maryland, Louisiana State University, Tulane, University of Pittsburgh, Howard University, Penn State and Kent State.

Besides winning in 1966, during a 12-year span the team from then USL won seven other NCAA National Olympic Championships in 1959, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970 and 1971. On three other occasions, when they did not win the team championship, they finished second. In 1969, the competition did not take place.

Members of those winning teams from the “dozen years of excellence” were in attendance for the reception and dinner including Gerald “T boy” Hebert from New Iberia. Sponsors of the event were ULL President Joseph “T Joe” Savoie, Vice President John Blohm and the ULL Alumni Association.