LOUISIANA TRACK AND FIELD COACHES’ ASSOCIATION
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

2024

Tim Lemaire

Tim Lemaire has over 28 years of coaching experience on the Collegiate and High School level.  He is a 1991 graduate of Louisiana-Lafayette with a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education.  While at ULL, Tim competed as a Division 1 athlete in Cross Country and Track receiving All Conference honors while posting some of the top times in the 3000 Meter Steeplechase.  Tim served as the Cross Country and Assistant Track Coach at his Alma Mater from 1995 to 2010 coaching numerous All Conference performers and school record holders.  In 2004, he led the Ragin Cajuns to a conference championship in Cross Country and was named the 2004 Sunbelt Conference Coach of the Year.  Tim is currently in his 14^th season as Head Cross Country Coach at Lafayette High School.  He previously served as Assistant Coach for both Boys’ and Girls’ Track and took over as Head Boys’ Track Coach in 2020.  During his tenure at Lafayette High, he has coached his teams to multiple District Cross Country Championships as well as helping to coach the Lady Lions to multiple Louisiana State Championship titles and Runner up finishes.  He has been married Mia Manuel Lemaire for over 31 years and together they have four sons and two grandsons.  

Chris Carrier

Chris began teaching and coaching in 1990 at St Louis High School in Lake Charles as assistant coach for football, boys basketball and head coach for track & field.  After two year at St. Louis, went to work at LSU Recreation Center for one (1) year before being hired at Catholic High Baton Rouge to teach Civics and PE, assistant football coach under Dale Weiner and assistant track & field coach under Pete Boudreaux.  During his nine (9) years at Catholic, the Track & Field team won 5 District Championships, 5 Regional Championships and four (4) State Championships (1 DI Indoor, 3 5A Outdoor).  In 2002 he was hired as an assistant football coach and head track & field coach at newly opened Dutchtown High School where he started the track & field program; led the varsity program to their first district and regional championship titles in program history.

In 2009 he was hired to be the Dean of Students, Head Track & Field coach and assistant Football coach at Zachary High School.  At Zachary, the Bronco football team won four (4) 5A Football State Championships; as head Track & Field coach, boys have won eight (8) District, two (2) Regional, two (2) State Championships; girls have won eight (8) District, two (2) Regional and eight (8) State Championships, as well as a combined eight (8) Indoor/Outdoor State Runner-Up titles.

Chris was selected United States Track Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coach of the Year twice (2014 & 2018), Metro Coach of the Year Boys & Girls in 2018 and Advocate Star of Stars Coach of the Year Finalist in 2021.  

He has coached two (2) Louisiana Gatorade Athletes of the Year, Janie O’Connor (2016) and Sean Burrell (2019 and 2020)

Married 27 years, Wanda Thomas Carrier.

Two sons, Christopher (LSU, 2019) and Cameron (Nicholls 2020)

One granddaughter, Cate (3 years old) and one grandson, Carter (1.5 year old)

2023

Murrell “Boots” Garland

2022

Dennis Panepinto

Rebecca Marshall

2021

Randy Zell – Isidore Newman High School

It gives the LTFC A great pleasure to honor the late Randy Zell with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In July of 2020, the track and field community lost an amazing soul.  After moving from New York to Louisiana in 1993, Zell made New Orleans his home.  For the past 27 years Coach Zell molded, challenged, and inspired the students of Isidore Newman High School.  He has coached several athletes who became collegiate runners, built five state runner-up cross country teams, and hosted a summer running camp in his hometown in West Valley, New York for the past 20 years.  As an assistant track and field coach, Zell helped create three state championship teams, two state runner-up teams, and developed numerous all-district and all-region pole vaulters.  Despite all the accolades, Coach Zell will be most remembered for teaching his students the importance of always improving. 

John Hayes – LSU

John Hayes is a fixture in the world of track and field officiating.  Serving nearly 40 years as a track and field official, the LTFCA is thrilled to present A Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. John Hayes.  Joining the LSU Track and Field Officials Association in 1982, John has done it all in meet management.  From his early years as a timer to serving two, two-year terms as president, John has worked numerous high school and collegiate meets.  His resume includes high school state meets; SEC, Sunbelt and NCAA championships; and USATF Junior and Senior championships. The consensus among John’s peers is his selflessness and willingness to assist with meets.  John can often be found working as the meet manager at local high schools such as Episcopal, Catholic of Baton Rouge, Dutchtown, and Zachary High.  He has also worked the hills at Highland Road Park for many cross-country meets.  High school coaches can rest assured that when John arrives at the track, their meet will be run professionally.   As Coach Claney Duplechin stated, John Hayes is an outstanding person.  I have known him for probably 30 plus years.  He has been our head track judge for all these years here at Episcopal.  (at least 3 meets per year for 30 years = 90 meets!!!) John is very professional.  He handles tough track decisions with confidence and fairness.  He is very quiet but he knows exactly everything going on during a meet. Not only does he work all our Episcopal meets, but I’ve seen him at many other high school meets around Baton Rouge.  He also is works all LSU meets. In all the years I’ve known him I have never ever seen him lose his cool.  He loves track!  He helps many coaches at meets by letting them know the rules.  I’ve also seen him talking to many athletes letting them know things they should be doing better.  It has been a pleasure having him work our meets.  As I’ve told many people, “When I see John Hayes arrive at our meets, I can relax and enjoy myself because I know our meets will be run professionally.”

2020

Neil Borel – St. Michael High School –
Coach Neil Borel is synonymous with cross country excellence in Baton Rouge and throughout the state of Louisiana.  Year in and year out, his teams are at or near the top in every competition. During his career, he has coached 19 State Champion and 9 State Runner Up Cross Country Teams. He has coached dozens of All State Cross Country and Track Athletes as well as dozens of East Baton Rouge All Metro Cross Country and Track Athletes during his tenure at St. Michael.  Coach Borel has coached 21 individual State Champion or State Runner Up Cross Country and Track Athletes and he has been named All Metro Coach of the Year 11 times. During his career, Coach Borel has hosted 35 Cross Country Meets and 8 Track Meets despite not having a track on his campus.  His meets are always among the most organized of the season with his enthusiastic crew of volunteers. He recently initiated the Louisiana Elementary / Middle School Cross Country State Championships which draws competitors from throughout the state. A member of the St. Michael High School Wall of Honor, Coach Neil Borel has coached over 1,300 student athletes throughout his illustrious career.  His selection as an LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Recipient is well deserved as he continues to be a positive influence on all the young people under his sphere of influence and the running community as a whole.

Nick Smith – West Feliciana High School –Coach Nick Smith has been a part of the Track and Cross Country Scene in the state of Louisiana  for a long time. As a four sport athlete at West Feliciana High School, Nick was a 2-time State Champion in both the 1600 Meter and 3200 Meter Runs while setting a state record in the Class 2A 3200 Meter Run. He was also the Individual State Champion in Cross Country twice and was a member of Cross Country and Track State Championship Teams at West Feliciana.  Nick continued his running career in Track and Cross Country at LSU from 1982-1986.  After his college, Nick began his coaching career at Manson High School in Manson, Washington before returning to West Feliciana High School in 1994.  Since then, Nick’s cross country teams have won 2 State Championships, 8 State Runner Ups, and finished in the top 4, 18 times in the past 22 years. In addition, he has had Top 10 individual finishers 21 times in the past 22 years. Serving as Head Track Coach from 2000 to 2011, his teams claimed 2 State Runner Up finishes while winning 9 District titles in 12 years.  Nick holds USATF Level 2 certifications in Distance, Sprints, and Throws.  Throughout his career, Nick has been an active member of our Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association, culminating in his 2 year tenure as our President from 2013-2015. Coach Smith continues to be vitally involved in our association today. Wherever there is a need, Coach Smith is there to help meet it. For his impressive body of work, it is fitting that we honor Coach Smith as an LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Recipient. 

2019

Chip Sterling

Coach Chip Stirling, a Lee High and 1974 LSU Graduate,  began his coaching career at the Louisiana School for the Deaf (LSD) in 1969, working as an LSU Student Worker. He also coached cross country at University High School in 1974, where the Cubs won the Class A Boys State Cross Country Championship.  In 1975, he moved to the New Mexico School for the Deaf where his boys won 4 District titles in 5 years.  In 1980, he returned to the Louisiana School for the Deaf, where he coached Cross Country and Track until his retirement in 2009.  While at LSD, his girls were the Class C State Track and Field Champions in 2009, and State Runner Ups in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.  His boys were Class C State Track Champions in 2003, 2004, and 2005, and State Runner Ups in 2003 and 2004.  His Boys Cross Country team was State Runner Up in 2003.  Coach Stirling served as the National Chairperson for the Deaf Track and Field in the United States from 1991 until 1999 but his coaching career wasn’t limited to the state of Louisiana or even the United States.    He also gained extensive international coaching experience.  He served as the Assistant Coach for the World Games for the Deaf, Track and Field Championships, in Sophia, Bulgaria, in 1993, in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2001, and in Tapei, Taiwan in 2009.  He also served as the Co-Head Coach for the USA / Russia High School Invitational Meet in Moscow, Russia in 1995.

In 1969, Chip began officiating LSU Track Meets while he was a student, and he has served as an LSU Track Official from 1975 until today, 43 years.  He currently serves on the Board of LSU Track and Field, and was elected to the LSU Track and Field Official’s Hall of Fame in 2017.  Chip continues to serve as an official in numerous high school track and cross country meets in our area.  Coach Chip Stirling has had a long, diverse, and distinguished career in Track and Field and Cross Country and it is for these and his many other accomplishments on behalf of our sports that I am pleased to recognize him as a 2019  Louisiana Track and Field Coaches Association Lifetime Achievement Recipient. 

Doug Stewart

Coach Doug Stewart was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1947. After graduation from high school there, he entered the army which brought him to Ft. Polk, Louisiana. It was there that he met his wife, Cynthia Anne Fontenot.   Doug served his country with distinction for 4 years, including in Viet Nam, and was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal, and 2 Army Commendation medals. After his military service, Doug attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana, earning Bachelor’s Degrees in Physical Education and Social Studies.  Coach Stewart began his coaching career at Fatima High School in Lafayette in 1979, and his impact and influence in Track and Cross Country in the Lafayette and Acadiana area continue to this day.  While at Fatima, Doug’s teams won 2 State Championships and 1 State Runner Up in both Cross Country and Track. In 1981, he was the All Acadiana Boys Coach of the Year. Doug left Fatima for Teurlings Catholic where he coached from 1983 until 1989 and enjoyed  great success. In Cross Country, his girls won Division III State Championships in 1983, 1985, and 1986 and his  boys won the 1985 State Championship, while finishing as Runner Up in 1986. His Boys Track Team finished as State Runner Up in all classes at the 1987 Indoor State Meet. His boys team also won the outdoor State Championship that same year, and captured a State Runner Up in 1989.  Coach Stewart received several coaching awards during his career  including the 1985 Louisiana Cross Country  Coach of the Year, and served as the LHSAA Track and Field Coordinator in 1989.  After leaving Teurlings Catholic, Doug coached and taught throughout the Acadiana area at Leonville Elementary, Opelousas High School, Lafayette Middle School, Beau Chene, and the St. Landry Accelerated Transition School.  At Leonville Elementary, Doug coached a young man named, Walter Landry, a future Track and Field Olympian.  Sadly, Coach Doug Stewart passed away in August, 2017, but to his wife Cynthia, his 3 children, 5 grandchildren, his coaching colleagues, and the thousands of young men and women whose lives were touched by Doug on the athletic field and in the classroom, his legacy will live on.  Minnesota’s loss was Louisiana’s Track and Cross Country’s gain! It is a great honor to recognize Coach Doug Stewart as a 2019 LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Recipient!

2018
Mike Cambre
Mike Cambre has contributed greatly to the Louisiana Track and Field scene in a variety of capacities over the years.  It is fitting that Mike be a recipient of our prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award since Mike was one of the driving forces in the creation of this award to recognize our sport’s finest.  He also helped create our State Championship Coach Plaque program whereby our Association recognizes member coaches whose teams have won state championships in Cross Country, Indoor Track or  Outdoor Track.  Mike competed in track and field at East Jefferson High School and then Southeastern Louisiana University under Coach Larry Crow.  After his competitive days, Mike remained active in our sport and was one of the early supporters of our association, the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association. Mike has served as a volunteer coach for State Championship Track  teams at Bonnabel, Hammond, and Mandeville High Schools as well as a volunteer  assistant coach at Louisiana Tech in 1995.  Mike was an active member of the New Orleans Track Club in its early days, and administered many major road races in the greater New Orleans area, in addition to managing or directing numerous collegiate college conference championships.   He also served as marathon training coach for the American Heart Association in the greater New Orleans area.  Mike has continued to be involved in Track and Field through his association with the Mobile Challenge of Champions, the John Williams Invitational, and the Sugar Bowl Track and Field Classic.

Rickey Grant
Coach Rickey Grant has served as the Head Girls Track and Cross Country Coach at West Feliciana for the past 34 years.  During this time, Coach Grant has established himself as one of the outstanding coaches in our state and West Feliciana as one of the premier programs in our state. His unrivaled work ethic, standards of excellence, and dedication to his student-athletes have led the Saints to unprecedented success at West Feliciana.   During his tenure, the Saints have captured 8 Girls State Track Championships including 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2003, 2005, and 2011, as well as 7 State Runner Up Trophies, 22 Regional Championships, and 26 District Championships. In 1991, Coach Grant was nominated for the Regional Coach of the Year Award, and was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Coach of the Year.  He also served as a member of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association Executive Council for 3 consecutive terms in 1998, 1999, and 2000.  When asked to identify his greatest coaching accomplishment, Coach Grant cited “having the distinct privilege and opportunity to coach a variety of talented student athletes matriculating through West Feliciana High School over the years.”  He also is extremely proud of the fact that each of his team members graduated from High School and 32 of his Student Athletes received athletic scholarships to continue their competition at the College Level.

2017
Tommy Badon
Coach Tommy Badon’s career has taken him to a variety of venues at every level in over 30 years of coaching.    The one common denominator in all his stops,  much like his fellow inductees, is that he’s been successful wherever he has coached.  Tommy began his career in 1981 at his alma mater, Teurlings Catholic, where he coached track and football.  After 6 years, Tommy moved across town to Lafayette High where he coached such stalwarts as Mike St. Julien, a 7-2 high jumper and one of the best that Louisiana has produced and Pat Frederick, a 16’8” pole vaulter and member of the 1988 U.S. National Junior Team. In 1987, Tommy moved to Blinn College in Brenham, Texas and helped the Buccaneers capture two Indoor National Championships and two Outdoor National Championships in his 2 years at the school.  From there, Tommy returned to his alma mater, UL-Lafayette to serve as the assistant track and field coach.  While there, the Ragin’ Cajuns won 14 Indoor and Outdoor Conference Championships,  and Tommy coached over 20 NCAA All Americans, including Hollis Conway, the world’s number 1 High Jumper in the early 90’s, and still the U.S. record holder in the Indoor High  Jump.  Tommy spent 12 ½ years at Westminster Christian Academy coaching track and football.  His girls and boys track  teams were consistently among the top in their classification and his girls won the 2013 Class A State Track Championship.  Tommy was named the State Coach of the Year.  Tommy has been active in coaching education since 1987. He was a USATF Level 1 and 2 instructor for 20 years and is a respected instructor in the USTFCCCA Coaches Education program.  Tommy has been an active member of our LTFCA and is a frequent speaker at Clinics around the country, including presentations at the USTFCCCA Annual Convention in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Miguel Becerra
Coach Miquel Becerra began his coaching career helping out the AAU St. Bernard Express Track club after graduating from Chalmette High School in 1985.  Miguel went on to run Cross Country and Track at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond until the fall of 1990.  He then took a job as the Athletic Director and P.E. Instructor at Trafton Academy in Hammond, a position he has held for 27 years.  In 1993, Miguel coached his first high school cross country team and coached the Ponchatoula Girls to the 4A State Title.  From there, he joined his younger brother Jose, at St. Thomas Aquinas until the winter of 2000 when he became the Head Cross Country and Assistant Track Coach at Southeastern Louisiana University.  In 2004, Miguel returned to St. Thomas Aquinas as Head Cross County and Track Coach. Since then, St. Thomas Aquinas has enjoyed a phenomenal run as one of the premier programs not only in the State but in the south.  Their  program has won 7 State Championships in Girls and Boys Cross Country and 10 State Championships in Indoor and Outdoor Track.  Combine that with the 23 State Runner Up finishes in Boys and Girls Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track, and you have a combined 40 Podium appearances in Championship events, an incredible record.  Not bad for a man who got his start organizing neighborhood meets as a kid.  He would gather all the neighborhood kids and organize them into two teams.  They would compete against each other in pole to pole sprints in the middle of the street,  run around the block for a distance event, long jump into a sand pit at the end of the sidewalk, high jump over a stick held by 2 people into a couple of mattresses, and  finish with the always exciting shuttle relays, using cut broom sticks for batons.  Miguel has been the Southern AAU Athletic Sports Chair for Louisiana and Mississippi for the last 15 years, and has been added to the AAU National Executive Committee as the Cross Country Chair.  He also serves as the Director of the Northshore Independent Athletic League overseeing 14 Jr. High/ Middle Schools on the Northshore.  Miguel says that having coaches that made track and field fun in the early years of his life encouraged him to be the best he could be and to instill that love of sport into the lives of the athletes he has coached.  His list of outstanding athletes that he has coach reads like a Who’s Who of Outstanding Track, Field, and Cross Country runners in our state.  Malia Cali, University of North Carolina, Lindsay Day, LSU, Whitney Curry, Wake Forest, Carmen Brothers, Mississippi State…….the list goes on and on.

Bill Jones
A 1983 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Coach Bill Jones began his coaching career in Natchez, Mississippi where he spent one year before moving on to Donaldsonville High School where he spent the next 20 years.  While at Donaldsonville, his teams won 3 outdoor State Championships, 1 State Indoor State Championship, 8 Regional Championships, and 11 District Titles.  Bill was named the 3A Boys Coach of the Year 3 times.  In 2004, he moved to Dutchtown High School where he currently coaches.  While at Dutchtown,  he has been part of 1 State Outdoor Championship,  and 2 State Outdoor and 1 State Indoor Runner Ups.  Bill has coached over 80 individual state champions including 15 in the hurdle events. Notable athletes include former state track MVP’s Greg Scott, and Tyler Hughes, current Southern University Head Coach Teremine White and assistant coach Jimmy Joseph.  He’s also coached former New England Patriot Jarvis Green, and current New York Giants star Landon Collins. Throughout his career, Bill has been a great ambassador for our sport, serving as an officer in our Association, lecturing in Clinics, and putting on numerous District and Regional Championships.

2016
Kenneth Lockett
Coach Kenneth “Teeta” Lockett and the Franklin High School Track Program are synonymous with the word “Success!” During his tenure at Franklin High School, Coach Lockett continued and advanced the tradition of successful track and field at Franklin High School that was built by one of his colleagues and also a Lifetime Achievement Recipient, the late
Coach Albert Perry. During his tenure, Coach Lockett’s teams captured 49 first place finishes in Boys’ competition, and 6 first place finishes in Girls’ competition. In District competition, his teams won 6 District Meets with 3 Runner Up finishes in the Boys Division and 1 District Championship and 2 Runner Ups in the Girls Division. Coach Lockett’s teams always shined at the State Level. His teams produced multiple State Runner Up Titles in 2009 (Indoor and Outdoor), 2011 (Outdoor), 2014 (Indoor), and 2015 (Indoors and Outdoors) at their respective State Meets. In 2008 and 2010 Coach Lockett’s teams won the “Big One” with State Championship finishes in both Indoor and Outdoor competition. In 2015, Coach Lockett was nominated for the Steve Harvey National Coach of the Year Award, and was presented the award in August at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Coach Lockett was active in Track and Field throughout his career and contributed to the advancement of Track and Field in Louisiana by serving our Louisiana Track and Field Coaches
Association as its Vice President. Throughout his life, Coach Lockett was a credit to his family, his teams, his school, and to his profession. He was a man of great character, strength, and courage. He demonstrated this courage for all to see as he valiantly fought the cruel disease that ultimately claimed his life. His passing leaves a large void in the lives of those who knew him, but his memory inspires us to always strive to be and do our best! For this and much more, we award the LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award to the late Coach Kenneth Lockett. Coach Rickey Grant of West Feliciana will present the award.

John C. Miller
John C. Miller was born in LeCompte, Louisiana on October 9. 1930. He graduated from LeCompte High School in 1948 where he was a distance runner on the track team. After graduating from Louisiana College, he began teaching at Oak Hill High School where he taught and Coached for 40 years before retiring in 1994. During his tenure at Oak Hill, his track teams won 31 District Championships and 24 Regional Championships and his teams were consistently among the top teams at the State Track and Field Meet. Coach Miller began the first cross country team in Rapides Parish and his teams won State Championships in 1969 and 1970, as well as 6 runner up finishes. His teams won 21 District Championships in 25 years. Overall, Coach Miller’s teams captured 250 victories in competitions ranging from dual meets, invitational meets, all the way to District, Regional, and State Meets.

In 1990, Coach Miller was nominated for the National Coach of the Year Award by the LHSAA. He finished as one of the 8 finalists, and was named Regional Coach of the Year. He has been awarded numerous awards including too many Coach of the Year Awards to count. The Glenmora Optimist Club named him Cross Country Coach of the Decade, and the Association of Principals and Assistant Principals named him the Father of Cenla Cross Country. In 1995, he was inducted into the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame and in 1997, and he was inducted into the LHSAA Hall of Fame in Baton Rouge. Since his retirement, Oak Hill has sponsored the “John Miller, Sr. Cross Country Meet” in his honor. The meet has attracted over 100 different schools with as many as forty at one time.

Coach Miller epitomizes what it means to be a “Lifetime Achiever.” Whether it was teaching a science class at Oak Hill High School, teaching Sunday School at Pisgah Baptist Church, or teaching and coaching 100’s of athletes at Oak Hill High School, he has had a lifetime of impact on thousands of individuals. It is for his profound contributions to track and field in the State of Louisiana, that we present Coach John C. Miller, Sr., the LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Frank Trammel
Coach Frank Trammel has had a distinguished career as both a competitor and coach in Cross Country and Track and Field. As a competitor, Frank was an 11 time Gulf South Conference competitor in Track and Cross Country from 1972-1975. He was an N.A.I.A. All American in Cross Country in 1974 and in Indoor Track in 1975. He was an NCAA and N.A.I.A. All American in the 10,000 Meter Run in 1976. He was also the Louisiana Collegiate Record Holder in the 10,000 Meter Run in 1976. During his career, Frank held Louisiana best times for 10,000, 15K, 20K, 25K, 30 K, and the Marathon. Frank competed in the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. Frank was selected for the Northwestern “N” Club Hall of Fame in 1984, the Ark-La-Tex Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1985, and the Northwestern State Distinguished “N” Degree in 2015.

Frank’s high school coaching career included stops at Quitman and Benton High Schools. Since 1984, Frank’s teams have won 10 Cross Country State Championships. In addition, his teams have captured numerous District, Regional, and State Outdoor Titles. Frank’s career has also included stints at Northeast Louisiana, Northwestern State, Louisiana Tech, and he is currently coaching at Bossier Parish Community College. Frank’s athletes have achieved distinction as well. One of Frank’s athletes was the first state champion in the Girls’ Javelin. He has had several Long and Triple Jump State Champions. Frank coached the current composite record holder in the Girls 1600 and 3200 meter run. In 2010, he had a Texas relays winner in the 1600 and 3200 meter runs and the Golden South winner in the 1600 meter run in 2009 and 2010.

Frank was selected as the National Federation of High School 2014 State, Sectional, and National Cross Country Coach of the Year. Whether as an athlete or a coach, Frank Trammel has enjoyed an exemplary career, and the sports of Cross Country and Track in Louisiana are better for it. For these and many other accomplishments, we present the LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award to Coach Frank Trammel.

2015
Donald Dunbar
Donald Dunbar was born in Port Barre, Louisiana on January 5, 1937. He and his wife, Mary have four sons, Don, Jr., J.P., David, and Ryan. Coach Dunbar attended Southwest Mississippi Jr. College, University of Louisville, University of West Virginia, and University of Southwestern Louisiana, where he earned his Master’s Degree.

Coach Dunbar began his coaching career in St. Martinville in 1959, winning a District Championship in his first year of coaching. In 1962, he became Head Track Coach at Port Barre where he coached until 1965. He then became Head Track Coach at Delcambre High School where he coached until 1969. H e transferred to Lafayette High School, where his Cross Country Team won the State Championship. Returning to Delcambre in 1970, his Boys Cross Country Team won the State Championship and his track teams regularly competed for the District, Regional, and State Championships.

Coach Dunbar’s proudest moment came in 1975 when his Delcambre Panthers won the State Track Championship. His son, Don, Jr. played a major role in the victory, winning the 220 yard dash, anchoring the winning 880 yard relay, and was a member of the state runner-up 440 yard relay team.

Coach Dunbar left the coaching ranks in 1975 but continued to serve as a meet official and referee in area meets. He and his wife, Mary have been LSU Track Officials for 30 years, and also helped as a Track Official for many NCAA meets, as well as the Olympic Trials in New Orleans.

Coach Dunbar served the LHSAA and the Track and Cross Coaching profession in many capacities throughout his lifetime, and it is for these and many other contributions that we present him with the LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award.

ROBIN FAMBROUGH
Robin Fambrough, a native of Louisville, Kentucky is a graduate of Western Kentucky, where she had a double major in journalism and psychology. Coming to Louisiana, Robin served as a Graduate Assistant in the Nicholls State University Sports Information Office, and served as acting SID there in the fall of 1980. This was followed by stints with the Thibodaux Daily Comet and the Alexandria Town Talk. In 1989, she began work as a free- lancer for the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, and then a full time sportswriter in 1990. She became the lead prep sportswriter in 1991, where she coordinates the sports coverage for more than 70 high schools in a 9 parish area, while also reporting on statewide prep issues such as concussions, sportsmanship issues, and the select/ non-select division of high school teams to name a few.
For the Louisiana Sportswriters’ Association, she coordinates selection of the all-state teams in football, baseball, softball, and basketball and is also on the selection committee for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and the LHSAA Hall of Fame. She has been named LSWA Prep Sportswriter of the year 5 times, and has won 25 other writing awards. She has covered every LHSAA State Outdoor Track Meet since 1990 and all LHSAA Indoor Meets since 1991, as well as 3 NCAA Track Meets and the New Orleans Olympic Trials. She has been recognized by the Louisiana Sportswriters, the LHSAA, the Coaches’ Association, the Basketball Coaches, the Softball Coaches, and today, finally by the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association. She was the first woman to join the Louisiana Sportswriters’ Association, and served as it’s president from 2000 to 2002. For these and her other numerous accomplishments, it is only fitting that we acknowledge our first woman recipient of the LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin Fambrough.

BUTCH HELVESTON
From 1977 to 1997, the name Baton Rouge High was synonymous with distance running excellence in the state of Louisiana. The architect behind that success was Coach Butch Helveston. Say what you will about the man, there is one thing that we can all agree on, “The ‘man’ can coach!” His teams were some of the most dominating our state has seen since the inception of cross country in Louisiana. From 1977 to 1997, his Baton Rouge High teams won 20 state championships and 6 state runner-ups including 12 Boys State Cross Country Championships, 6 Girls State Championships, 1 Girls Indoor State Track Championship, and 1 Outdoor State Track Championship. His resume also included 1 Boys Indoor Track Runner-up, 2 Girls Cross Country State Runner-ups, 1 Girls Indoor Track Runner-Up, and 1 Girls Outdoor Track State Runner-up. After retiring from the public school system, Butch moved across town and accepted the position of Girls Track and Cross Country Coach at Episcopal High School where he coached from 1997 to 2007. While there, his teams won 5 State Championships and 7 State Runner-ups. These included 3 Girls State Cross Country Championships, 1 Girls Indoor State Championship, 1 Girls Outdoor State Track Championship, along with 5 Girls State Cross Country Runner-ups, and 2 Girls Outdoor State Track Runner-ups. In addition, Butch along with Episcopal Boys Coach Claney Duplechin, compiled the LTFCA Cross Country Polls with Claney handling the Boys and Butch compiling the Girls until his retirement in 2007. Those of us who coached against Butch were elated when he finally retired for good so that the rest of us would have a chance at winning some hardware. For his contributions to the sports of Cross Country and Track in Louisiana, we present Butch our LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award.

2014
KEEFE HECKER
Keefe Hecker got his start in athletics at an early age. As a student at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, he was a Captain on the 3A State Runner-Up Football team, and a member of the Boys 3A State Championship Basketball team. In 1963, he was awarded the Gernon Brown, Jr. Memorial Trophy for Best Varsity Athlete. He began his coaching career as the Assistant Boys’ Varsity Basketball coach and Head J.V. Coach at Jesuit, his alma mater, in 1970. His coaching career spanned 43 years and found him coaching football, basketball, track, & cross country. Following stints at Jesuit and Carver Jr. High, Keefe arrived at Isidore Newman School where he taught and coached from 1976 to 2013. As the Varsity Boy’s Track coach at Newman from 1989 to 2013, he coached athletes who were state champions in 9 different individual events or relays and 15 athletes who were state runner-up in 9 different individual events or relays. His tenure included 15 district championships, 5 district runner-ups, 5 regional championships, and 2 regional runner-ups. His resume’ includes 1 2A outdoor State Championship, 1 3A Outdoor State Championship, 1 2A outdoor State Track Runner-up, and 1 Division II Indoor State Runner-Up. As one coach said, “Keefe is a class act and a most deserving individual. It’s obvious he deeply cares about the young people he coaches and has a great love for our sport.”

MUMFORD LEAKE
Mumford Leake began his coaching career at St. Francisville High School in 1965, coaching football and basketball. After a brief stint in private business, he returned to St. Francisville as the head track and football coach in 1970. He started the cross country program there in 1975 and remained as head coach of boy’s track and cross country until 1982. At that time, he became an administrator at the elementary school. Coach Leake continued to coach as an Track and Field Assistant for both boys’ and girls’ track programs at West Feliciana.
In his stint as head coach, his teams won a State Championship in Track in 1982 and a State Runner-Up in Cross Country in 1979 and a State Championship in 1980. He was highly instrumental in teams at West Feliciana winning State Championships in Boy’s Track in 1988, 1989, and 1996 along with Girls’ State Championship Teams in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. Teams during this era finished as State Runner-Up 8 times. He has coached athletes who have finished in the top three at the State Track Meet in every event. He coached Miguel Pate, who went on to be a 2008 Olympian in the Long Jump, and has coached two 200’+ javelin throwers, two 49’+ triple jumpers, and multiple 23’+ long jumpers. A strong technician in all field events, his specialty is the Pole Vault. West Feliciana has had a 12’6”+ vaulter every year since 1995 as a direct result of his work. Mumford was an early advocate for Coaching Education, having completed several USATF Level II Certifications in the 1990’s. Mumford Leake is an outstanding coach, an outstanding individual, and an outstanding ambassador for our Coaching profession. As one of his fellow coaches said,” It would be impossible to calculate his immeasurable contributions to Track and Field at West Feliciana, but without them, there’s no question that the Trophy Case at West Feliciana would have a serious dent in it!”

AL WAKEFIELD
Al Wakefield, recently retired Track and Cross Country Coach at Fisher High School has 37 years of coaching experience. Al coached football for 10 years from 1977 to 1987 and track for 34 years from 1980 to 2014. During that time, his teams won 9 District Championships, 7 District Runner-ups, and Regional Championships in 1985 and 1994. I n Cross Country, his teams won 2 District Championships and finished as District Runner-Ups 9 times. During his coaching career, Al has coached 131 State Finalists and his athletes have claimed 2 Individual State Championships. Al was selected as the Jefferson Parish Coach of the Year in 1986 and was the Times Picayune Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1991 and the Westbank Coach of the Year in 1994. As one former coach, a Lifetime Achievement recipient himself, said about Coach Wakefield, “Al is an outstanding choice. He personifies the tireless coaches who give everything they have to their teams and athletes, even in the years when they have little or no expectation of winning.” Another coach said, “Al is one of those blue collar guys who went to work every day and tried to do the best they could with the athletes under their care. He has touched thousands of lives in his Lifetime as a coach. “

DWIGHT WOOSLEY
Dwight Woosley was a loving husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and friend known by many for his smile, laugh, and storytelling. Notorious for his generous nature, Dwight gave freely of his time and those of us who love track and field were the beneficiaries of his generosity. Sadly, Dwight passed away on September 4th of this year but the legacy he left will long remain in the annals of Track and Field in Louisiana. When his sons, Robert and John, joined the LSU Track Team as throwers in 1994, he joined the LSU Track and Field Officials Association, eventually becoming the head throwing events official, and serving as President or Vice President of that organization for years. For his efforts, he was elected to that organization’s Hall of Fame. Dwight became a USATF Certified Master Level Official and officiated at high school and college meets around the country, including the SEC, NCAA Regional, and NCAA Championships. He worked at almost every home LSU Track Meet and LHSAA State Championship over the last 20 years, and countless area high school meets. Dwight worked tirelessly to give all athletes, young and old, the best opportunity to compete and to enjoy their athletic experiences. He never sought awards or recognition for his efforts. His greatest reward was working with his friends, the officials, athletes, and coaches, to support the sport and people he loved. One local coach said of Dwight’s selection as a Lifetime Achievement Recipient, “What an incredible official and person who treated every athlete, regardless of their level of achievement, with the upmost respect. He was a very special person to the track and field community.” Another coach and Lifetime Achievement recipient said this of Dwight, “ On hearing of Dwight’s passing, I reflected on the enormity of his contributions to the LSU Track Official’s Associations, local track and field teams, and his efforts to support clinics and camps in our area over the last 20+ years. He was a fixture in Track and Field in the Baton Rouge area and steadfast in his support of High School Track and Field. “ It has been said that “to live in the hearts of others is to never die!” Those words should certainly apply to Dwight Woosley, LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Recipient.

2013
CLANEY DUPLECHIN
Coach Claney Duplechin is currently in his 35th year of coaching Track and Cross Country at Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge. During that time, he has compiled an amazing record in both sports. His Boys Cross Country Teams have won 23 State Championships including 17 in a row, which places them 2nd on the NFHS National List. Their number one ranking in the State Composite Cross Country Poll for 4 consecutive years is still unmatched. He was the Louisiana nominee for National Cross Country Coach of the year in 2003. During his tenure at Episcopal, his track teams have won 30 District Championships, 27 Regional Championships, 10 State Championships, 9 State Runner-Ups, and 4 Third Place Finishes. In Indoor Track, his squads have won 3 State Championships and been Runner-Up twice. He has been the East Baton Rouge Parish Track Coach of the Year 19 times. For his efforts in Track and Field, he was named as the Gill National Track Coach of the Year this fall. Throughout his career, Coach Dupe has promoted Track and Field and Cross Country in numerous ways. For the last 9 years, he has conducted the State Cross Country Poll for the state schools, coaches, and newspapers. He has contributed articles to our professional journals and is a frequently sought clinic speaker. He has officiated at 2 Southeastern Conference Meets, 2 NCAA Meets at LSU, and was a Decathlon Official for the 1992 U..S. Olympic Trials in New Orleans. In addition to hosting 34 District Meets and 31 Regional Meets, he can also be found serving as a Referee or Inspector at other area Regional Qualifying Track Meets. Despite his obvious success, he remains a “character first” coach.

PAUL GARVEY
Coach Paul Garvey began his coaching career in 1987, and in that time has developed 2 State Champions in Track and Cross Country, 5 State Runner-ups in Track and Cross Country, many District Championship teams, and one State Championship Cross Country Team. Paul coached at Loyola University where his teams produced 3 individual conference champions, 5 conference championship teams, and 2 regional championship teams. Three of his teams qualified for Cross Country Nationals along with an additional 19 individuals. Paul was named GCAC Conference Coach of the Year 6 times as well as Region XIII Coach of the Year twice. Paul holds Level II USATF Coaching Education Certification in Jumps, Sprints, and Hurdles and Level III Certification in Endurance. Additionally, he has been a USATF Coaching Instructor for schools across the Gulf South. He has published six articles in Technical Track and Field and Cross Country Journals. Since 2002, Paul has been the Director and Owner of the Gulf States Distance Running Camp in Covington. Throughout his career, Paul has been an active supporter of the LTFCA in both leadership positions as a former President of our association and working behind the scenes to promote our sports. Paul currently coaches at St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans where he continues to positively influence the lives of those he coaches.

WALLY SMITH
Coach Wally Smith turned to coaching as a 2nd career when he began coaching Boys and Girls Cross Country at Holy Savior Menard High School in Alexandria in 1985. Later, he became the Head Girls Track Coach in 1988. The Central Louisiana region and the State of Louisiana in general are better because of it. Wally’s love of the sports of Cross Country and Running are only surpassed by his love for his athletes, a love they reciprocate as shown by the way they compete for him year in and year out. In Girls Cross Country, Wally’s teams have won 24 District Championships, 21 Parish/Cenla championships, 7 State Championships, and 7 State Runner Up finishes. His Boys Cross Country Teams have won 20 District Championship teams, 8 Parish/Cenla Championships, 2 State Championships, and 1 State Runner Up. Since taking over the Girls’ Track Program at Menard, his teams have won 13 District Championships and 4 Regional Championships and produced 7 individual state champions. Wally’s interest in his athletes beyond the playing field is evident. In addition to his coaching and teaching responsibilities at Menard, Wally and his wife Becky have hosted a Weekly Youth Prayer Meeting in their home since 1992. Wally’s life and work personify what it means to be a Lifetime Achievement Recipient.

JAY STUCKEY
Coach Jay Stuckey has coached Girls and Boys Cross Country and Track at Jewel Sumner High School for 26 years. During that time, Sumner’s teams have won 17 District Titles in Cross Country and 32 District Titles in track and field. Their Cross Country and Track Programs have won 4 State Championships as well as finishing as State Runner Up 11 times. Jay started the Cross Country at Sumner in 1994 with one runner. That runner was Ryan Travis, who ended up running the fastest true mile in Louisiana history with a time of 4:06.11. Not a bad beginning. Jay served as President of the LTFCA from 2003 to 2005 and has been our Secretary / Treasurer ever since. That fact alone qualifies him for this award as he has spent hundreds of hours laboring on behalf of our Coaches’ Association and the betterment of our sports through his efforts.

2012
John Desselles
John Desselles spent the majority of his coaching career at White Castle High School where he served as Head Football and Track Coach. During a 7-year span from 1971 to 1978, his track teams won 7 District Championships, 7 Regional Championships, 3 State Runner-Up titles, and State Championships in 1976, 1977, and 1978. His 1977 track team qualified athletes in all 18 events at the State Track Meet and placed in 15 of the 18 events. His 1978 won every track meet they entered that year including the 39-team Tiger Relays in Thibodaux as well as the State Meet. Coach Desselles has also served as a Track Official for 37 years and was elected to the LSU Track Official’s Hall of Fame in 1990.

John Talley
John Talley has coached at several area schools including Lee High, Woodlawn, St. Amant, and Dutchtown where he has served in various capacities including track coach, football coach, powerlifting, and strength and conditioning coach. In track and field , his throwers have distinguished themselves and he has coached multiple state champions in the shot put and discus. Coach Talley is regarded as one of the premier throws’ coaches in the South. He has also contributed significantly to the sport of track and field as a lecturer and clinician for the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association, as a USA Track and Field Level 1 and 2 Instructor, and as a USTFCCCA Technical Certification Instructor and Throwing Event Specialist. A past president of the LTFCA and Clinic Chairman, Coach Talley continues to promote track and field throughout our state through his various endeavors.

Zach Winfield
Zach Winfield began his coaching career in New Orleans at his alma mater, St. Augustine High School, before going to Eleanor McMain High School where he coached from 1982 to 2005. At McMain, his teams won 8 State Track Championships and 2 State Runner-Ups in outdoor and indoor track. In 2006, Coach Winfield moved to Baton Rouge where his Scotlandville Magnet team won the Indoor State Championship that year. He moved to Baton Rouge Magnet in 2008. During his tenure there, his teams have won 3 consecutive Class 5A State Track Championships and the Indoor State Track Championship in 2011. Coach Winfield is a past president of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association, the Louisiana High School Coaches’ Association, and he has served in various capacities with USA Track and Field. He has also served as an LSU Track Official in the Jumps since 1987.

2011
DAVE ANDERSON:
Dave Anderson has coached 11 State Championship Teams and 19 State Runner-Up Teams in Track and Cross Country at Ruston, West Monroe, and Neville High Schools. He was the Louisiana Sportswriters Association “Coach of the Year” in 1992, 2004, 2005, and 2006. He was a National Federation “National Coach of the Year” Nominee in 1992 and 2004. He was inducted into the ARK-LA-TEX Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1999. He is the only coach in the history of Class 5A to win State Championships in Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Boys Track, and Girls Track. His Ruston Boy’s Teams are the only Public School to win the Boys Class 5A Cross Country Championship, doing so in 1992, 1995, 1997, and 2000. In 20 years at Ruston, his athletes have established 39 out of a possible 42 School Records. Dave has coached at least 1 State Champion in every Track and Field Event, both Boys and Girls. He has coached six High School National Champions. Dave coached the first Louisiana girl to break 11:00 for 3200 meters, the first Louisiana Girl to jump 39’ in the Triple Jump, and Louisiana’s highest female finisher at the Foot Locker Regional Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dave’s list of outstanding performers reads like a “Who’s Who” of excellence in Louisiana Track and Field and Cross Country and five of his former athletes went on to play in the NFL including former LSU Tiger and current Buffalo Bill Pro Bowler, Kyle Williams. If you could only say 1 thing about Dave Anderson, it might be this. “The Man Can Coach!” But Dave’s contributions go beyond his accomplishments as a coach. He has done a lot for the sports of Cross Country and Track and Field in our state as well. As a past president of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association, he was instrumental in getting the LHSAA to adopt awarding top ten individual awards at the State Cross Country Meet, he helped introduce chip-timing to the LHSAA State Cross Country Meet, and he was instrumental in the creation of the LTFCA Composite All State Cross Country Team. He is a USA Track and Field Level 1 & 2 Certified Coach as well as a Level 1 Instructor. He has served as a Meet Official in numerous SEC, WAC, Sunbelt, and Southland Conference Championship Meets as well as USATF and AAU Summer Championship Meets. He has also served as an official in four NCAA Championship Meets, including NCAA Meets in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

WINSTON BURNS, SR.
Winston Burns, Sr. was born in New Orleans on November, 1924. He attended New Orleans Public Schools and graduated from Xavier University Prep School and holds a B.S. degree from Xavier University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict. Winston Burns, Sr. was a Health and Physical Education teacher in the Orleans Parish School System for 25 years. He also worked in the Adult Education Program. At Woodson Jr. High School and Booker T. Washington High School, he was the head coach of the Track and Football Teams where his teams won numerous championships. Many of his former players went on to play professionally. After retiring from the school system, he worked in Juvenile Court for Orleans Parish for 25 years. Winston Burns was a mentor of numerous young men, many of whom he taught and coached, and some who became coaches. Leading by example, he taught his students the value of an education and hard work, and motivated them to succeed in all endeavors and become productive citizens. A sense of fairness and desire to compete was a part of his philosophy. Throughout his life, Winston Burns has volunteered his time to numerous community and civic activities, but it is for his contributions to the sport of Track and Field that we honor him today. He was one of the original organizers of the Liberty Bank Track Meet which attracted athletes from the New Orleans area and throughout the State. He continued to run that meet until Hurricane Katrina. Throughout the years, he officiated at Track Meets for NORD, the Orleans Parish Public Schools, St Augustine, Xavier Prep, St. Mary’s Academy, St. Leo the Great, and numerous other meets. In 1982, he was honored as “Track Coach of the Year” by Liberty Bank. He was a recipient of the Children’s Defense Fund Award for his commitment to the youth in the community in 2009. He is married to Gretta Roque Burns, and they have five children, 13 grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Winston’s influence was felt at home as one of his sons was an outstanding high school track star, another is actively involved in the Sugar Bowl Committee, and another son is a college football coach.

Mac Chauvin
Mac Chauvin was born in Rosedale, Louisiana in 1942. He attended Shady Grove High School (North Iberville) where he was a three sport star. Mac was an All-State basketball player in 1959 and All-State in both Basketball and Football (6 man) in 1960. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Physical Education from Southeastern Louisiana University. After graduating in 1964, Mac began his teaching career at McGill High School in Mobile, Alabama. He returned to Louisiana in 1967 where he taught and coached at Brusly, Holy Cross, and several schools in East Baton Rouge Parish. Mac began officiating while still a college student and continued to do so for over 29 years. He worked on the high school level, officiating football and basketball, for over 17 years. During that time he officiated 3 state championship football games, 5 Top 28 Tournaments, and 4 Sweet 16 Tournaments. Mac also officiated on the collegiate level in basketball during his teaching career. Mac was a basketball official for 29 years, 25 of that as an SEC referee. Mac worked several Conference Tournaments and Regional Championships during this time. Most people know Mac through his tenure as an Assistant Commissioner with the LHSAA where he served in this capacity from 1983 – 2008. His responsibilities included oversight of football and basketball officials as well as the sports of Golf, Tennis, Gymnastics, Basketball, Cross Country, and Track and Field. His efforts led to significant improvements to the track & field and cross country state meets that are enjoyed to this day by the student athletes of Louisiana.

GREG GAUTHIER
Greg Gauthier has been an educator for 32 years. Greg began teaching at Lacassine High School and has spent the remainder of his career in Calcasieu Parish, serving as a teacher, coach, and administrator. During his 32 year coaching career, Greg has served in many capacities in football, basketball, track, and cross country. During the first 8 years of coaching, Greg coached voluntarily without pay. During his tenure as Head Cross Country Coach at Lake Charles-Boston High School, Greg’s teams won five straight Class 3A Girls State Championships, winning in 1989-1993, and his teams were State Runner-Up in three consecutive years in 1995-1997. His Boys’ Cross Country Team finished as State Runner Up in 1996. As the Head Girls Track and Field Coach, Greg’s teams won seven Class 3A State Championships including 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2007. They finished as State Runner-Up four times in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2007. His teams won 12 out of 15 District Championships and finished 2nd the other 3 years.Greg Gauthier was named Southwest Louisiana Coach of the Year five times, outstanding District Coach 12 times, and State Coach of the Year in 2004. He served as a member of the LHSCA Executive Council in 1996, 1997, and 2006. Greg received his 25 year plaque from the LHSCA in 2008.

When asked to list his greatest accomplishments, Greg listed three. The first was the opportunity to coach both of his daughters in Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field. During some of that time, he also had the opportunity to coach with his son, Terrell, who led the Boys’ Track Team to 3 Class 3A State Championships and two Indoor State Championships. His second greatest accomplishment centers around the fact that 98% of his student athletes graduated from high school. Fifteen of them received athletic scholarships and many others, including his two daughters, received academic scholarships. His third is to have coached at a school that captured 25 State Championships in various sports in 25 years during its existence. Greg has been married to Ella Jacob Gauthier for 32 years. They are the parents of two daughters, Victoria and Vanessa. Greg is also the father of Terrell Perry, and Greg has four grandchildren.

2010
Mike Corn
Mike Corn has served the Track and Field and Cross Country “communities” of the State of Louisiana in a myriad of ways. In 1986, Mike began his career as an assistant cross country and track coach at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans. In 1991, Mike moved to Archbishop Rummel High School where he served as Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach. Mike established a standard of excellence as his 1996 team captured the 5A State Championship and his 2001 team finished as State Runner-Up. During his 12 seasons at Rummel, Mike’s teams finished in the top 5 in the Class 5A Division 9 times. It was during this time that Mike also started the Allstate Sugar Bowl Track and Field Classic which is still an institution in New Orleans Track and Field to this day.  He served as an official at the 1992 and 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials as well as the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In 2002, Mike moved to Covington High School where he served as Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach. In 2003, Mike accepted a position at Tulane University where he served as Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach. In 2006, Mike began working for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association headquartered in New Orleans. Mike serves as the Assistant Director for the Association as well as Executive Editor for Techniques magazine. He is the Coaching Symposium coordinator for the USTFCCCA Conventions and the Track & Field Academy, the USTFCCCA Coaching Education program. Mike served as the Director of Schools for the USA Track and Field Coaching Education Program 1995 to 2010 where he was responsible for coordinating the USATF Coaching Ed Level 2 and Level 3 Programs. In 2010, Mike was instrumental (along with other LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Boo Schexnayder and Sam Seemes)in the launching the Track & Field Academy. Mike served as President of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association in 1994 & 1995 and has been an active member of the Executive Board since 1988. Under his guidance, the LTFCA addressed a number of issues including the addition of the 300 Meter Hurdles, Girls’ Triple Jump, and Girls’ Javelin. He also started the LTFCA newsletter, “The Relay”. Whether “leading the charge” or working behind the scenes, Mike Corn has worked , and continues to work, tirelessly, on behalf of the athletes and coaches associated with Track and Field and Cross Country in our state and across the Nation.

Allie Smith
Allie Smith has been coaching in some capacity since 1964. Some people only know Allie as a great football coach, which he is. Some people only know Allie as a great Track and Cross Country Coach, which he is. Allie Smith is all this and more. The coach who nominated Allie put it this way. “I would like to nominate Allie Smith. He has helped me have faith that all football coaches don’t think alike and his quiet humble demeanor and dedication to track (at whatever school he is coaching) has impressed me for years.”
Allie is most often associated with the programs at Covington High School, where he coached Track, Cross Country, and Football. As the Head Track Coach at Covington from 1964 to 1994, Allie had 18 District Champions, 3 Regional Champions, and 1 State Runner-Up Team. He was selected as District Coach of the Year 18 times. While coaching Cross Country at Covington High from 1968 to 1989, Allie had 14 District Champions, 3 State Runner-Ups, and his 1972, 1983, and 1984 teams captured the State Championship. He was selected as District Cross Country Coach of the Year 14 times. Allie also coached football at Covington High School from 1964 to 2001, serving as Head Coach from 1996 to 2001. During his tenure at Covington High, Allie was on the staff or teams that won, 1 State Championship, 3 State Runner-Ups, and numerous District Championships. Allie was twice selected as All Star Football Coach (1989, 1997) and was inducted into the LHSAA-LHSCA Hall of Fame in 2009. Allie Smith has literally “done it all” when it comes to coaching. He has impacted literally thousands of lives through the young people he has coached and the coaches he has worked with and coached against over the decades. His is an impressive “body of work.”

Morty Hurston , Sr.
The late Morty Hurston was a long-time resident of Baton Rouge. He attended Baton Rouge High where he played varsity football. He served 2 stints in the U.S. Navy, serving on submarines and P.T. Boats in the Pacific Theatre. During World War II, he was a squadron mate of LtJG John Kennedy. The two remained close friends after the war and for the remainder of President Kennedy’s life. After the war, Morty returned to work at the Esso (Exxon) refinery where he worked for 42 years. He married Jane Facundus in 1943 and together they raised 6 boys. Morty began officiating football in 1947 and officiated for 37 years. The Baton Rouge Football Officials’ Association established the Morty Hurston Award which is presented annually to the most improved rookie in the Baton Rouge Association. He was also a member of the Chain Gang at LSU football games from 1984 to 1988. But it is for his accomplishment in Track and Field that we honor Morty Hurston today. Morty began working at LSU Track Meets as a Meet Official in 1982 and became a Senior Meet Official in 1988 during the Pat Henry regime at LSU. He served as Head Umpire from 1988 to 2003, and was member of the LSU Track & Field Board of Directors for 8 years. He also worked numerous High School District, Regional, and State Track Meets until 2003. His accomplishments were recognized by his fellow Track Officials when he was inducted into the LSU Track & Field Official Association in 1993. Mr. L.J. Raymond, a fellow LSU Meet Official and also a past recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award said this of Morty. “He knew the Rule Book better than anyone I ever worked with. He was one of the most dedicated officials I have ever known. He is famous for his last minute instructions to his Umpires, ‘Let’s Go! Cover it like a blanket!’ “ Coach Boo Schexnayder remembered Morty, “ In addition to being a great Official, he was famous for his friendliness and verbosity, especially for circulating around the track telling jokes to every official, coach, or athlete he could find.” His fellow Track Officials once bought him a shirt that said, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t shut up!” Morty was, in short, an unforgettable character who dedicated his life to helping promote Track and Field through officiating. In fact, even after his retirement from officiating, he continued to conduct classes for the LHSAA for first year football officials until his untimely death at the age of 83. Ironically, Morty died from injuries suffered while leaving an officiating training he had just conducted. As his son, Morty Jr. said, “He died with his ‘Cleats On!”

Eddie Cole
Eddie Cole began his coaching career as a Graduate Assistant Track Coach at LSU from 1973-1976. During that time, he started the Cross Country Program at University High School and his Boys’ Teams won Class A State Titles in 1973, 1974, and 1975. His U.High Girls’ Team finished as State Runner Up in all classes in the inaugural Girls State Cross Country Meet in 1975. Upon completion of his graduate studies, he accepted a position at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux where he started his second cross country program. His first E.D.White team finished 23rd out of 24 teams in their first meet but improved rapidly. His Girls’ teams went on to capture 30 District Championships in 32 years, State Runner-Ups in 89, 98, 00, and 04, and State Championships in 1978 and 1979. His E.D.White Boys’ teams won 26 District Championships in 32 years, 1 State Runner-up in 1989, and won State Championships in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. He also served as Boys’ Track coach from 1976 to 1987 and his 1983 team finished as State Runner-up. He assumed the Girls’ Track position in 1988 and his E.D.White Girls’ teams won 16 District Championships in 20 years, finishing as State Runner-Up in 1992. Eddie accepted the job of Girls’ Cross Country and Track Coach at Episcopal High School in the fall of 2008. His Girls’ Cross Country team finished as State Runner-up in 2008 and Class 2A State Champions in 2009. His 2009 Girls’ Track Team finished as Division II Runner-up at the State Indoor Meet and Class 2A State Track and Field Champions that same year. His Girls Track Team won the Class 2A State Track Championships in 2014 and 2015 and his team was the Division II Indoor State Co-Champions in 2014. Eddie served as President of the LTFCA in 1995 and 1996 and began the LTFCA Academic All State Track and Cross Country programs in 1996. Since that time, the LTFCA has recognized over 2,500 track and cross country athletes for their academic excellence. He currently serves as Awards Chairman for the LTFCA.

2009

Albert Perry
Albert Perry was a track & field coach for over 30 years as an Assistant Coach and Head Coach. He is a legend among track coaches in South Louisiana. As a Head Coach at Franklin High School, he won two boys state outdoor championships and one indoor state championship. He also coached two state runner-up teams, several regional championships, and numerous district championships. His teams were always a force to be reckoned with in South Louisiana and at the State Level. After retiring from high school coaching and teaching in 2000, Coach Perry served as an assistant track coach at Southern University, where he helped coach the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track teams. During that two year period, the Southern Team won three conference championships. Coach Perry returned to Franklin High School and is currently serving as the head girls’ track coach, where he is doing what he loves, teaching and developing young track athletes.

Joe Moreau
Joe Moreau began his coaching career at Alexandria Sr. High School after graduating from Northwestern State University in 1976. He coached at Bolton High School from 1980 to 1985, then moved to Pineville High School where he built a dynasty from 1985 to 1995. He took the helm at Alexandria Sr. High in 1995 and where he served as coach and later as principal until his retirement last year. He currently is serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern State University. Coach Moreau’s teams won the Class 4A State Championship in cross country in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 and were Class 4A State Runner-ups in both boys’ and girls’ divisions in 1994-1997. His Pineville track team won state titles in 1993 and 1994, and his next two teams were state runner-ups. His team won 10 Regional 4A Championships and 11 district titles in track, while capturing 14 District Cross Country crowns. He coached 17 State Champions and developed 3 NCAA All-America Competitors. He won 25 District “Coach of the Year” honors, and was the 1993 Louisiana State Prep Coach of the Year. He served as president of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches Association from 2000 to 2002. In addition to receiving numerous awards as a teacher, coach, and administrator, Coach Moreau was presented the prestigious Casey Kozminski Award by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for meritorious service for fostering positive relationships between media and coaches in the state.

Mike Boyer
Mike Boyer, a former high school distance runner at Broadmoor High School, and later at LSU, coached for 16 years at E.D.White Catholic High School, Catholic High of Point Coupee, and St. Thomas More High School before becoming an administrator and Principal at Teurlings Catholic High School in Lafayette. As a Head Coach and Assistant Coach in Track and Cross Country, his teams won numerous District, Parish, and Regional Runner-ups and his 1991 St. Thomas More Boys Cross Country Team finished as State Runner-Up. But it was in another area of Track and Field that Mike Boyer truly distinguished himself, as a Meet Announcer. Mike Boyer or more accurately Mike Boyer’s “voice” has been heard by more track and field athletes than any other coach or announcer in the history of Track and Field in Louisiana. His service to various track and field meets and venues are almost too numerous to mention, but here are only a few. He has served as LSU Track Announcer from 1977 to present and as a University of Louisiana-Lafayette announcer since 1986. He served as an announcer at the 1992 Olympic Trials in New Orleans and at 15 SEC Indoor Meets, 2 SEC Outdoor Meets, 4 NCAA Outdoor and 1 NCAA Indoor Championships. He has announced SWAC, Metro, Southland, and Sunbelt Conference Track Championships, as well as at Jr. Olympics and Senior Olympics. His contributions to high school track and field in Louisiana are significant. He has announced at the Louisiana Outdoor State Track Meet since 1974, the State Indoor Track Meet since 1982, and the LSU Indoor Track Classic since 1978. Mike Boyer is literally “the voice of Track and Field in Louisiana.”

2008
Lawrence Hunter – Lawrence Hunter guided a number of outstanding teams throughout a career that began at W.O. Boston High School in 1965, but one in particular stands out as what is arguably the best team ever assembled in the state of Louisiana. In 1978, Coach Hunter took a Lake Charles High School team to Baton Rouge and literally rewrote the record book in a manner never before done and perhaps never to be equaled. His team set composite state records in every relay as well as two additional composite records in individual events. The 880 yard relay team of Gray, McDaniel, Hayes and Davis set a mark that stood up as the national record for over 20 years (1:24.90). Coach Hunter’s LCHS teams captured 17 District titles, 6 State Championships and 4 runner up trophies. He was inducted into the LHSAA – LHSCA Hall of Fame in 1996.

Tom Nolan – Tom Nolan was a fixture on the track and cross country scenes in southwest Louisiana for almost 30 years, most of those spent as the Cross Country and Track & Field coach at Comeaux High School. Nolan’s Spartan teams captured two state titles and ten district championships in Cross Country as well as two regional and eight district titles in track & field. An outstanding runner in his own right, Nolan was a two time Southland Conference champion in Cross Country as well as the Southland mile champion in 1976. After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Tom Nolan passed away in October 2007.

L.J. Raymond – L.J. Raymond began his coaching career in 1950 as the lone coach of the Marksville High School football, basketball and track teams. Raymond’s coaching career also included stops at Opelousas HS, Plaquemine HS where is started a tradition of nighttime track meets, a first for the area. In 1963 Raymond began a track and field officiating career that continues to this day. One of the most well respected officials in the sport, Raymond has worked countless state, regional and district meets throughout the state as well as such prestigious meets at the Texas Relays and Penn Relays.

Bob Woodworth – Bob Woodworth has amassed one of the most incredible list of accomplishments in all of sports in the state of Louisiana. After stops at Pensacola (FL)Catholic HS, Gulfport (MS) HS and Archbishop Shaw, Woodworth arrived at Mandeville High School and began a championship run that is virtually unmatched in the state. Woodworth’s Skipper teams claimed 20 State Championships over the course of 19 years as well as 8 State Runner Up finishes. Under Woodworth’s guidance, the Mandeville HS program was multi dimensional as these state titles were won in Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track by both the boys and girls teams. Distance runners, sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers, MHS was well represented in every event area. Over 100 athletes earned individual state championships and/ or All State honors while being coached by Bob Woodworth.

2007
Jimmy Mize – Coach Jimmy Mize served as the head track and field coach and assistant football coach at Louisiana Tech University for over 30 years, retiring in 1977. During his tenure at LA Tech, Mize’s teams claimed numerous conference championship titles and countless numbers of individual titles at all levels of competition.

James Simmons – James Simmons’ career has spanned over 40 years and counting. As the head track and field coach at Acadiana & Crowley High Schools, Simmons built a consistent winner both on the track and in the field. Currently the Athletic Director of Lafayette Parish Schools, Simmons is also recognized as one of the most knowledgeable track and field officials in the state and has served as the referee of the LHSAA State Track & Field Championship meet for a number of years.

Sam Seemes – Former LSU Assistant Coach Sam Seemes built his reputation as a “get things done” guy by bringing such prestigious events as the US Olympic Track & Field Trials, the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships and the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships to New Orleans. One of the founders of the LTFCA, Seemes put together the first LTFCA clinic in 1986. After a successful career in the track construction business, Seemes has moved onto a new challenge as the CEO of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association an organization that represents Division I, II and III track & field and cross country coaches throughout the country.

2006
Pat Arceneaux – Pat Arceneaux spent years championing the sport of high school track and field, sometimes running afoul of the powers that be within the state but never fearful of taking a stand. The one-time Cathedral-Carmel, Teurlings Catholic and Breaux Bridge High is one of the founding members of the LTFCA and is a past president of the organization. Pat was instrumental in helping track coaches have a voice when dealing with the LHSAA on rule and competition issues.

Bob Hayes – Hayes, a native of Kansas and a graduate of Louisiana Tech where he was a record setting miler, was the first fulltime track coach in McNeese State history. He took over the university’s program in 1967 after a stint as head coach at Lake Charles High. He served in that capacity until 1988 when he was named athletic director at McNeese, a position he held until his retirement in 1996. During his track coaching career at McNeese, Hayes led the Cowboy cross country team to four league titles and he had four runnerup finishes in outdoor track and one in indoor track. He was named the Southland Conference track coach of the year in 1974. Among the athletes Hayes coached on the field at McNeese are current Cowboy Hall of Famers Fanahan McSweeney, Pat O’Callaghan, Brian Cooper, Stephen Starring and Dicky Morgan. Hayes’ athletes who earned all-American honors included Cooper, Starring and Edward Loyd.

Woodrow Turner – Jerry Byrd, who has covered Track and Field in the state of Louisiana for over 50 years, and was the first recipient of our Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, said this about Coach Turner,“Woodrow Turner revolutionized the sport of track and field in Louisiana, lifting it to a level never dreamed of before his arrival at Byrd High School. While the records have been broken, I don’t think anybody ever had as much impact on the sport in this state.” Byrd dedicated his book, “Runners Whom Renown Outran”, to Coach Turner and all the coaches in our state who have set the bar high in Louisiana Track and Field. Woodrow Turner began his track career as a distance runner at Springhill High School, and Louisiana Normal, now Northwestern State University. As a high school coach, he coached state champion mile relay teams at Ouachita High School in 1939 and 1940, setting a record in 1939 that stood until his 1952 Byrd High School team broke it. He coached State Championship track teams at Columbia High School, now Caldwell Parish High School, in 1950 and 1951, but it was at Byrd High School in Shreveport that he really made his mark. From 1954 until 1965, his Byrd High track teams won 9 State Championships in 12 years in the top classification. At Byrd, Turner produced All-Staters in every event except the Triple Jump. But it was in the relays where his star shined most brightly. As previously mentioned, after his 1952 Byrd team set the state mile relay record, his mile relay teams were All-State in each of the next 11 years, 7 times with the fastest time in the state, and the other 4 years with the 2nd fastest time. At one time, mile relay teams coached by Turner had 10 of the 11 fastest times in Louisiana History. In his 9 championship seasons, Byrd won 17 of 27 relays and scored 219 out of a possible 270 points in relay events. In three of those championship seasons, Byrd swept all three relays at the State Meet. The list of accomplishments just goes on and on. A listing of the outstanding athletes who competed for Coach Turner reads like a “Who’s Who of Outstanding Track and Field Athletes in Louisiana from that era. Owen Self, Charles Beazley, and Stewart Blue to name a few.

2005
Pete Boudreaux – Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Catholic High School of Baton Rouge. Pete’s remarkably successful run at Catholic began in 1967, since that time his Cross Country teams have won 13 state championships and finished runner up 7 times. Bourdeaux’s teams have also claimed numerous indoor and outdoor track and field state titles.

Daniel Mouton – Daniel Mouton, a 1962 graduate of Southern University, participated in track from 1958 to 1962. He ran the 440 yard dash and was a member of Southern’s Mile Relay team. In 1960, he won the 440 yard dash at the SWAC Championships, with a time of 46.1 seconds and also ran a 45.8 split on the mile relay. After a stint with the Peace Corps, he started his career in Calcasieu Parish. He was a teacher and coach at Washington High School for 6 years, and a coach for 2 years at S.P. Arnett Middle School. He coached at Sulphur High School for 22 years. He coaches Sulphur’s cross country team to 5 consecutive district championships, and the track team to 3 consecutive district championships. In 1993, he was inducted into the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame. In 1994, he retired from Sulphur High School.

2004
John Boyer – Longtime official and club coach in New Orleans. John Boyer has been a fixture on the track and field scene for over 40 years, he founded and served as coach of the Crescent City Striders TC. Following several successful years coaching, John turned his attention to officating. By forming the Southern Track and Field Officials Association in the mid 80’s, John brought an organized track and field officials group to the New Orleans area for the very first time. John has served as the LHSAA State Championship meet referee for many years as well as the national director of the AAU Jr. Olympics Track and Field National Championship.

2003
Al Seither – After a 30 plus year career at Holy Cross School in New Orleans, Coach Seither shifted his attention to the college level by assuming the Head Coaching position at Loyola Univerisity. During his time at Holy Cross, Seither developed state championship contenders in virtually every event area. Outstanding athletes such as Greg Duplantis (PV), Alvin Lawson (sprints), Bert Rareshide (Hurdles) and Andrew Pack (Throws) are but a few of the athletes that Coach Seither guided.

Jack Schommer – Considered by many to be the “Father of New Orleans Cross Country”, coach Schommer was among the first coaches in the state to develop a cross country program in the state. Along with Al Seither of Holy Cross and Ronnie Dole of Archbishop Rummel (both LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award recipients), Coach Schommer organized all aspects of the development of the sport in the New Orleans area. Fielding some of the most competitive teams in the state for over 20 years, Coach Schommer laid the foundation of the perennial state championship contender Brother Martin High School cross country team

2002
Boo Schexnayder. Starting his career at St. James High School in Vacharie, Coach Schexnayder quickly established himself as one of the top field event coaches in the state. Leaving St. James to be the Jumps and Combined Events coach at USL (now known as ULL), Boo further inhanced his reputation by developing the Ragin Cajuns jumps program into one of the best in the country including ’95 NCAA Triple Jump champion Ndabe Mdhlongwa. His success has continued at LSU where he has guided no fewer than 18 NCAA individual champions including World Triple Jump Champion Walter Davis and Olympic Long Jump Silver Medalist John Moffit. In his “spare” time, Boo has guided the USA Track & Field Coaching Education program, developing that program into a model for other Olympic sport educational programs.

2000
Leon Johnson – Johnson coached at both Opelousas and Deridder High Schools where he amassed three State Track and Field Championships. As of 2000, he has served at Northwestern State University for the past seventeen years where one of the highlights of his career was to coach an NCAA Champion in the high jump.

Julius Derbigny – Coach Derbigny is a graduate of Xaver University in New Orleans and is the former track coach at Cypress Grove High School. Coach Derbigny was nominated by Coach Boo Schexnayder who stated, “Coach Derbigny was instrumental to both the development of track and field in Louisiana and to the development of young athletes in Louisiana through both his dedication as a coach and to his caring as a track official.

1999
Eddie Sorrell – While at New Iberia Senior High School , Coach Sorrell’s teams won 6 District and 2 Regional Championships in addition to placing second in State twice.

1998
James Berryhill – Coach Berryhill’s career spanned some 50 years in the New Orleans area.He was instrumental in getting a number of youth programs started throughout the city.

1997
Danny Theil – Former coach at Tulane University. After leaving his post at Tulane, Danny assumed the role of Director of Competition at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Coach Thiel was prime mover behind the effort to renovate Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans and bring the Olympic Trials there in 1992.

Charles Lancon – Charles Lancon was the longest tenured head track and field coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Lancon took over the Cajuns’ track program on October 1st, 1989 after three decades of working in the local high school ranks.
Lancon’s guidance turned the Cajuns’ track and field program into a powerhouse not only in the Sun Belt Conference, but also in the entire South. Before he took over the program for the 1990 season, Louisiana hadn’t claimed a conference track championship of any kind since the mid-1970s. Since Lancon’s arrival, the Cajuns’ outgrew the trophy case with 17 Conference titles, including three of them in only his second year of his tenure in 1991.
Fourteen times during a nine year period, Lancon was honored with “Coach of the Year” accolades in the Sun Belt Conference including winning the Quadruple crown” in the league in 1993 with both men’s and women’s honor in the league indoor and outdoor meets, and won 11 honors’ in men’s combined indoor and outdoor competition. The Louisiana Sports Writers Association honored him as the “Men’s Coach of the Year” in Louisiana seven times over a 10-year period.
Lancon was also honored as the “All-Time Greatest Track Coach” in the history of the Sun Belt Conference for women’s indoor track, men’s indoor track and men’s outdoor track and field for his team’s domination! Lancon coached more than two dozen NCAA All-Americans and several former prep All-Americans that went on to collegiate success. Triple jumper, Ndabe Mdhlongwa won the NCAA Individual Championship in 1995. The Ragin Cajuns also had two individual NCAA runner-ups and one third place finish. The 1996 indoor team finished 16th place in the NCAA Indoor track & field Championships.
Lancon was one of the most successful high school coaches in the state of Louisiana for almost 30 years prior to taking over the UL program. At Lafayette High School, his teams captured 16 district titles, 5 regional championships and one state runner-up slot at the state track championships.

1996
Simon Chaisson – A long time official at all levels including the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials in New Orleans, 1996 Olympic Trials and the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta. A fixture on the track and field scene in Lafayette for a number of decades, Mr. Chaisson is regarded as one of the most knowlegable and impartial officials in our sport.

Kenneth “Bobby” Cagle– A life long supporter of Track and Field in Lake Charles.

1995
John D. Bel – Coach Bel served the Lafayette area an an official for over 30 years in addition to supplying many programs with needed equipment from his sporting goods store.

1994
Ronnie Doyle – Coach Doyle was one of the founders of the Louisiana Track And Field Coaches Association. He was instrumental in the foundation and administration of the Southern Track and Field Officials Association which has had a profound and unique impact on the sport in the Greater New Orleans Area. Over a span of some 30 years, Doyle built Archbishop Rummel High School into a perennial powerhouse, capped off by a state championship in 1982.

1993
Allan Conque – A longtime age group coach and official in the Lafayette area, Mr. Conque is considered one of the foremost authorities in Louisiana on the rules of the sport.

1992
Jerry Byrd – A Shreveport journalism legend, Jerry Byrd is THE historian of Louisiana Track and Field. Founder of the original Meet of Champions.