You’re invited, free of charge, this evening from 5-7 to a star-studded casual party kicking off the 2024 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.
It’s in downtown Natchitoches, at the Hall of Fame museum at 800 Front Street (at the traffic circle) in Natchitoches. No need to dress fancy, just enjoy food and refreshments and music and a world-class museum, mingling with some of our state’s greatest sports stars and their families.
The Welcome Reception provides the best possible opportunity to stroll around the 27,500-square foot museum – and to take in the debut of the “Showtime: LSU’s Spectacular Pistol Pete” exhibit in the Atmos Energy Gallery on the first floor. It includes dozens of photos, many taken by Baton Rouge photographer John Musemeche behind the scenes and never seen in public before, encompassing basketball legend Pete Maravich’s days at LSU from 1967-70.
Ralph Jukkola, who is on LSU’s All-Decade Team for the 1960s and was a Maravich teammate, is planning to come up from Baton Rouge to represent his Tiger comrades.
Another LSU basketball legend, Seimone Augustus, headlines the Class of 2024 inductees who will be attending Thursday’s reception. Augustus, from Baton Rouge, is heading into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in October after joining the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in April. She is a three-time USA Olympic gold medalist, one of the greatest players in WNBA history, and is immortalized with a statue outside the Maravich Assembly Center at LSU along with Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Pettit and Pistol Pete.
Flying in from Michigan to be inducted is 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson, a three-time All-American wrestler at LSU from 1983-85. Jackson later was a two-time Olympic wrestling coach, inducted in LSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
New Iberia native Kerry Joseph is the new quarterbacks coach of the Chicago Bears, developing 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and 2024 NFL Draft No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Joseph’s 19-year pro playing career – in which he played quarterback, H-back, and safety in six NFL seasons and became a Grey Cup MVP at quarterback as a standout in the Canadian Football League – followed a record-shattering four seasons at QB for the McNeese Cowboys.
Coming in from South Carolina to be inducted is former Tulane basketball coach Perry Clark, who guided the Green Wave to their only three NCAA Tournament appearances after reviving the program in the early 1990s.
Renowned jockey Ray Sibille, ranking among the best American riders ever with over 4,200 wins, is rolling up I-49 from his home in Sunset to be enshrined. He will be joined by iconic Grambling baseball coach Wilbert Ellis and another incredible coach, Frank Monica, who led three different south Louisiana teams to LHSAA football state championships.
Former Southland Conference commissioner Tom Burnett, a Louisiana Tech graduate, is in the Class of 2024 along with sports writers Bobby Ardoin, who got his start writing for Northwestern State’s student newspaper, and Ron Higgins. The other two members of the Class of 2024’s dynamic dozen, former New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees and Daniel Cormier, a two-time Olympic wrestler who became one of MMA’s greatest figures, will be inducted Saturday night during a sold-out ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center.
There’s no need to dress up tonight. Just come in, and enjoy the visit to a world-class museum with 491 sports heroes celebrated inside, with some of them beginning their LSHOF induction weekend.
Just ahead — the free Friday evening Rockin’ River Fest concert on the downtown riverbank stage. Music starts at 6, with the Class of 2024 inductees introduced on stage at 9:15, followed by a 10-minute fireworks show set to sports-themed music. Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs, the second of two Louisiana Music Hall of Fame bands, will fire back up the music for another hour until 10:30.
There will be a free kids zone presented by Louisiana Propane Dealers with games under the Front Street bridge, and food vendors along with beverages available for sale.
You’re invited to all the fun. Visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255 to get more information.
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