Several hundred sports enthusiasts and area residents enjoyed the opportunity to meet the inductees into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame at the welcome reception for the LSHOF’s 2022 class held Thursday, June 23. The event, a fun local tradition, was free and open to the public and was an excellent opportunity to meet some of our state’s sports legends. The NSU Men’s basketball team was on hand to greet the arriving guests. Members of NSU’s Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha chapters were also on hand to volunteer as were volunteers from the LSHOF Foundation Board and FLASH. The induction events are a true community effort.

The official portraits of each inductee were on display for the first time to the general public. Each portrait shows the inductee in the context of his or her sport and is a tradition of the Hall of Fame. In addition, a silent auction of donated items and sports memorabilia helped raise funds for the organization. This year’s reception featured a special treat. Billy Cannon’s 1959 Heisman Trophy is on loan to the LSHOF and will soon be joined by Louisiana’s three other Heisman winners: John David Crow (1957), Joe Burrow (2019) and DeVonta Smith (2020).

The festivities are far from finished. Friday will feature a concert along the riverbank complete with signature Natchitoches quality fireworks show. Saturday morning will feature the Junior Training Camp on the NSU campus in which young people will be able to test their abilities, win prizes and learn what it takes to succeed on-and off-the playing field. The weekend will culminate at the induction dinner Saturday evening at the Natchitoches Events Center.

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