Nationally-acclaimed sports artist Chris Brown has delivered the official portraits of the 12-member Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 to be inducted next month.
Brown, a Northwestern State graduate and former Demon baseball pitcher, provided his artwork last week to Jennae Biddiscombe, the branch manager of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum.
The portraits will make their official debut in the new inductee display cases during the July 27-29 Induction Celebration in Natchitoches. A schedule for the three days, which include four ticketed events and three that are free to the public, is available on the LaSportsHall.com website.
Brown has been the Hall of Fame artist since 2009. He is an art instructor in Fort Worth who has become regarded among the country’s foremost sports artists during his 14 years with the LSHOF. His work can be viewed at chrisbrownsportsart.net online.
Brown is currently working on a book involving many LSHOF inductees and other high-profile national sports figures, aimed at providing positive messages for children.
The museum will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary before gearing up for the 2023 induction activities.
Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning Joins four-time WNBA All-Star Alana Beard – whose parents are Natchitoches Parish natives — and College World Series champion LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri in a star-studded induction class.
The LSHOF Class of 2023 also includes New Orleans native Ron Washington, who managed the Texas Rangers to a pair of World Series appearances and last year helped the Atlanta Braves win the world’s championship; two-time LSU track and field USA Olympian and world champion Walter Davis; and Slidell native, Tulane great and Chicago Bears two-time Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte.
Also set for induction are All-American LSU pitcher Paul Byrd, a 14-year Major League Baseball veteran who made the 1999 All-Star Game; Shreveport native Wendell Davis, who shattered LSU football receiving records before heading to the NFL; multiple national champion and world class weightlifter Walter Imahara, a UL-Lafayette legend; and retired Baton Rouge-Parkview Baptist baseball coach M.L. Woodruff, whose teams claimed 13 state championships.
South Louisiana sports journalists Bruce Brown and Lori Lyons will also be inducted.
