ENROLLED
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Regular Session, 2011
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 194
BY REPRESENTATIVE NOWLIN AND SENATOR LONG
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend the inductees and honorees at the 2011 Induction Celebration of the Louisiana
Sports Hall of Fame.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame has honored the elite figures in state
sports history since 1958; and
WHEREAS, inductees are chosen after extensive deliberations by an expert panel
of Louisiana Sports Writers Association members from across the state who annually
consider more than one hundred nominees for this honor; and
WHEREAS, on Saturday, June 25, 2011, in Natchitoches, Louisiana, eight all-time
greats are officially joining the ranks of Louisiana sports legends, and also being honored
are two recipients of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism and two
recipients of the Dave Dixon Sports Leadership award; and
WHEREAS, the 2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductees are Morten Andersen,
Kyla Hall Holas, Thomas Pinckney "Skipper" Heard, Vaughan Johnson, Buford Jordan, Don
Shows, Todd Walker, and Donald "Slick" Watts; and
WHEREAS, Morten Andersen, known as "Great Dane", made six Pro Bowl
appearances in thirteen seasons with the New Orleans Saints to highlight his amazing
twenty-five-year pro career, one season shy of the NFL's all-time record of twenty-six; he
made the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1980s and the 1990s, and in his time with the
Saints, he set numerous franchise records and still holds the club record for games played
with one hundred ninety-six; and
WHEREAS, Kyla Hall Holas, a three-time All-American and a pioneer of state
collegiate softball, was a record-setting pitcher for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
and led the Ragin' Cajuns to their first Women's College World Series; in her four-year ULL
career, she compiled the best career winning percentage in state history; she holds numerous ENROLLEDHCR NO. 194
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ULL records, is now the successful head coach at the University of Houston, and is the first
female softball player enshrined in the Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, the late Thomas Pinckney "Skipper" Heard, Louisiana State University's
second athletic director, reshaped the face of Tiger football by developing "Saturday Night
in Tiger Stadium" and playing a major role in many other highly significant innovations at
LSU, including when LSU became a charter member of the Southeastern Conference in
1933, when the school became affiliated with WWL-AM radio, and two expansions of Tiger
Stadium; without him, LSU football as it is known and loved by countless people around the
world today simply would not exist; and
WHEREAS, Vaughan Johnson was a four-time Pro Bowl pick as perhaps the
hardest-hitting member of the Saints' famed "Dome Patrol" linebacking corps in the late
1980s and early 1990s; he played eight seasons with the Saints, and for several of his
seasons, he played a major role in the Saints having arguably the best defense in the NFL;
and
WHEREAS, Buford Jordan had a very successful four-year career at McNeese State
University, and at the end of his college career, he was the state's all-time rushing king with
four thousand one hundred six yards; he was a four-year All-Southland Conference pick for
the Dallas Cowboys and played nine pro seasons total, including seven with the New Orleans
Saints, helping the Saints to win sixty-nine games and post their first winning season, first
playoff appearance, and first division title; and
WHEREAS, Don Shows is one of the most winning and outstanding high school
football coaches in the history of the state of Louisiana, having won seven state
championships in the state's largest classification and built the program at West Monroe
High School into a state powerhouse; as an offensive line coach, he also helped the Demons
of Northwestern State University win the 1988 Southland Conference crown; he has been
honored deservedly more than once as the state Coach of the Year; and
WHEREAS, Todd Walker is already a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame and
College Baseball Hall of Fame and was named to the twenty-eight-person College World
Series Legends Team; an infielder, he was one of the greatest hitters in Southeastern
Conference history; selected in the first round of the 1994 draft by the Minnesota Twins, he
played mostly second base for seven major league teams for twelve seasons; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 194
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WHEREAS, Donald "Slick" Watts, a National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics All-American at Xavier University and a first-team NBA All-Defensive selection,
was a dynamic pro guard who made the Seattle SuperSonics' Fortieth Anniversary Team in
2007; he was the first Xavier player inducted into the Louisiana Association of Basketball
Coaches Hall of Fame and won the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for
exemplary community service; and
WHEREAS, the 2011 recipients of the Distinguished Service Award in Sports
Journalism are Ron Brocato and Larry Hymel; and
WHEREAS, Ron Brocato, a New Orleans native and winner of multiple awards for
his coverage, is regarded as the preeminent historian on high school sports in the New
Orleans area and is one of the foremost experts on prep sports in Louisiana; his sports
coverage has gone far beyond prep sports during his six decades in the field, all but one year
in Louisiana and almost the entire time in New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, Larry Hymel, the first full-time sports information director for
Southeastern Louisiana University, has won numerous awards for his sportswriting, and he
remains active and integral with the university's alumni association, coordinating relations
and activities with former Lions and Lady Lions; and
WHEREAS, the 2011 recipients of the Dave Dixon Sports Leadership Award are
Elmo Adolph and Billy Montgomery; and
WHEREAS, Elmo Adolph, the only man to officiate both a professional world
championship bout and an Olympic gold medal boxing match, had an amazing career as both
a professional and amateur referee from 1964 until 2005; he also officiated Louisiana High
School Athletic Association football games for nearly thirty years, including state title games
in the Superdome Classic, was the game clock operator for the NBA's New Orleans Jazz in
the 1970s when the team played in the Superdome, and is still involved in prep officiating
by teaching and training officials in the River Parishes Football Association; and
WHEREAS, former longtime state representative Billy Montgomery, one of the most
legendary high school basketball coaches in state history, is still dedicated to public service
through his work for the Bossier Parish Police Jury, was named "Mr. Louisiana Basketball"
in 2009 by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches, and had the Haughton High
School basketball court named in his honor; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 194
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WHEREAS, the 2011 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductees, the recipients of the
Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism, and the recipients of the Dave Dixon
Sports Leadership Award merit a sincere measure of commendation and recognition for their
extraordinary accomplishments.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend and congratulate the inductees and honorees at the 2011 Induction Celebration of
the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame: Morten Andersen, Kyla Hall Holas, Thomas Pinckney
"Skipper" Heard, Vaughan Johnson, Buford Jordan, Don Shows, Todd Walker, and Donald
"Slick" Watts as inductees; Ron Brocato and Larry Hymel as recipients of the Distinguished
Service Award in Sports Journalism; and Elmo Adolph and Billy Montgomery as recipients
of the Dave Dixon Sports Leadership Award.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
recognize and record for posterity the unique and notable achievements of each of these
outstanding individuals and does hereby extend enduring appreciation for the tremendous
pride and honor that these individuals have brought to their families, friends, communities,
and state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to each inductee and honoree at the 2011 Induction Celebration of the Louisiana Sports Hall
of Fame.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE