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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 185
BY REPRESENTATIVE COX
A RESOLUTION
To commend Richard "Moon" Ducote, football legend, upon the occasion of his induction
into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1958 and was
intended, in the words of Otis Harris, sports editor of the Shreveport Journal, to be "the
Louisiana Hall of Fame – a hall of fame for the state's greatest athletes, men or women,
amateur or professional, living or dead"; and
WHEREAS, though the Hall of Fame began over fifty years ago, in 2013 the Hall
of Fame celebrated the grand opening of its permanent and appropriate home for the
recognition of Louisiana's greatest sports heroes at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and
Northwest Louisiana History Museum in the National Historic District of Natchitoches; and
WHEREAS, among the remarkable class of honorees to be inducted into the
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 21, 2014, is legendary football player,
coach, and official, Richard "Moon" Ducote; and
WHEREAS, Richard "Moon" Ducote, a native of Cottonport, Louisiana, was born
August 28, 1897, and attended Auburn University from 1915 through 1917 where he played
on the football team as a fullback, halfback, and end, and was twice named to the All-
Southern Conference team; and
WHEREAS, Ducote was also known for his ability as a kicker, helping to lead his
Auburn team to victory by making game-winning field goals of forty-eight and fifty-one
yards to beat Georgia and Vanderbilt; and
WHEREAS, in 1918, Ducote played for the Great Lakes Cleveland Naval Reserves,
a military team composed of former college stars from around the country, and in a game
against the University of Pittsburg, coached by legendary Pop Warner, Ducote scored all of
the ten points needed to beat Pitt, handing them their only defeat in three seasons; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 185
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WHEREAS, a Cleveland sports writer who covered the game stated that Ducote
"simply battered the life out of the Pitt defense and . . . must be rated as one of the greatest
backs of all time"; and
WHEREAS, from legendary player to legendary coach, in 1918, Ducote began his
coaching career serving as either an assistant or head coach for a variety of sports, including
football, baseball, and basketball, at Louisiana State University, Loyola University of New
Orleans, and Spring Hill College; and
WHEREAS, from 1929 through 1934, Ducote worked as a football official in the
Southern Conference and Southeastern Conference, as a linesman, umpire, and referee; and
WHEREAS, at the end of the 1934-1935 season, Ducote was a member of the
officiating crew for the 1935 Rose Bowl game on New Years's Day of 1935 which pitted
Alabama against Stanford; and
WHEREAS, in March of 1935, Loyola University of New Orleans rehired Ducote
as a football and basketball coach, and in 1936, Ducote served as Loyola's athletic director,
a role he held from August 1936 until his death in 1937; and
WHEREAS, the House of Representatives of the Legislature of Louisiana wishes to
recognize the legendary Richard "Moon" Ducote for his extraordinary athletic and coaching
career and for his well-deserved induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, for he is
truly a Louisiana football icon.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Richard "Moon" Ducote upon the occasion
of his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to family of Richard "Moon" Ducote.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES