The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame held their class of 2021 induction ceremony at the City of Natchitoches Event Center on Saturday, Aug. 28.

The LSHOF kicked off its induction day festivities with a reception at the LA Sports Hall Museum where guests were given the opportunity to tour the museum, meet the inductees and sample food from local restaurants. This was followed by the Purple

Carpet Event with the Induction Ceremony immediately after.

During the ceremony, the audience was presented with some former Hall of Fame inductees before being introduced to this year’s class of 2021.

Natchitoches Mayor Ronnie Williams, Northwestern State University of Louisiana Interim President Marcus Jones and Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser were among those to offer their congratulations to the class of 2021.

“Some of the most memorable moments in our state’s history are marked by glimpses in time from a sporting event,” Lt. Gov. Nungesser said. “This year is no different.”

This marks the second hall of fame ceremony to be held in just three months. The LSHOF Class of 2020 Induction was postponed and moved to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raymond Partsch III, president of the Sports Writers Association, said hosting two induction weekends was an immense undertaking, but that their organization enthusiastically embraced it.

“From super bowl winning quarterbacks to longtime high school coaches and world championship rodeo cowboys,” Partsch continued. “The committee is dedicated to putting together not only the most diverse group of Louisiana sports stars but also the most deserving.”

This year’s inductees included Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Courtney Blades Rogers, Ro Brown, Marques Colston, Glenn Dorsey, Rickie Weeks, Bo Dowden, Pat Henry, Doug Ireland, Terry McAulay and Sheldon Mickles.

Doug Ireland, a Northwestern State alumni and retired Innovative Sports Information Director for NSU, has been chairman of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame since 1990.

To the crowd of hundreds, it felt in place for him to finally get his flowers. To Ireland, a moment he’ll always cherish in the spotlight.

“It’s exhilarating to be in the class of these hall of famers because they are extraordinary people,” Ireland continued. “To be ushered into the hall of fame with these people is pretty amazing.”

“This is home. I never wanted to go anywhere else,” Ireland said. “It’s the only place that would put up with me.”

“I did the absolute best I could do for the people who didn’t have the opportunity to do the things I was doing,” Ro Brown, former WDSU sports director and one of two recipients for this year’s Distinguished Service Award for Sports Journalism, said. “I always knew that if I worked hard enough at it, and studied hard enough at it, I would succeed.”

“I’ve never been a vocal guy to go out and give a spirited speech, I worked behind the scenes and put in the effort,” Glenn Dorsey, NFL player, the highest drafted LSU defensive lineman in 2008 and member of the College Football Hall of Fame, said. “I lead by example.”

The ceremony concluded after honoring the life of the late James Rodney Richard, who was inducted in 1988.