Museum to open June 28 in Natchitoches

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum will host its grand opening June 28 in Natchitoches.

Decades after inducting the first class of sports legends into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s dream of developing a museum that showcases state sports history and provides an enthralling experience for visitors has become reality.

The newly constructed LSHF and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, featuring sports memorabilia and inductees from Shreveport and around the state, will hold an induction and red carpet opening reception at 7:30 p.m. June 28 in Natchitoches with Chef John Folse as the honorary chef, along with live music and entertainment.

The museum, a $20 million project that has been underway since 2008, is the ninth museum in the Louisiana State Museum system. The 27,500-squarefoot building was designed by Trahan Architects of Baton Rouge with exhibits developed by Thinc Design of New York City.

The Hall of Fame’s collection will include color portraits of the 293 inductees and items such as baseballs, footballs, bats, jerseys, golf clubs, helmets and other memorabilia. It also will include items highlighting major events such as the 2007 LSU football national championship and the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV title. Additionally, the Grits and Mary Gresham Collection will showcase hunting, fishing and the outdoors.

Current year inductees include jockey Ronald Ardoin, football player Tommy Hodson, basketball player Ervin Johnson, basketball player Jimmy Jones, athlete Anna Koll, football player Kevin Mawae, basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, tennis player Chanda Rubin and high school basketball coach Ed “Skeets” Touhy.

Lisa Babin, president and chief executive officer of the LSHF Foundation, said the museum will not only include recognition of sports such

as football, basketball and baseball but also a wide array of other sports including horse racing.

“This museum is a tremendous addition, particularly to North Louisiana, as a tourist destination and as an educational platform, and a salute to the state and the private donors who made it possible to honor our sports legends and inspire others to pursue their goals,” Babin said.

The Hall of Fame itself will occupy the first floor of the museum with the second floor showcasing Louisiana’s Sports Paradise, a blend of sports history and culture along with half of the second floor housing the Northwest Louisiana Regional History Museum, previously the state-run Old Courthouse Museum in Natchitoches.

Members of the LSWA began planning a Hall of Fame to honor the state’s outstanding athletes and coaches as far back as 1951, but the first election to the hall was not held until 1958.

Induction activities were held all around the state, then shifted to Shreveport-Bossier City in 2002 due in large part to the support of mayors Keith Hightower and George Dement, administrative officers Ken Antee and Bossier City Mayor Lorenz Walker, local businessman Jimmy Patterson and the Horseshoe Casino & Hotel.

Continuing support from other state officials and agencies led to the Hall of Fame being accepted into the state museum system in 2003. In preparation for the beginning of the project, all of the artwork and memorabilia which was on display at Northwestern State University’s Prather Coliseum was turned over to the state museum system in 2005.

“Louisiana’s sports tradition is on par with our world-class food, music and culture, so we are proud it finally has a space to call its own,” Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said.

Doug Ireland, chairman of the LSHF and executive director of the LSHF Foundation, said the opening of the museum is itself one of the highlights of state sports history.

“After decades of group effort, it’s extraordinarily gratifying to see this finally happen, but there are so many heroes along the way, at every stop. ... Just as so many of the inductees are grateful to others for the success in their own careers, it’s the same with this museum.

“There were plenty of times the project faded but because of its merits, it stayed alive,” Ireland said.

“This is definitely Louisiana’s Sports Hall of Fame. There’s great pride in Louisiana sports. Mitch Landrieu said at the groundbreaking in 2009 that this state has some of the best fans, figures and teams, and we should have the greatest sports museum. Now we do.”

Ireland added that the building is striking and serves as an eye-opening experience for those seeing it for the first time.

“The museum is incomparable to anything else. The architecture is unlike anything that’s ever been done on earth. There are 900 tons of individually cast stonework. No one will walk in and say they’ve seen it before. It’s stunning. A lot of people say it looks like a space ship when they get in there,” he said.

Additionally, Ireland said, with support from the Louisiana State Museum System, the project will be able to appeal to a cross section of people because the stories in the exhibits are told from the perspective of the everyman. For the hardcore sports junkie, though, this will be a delight.

“We’re not finished, either,” Ireland said. “This is a quantum leap forward, and we’re going to keep pushing to develop technology such as holograms that will allow you to run down the football field and dribble down the court with the stars of the museum. ... There are spectacular things within our grasp. We aren’t selling a dream anymore. It’s real. It’s here. You can experience it.”

Ireland said opening day for the museum will be remembered for a long time by everyone.

“There are special events in everyone’s life, but this night will never be replicated. The stunning revelation of all that has been created and with many of the great names in sports history right there in person ... people will talk about this night for years to come.”

Supporters include Louisiana Seafood, Glazers of Shreveport, Buick and the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission. Dress is coat and tie for men and short cocktail dress for ladies, and valet parking is required. For tickets, call 238-4255 or buy online at www.lasportshall.com.

– Eric Lincoln