Month: June 2022

LSU’s Jackson tumbles into Hall of Fame enshrinement

/ NPJ
ACTION JACKSON: LSU gymnastics great Susan Jackson added a special spark to the opening of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony last Saturday, delighting fellow inductees (from right) Steve Duhon and Garland Forman, along with everyone else.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

NATCHITOCHES – Susan Jackson had seen it before, the Walk of Legends that opens every Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

It’s a stirring start. After the national anthem, past Hall of Fame inductees are introduced with the theme from “The Natural” playing in the background. Each hero (19 were there this time) strides to the middle of the stage, turns and faces hundreds of guests and the TV audience, and the inductee waves, briefly basking in the glow, and exits the other side of the platform.

Then the current inductees (this time the Class of 2022) get introduced, also one-by-one, alphabetically. But after acknowledging the cheering crowd, they don’t exit the stage quite yet. The first inductee in the class plays catcher, ensuring the rest don’t depart for their seats before the class picture can be taken.

So our own Teddy Allen, 2022 Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism recipient, grinned modestly, bowed, waved and walked to the right edge of the stage, then stopped and went into catcher mode. No excited fellow inductee would get past Teddy.

Not the emotional siblings of the late Eric Andolsek. Not Jay Cicero, burly rodeo cowboy Steve Duhon, or Claney Duplechin. Not even big Jahri Evans, or Cory Martin, the super-charged great grandson of 1932 USA Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Eddie Flynn. Not fellow journalism award winner Garland Forman.

But then came Jackson, all 4-foot-11 of her, the three-time NCAA champion gymnast at LSU, a 12-time All-American from 2007-10, a member of Team USA at age 11, bubbling up the three steps to the stage.

At the bottom of those steps, a moment earlier, she made an unusual request of the LSHOF staffer cueing the inductees.

“This needs SOMETHING. Can I cartwheel up there?,” she whispered, eyes dancing.

So for the first time in 63 induction classes, somebody entered the Hall of Fame actually flipping over it.

At the other end of the stage, the normally unflappable Teddy Allen, annually the master of ceremonies with a quip for every eventuality, froze. His face was a combination of glee and panic. Would Susan STOP in the middle of the stage, or would he have to catch her before she tumbled one time too many?

Just like she did in routine after routine in her competitive career, Jackson hit her mark, to the delight of the crowd, which erupted in laughter and roars. And to the great relief of Allen, who joined in, with the rest of Susan’s classmates.

“That’s just Susan,” laughed her coach at LSU, 2017 inductee D-D Breaux. “She’s going to brighten everything she does and everybody she meets. We didn’t really coach her much. She was technically wonderful when she got to us, and she worked so hard, every day.

“She is so smart, so charismatic, so passionate, so dedicated,” said Breaux, whose induction five years ago was the first LSHOF ceremony Jackson witnessed. She had seen it before.

Honing her natural talent into a national champion was the job of Breaux and assistant coach Bob Moore, who echoed his former boss’ thoughts on Jackson.

“Susan and I worked at this coaching thing as more of a partnership than a traditional athlete and coach,” Moore said. “We worked together. We were honest with each other. I can’t take credit for anything. The greatness was already there. I had the good fortune to help her relax and reach out and get her potential.”

And when she improvised, back then and last Saturday night, Breaux and Moore cheered like everybody else.

Contact Doug at DougIreland@LaSportsHall.com

Photo by CHRIS REICH, LSWA

Allen: Captain Shreve’s center of attention

/ Megan Lowe

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine

I watch a lot of high school football, and one position you can’t hardly find in high school if you’re a college scout is a kid who plays center and looks the part with good grades, great feet, and plenty of strength.

Chris Allen from Captain Shreve High School is that kid. He plays center in high school and looks like a starting DI center already — with all the intangibles to be great in college.

With most O-Linemen they sign, most college coaches will tell you they have to move a kid who played offensive tackle or guard to center once in college to learn the position from scratch.

So if I’m a smart college coach, I take someone like Chris Allen, a 6-3, chiseled 275-pounder I don’t have to teach the position to in college; instead, I can just help make him better over time.

I thought after watching film from his junior year that he was the best center prospect in Louisiana for DI colleges in the Class of 2022, and now he is the best in the Class of 2023 to me.

Here’s his high school position coach, Adam Kirby, sharing what he thinks of his star center:

“Chris is the best high school center in Louisiana. His work ethic and knowledge of the game is unmatched at the high school level. He’s tall, long and physical and can work to a shade defender or handle a head-up nose guard.

“He is always looking to learn and grow his craft and is a film junkie who has taken a leadership role with the younger players in our offensive line room. I’ve coached a two-time Remington Award Winner and five All-Americans over the course of my career, and Chris has the potential to be the best one I’ve ever coached.

“He is everything you want in an offensive lineman and exemplifies what it means to play the position. He currently has offers from ULM, Monroe, Tulane, Grambling, and Northwestern State. And I expect him to gain more as the season progresses.”

“Coach Kirby has had a positive impact on my life,” Allen said. “Our story is when he saw me the first day he got here, he told me he was going to make me a DI center. What’s crazy is that I’d never played center before. Better yet, I had never played football until I got to high school. Coach Kirby is a good man and we’re going to be lifetime friends.”

Notes on Chris Allen: Hobbies are basketball and music. College major is Sports Management. Most of his family played either football, basketball, or ran track. His favorite colleges are Grambling, LSU, Michigan, and Ohio State because “they are all winners,” he said, “and send players to the next level.”

Contact Lee at LBrecheen@aol.com

SPOTLIGHT: Shreveport Mavericks’ 2022 success nothing new

/ Megan Lowe
COACH TALK: Shreveport Mavericks coach Steve Tucker gives instructions to his team during a game earlier this season. 

By LEE HILLER, Journal Sports

Winning championships is nothing new for the Shreveport Mavericks.

Beginning Saturday, the 2022 version will begin a best-of-three Championship Series in search of the organization’s fifth Pro Basketball National Championship.

The Mavericks returned to Shreveport last season to begin playing in The Basketball League Central Conference. Coach Steve Tucker and his staff put together another successful team that made a typical Tucker-style run to the playoffs before bowing out.

This season the veteran coach, who has won over 700 games, is still running his team the way he always has.

“With the S-MAVERICKS we do things differently! We just have a different Culture and Attitude of how you do things,” wrote Tucker in a social media post. “From Work Ethic to Daily Preparation things with our Process is just done differently than anywhere else. You have to check your ego at the door for sure. You have to do it right – You have to conduct yourself in the right way.”

“You’re held Accountable & Responsible,” continued Tucker. “Other places You get away with things, but not here! It is just the way We do things.”

In nine seasons, the Mavericks have won seven Division Titles and four Pro Basketball National Championships. From 2011 to 2016 they won 103 consecutive games and had 104 straight home wins.

The 2022 Mavericks have put together an overall record of 25-7 after a 19-5 regular season combined with a 6-2 mark in the playoffs. If you add that to the previous years, it gives them a 238-28 overall record, an 89.4 winning percentage over nine seasons.

They are 29-9 in playoff games, 9-3 in championship finals and have won four of the five they have played in.

The 19-5 regular season mark was second in the Central Conference to the reigning TBL Champion Enid Outlaws (20-4). The Central Conference was the only one in the TBL that had four teams with 18 or more wins this season. The Mavericks defeated the Outlaws in the playoffs for the Central Conference championship.

After defeating the So Cal Moguls for the West Region championship, Shreveport faces the East Region champ Albany Patroons in the finals. The Patroons come into the finals with a combined 27-5 mark after a 21-3 regular season.

Shreveport’s playoff opponents sported a combined record of 56-16 as compared to Albany’s 43-27.

Shreveport and Albany play Game 1 in the Championship Series Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. at Centenary’s Gold Dome. The final two games (if a Game 3 is necessary) are scheduled to be played in New York July 6-7.

Photo by LEE HILLER

TENNIS NOTEBOOK: Katy Build tournament continues tradition of giving back

/ Megan Lowe
A FAMILY AFFAIR: The annual Katy Build Tennis Tournament, which was held at Bossier Tennis Center over the weekend, raises money for the Katy Build Project to help provide additional housing in Bossier City for first-time veteran homeowners.

By HARRIET PROTHRO PENROD, Journal Sports

The annual Katy Build Tennis Tournament has always been a win-win event –for the Bossier community and its local veterans, and also for the players who participate over the weekend. Held over the past weekend at the Bossier Tennis Center, the tournament was another success for everyone involved.

“It’s one of my favorite tournaments because juniors can play,” said Dana Hicks. “It’s good family fun for a wonderful cause.”

All proceeds from the tournament benefit the Katy Build Project, which provides additional housing in Bossier City for first-time veteran homeowners. When Katy Watkins, Molly Reed, and Emily Purdue lost their lives in a car accident in 2006, the community came together to create the project in honor and memory of the girls.

“This was our seventh year to host the event,” said tournament director Angela Pfanner, “and this was definitely our largest one. We had 312 players and 56 teams.”

The numbers aren’t yet in about the amount of money raised, and Pfanner said she can’t wait to see amount of money that will go to the project.

“We started out with a goal in mind, but we expanded it,” she said. “Our goal is to build more houses. We’ve done a total of five already and we have four more lots.”

For the second year, the tournament included a junior event that was held on Thursday to kick off the weekend’s activities and add a “family” element to the festivities.

“It was a very special weekend,” said Pfanner. “The tennis community has really embraced it.”

Harrison forced to withdraw – Shreveport native Christian Harrison had to withdraw from his second-round men’s singles match at Wimbledon on Wednesday due to a foot injury. No. 32 seed Oscar Otte of Germany was leading 3-1 in the first set when Harrison was forced to stop.

Harrison, who won three matches in the qualifying tournament last week to earn a spot in the main draw, defeated Jay Clark of Great Britain 7-6, 6-1, 7-6 in the first round in a match that began on Monday but was halted because of bad light. When the match resumed on Tuesday, Harrison was up two sets to one with the third set tied 5-5.

Southern Trace hosting exhibition – If you want to see some great tennis in a fun atmosphere, head out to Southern Trace Country Club tomorrow night. Two of the Cliff Drysdale Tennis professionals at Southern Trace will play a best-of-three-sets doubles match against two guest players.

Southern Trace pros Adam Brownlow and Anya Coerver will play against Pierremont Oaks pro Judit Castillo Gargallo and Alex Quinones, the head tennis coach at John Tyler High School in Tyler, Texas.

The match begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children. For tickets, go to cliffdrysdale.regfox.com. There is a $5 discount for Southern Trace members. There will be a courtside cash bar with beer, wine, and other beverages.

High school tennis coach needed – Caddo Magnet High School, which has eight hard courts on campus and approximately 40 players, is looking for a tennis coach.

Anyone interested can contact Julie Anderson, CMHS athletic director, at 318-771-3860.

Contact Harriet at sbjharriet@gmail.com

Photo by SUSIE NECTOUX

Happy New (Fiscal) Year’s Eve to our unsung athletic heroes

/ NPJ

It’s New Year’s Eve!

Not in Times Square, but in the hearts of those who keep the money straight for every branch and twig of the state of Louisiana.

Tomorrow begins fiscal year 2022-23. That new state budget you heard the legislature passed without too much pushing or shoving, with a not totally terrible amount of pork attached, starts functioning.

Today, the books that accountants in every state agency have been trying to close for weeks get slammed shut. That’s all but finished anyway, but today, it’s like Dunkirk. Those money people, trapped and huddled on a beach, float out to sea and the next time they touch ground, it’s in the Land O’ Plenty.

People like Flo Miskelley and Roxanne Freeman, and more accurately, those who should role model Flo and Rox, get their mojo back. They can dole out dollars again, not pinch pennies.

You’ve heard of the Tommy McClellands and the Eric Woods, and the Tynes Hildebrands and the Greg Burkes, those AD-types who introduce new coaches, extend some and have to fire others, and make major announcements and shake many hands, keeping fans happy and donors content as possible.

You’ve heard of the Brad Lairds and Bobby Barbiers, the Lane Burroughs and Brooke Stoehrs, the coaches who get a bit worked up on the sidelines at times and seem like such beautiful humans away from scoreboards. Coaches like to say, “It’s not the X’s and O’s, it’s the Jimmys and Joes,” explaining that who is playing has the most to do with who wins, not what the coaches decide to call.

Not enough people off campus at Louisiana Tech or Northwestern State have any idea how Flo and Rox made life better and work easier for those named above, those who came before them, and their colleagues past and present.

So far the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame has not inducted, or ever considered inducting, college athletic business managers. Flo and Rox make me think twice about that. Flo, especially, has a record that stacks up into the “viable nominee” category for the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award, other than the fact that she was never technically a leader, never wanted to be, and was very comfortable, just like Rox, of being a below-the-radar unsung hero. So we’ll settle for a dash of spotlight in the next few words.

Flo Miskelley is a whole ‘nother column, really, a series of them. She was hired as Joe Aillet’s secretary and ticket manager. Had asked to work anywhere BUT athletics, and spent the next 40 years right there, making it work for everyone else. A few seasons later, she stepped out of secretary mode, kept the ticket work and added business management responsibilities.

Couples who had season tickets divorced, and Flo would have to put seats for an ex and new companion in another desirable but not nearby location at Aillet Stadium. Meanwhile, she kept the fuel flowing in the Tech sports coffers, and when it didn’t, Flo always found ways to compensate so coaches could still compete and win. Think about the national champion football teams in the ’70’s and the Lady Techsters’ hoops dynasty, and realize there were other sports that didn’t have that support. But most of the time, you couldn’t easily know that, and Flo was a big reason why.

Roxanne Freeman was Sam Goodwin’s football secretary, and loved it. But she put herself back in college classes, earned a degree and stepped up into administration when opportunity arose. She stayed there for 20 years and now can be seen in the stands at many NSU events.

Her predecessor was a wonderful fellow from my hometown of Jonesboro, Jack Freeman, a true gentleman whose smile disarmed any coach who was frustrated about his program’s finances. Going further back in fiscal history at NSU, you’ll find Loneta Graves, a Steel Magnolia if ever there was one, a woman who seemed like a unicorn in a man’s world of money-handling in the ’60s and ’70s. She went to work as an account clerk at Louisiana Normal in 1943 and gradually rose in the ranks, becoming a trailblazing Northwestern vice president in 1972.

In this 50th anniversary summer of Title IX, she’s more than a footnote. She was responsible for convincing Northwestern president Dr. Arnold Kilpatrick that there was money and merit to funding the first 10 athletic scholarships for women in the history of colleges and universities in Louisiana. In April 1975, Northwestern set an example that LSU and Tech and the rest followed in the months and years ahead.

They won’t go in the state Hall of Fame. Flo and Rox may not get in the Halls at Tech or NSU (Ms. Graves did get a Distinguished Service Award in 2008 from the N-Club HOF at Northwestern).

But they deserve appreciation, and on New Fiscal Year Eve, it’s a perfect time to toss some to them and those who are doing what they used to do, at NSU, Tech, Grambling, ULM, BPCC, LSUS, Centenary, and the rest.

The games don’t get played without them issuing purchase orders and requisitions for equipment, for supplies, for checks to game officials, for travel expenses on the road … the list isn’t endless but it seems to be.

Today, NFYE, the folks who make the money flow in athletic departments around our state are walking on air. Tomorrow is even better. There’s money to spend. And then, how sweet it is, they enjoy a long holiday weekend.

It’s not like a contract renewal, or a bonus, but along with this tribute, it’s a little something, anyway.

Contact Doug at DougIreland@LaSportsHall.com

Looking for young role models? This NSU duo fits the bill

/ Megan Lowe

JOURNAL SPORTS

NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State student-athletes have swept the Southland Conference Steve McCarty Citizenship awards for the fourth time since the honor was created in 2006.

Track and field sprinter Ebenezer Aggrey, a Baton Rouge native, and Plano, Texas, product Bronte Rhoden of the Lady Demon softball team were selected for the honors by the league’s academic advisors, athletic directors and conference personnel.

The McCarty awards annually recognize a male and female student-athlete from around the Southland for outstanding qualities in citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership and community service.  Each member institution nominates candidates.

Since 2006,  Demons and Lady Demons have captured 11 of the 34 possible honors, the most in Southland Conference history.

Aggrey has excelled both on and off the track, currently serving as the student body vice president despite a hectic athletics and class schedule.

He has led campus food drives, local toy drives and increased the track and field program’s involvement on campus and in the community. An active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during his career, he logically serves as the Student Government Liaison to SAAC.

On the track, he reached the 400 meters finals at the Southland Conference Outdoor Championships, scoring four points with a fifth-place finish. He also ran a leg on the bronze medal 4×400 relay as the Demons placed second overall as a team, the highest finish in the Mike Heimerman era.

Aggrey has accumulated a 3.84 GPA in accounting and business administration with a possible eye toward political office in his future.

Rhoden, a pitcher, has also taken an active role on and off the diamond.

She spearheaded a collaboration between the athletics department and NSU’s Gallaspy College of Education to “adopt” an elementary school where students read monthly to kids grades K-3.

As SAAC president, Rhoden organized “Make a Child Smile” toy drive and hurricane relief drives for other Southland schools impacted by natural disasters. She also assumed control of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes group at NSU after its long-time advisors, Randy and Christie Price, retired.

Rhoden served as a versatile arm, pitching as a starter and reliever in 19 total appearances with a 6-5 record and a 2.32 ERA. Her ERA dropped to 1.47 against SLC opponents while also sporting a sub .200 opponent batting average, which included a two-hit shutout of UIW with a career-high 12 strikeouts.

Rhoden sports a perfect 4.0 GPA in biology with aspirations to be an orthopedic surgeon.

The honor is named for former Stephen F. Austin athletic director Steve McCarty, who served at the school for 21 years, including 15 as athletic director. McCarty was inducted into the Southland Conference Hall of Honor in 2006.

Here’s some family history I’m proud to share

/ Megan Lowe

I grew up in the hills of north Louisiana not knowing until much later that not too far back in my lineage was a rather famous relative, long-time state Superintendent of Education, Thomas H. Harris.

I have a vague memory of meeting him as a youngster when “Uncle Tom” came to visit his older brother, Ausie, who was my grandfather.

A book given to me by a dear friend and former co-worker, Rae Tatum Malone, is one of my prized possessions, “The Memoirs of T.H. Harris.” In this book he tells of his 32 years as Superintendent of Education but also talks about his growing up years on a 250-acre farm in the Arizona community of Claiborne Parish located between Homer and Lisbon.

One of the most shocking bits of news he revealed in the book was the fact that Thomas H. Harris was not his real name. Here’s how he describes it….”My name is not Thomas H. Harris, but Lee Marcus Harris. The name by which I have been known all my life developed as follows: When I was about three days old, my next older brother, Ausie, three years of age at the time, was invited to inspect his baby brother. Ausie looked me over and said, ‘Little Tom.” And Tom I was thenceforth and forever.”  The middle initial “H.,” which stands for nothing, was added later.

When my job transferred me to Homer in 1964, my memories of my Great Uncle Tom were vague at best. I was more interested in squirrel hunting on Middle Fork, deer hunting with

Bill Bailey and his hounds around Summerfield or fishing in the brand-new Lake Claiborne. I was to learn later that a goodly portion of the land inundated by the popular lake was acreage on which my grandfather and his more famous brother grew up.

I was also aware that the community of Langston south of Homer had been renamed in honor of my great uncle. It is now known as the Harris community with a school there, a school that is now a church encampment, the Harris Baptist Encampment.

Scores of college students down through the years have had at least a portion of their tuition paid for by being recipients of the T.H. Harris Scholarship. I regret missing out on that honor; I was having too much fun with college life to have qualifying grades.

Buildings on college campuses around the state today are named after my great uncle. In Grambling, for example, you’ll find the T.H. Harris Auditorium, constructed in 1960.

When I received word that a memorial plaque was to be erected in honor of Uncle Tom, I wanted to see it. Recently, my sister and I motored up to Homer to see if we could find it, and we did. Located along Highway 2 between Homer and Lisbon, the marker sits within two miles of where T.H. Harris and my grandfather grew up. We also found another marker along Arizona Road marking the site of the Arizona Academy from which he graduated.

This column, I realize, is not my usual outdoors related missive. It has little to do with my coverage of hunting and fishing experiences.

I may not have many famous kin but it is gratifying to know that I had one, and even had the honor of my grandfather naming him. Lee Marcus just doesn’t have the same ring as “little Tom.”

OPPORTUNITY: Accounting Assistant

/ NPJ
FT ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT
 
This is a clerical position that requires the use of various accounting software programs to track and reconcile a wide range of financial transactions.

Responsible for maintaining financial records, ensuring payments and receivables are current. Involved in wide range of activities/functions in the City Clerk’s office including heavy in-house payroll responsibilities.

Education and/or Experience:
 
– High School diploma or GED required.
– Post-secondary education with focused course work in accounting and bookkeeping preferred.
– One to two years administrative, clerical and accounting experience required, preferably with city government.  Experience involving governmental funds or related accounts desirable.


Work hours:  7:30am-4pm Monday-Friday

Location: City Hall, Minden, Louisiana

Benefits:   HEALTH, DENTAL, VISION BENEFITS, RETIREMENT, PAID HOLIDAYS & SICK/VACATION LEAVE

Starting pay:  $15.76/hr. D.O.E.

To apply or view a brief job description go online www.mindenla.org/job-listings/ or pick up an application at City Hall, 520 Broadway, Minden, Louisiana.

Background and drug screen will be conducted.

The City of Minden is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Notice of Death – June 29, 2022

/ NPJ

Derrick Dewayne Hill
January 12, 1978 – June 25, 2022
Visitation: 1:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Friday Night at Good Samaritan Funeral Home
Services:  11:00 A.M. Saturday, July 2, 2022 at Word of God Ministries

Robert “Bobby” Lee Breedlove
September 7, 1932 — June 27, 2022
Visitation: Thursday, June 30, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Services:  Friday, July 1, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Danielle Rene Cutrera
May 26, 1970 — June 26, 2022
Visitation: 10:00 a.m. until the time of service
Services:  11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 2, 2022, at Asbury United Methodist Church, 3200 Airline Drive, Bossier City

Ardis McCall
June 2, 1961 ~ June 26, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Jewell Street Baptist Church 2440 Darien Street Shreveport

Brenda A. (Jones) Walter
October 13, 1966 ~ June 25, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Billy Ray Jackson
March 16, 1948 – June 21, 2022
Services: Saturday, July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Roundgrove Cemetery 2869 Roundgrove Lane Shreveport

Jewell Willis
February 6, 1940 ~ June 25, 2022
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 11:00 AM New Bethel MBC 3300 Greenwood Rd Shreveport

Alee Robinson
January 7, 1935 ~ June 18, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 6 p.m., Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services: 11 a.m, Saturday, July 2, 2022 at New Bethel MBC 3300 Greenwood Rd Shreveport

Willis Bass
February 6, 1947 ~ June 22, 2022
Visitation: Thursday June 30, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Friday July 1, 2022 11:00 AM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Pete Allen, Jr.
January 6, 1937 ~ June 19, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Kenneth “Ken” Roy Grosz
September 2, 1942 — June 11, 2022
Visitation: visitation at 10:00 am in the church parlor. 
Services: will be held at Frost Chapel located at First Baptist Church, 543 Ockley Drive, Shreveport, Louisiana on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. The service will be at 11:00 a.m. 

Margie Lucille Tibbits
May 5, 1927 — June 25, 2022
Visitation: 12:00 p.m. until service time
Services: 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 1, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Maudrene Poole
May 4, 1926 ~ June 17, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM Heavenly Gates
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 11:00 AM Heavenly Gates

Willis Bass
February 6, 1947 ~ June 22, 2022
Visitation: Thursday June 30, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Friday July 1, 2022 11:00 AM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Vicki Lynn Collinsworth
July 15, 1951 — June 20, 2022
Visitation: 9:00 a.m. until time of service
Services: 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 3, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Hot Grill Summer: Vol. 4 – Burger Verde

/ NPJ

We enter week four on our culinary journey this summer, and I again thank you for being along for the ride.

So far, we’ve made a delicious appetizer, a marvelous pizza, and a juicy medium-rare ribeye fit for a king.

Today, we enter the world of television. Particularly, a TV show about a family who runs a burger joint and hijinks ensue in each episode (stay with me; I’ve got a point).

Bob’s Burgers is an animated show on Fox entering its 13th season in September. Judith and I love this show, along with a lot of other borderline inappropriate shows, as well (Disclaimer: Hot Grill Summer is a judgement-free zone).

One of the show’s hooks is a running gag of pun-named burgers that is unique in every episode. And, as luck would have it, we were given a cookbook by a friend a few years ago that takes these jokes and makes them into actual burgers.

To spare you from watching the show, I’ve pulled one of the recipes that is our favorite to share with you today. In fact, the entire cookbook is found here, and whether you watch the show or not (and you should), it’s worth your while for excellent gourmet burger recipes.

This particular recipe is the “Poblano Picasso Burger” (the puns are cringe, but the burger is magnificent). The star of the show is a poblano and tomatillo based salsa verde that adds pizzazz atop a melted slice of Monterey Jack cheese and a gorgeous tomato slice.

Oh yeah, there’s a patty there, too.

Feel free to prepare the burger patty however you see fit. Personally, I’m a fan of burgers in a skillet, but grilling this one is just as good. We can have the same debate as last week about how you prefer your doneness, so I’ll leave that fine detail to you.

Before you cook your patty, you’ll want to spend time preparing the salsa verde. I know it’s ridiculously hot in your house right now, but I need you to put a stemmed and cut poblano pepper with husked tomatillos under your broiler for about 10 minutes. You’ll cook some onions over the stove top, and after the greenery comes out of the oven, you’ll add a jalapeno (can you tell I love those?) and throw everything into a blender or food processor until all is pureed. This paragraph looks like a labor of love, but I assure you, it’s worth it.

Melt a nice thick piece of Monterey Jack cheese on top of your patty. Add a slice of tomato on top, and then unashamedly douse the salsa verde all over before you put the top bun on. Every note of the burger will sing, and you’ll thank me later.

As always, thanks for reading.

Recipe

4 third-pound beef patties
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large poblano pepper, seeded and sliced
4 tomatillos, husked
1 jalapeno
Monterey Jack
Sliced Tomato

Instructions:

Sauté onion in a pan over medium heat until translucent and aromatic.
Broil poblano and tomatillos for 10 minutes.
Transfer cooked poblano, tomatillos, and jalapeno into a blender or food processor and puree.
Cook patties to desired temperature.
Melt Monterey Jack slice over the patties.

Put patty on bottom bun. Top with tomato slice and a generous heaping of the salsa verde. Place top bun.

Enjoy!

Winning with room to spare

/ NPJ

Inspired this spring by the Byrd High School girls bowling team knocking off the state’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs and finishing as the surprising, out-of-nowhere state runner-up, I accepted the challenge to captain a team last week in the 2022 “Surfs Up” Bowling Bash at the Four Seasons Bowling Center in Alexandria.

The event was one of many that made up the always-good-times Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Week, which began Thursday with a press conference to meet the Class of 2022 and ended with the induction of that class Saturday at the Natchitoches Events Center.

In between was tomfoolery, something I know a little something about.

The Big Weekend rolls around every year at this time, and all are welcome, including at the bowling event. Grab five folks, a few bucks, and you’re in. Go to LASportsHall.com and see pictures and videos of all the events and start thinking about next year. I talked with a couple of dozen first-timers who say they’ll be back.

And why? Because a good time was had by all. Especially by me. And especially bowling, because we won.

Not only won, but shattered the events record with a score of 925 for our five-man team in 10 frames of team bowling. (They tell me that’s good. What I know about bowling, you could fit inside a bowling ball’s finger hole.)

As a nod to the 50th anniversary of Title IX — and an equal nod (OK, a bigger nod) to them being really good — I recruited members of Louisiana Tech’s girls bowling team. They accepted. Even without under-the-table cash or an NIL deal.

Just solid old-school recruiting. It all comes back to that when you’re trying to build a one-game, winner-take-all team. Surround yourself with quality kegglers.

It is a plus that, besides finishing their most recent season with 33 wins over top-25 teams, 20 wins over Top-10 teams, 12 wins over Top-5 teams, three wins over No. 2 and two wins over the country’s top-ranked team at the time, these young female student-athletes are a joy to be around.

And even more fun since they earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament and finished as an Elite 8 team.

Friday in Alexandria, they finished as an Elite 1.

Our “five-man team” team is a figure of speech. There was me, bowling-lover-gone-bowling-madman/wizard Coach Matt Nantais, and three willing talents from the team, listed here with some of their 2021-22 accomplishments:

Averi Brown, a grad student from Columbus, Ohio who qualified for the singles national championships; Patricia Rosales, who made a pair of All-Tournament teams; and,

Danielle Jedlicki, who bowled two perfect games, was named to a pair of All-Tournament teams and earned a Tournament MVP.

They had rosin bags. Little pieces of tape on their fingers. A hand fan. Braces for their wrists. Everything but eye black. In it to win it, they were.

Teddy wept.

Did you even know Tech had a bowling team? Now you do. And the state does. And next year, hopefully more of the nation will know. The national championships will be in Vegas next year. Maybe I’ll “need” to go cover it.

So think about going to some or all of the Hall of Fame events next year. And think about going bowling. Start now if you want a chance to beat us.

Which you will, because I think we’ve been, for future events, disqualified.

But it sure was fun while it lasted.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

SPOTLIGHT: After quite a debut at LSU, Duhon traded helmet for hat and found fame

/ Megan Lowe
LSU’s LOSS, RODEO’S GAIN: Steve Duhon instantly made an impact as a true freshman linebacker at LSU but decided his future was on horseback, a path that carried him to worldwide fame and enshrinement last Saturday in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Steve Duhon grew up on the rodeo circuit, found himself playing football at Tiger Stadium, and despite a productive true freshman season on coach Jerry Stovall’s LSU squad, quickly realized he was best suited for a cowboy hat and jeans, not shoulder pads and a helmet.

Duhon was among the 12-member Class of 2022 inducted last weekend in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame during festivities in and around the LSHOF museum in Natchitoches.

Like many Louisiana boys, the Opelousas native grew up an LSU fan, although he didn’t entertain serious interest in playing for the Tigers. But after he ran for over 3,300 yards and made 148 tackles as a linebacker in his senior season in 1980, and won all-state honors for a third straight season at Belmont Academy, college recruiters finally began to notice. He was an honorable mention All-American.

LSU assistant Bishop Harris helped convince Duhon to give Tiger football a try. He made an instant impression as a backup linebacker and special teams player, posting 19 tackles in 1981 as a true freshman. He broke his shoulder in the seventh game but played on, showing the toughness of – yes, a rodeo cowboy.

“You can’t get anything done watching,” he said while in Natchitoches. “I’d been banged up in rodeo, so playing through it was second nature for me.”

But the following April, Duhon realized his true love was not the thrill of playing in front of a packed Tiger Stadium, but being on the back of a horse in a rodeo arena, which he had done almost since he could walk, following in the footsteps of his father and older brother. So he strode into Stovall’s office and said it was best if he left LSU football and put his full focus on chasing the rodeo dream.

“I walked into Broussard Hall for preseason, and there’s Leonard Marshall, the defensive tackle (and a future LSHOF inductee after a long career with the New York Giants) who seemed like was 6-8 and 325, and I weighed 195 dripping wet. I thought, ‘Hey, I can play behind a guy like that.’

“That was fun. But I knew in my bones my place was in rodeo, and if I was gonna get where I wanted to be, making a living at it, I needed to get going that direction,” said Duhon, who now lives on a farm near Jasper, Texas.

Leaving LSU was the right move for him.

While starring first in baseball, which he had to give up so he could compete in high school rodeo at the same time of year, Duhon showed at Belmont Academy he was no ordinary cowboy. He was a 1980 and 1981 state champion steer wrestler and the 1981 national high school reserve champion cowboy.

His pro career took off in 1985, when he won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Resistol Rookie of the Year Award. Continuing success carried him to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (inducted in 2003) and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame (Class of 2018). Duhon won three world championships (1986, 1987 and 1993) as a steer wrestler and qualified for the National Finals Rodeo eight times.

A world record run of 3.0 seconds set at the National Finals Rodeo in 1986 shocked neither Duhon nor those who befriended and competed against him.

“Steve had ice water in his veins,” fellow cowboy and competitor Tody Roach said. “The more pressure, the better he liked it. He made most his fame and fortune in the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association as a steer wrestler, but there are a lot of people, like calf ropers and team ropers, who are glad he didn’t hone in on those events.”

Contact Doug at DougIreland@LaSportsHall.com

Photo by CHRIS REICH, LSWA

In 7-on-7, it’s not about winning or losing football games — it’s more important than that

/ Megan Lowe
SLINGIN’ FOR A REASON: Benton quarterback Gray Walters recently played in a 7-on-7 tournament at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, where he received an offer to play college football on the spot. 

By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports

Benton quarterback Gray Walters had just finished leading the Tigers in a 7-on-7 tournament in Magnolia, Arkansas.

Not just any tournament. The 6-2, 185-pound senior-to-be had been slingin’ it all day in front of coaches at Southern Arkansas University.

“When we got done, Coach (Matt) Middleton, their (offensive coordinator), came up and talked to me — me and my dad. They offered me right after the game. He told me, ‘I’m excited. I want you to come up here and play.’ He told me to get everybody else they’ve offered (at Benton) to come with me.”

Walters did not commit to SAU. He has another offer (Centenary) and hopes his senior season will generate more offers. What Walters did do, is give a college staff an up-close-and-personal — better than video — look at his talent.

“It was cool,” Walters said. “It was cool.”

That’s one example of what 7-on-7 high school football can do for a player. But the summer pastime can also show what a player can do for his current coach.

“That number five or six receiver, he wants to get on the field,” said Reynolds Moore, who is soon to start his 10th season as Benton’s head coach. “He’s going out there and giving you everything he’s got.

“He’s trying to make sure he understands the offense, the system, the signals, and everything else. He wants you to know that you can count on him.”

Rodney Guin is about to begin his sixth season as Calvary Baptist Academy’s head coach, and 40th season in the profession. The Cavaliers love to throw the ball — “It’s just more practice. We throw the ball every day at school.”

But 7-on-7 games are a chance for Guin to see who can — and, more importantly, who can’t — play defense.

“We play a lot of man coverage in 7-on-7, and we’ve found a couple of kids who can’t play man coverage,” Guin said. “So, if we do that in a game, they’re not going to be able to play. We want to win, but we’re actually trying to see who can do what — at what position — and things like that.”

Guin and Moore understand that in June, it doesn’t matter who wins and loses. They know a 7-on-7 game doesn’t mean success or failure in the regular season. But 7-on-7 does give them a chance to see what their players do in a competitive, sometimes pressure, situation.

“The other day, we had one play to win a game,” Guin said. “I like to see how our quarterbacks handle those situations. One play to stop somebody — are we going to win the game? You see which kids like to be in those moments.”

And which kids will be ready if that moment comes.

“That’s my argument to people (who say) it’s not real football,” Moore said. “You’re right. It’s not. But if my backup quarterback is getting reps in the last two series, it’s getting him ready in case something happens to your starter this year.

He’s getting ready for his opportunity after your starter is done . . .  it’s a competitive environment, but it’s not a Friday night environment.”

And, as any coach knows, a Friday night environment — 11-on-11 ball — is not the time to find out your backup quarterback isn’t ready.

Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com

Photo courtesy of Gray Walters

Haughton’s hero: Joe Delaney starred at NSU, in NFL, before this day in 1983

/ Megan Lowe
JOE D: Haughton’s Joe Delaney is shown on the Northwestern State sideline during the Demons’ 1980 State Fair Classic contest at Independence Stadium against Louisiana Tech.

By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Thirty-nine years ago today, on a steamy afternoon in Monroe, Haughton native Joe Delaney gave his life trying to save three drowning children.

The Northwestern State two-sport All-American and Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl running back was attending a water park outing for children at Chennault Park when he heard cries for help from a nearby oxidation pond outside the park.

He handed his wallet to a bystander, telling him, “I can’t swim good, but I’ve got to try to help those kids,” and dashed a couple hundred yards to the pond, and leaped in. He never made it back out. One child did.

Delaney was a two-time All-America running back in 1979-80 for the Demons, and joined Mark Duper, Victor Oatis and Mario Johnson on the Demons’ 1981 NCAA championship 4×100 meter relay team, earning All-America honors.

Delaney was the 1981 AFC Rookie of the Year for the Chiefs and played in the Pro Bowl. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy, who drafted Delaney in the second round of the 1981 draft and coached him in 1981-82, said Delaney was one of the five best players he coached in his 45-year career, including nearly 30 years in the NFL.

Delaney left behind his wife, Carolyn, and their three young daughters. His heroic act matched his selfless lifestyle and coupled with his astounding athletic career to make him an instant icon in north Louisiana and elsewhere far beyond the sports world. Among those attending his funeral: then-Vice President George H.W. Bush.

His No. 44 Demon football jersey was retired at halftime of his final game at NSU. Since his death, no Kansas City player has worn his No. 37. He is immortalized in several ways at Northwestern, including plaques at Turpin Stadium and the Ledet Track Complex, and with the permanent football team captains receiving Joe Delaney Memorial Leadership Awards annually. The Demons’ spring football game has been known as the Joe Delaney Bowl since 1989.

He was the subject of a 2015 film titled “Delaney,” part of ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Shorts series.

The Joe Delaney Park in Haughton honors his memory and provides play space for youth in his hometown. Swimming lessons are taught in his name in Kansas City, supported by The 37 Forever Foundation.

Two years ago, a monument honoring Delaney was dedicated at the site of the drowning in Monroe’s Chennault Park. The mayor of Kansas City declared Oct. 30, 2020 as “Joe Delaney Day” on what would have been his 62nd birthday.

Last year, a two-mile stretch of I-435 going past Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was renamed “Joe Delaney Memorial Highway.”

Delaney was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizen’s Medal from President Ronald Reagan, presented at his funeral by then Vice President Bush to the Delaney family. Delaney is enshrined in the N Club Hall of Fame, the Ark-La-Tex Museum of Champions, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Chiefs’ Ring of Honor at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Photo courtesy Northwestern State

ABOUT SUMMER CAMP: Centenary football ‘beginning of something great’

/ Megan Lowe
SOMETHING GREAT: Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, shown talking to campers, was the lead instructor at Centenary College’s first-ever football camp held last Saturday. 

By JERRY BYRD JR., Journal Sports

Centenary College athletics made history last Saturday by hosting its first-ever football camp, under the direction of new head coach Byron Dawson. The Gents won’t begin playing football until the Fall of 2023, but that hasn’t stopped Dawson from getting a jump start on using the game of football to make a difference in the Shreveport-Bossier community.

“I feel very honored that the city has responded the way it has,” Dawson said. “We have great young men here from junior high all the way up. We’re excited. We’re excited to be back on this campus, on this field doing football. This is the beginning of something great.”

Some of the great young men on hand were counselors that Dawson coached when he was at Evangel Christian Academy. The list included Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Jerry Tillery and Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen. Tillery was the keynote speaker at the Centenary Coaching Clinic on Friday and the lead instructor at the football camp on Saturday.

“Great example, to have a high-character young man,” Dawson said of Tillery. “A guy that not only excelled on the football field, but in the classroom. That’s what we represent here at Centenary. To have him come in and be our keynote guest, it was a great honor.”

Tillery, who begins his fourth year in the NFL this fall, enjoyed spending the morning with the campers. “It feels great,” Tillery said of coming home to give back. “Shreveport-Bossier needs outreach. I’m blessed to be in a position to provide that. These kids, they’re out here having fun. You know, it’s about 100 degrees out here, but they are still enjoying it. And that’s what it’s about.”

When he is not giving back to the community, Tillery, who had 51 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2021, is working on becoming the best player that he can be.

“It’s a hands and feet game, so that’s where it starts, right?” Tillery said. “Hand placement and footwork so that’s what we always work every year.”

Dawson, who was hired earlier this year to resurrect the Centenary football program, is bringing with him the knowledge he gained from coaching the defensive line at Tulane University.

“One of the things I learned is that football is football,” Dawson said. “Going from the high school level to the Division I FBS level. So for every youth coach out there, it’s a little higher, a little faster, but ball is ball.”

Like every other coach did, Dawson addressed the Centenary College football campers at the end of the day. His message to the campers was simple, yet powerful. 

“Character over everything,” Dawson said. “You know, football is temporary. There are so many things that are temporary, but your character . . . having a good name. Keeping your word. Those are the most important things in life. This game teaches you character. It teaches you life skills. That’s the greatest gift you get from this game. It teaches you brotherhood. It teaches you accountability. And, most importantly, it teaches you how to work hard, like a man. That’s what I love about football.” 

Dawson, who made a name for himself as a defensive lineman at ECA before going on to play for LSU, has seen football from every level in Northwest Louisiana. He is glad to see all of the NFL athletes returning to Shreveport to host camps in the summer. 

“I’m so fired up about the other guys having camps,” Dawson said. “I think there are camps going on every weekend. And so that’s showing these guys that you can do great things out of the 318. So to be able to give back and invest in your city . . . make it better. You know, people talk about the problems, but who is going to do something about the solution? Whenever you can do positive things because positive, great people have come out of this city, I think it’s amazing.”

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

 Photo by JERRY BYRD JR.

Lang’s Locks: We look for the cycle with bets on four different tours this week

/ NPJ

By ROY LANG III, Journal Sports

Last week wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t a complete disaster, but we’ve been very consistent with possibilities of a big payday entering Sunday. That wasn’t the case last week. The perfect tonic? A FOUR-Tour bonanza. The PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, LIV Golf and the Korn Ferry Tour – we hit them all. You probably have never heard of Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, but hopefully many will after this week’s LIV United States debut. The PGA Tour field is extremely weak. You could argue it’s the third-best event.

Perhaps this is our chance to double or triple our profits this year! Good luck.

Notes

All bets are measured in units. For instance, if your normal bet on a game is $100, that is one unit. If the bet is listed as .2 units, it’s a $20 bet.

Best line (as of Tuesday) is listed in parenthesis. Find the best price, one key to being a successful sports bettor! Shop around!

Sportsbook legend

CAE: Caesar’s
FD: Fan Duel
MGM: Bet MGM
DK: DraftKings
BS: Barstool

LANG’S LOCKS

Last week recap: minus-3.4 units

THIS WEEK’S SELECTIONS

PGA Tour

John Deere Classic

Win bets

Taylor Pendrith, .1 unit, +8250 (DK)
Alex Smalley, .1 unit, +8250 (DK)

Top 20 bets

Emiliano Grillo, .8 units, +470 (FD)
Joseph Bramlett, .6 units, +650 (FD)
Andrew Putnam, .6 units, +550 (FD)
Tyler Duncan, .5 units, +470 (FD)
Nick Taylor, .5 units, +470 (FD)
Lanto Griffin, .5 units, +430 (FD)
Scott Gutschewski, .5 units, +1100 (DK)
Brendon Todd, .5 units, +380 (FD)

DP WORLD TOUR

Irish Open

First Round Leader bet

Shane Lowry, .1 unit, +2225 (FD)

Win bets

Shane Lowry,.2 units, +900 (CAE)
Troy Merritt, .1 unit, +4900 (MGM)

Top 20 bets

Julien Brun, .2 units, +550 (FD)
Oliver Farr, .2 units, +1000 (CAE)
Lukas Nemecz, .2 units, +450 (FD)
Santiago Tarrio Ben, .2 units, +550 (CAE)
David Law, .2 units, +650 (CAE)

LIV GOLF

Portland

Win bet

Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, .1 unit, +12400 (FD)

Top 10 bet

Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, .7 units, +550 (FD)

Top 20 bet

Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, .9 units, +150 (FD)

KORN FERRY TOUR

The Ascendant

Win bets

Logan McAllister, .1 unit, +19900 (CAE)
Justin Suh, .1 unit, +4050 (CAE)
Pierceson Coody, .1 unit, +2850 (CAE)
Taylor Montgomery, .1 unit, +2550 (CAE)

Sky’s the limit for Haughton center Polk

/ Megan Lowe

By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine

These days, it’s really hard to find a diamond in the rough – an offensive lineman who can block, pull, has great feet and hands, weighs over 300 pounds, and stands over 6-2.

Well, I found one. Haughton High School’s Peyton Polk stands 6-3, weighs 305 pounds, has great feet, great hands as a blocker, and could play center or offensive guard in college for many Division I programs. He would also be a big-time get for a I-AA program.

I’ve watched Polk play since the 2020 season, and even then I was very impressed with his feet, his size, and the upside this kid has. As they say, “the sky’s the limit for him.”

Polk also benches 410 pounds, squats almost 600 pounds, and cleans a whopping 335 pounds – making him one of the strongest offensive linemen in Louisiana.

“Peyton is a great kid and has done everything we have asked of him since day one,” said Haughton offensive line coach Kyle Washington. “He started as a freshman and showed a lot of maturity in how he learned what to do and in his ability to be coachable.

“In his sophomore and junior years, he was starting to take on a leadership role but still was putting in the work to develop his game. Now, as he begins his senior year, I’m excited to see all his hard work pay off.”

When asked to name his favorite colleges, Polk includes the following:

  • Arkansas: “It’s where I was born and grew up. We always watched the Razorbacks play and my dad is a big fan.”
  • LSU: “It’s the biggest college in the state. I’ve been to games and camps there. The energy is awesome.”
  • Louisiana Tech: “It’s my parents’ alma mater, its close, and the Bulldogs are a big deal in Haughton.”
  • Baylor: “Their campus is beautiful, it’s prestigious, and they have been recruiting me.”

Notes on Peyton Polk: He is a rare four-year starter who plans on majoring in electrical engineering in college. Hobbies include hunting (with his dad), fishing, and going to the gym. His father is retired Air Force.

Contact Lee at LBrecheen@aol.com

TBL Finals schedule set for Shreveport, Albany

/ Megan Lowe

JOURNAL STAFF

Shreveport’s Mavericks will begin their quest for The Basketball League Championship when the finals series with the Albany Patroons begins Saturday at Centenary’s Gold Dome. Tipoff for Game 1 of the best-of-three series is set for 7:05 p.m.

The Mavericks will travel to New York for Game 2 on Wednesday, July 6, and if necessary, Game 3 will be Thursday, July 7, in New York.

Shreveport finished with a 19-5 regular season record in the Central Division and advanced to the championship series by defeating So Cal for the West Region Championship in two games. Albany was 21-3 in the Northeast Division and got past Kokomo in three games to win the East Region. Both teams have posted a 6-2 mark in three playoff series.

BPCC has two invited to All-American JUCO Showcase

/ Megan Lowe

JOURNAL STAFF

Bossier Parish Community College’s Christian Caldwell and Kendrick Delahoussaye have been invited to the All-American JUCO Showcase Invitational for men’s basketball to be held July 9-10.

All of the top JUCO prospects in the 2023 class will compete with one another in the same gym located just northeast of Atlanta at the International Sports Arena in Stone Mountain, Ga. Hundreds of college coaches, national media, scouts and film services will be there to see the best 200 players in the country.

Caldwell is a 6-foot-6 forward who prepped at Southwood High School. Delahoussaye is a 5-11 guard from Lafayette who played at Lafayette High School.

OPPORTUNITY: Chief Financial Officer

/ NPJ

OPPORTUNITY: Chief Financial Officer

Outpatient Medical Center (Natchitoches Headquarters) is looking for a fulltime CFO to join our leadership team and report to our CEO and Board of Directors. The CFO is responsible for fulfilling all financial and collections priorities/requirements of the organization and to effectively manage and direct assigned staff. Must be willing to join a new leadership team and continue improvements initiated over the past two years – necessary to rebuild an organization once seriously threatened financially.
A successful candidate will not only be knowledgeable but also an excellent communicator with the ability to clearly explain fiscal and budgetary matters to executives and policy-makers.

Must be exceptionally organized, assure accuracy of reports and tasks, and meet deadlines in a proactive manner. A successful candidate will have a record of highly responsible CFO experience in a healthcare setting, managing and accounting for multiple grants and revenue sources. OMC will also consider progressively responsible candidates who have extensive FQHC experience with audits, budgeting, management reports, accounting, billing, and supervision.

Resumes are being accepted by email to hr@outpatientmedical.org. Confidential inquires may be made to the CEO, Dr. Mark Guidry, at 318-357-2055.

Notice of Death – June 28, 2022

/ NPJ

Ardis McCall
June 2, 1961 ~ June 26, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Jewell Street Baptist Church 2440 Darien Street Shreveport

Brenda A. (Jones) Walter
October 13, 1966 ~ June 25, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Billy Ray Jackson
March 16, 1948 – June 21, 2022
Services: Saturday, July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Roundgrove Cemetery 2869 Roundgrove Lane Shreveport

Jewell Willis
February 6, 1940 ~ June 25, 2022
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 11:00 AM New Bethel MBC 3300 Greenwood Rd Shreveport

Alee Robinson
January 7, 1935 ~ June 18, 2022
Visitation: 11 to 6 p.m., Friday at Heavenly Gates
Services: 11 a.m, Saturday, July 2, 2022 at New Bethel MBC 3300 Greenwood Rd Shreveport

William Merle “Coach” Gore
January 24, 1940 — June 26, 2022
Visitation: Rose-Neath Marshall Street will be held before the services on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Services: 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall Street, Shreveport

Willis Bass
February 6, 1947 ~ June 22, 2022
Visitation: Thursday June 30, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Friday July 1, 2022 11:00 AM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Pete Allen, Jr.
January 6, 1937 ~ June 19, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 1:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Kenneth “Ken” Roy Grosz
September 2, 1942 — June 11, 2022
Visitation: visitation at 10:00 am in the church parlor. 
Services: will be held at Frost Chapel located at First Baptist Church, 543 Ockley Drive, Shreveport, Louisiana on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. The service will be at 11:00 a.m. 

Margie Lucille Tibbits
May 5, 1927 — June 25, 2022
Visitation: 12:00 p.m. until service time
Services: 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 1, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Miami Bridges Spears
May 12, 1935 — June 24, 2022
Visitation: Tuesday, June 28, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
Services: 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Betty Jean Yancey Williams
August 28, 1942 — June 25, 2022
Visitation: Tuesday, June 28, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 1815 Marshall Street, Shreveport
Services:  10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at Forest Park Cemetery on St. Vincent Avenue in Shreveport

Maudrene Poole
May 4, 1926 ~ June 17, 2022
Visitation: Friday July 1, 2022 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM Heavenly Gates
Services: Saturday July 2, 2022 11:00 AM Heavenly Gates

Willis Bass
February 6, 1947 ~ June 22, 2022
Visitation: Thursday June 30, 2022 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue
Services: Friday July 1, 2022 11:00 AM Winnfield Funeral Home – Shreveport 3701 Hollywood Avenue

Vicki Lynn Collinsworth
July 15, 1951 — June 20, 2022
Visitation: 9:00 a.m. until time of service
Services: 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 3, 2022 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 2500 Southside Dr., Shreveport

Beach Bread

/ NPJ

By Ashley Madden Rowton

I am NO fan of blue cheese. At all. I passed up this recipe quite a few times but then thought, ok, let me try this. It was such a hit, and even I could not detect the blue cheese in the flavor! This is a super popular recipe at the beachside restaurants in Florida. So if you aren’t beachside, you can at least make this and pretend that you are! It is absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

• French bread baguette
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• Liberal shakes of garlic powder
• 1/3 cup blue cheese dressing
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 cups Italian cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut baguette in half lengthwise and spread melted butter on each side. Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder. Spread dressing on each half. Top with tomatoes, cheese, salt, pepper and parsley. Bake 10-12 minutes.

*Recipe from Cookies & Cups.

Ashley Madden Rowton is a wife, mom and cookbook author

Been a while, but what a year to make it back to Natty

/ Megan Lowe

Natchitoches was a sweet spot to be this weekend, and I’m not talking about just enjoying the banana pudding at Lasyone’s. I’m talking about being in Natty for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.

For most of the last decade, Dad duties have had me at summer track meets during the last weekend of June, and the decade before that, summer workouts and various 7-on-7 tournaments.  

I couldn’t have picked a better year to come back to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Nothing stopped me from attending in 1996 when my father received the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism, the highest award a scribe can receive in the state of Louisiana. Introducing him that night was Teddy Allen, who – at the time – had already established himself as a rising star in the profession. 

As he introduced my father, he talked about people “carrying pieces of Jerry Byrd” with them in their scrapbooks, or folded up in their wallets, or calling their friend to see if their friend had read what “Mr. Byrd” had written about the Dallas Cowboys.

But I guess it’s true what they say, that people will forget what you say, but they will never forget how you make them feel. I wasn’t sitting by my dad, but I was watching across the room when Teddy Allen walked over and had him autograph a baseball. I forgot most of what Teddy said about my father that night, but I will always remember the way it made me feel. Proud. 

Saturday night at the Natchitoches Event Center, it was Teddy’s turn to enter the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Service Award winner. He actually pulled double duty serving as emcee and as inductee.

When he was interviewed as part of his induction, Allen told a story about a tipsy public address announcer urinating in the restroom-less press box at a Waterproof vs. Wisner high school football game.

While it was a great story, and got a roar from the crowd, I’ll probably forget all about the Waterproof-Wisner public address announcer. What I will never forget is a middle schooler doing his American history homework during a Thursday night prep tilt in the press box at Caddo Parish Stadium, now known as Lee Hedges Stadium.

How do I remember it being a Thursday night? Because one, it was a rare event that I even took my homework to the press box, and two, I never took my homework to a Friday night game. Weekend homework was saved for Sunday nights.

“What are you working on, Lil’ Jerry?” Allen said. Family, both blood and my Shreveport Journal family, called me ‘Little Jerry’ to distinguish between my father and me. 

I told Teddy that I was working on a report about Andrew Jackson. 

“Ol’ Hickory!” Allen said, giving me Jackson’s nickname. 

It started a nice conversation which led us to discuss the merits of the Battle of 1812. In the press box at Caddo Parish Stadium.

For several years after that, whenever we met, we called each other “Ol’ Hickory.” 

We were probably still calling each other Ol’ Hickory years later in the Food Court of Pierre Bossier Mall participating in a media taco eating contest. Teddy was representing the Shreveport Times. I had interned that summer for the Shreveport Journal and this was my last assignment. I was well qualified.

The judges, who were probably the managers for the Taco Tico, said we tied for first place, but gave me the nod because I didn’t leave any lettuce on my tray. 

Teddy Allen may not dangle modifiers, but you have to watch him with his lettuce when a soft taco is in the equation. 

Saturday night, he spotted me and my wife sitting in the back of the ballroom at the Natchitoches Events Center. It was my turn to get his autograph.

“Am I the only one who is going to be signing this baseball?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’m taking the sweet spot!”

Have it, big fella!

It wasn’t the only sweet spot Teddy made his mark on Saturday night. He now has one, permanently, at 800 Front Street in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. There is nobody any more worthy.

Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com

Alabama or LSU? Eric Andolsek chose wisely, built a Louisiana legacy

/ Megan Lowe
EMOTIONAL ABOUT ERIC:  His sister Renee and brother Andy accepted Eric Andolsek’s induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Saturday from (at left) 2012 LSHOF inductee and state Sen. Gerald Boudreaux and (at right) Raymond Partsch III, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association president.

By JASON PUGH, Written for the LSWA

In the eight decades of Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductions, among the 467 people enshrined, 107 are former LSU athletes, coaches or alumni.

That number increased by a record number, six, on Saturday night at the Class of 2022 ceremony at the Natchitoches Events Center.

The one who could only be remembered during the Induction Celebration was LSU and Thibodaux High School offensive lineman Eric Andolsek, who was emerging as an NFL star at age 25 when he was killed by an out-of-control 18-wheeler while cutting the grass at his home on La. 1 in 1992.

An All-SEC and third-team All-American as a Tiger, Andolsek died exactly 30 years ago Thursday and was inducted on the anniversary of his funeral. His brother Andy, his sister Renee, and a large contingent of family and friends from Thibodaux and Baton Rouge were in Natchitoches to honor him.

While accepting his brother’s posthumous induction, Andy recalled Eric’s college choices coming down to Alabama and LSU and what his younger brother’s decision to stay closer to home meant, especially in light of the accident that took his life.

“I lived next door to my parents, and every afternoon you had a college coach sitting in the living room talking or eating boiled crawfish,” Andy Andolsek said. “He was torn between LSU and Alabama. He made the right choice. He stayed home where everybody could follow him. That made his legacy in Thibodaux.

“If he had gone somewhere else, he wouldn’t have been who he was. Even now, going to the grocery store, someone always has an Eric story, and it usually doesn’t deal with football. It could be as simple as him helping change a flat tire. Everyone in Thibodaux still remembers him.”

In addition to his prowess and nasty streak on the field, Andolsek’s high school coach has another idea why people remember the man who was a “gentle giant” away from the field.

“When the Detroit Lions came to town for his funeral, one of the coaches said Eric was a special person – a giver,” Laury Dupont said. “When you give, it grows. When you save, it dies. Eric was a giver. He touched everybody’s life.”

He made impact in the NFL as a standout guard for the Lions – not the struggling franchise of recent years, but a team on the rise with the electric Barry Sanders at running back, a playoff team in what turned out to be Andolsek’s last year.

His last NFL game? The 1991 NFC Championship Game, one step from the Super Bowl.

Sanders took time over last weekend to acknowledge his teammate and the Andolsek family. You can look it up – after Andolsek’s death, the Lions faded, and Sanders’ rushing totals weren’t quite as substantial as they were with No. 65 helping clear space up front.

“What a great honor for his family. Congrats,” Sanders tweeted.

Another tribute came from another Pro Football Hall of Fame member, and a proud LSU product who came through Baton Rouge a decade after Andolsek did.

“One of the best to ever do it,” tweeted Alan Faneca, like Andolsek, an offensive guard.

Now they are teammates, not only as LSU Tiger greats, but in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Photo by CHRIS REICH, LSWA