NATCHITOCHES, La.— The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame welcomed 12 new members this weekend, a class that runs the gamut from Major League Baseball to the NFL but is dominated by college basketball figures.
Among the inductees, Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy reflected on his early career in Bossier Parish, saying his time teaching P.E. and coaching multiple teams there helped shape his approach.
"I was at Bossier High School as teaching P.E. and coaching the Bossier High School team. Then they talked to me and that year I coached the high school team and the junior college team, the JV team, and I taught my five classes," McConathy said. "And I know some people said, well, man, you got two jobs. And I said, yeah, there wasn't anybody else lined up to take it because nobody else wanted to do what was going to have to be done."
LSU coach John Brady, also among the 2026 honorees, pointed to the impact of Shreveport native Stromile Swift in elevating the Tigers program in the lead-up to LSU’s 2006 Final Four run.
"Our ability, and I'm going to give him credit, the ability for us to sign Stromile Swift on probation out of Fair Park High School. And in 2000, we were able to win the league with nine scholarship players. Stromile Swift changed the whole trajectory of the program," Brady said. "Coach, you talked about you were better with good players. I'm in that same boat. I know what that's about."
The weekend activities continue through Saturday, including concerts, a bowling event and the induction ceremony Saturday evening in Natchitoches.
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