May 8, 2021
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TODAY’S COLUMNS:
Scott dissects the Saints Draft
Dennis has a Part III of III on LHSAA High School officials
Please scroll down below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Judging the quality of the draft of a NFL team the “value” of the pick is the most unfair measure imaginable. It assumes that the team knows how the other teams have rated players, and who those teams will select. On top of that, it does not matter. All that matters is if the player develops.
Why does anyone care in the long run that Marques Colston was drafted in the 7th round? If a team drafts 7 players, and 4 turn into starters, does it matter if those four players could have been selected later in the draft?
In this day and age of fantasy drafts, I am not sure why people cannot understand this concept. If you need a receiver, even though it is earlier than you want to take the receiver, you do it because you don’t get another pick until the draft wraps back around to you. Draft experts would call it a reach, but who cares if you get a productive player?
In my mind, it matters when evaluating a specific selection whether that player performs at the level in which he was selected. For example, Marcus Davenport has been a huge disappointment considering where he was picked and what the Saints had to give up in order to draft him. Trey Hendrickson was exactly what a third round pick should be considering he was a third round pick. He was a solid reserve and developed into an excellent reserve/starter last year.
The draft on the whole, on the other hand, simply comes down to the number of players who contribute. Last year the Saints selected 4 players and only 1 contributed significantly. Baun hardly played, Trautman made little impact, and Stevens did not make the team. At this point, that was a poor draft. The selection of Ruiz was good.
Swinging back around to this year’s draft, in my mind, a first round pick should be ready to start his rookie year. That is the reason I am disappointed in the selection of Payton Turner. There is a problem with Davenport or Jordan if Turner starts ahead of them. Trying to remain optimistic though, defensive linemen get rotated so frequently that if Turner is able to produce playing a third of the snaps this could turn into a quality pick.
Pete Werner must start. The Saints have been a one linebacker team for a while with Demario Davis doing everything. Kwon Alexander fixed that until his injury, and the Saints are back in the same boat. Werner is a second round pick at a position of huge need. He will get every chance to start like McCoy two years ago, and if he plays as well as McCoy did his rookie year then it was a good pick.
Of course, one year is not enough to completely evaluate a draft class. If Werner or Turner take a year to develop, they can still be quality selections. But considering all the Saints lost and the poor drafts recently, the pressure is on for this year.
The player who is going to make or break this draft is Paulson Adebo. Everyone in the league knows the Saints are desperate at cornerback. One starter left in free agency and the other committed a ridiculously stupid crime. All of this at one of the most crucial positions in the league and a position the Saints lacked depth already.
The Saints did not have the cap space to sign a free agent before the draft. Apparently, the Saints were willing, as usual, to give up the farm to trade up and get a guaranteed starter. Amazingly, when that did not work, they waited until the third round to draft a corner. The good news is they got one with a high ceiling. The bad news is that everyone, including Sean Payton, says that he is raw. Not very reassuring for a third round pick that is going to have to play significant minutes by default.
Increasing the pressure is the fact that the Saints traded up to get Adebo. In my mind, they could have waited and drafted 2 corners within 7 picks of each other. The odds would have been good that one of them would have turned out with an outside chance that both would contribute. I must admit that the Saints know their draft board better than I, so I will certainly surrender to their judgement here.
The selection of Ian Book is bringing the most criticism. Again, I do not care if people think he would have lasted to the 6th round. The Saints could not have known that. Besides, I am relieved they did not waste a pick in the first 3 rounds which was heavy speculation going into the draft. I am even more relieved after reading a report the Saints were trying to move up for Mac Jones. The Saints would have had to give up so much draft capital to get a player that would not play, and then not have enough selections to fill huge holes on defense.
As for Book, it makes sense to me. Winston is the starter. Hill is the playmaker. Book will have a redshirt year. If things work out with Winston, Book will have 3-4 redshirt years, and most everyone thinks he is a career backup anyway. Career backup is what is expected out of a 4th round pick at quarterback. Your starter is supposed to be a high first round pick, but the Saints keep winning and do not get that opportunity. The other option is a free agent, which is what we have with Jameis.
Landon Young and Kawaan Baker are late round picks that may or may not make the roster, but they have ability. If they make the roster as late round picks, then that is a win.
As always, the undrafted free agents are very interesting. Immediately after the draft, I would have listed the Saints needs as cornerback (x2), defensive tackle, tight end, and depth at any position.
The Saints signed 3 cornerbacks and they really need one of them to be one of their classic undrafted gems like Deonte Harris, Pierre Thomas, or Marquez Calloway. Keep an eye out for Trill Williams from Syracuse. Great name.
At tight end and defensive tackle, the Saints signed Dylan Soehner and Josiah Bronson respectively. Neither move the needle very much, but undrafted free agents are usually a surprise if they make the team for a reason.
The name that I am going to keep an eye on is Stevie Scott. He was very productive at Indiana. He is a big running back at 6’2” and 225 pounds, which the Saints have lacked for a while. It is about time for a fresh face at running back in New Orleans, so maybe Scott gets a chance.
Because the roster was not as good heading into the draft as in recent years, there is a greater opportunity for these players to make an impact this year. For the Saints to make the playoffs, they will have to make an impact as rookies.
HEY REF
Before I unveil the third and final part of this special report from 2015 let me make sure everyone understands I don’t have an ax to grind so to speak. But for everything I believe in when it comes down to those wanting to WORK high school football they’ve got to understand what the term WORK means. It isn’t thinking you’re not going to make mistakes because you are; we all have made mistakes WORKING football games. I’ve made some of the biggest, most horrific calls known to ever be made. But the difference from when I started to those on the field now it’s almost like night and day.
I know you’ve read my constant complaint on how today’s officials find pleasure when a member of the crew blows a call and they can’t wait to be the first to spread the news. Yet the next game comes along and a different official blows a call but he doesn’t want his call to be the topic of discussion. You can’t have it both ways. I’ve found today’s officials are so hell bent on beating their chest and patting themselves on the back as if they’re a gift from heaven to save the day.
Many officials like to work in a crew and I’m one of them. In my day we worked varsity games with just four officials and many times those games turned into track meets. There wasn’t time to take a play or two off since we were so undermanned. So, as a crew we watched everybody’s back and went that extra step or two to insure the play was “covered”. But for some odd reason the pressure put upon high school officials is causing a shortage of qualified people to work games.
I’ll give you this play situation and show you what I mean as far as the difference between WORKING a game and being there to CALL a game. A wide out runs down the sidelines make a move and to avoid the defensive back steps out of bounds but goes back into the field of play to catch a pass. This should be the deep official’s call but on this play he either didn’t see it or didn’t care since he didn’t throw his flag. I saw it, there was no doubt he intentionally stepped out of bounds so I threw my flag.
After the ball is dead I go talk to this official and he’s red-hot mad. “Why did you throw a flag? That’s my call, not your call”! I didn’t get to say a word. My training would tell me to do exactly what I did and explain that the receiver stepped out. Well, these new mechanics they want officials to follow has nothing to do with getting the call right, it’s all about doing things by the book no matter what else happens. I was told I was wrong and I should’ve just told the coach “I didn’t see it, that’s not my call”! Ask any coach the number of times they’re told this and you’d be shocked at the excuses officials use to make themselves not guilty of making a mistake.
So, I’ll leave it at that and allow you to finish the third and final part of my report from 2015. I’d really like to ask coaches to comment on what I’ve written here for the last three weeks and see just how many really feel there’s a problem with today’s officials.
This is the third part of a special three part series delving into the LHSAA’a high school football officials.
I’d like to thank all those that have taken the time to read the previous two columns. Next week I plan to answer all of the questions I’ve received so far and those I’ll be assured of getting this week. But before I answer any questions I felt that I’ve got to pass along my reasons and the situations that lead up to my abrupt and sudden walking away from what I love to do. For starters it felt many veteran officials seemed threatened that they’d lose their spot in the pecking order of game assignments.
In my first game action of the year during our pregame meeting I asked if we were going to use the “new” way of covering kickoffs. In a five man crew it calls for three of the five officials to be on the goal line. I offered that we take one official off the goal line and move him up to cover the receiver’s restraining line which is usually the 50 yard line. Too many times problems happen there and having just one man there causes way too many problems. I was told “no, we’ll go with the new mechanics” so along with two other members of the crew I lined up on the goal line.
And of course early in the first half the kicker squibbed a kick (this was not an intended on-side kick). The official covering the play called out “Blue, Blue’s ball” indicating blue had recovered the ball. Just one problem and it was a big problem he was pointing, indicating “white” had recovered. Confusion reigned as by the time I made it from the goal line to the 50 the recovering coach was screaming his player recovered, which was correct.
I asked the official who had position and he said blue which made me ask why he pointed toward white’s goal line. He quickly changed the direction he was pointing in and you can guess what the other coach had to say of the confusion. So while the referee went to both coaches to explain I made the comment to the umpire “that’s why I like having two guys up on the receiver’s restraining line”. His answer was totally out of order as he yelled at me “That was your call. You’ve got to hustle and cover that kick”.
Of course all he was doing was covering for his buddy as I was the new member that just transferred in to his association. I let it slide because we all knew his buddy had screwed up. Later in the game one team calls time out on a third down to consider the play they’ll run. While running third down a flag was thrown for offensive holding. After the play another flag was thrown on the offense for a dead ball foul.
I marked the dead ball spot while the referee and umpire decided how to enforce both penalties. They walk off 35 yards and as I’m trying to explain their mistake I’m told to basically don’t bother them because they know what they’re doing. I tried telling them that since the offense didn’t make their first down the offended team can decline the penalty have the dead ball (15 yards) enforced and it’ll be 4th down. I thin k to myself O. K. guys if you know what you’re doing why is the coach going nuts? The offended coach wants a conference which the referee grants.
After just two minutes the ref comes out onto the field and asks me “Where was the dead ball spot”? Seems the chains were told to move to the new spot. Not only were they wrong but the yardage they walked off was wrong since 10 and 15 are 25 not 35. The ref now acknowledges I was right and the holding foul will be declined and we’ll just walk off the 15 yard dead ball foul. So Mr. Ref calls me over to him and wants me to spot the ball so he can walk off the 15 yarder. He tells me it was my responsibility to know where the spot should be since I was the one that ruled on the previous play. I said just walk back 35 yards since that’s what you penalized. A simple way to correct your mistake that you’ll then penalize only 15 yards since the holding foul was declined to bring up 4th down. But again I’m told I was the one that was the cause of this screw-up.
When I decided to return to officiating football games it was not to call as many playoff games that I could. Nor did I care to work a game in the Super Dome. I assure everyone that was the farthest thing from my mind when I decided to return to the field after being “retired” for more than ten years. One of the earliest things I remember being told was “don’t talk to so and so because you’ll never get to the Dome or call any playoff games”. I didn’t come back to work any playoff games because I’ve called too many to count. I had no desire in getting the nod to work a state final game in the Super Dome because I’ve been there and done that.
My one and only reason for returning was to try and get my local association back on track at being the premier association in the entire state. A position that I’d helped build through years of hard work and dedication to the little things! Test scores are always a place to start but to me a guy that can apply common sense on the field always trumps book sense. But again there has to be a starting point so getting guys up to speed on rules knowledge comes first.
I was shocked to find that the three associations I worked games in the past four years just told their members to “learn on your own” which of course everyone knows is 180 degrees opposite with the way I think and this must be changed. The LHSAA changed the testing procedure this year and it was a tremendous failure. We were given a “study” guide from the LHSOA that did nothing to prepare us for the test. In fact the only thing the Louisiana High School Official’s Association (LHSOA) was successful in was to piss off the principals by threatening to strike if we weren’t given a $5.00 per game increase.
My “Old School” training had a mindset that to get better games and better pay was to become a better official. I’ve written that in stone as it should be the only way an official can move up. But I found that those that shared adult beverages with those in power to assign games were once again poising the relationship between fellow officials and coaches. As a retired union member when contract negotiations came around we had just one bargaining chip that being of course our hands. We were selling labor and only labor. The question we needed to answer was if our labor warranted more money this time around! That’s all officials can offer the coaches, players and principals, our labor.
Officiating sports in today’s hectic world offers few rewards and isn’t something I recommend for the faint at heart. You’ll be abused, used, cheated and disrespected by just about everyone. There are very few rewards to be had. You’re expected to be perfect every second of every game. There is very little respect coming your way and sideline abuse is rampant. It saddens me to no end to see and experience the decline in a craft I once cherished.
There are many things I’m not able to print so I’ll close with that. The decline in officials and officiating has many reasons but the one I find so offensive is the constant back stabbing of officials by other officials. The “crew” concept went by the way of the dinosaurs. So I’ll ask this final question “If you don’t respect yourself and those you’re supposed to respect how can you expect respect from others”?
Till next week…
Press Release
by
Jim Spring
The year 2020 marked the tenth anniversary of the Denham Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame (HOF) since its inception in 2011, though celebration of this feat was postponed until now due to the Corona virus pandemic. Then school Principal Kelly Jones and Athletic Director Dru Nettles tasked J. W. “Pee Wee” Day, Butch Wax, Robert Graves, and Jim Spring—all DSHS alumni and former Yellow Jacket athletes—to form a Steering Committee to establish criteria, procedures, and a timeline that would bring into existence the Hall of Fame.
The Steering Committee believed that such an elite athletic fraternity could become a community treasure. The city has only one high school, thus enabling the public to rally around its flagship scholastic institution. Community support for the organization has been outstanding, benefited by generous exposure in The Livingston Parish News through the years.
The Committee embraced the notion of hosting a formal HOF induction banquet each year instead of pursuing a more minimalist approach that would involve little fanfare, such as the informal introduction of members during a sporting event. Held annually at Forrest Grove Plantation each September, the popular banquet has become one of the most anticipated events on the city’s social calendar. The affair is made possible through the gracious support of title sponsor Hood Dental Care and, before that, Sport-N-Center.
In 2011, one hundred and fourteen years after the school’s founding, leaders created this prestigious Hall of Fame—now a decade old—to celebrate its rich sports tradition and to honor its many sports heroes.
The four-member Steering Committee, which provided structure and gave birth to the institution, was then absorbed by an 11-member Selection Committee that meets each spring to review nominations and vote on that year’s class by secret ballot. School officials have striven to protect the integrity of the selection process, understanding that holding the community’s trust is essential to the credibility and long-term success of the Hall of Fame. To that end, DSHS relies solely upon the public to submit all nominations.
Though DSHS has become the second largest high school in the state since its founding in 1897, for the most part it was considered a small country school. Thus, all the more remarkable that it has produced such a surprising number of heralded sports figures. Among its alumni are five prep All-Americans, seven collegiate All-Americans, four professional athletes, an Olympian, an NFL team president, and a Golden Spikes Award winner (college baseball’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy).
Notable athletic achievements are state championships in baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls softball, and girls bowling. The 1972 Yellow Jacket football team came close to a state title, earning runner-up laurels in a fierce match versus Hahnville that ended in a 26-26 tie, losing the game–-and the title—on first downs in an era before overtime play was part of the game.
One additional achievement, evidence of its solid reputation built over the past decade, is the HOF’s assistance to six other high schools seeking guidance in establishing such an institution on their campuses.
Member Demographics
Currently the Hall of Fame has enshrined 73 sports greats, an average of eight per class, with pending inductions of another six whose installations were delayed until September of 2021 due to the pandemic. Another such postponement occurred when The Great Flood of 2016 caused a deferment that year as well. In an effort to jumpstart the long overdue recognition of Yellow Jacket greats, the first two classes (2011, 2012) were expanded to no more than 15 each. Subsequent classes are limited to no more than eight each, although depending upon the size and quality of the nominee pool, the number varies from year to year.
Of the total membership, 20 are deceased including 11 whose inductions were posthumous. Though all the inductees lived in Denham Springs during their high school years, their life journeys have taken some to other states—Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Arizona, and Washington—and one to a foreign country. Katrina Hibbert, an exchange student from Australia who led the Lady Jackets basketball team to a storybook 37-0 season and a Class 5A state title in 1996, has since returned to live Down Under.
Fifty-four of the 58 members inducted thus far in the “Athlete” category earned All State honors or were State Champions in individual sports such as tennis or track and field. Some received this distinction more than once and some in more than one sport. Ten coaches and only five supporters have been so honored, rounding out the 73 members. The Yellow Jackets’ only three-sport, first team All State honoree—and thus considered the most well-rounded athlete in school history—is Cecil Harris who was lauded in basketball, baseball, and track and field during the 1960s.
While Cecil Harris may have been our most well rounded athlete, Ben McDonald is arguably the most celebrated and well known as a two-sport, two-time prep All State selection, a two-time collegiate All-American at LSU, winner of the prestigious NCAA Golden Spikes Award, a #1 draft pick in Major League Baseball, a gold medal Olympian, and an ESPN sports analyst.
On the other hand, Tasmin Mitchell is arguably the most heralded and decorated, having been a rare four-time prep All State choice (three-time MVP), a two-time prep All-American on three different teams (Parade, McDonald’s, EA Sports), the Grasshoops National Prep Freshman Player of the Year, a Louisiana Mr. Basketball selectee, Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year, a collegiate Freshman All-American at LSU, and a current LSU men’s assistant basketball coach.
Not to be overshadowed in state and national honors is 2006 DSHS graduate Regena Jackson, easily the most decorated female athlete in school history. A two-time prep All State basketball star for the Lady Jackets, she became a two-time NAIA All-American at Belhaven College where she was one of three NAIA National Player of the Year finalists her senior year. Averaging 24 points per game, Jackson led the nation as the NAIA National Scoring Leader as a senior. Her jersey is prominently displayed in the Ring of Honor at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In addition to their athletic achievements, many Hall of Fame members were campus leaders as well. All State basketball stars Donald Ray Hood and Eddie Joe Jones, the latter who went on to become an NFL President with the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins, displayed exceptional leadership ability by serving as DSHS Class Presidents all four years of high school. Selected as Mr. DSHS during their senior years were Hall of Famers Pee Wee Day, Butch Wax, Jim Kemp, Sam Digirolamo, and Jeff Harris. Honored as Miss DSHS was All State basketball and track star, Nancy Davis McConnell.
The many family ties represented among HOF members may suggest that good genes play a role in creating great athletes. Fathers and sons Cecil and Jeff Harris, along with Van Foster Jr. and Van Foster III echo that sentiment, as do fathers and daughters George Meadors and Sarah Meadors Mestepey, plus Tony and Lisa Dugas. All State basketball players Sammy Dixon Hannaman and Nikki Dixon Leader are sisters, while Joey Chustz and Jamie Chustz-Felder are brother and sister. Brothers Cecil and Raymond Harris, A. E. and Lathan Sutton, and Rogers and Randy Pope are further examples. Prep football All-American Kelvin Robinson and his basketball star cousin, Drexel Robinson, also share family bonds.
Of all those inducted into the Hall of Fame, only two athletes have been honored to perform in the prestigious LHSAA All Star Game in two different sports. All State football and baseball great, Glenn Glass, participated in those two sports. All State basketball and softball star, Lisa Dugas, displayed her talent on the court and on the diamond. At the collegiate level, the only Yellow Jackets to earn All SEC laurels are Katrina Hibbert, Russ Johnson, Ben McDonald, Tasmin Mitchell, and Shannon Roubique. Hibbert was a three-time, first team All SEC basketball player at LSU. Roubique was a three-time, first team All SEC football player at Auburn.
Dual HOF Members
Before the DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame was established, the school was represented in the LHSAA Sports Hall of Fame by three legendary coaches and one legendary athlete. Louis “Loodie” Carlisle was the first successful Jacket football coach of the modern era, enjoying a 66-31-9 record. Having won a Class 2A state championship in 1964 while coaching at Assumption High of Napoleonville, he led DSHS to a Class 3A state runner-up finish to Hahnville in 1972. His teams won three district titles and made 11 playoff appearances. Carlisle was named District Coach of the Year four times.
Former DSHS student-athlete-coach-athletic director-principal Butch Wax was the winningest football coach in school annals with a 152-84-2 career record, earning five district titles and making 19 post season appearances with four quarterfinal finishes. He coached regular season undefeated teams in 1978 and 1983, plus one 12-win season, two 11-win seasons, and five 9-win seasons. Wax was selected District Coach of the Year five times.
Basketball mentor, Alton Leggette, was a fiery coach and masterful tactician who brought excellence to the DSHS boys basketball program after winning the Class C State Championship at Holden in 1963, building a remarkable 251-44 record in six seasons with the Rockets. His Jacket teams enjoyed a 247-111 record, winning one district title and making three playoff appearances. Widely respected within the coaching community, he was named Mr. Louisiana Basketball in 1990 and received the SLU Legends in Coaching Award in 1999. During his career, Leggette was selected District Coach of the Year four times, Parish Coach of the Year six times, and Class C State Coach of the Year in 1963.
The Jackets’ final member and only athlete in the LHSAA Sports Hall of Fame is Ben McDonald—superstar athlete at the high school, collegiate, professional, and Olympic levels. In addition to receiving college baseball’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy as a senior at LSU, he was also named National College Player of the Year by Sporting News, Baseball America, and ESPN in his junior year. He was a major league pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles for seven seasons and the Milwaukee Brewers for two before retiring after three shoulder surgeries. McDonald is also a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches and the National College Baseball Hall of Fame located on the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock, Texas.
Two-time National Prep All-American tennis sensation, Jana Garrison Orillion, and National Prep All-American football star, Kelvin Robinson, have been nominated to the LHSAA Sports Hall of Fame but not yet selected. Robinson was the first high school All-American at DSHS in any sport.
Community Support
Throughout the HOF’s ten years as the seat of athletic excellence in the community, local businesses and individual Jacket fans have been charitable with their support. During the first year when the annual banquet, though well attended, lost about $300 because of associated expenses, Pee Wee Day recommended that local sponsors be solicited to underwrite the cost of plaques. It is the custom to present inductees with a handsome keepsake plaque made of walnut with an 8X10 space to insert a photograph of the individual. A separate metal and acrylic plaque bearing an etched likeness of the inductee is displayed in the Hall of Fame. The two plaques, which cost a total of $400 annually are made by A-1 Awards, Inc. in Indianapolis. Thus, they represent an expense of $3,200 for, say, an eight member Hall of Fame class. The goodwill of local sponsors now absorbs this significant expense.
In 2014 Stacy Phipps of Sport-N-Center was approached about becoming the first HOF title sponsor that would largely underwrite the expense of the catered banquet. Following a generous five-year run as title sponsor, Sport-N-Center handed the mantle to Dr. Ed Hood of Hood Dental Care which is beginning its third year in that distinguished role. The benevolent spirit of these two community leaders and former DSHS student-athletes cannot be overstated.
The Great Flood of 2016 caused the postponement of the annual banquet that year as well as the relocation of the Hall of Fame itself. When floodwaters wrecked the former display area in Hornsby gym, Big Mike’s Sports Bar & Grill became the new home in 2019. The former site at DSHS offered limited public access since it was located on a closed campus. The new site offered by Mike O’Neal provides unlimited access seven days a week during restaurant hours. Local carpenter and handyman John Olivier created the handsome display, while local painter Lionel Kabel provided the attractive signage.
Yellow Jacket Firsts
A number of Hall of Fame members were groundbreaking pioneers in DSHS athletics and the first to achieve some sports-related milestone. Rex Wilkinson is believed to be the first All State athlete on the first state championship team in school history (1923). He is also believed to be the first to play men’s basketball at LSU. Longtime DSHS principal of 35 years, Grady Hornsby, changed the school’s mascot from Tomcats to Yellow Jackets and adopted purple and gold as the school colors in 1930. He also coached the first 11-man football team from 1930-1933.
Bert Barnett, a two-sport All State honoree in basketball and track (1946), was the first to receive a full athletic scholarship in these sports at LSU. Universally considered the Yellow Jackets’ first great football player, Randy Rushing was a two-time All State running back (1957, 1958), boasting a 13-yards per carry average with 1,873 yards as a junior and 1,862 yards as a senior. He was also the first DSHS thinclad to break the 10-second barrier in the 100-yard dash with a 9.9 second record that still stands.
Tom Kelly is believed to be the first to play football at LSU, as a walk-on freshman quarterback in 1960, and also the first to play four years of college football (LSU, USL). Les O’Neal, an All State pitcher, was the first to sign a four-year athletic scholarship to play baseball at the college level (USL) in 1961, eventually earning All Gulf States Conference selection (twice) and Conference Player of the Year. In 1963 Jim Spring became the first to receive a four-year athletic scholarship to play football at an SEC university (Tulane). Slammin’ Sam Digirolamo was a 1968 All State linebacker and the first to sign a four-year athletic scholarship to play football at LSU.
During the era of school integration, Drexel Robinson was the first black athlete at DSHS to earn a four-year athletic scholarship in any sport at the collegiate level. In 1973 he signed to play basketball at Louisiana College where he was honored as team captain three times and MVP twice. He would later be inducted into the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame. Rene Moseley Severio, a two-sport All State choice in basketball and track, was the first female athlete to receive an athletic scholarship in any sport to a four-year college (Northeast Louisiana) in 1980. She was also the first to win an individual State Championship in track in any event, as a record-setting long distance runner with a time of 5:14 in the mile.
Jana Garrison Orillion shocked the tennis world as the first girl in Louisiana to win four consecutive high school State Championships (1983-1986). She became a tennis superstar as the first two-time National Prep All-American (1985, 1986) in school history, boasting a career record of 65-1. Considered the first great female softball player at DSHS, Shannon Covington Fuentes was a two-time All State pitcher with a 78-3 career record and a 50-game winning streak. She led the Lady Jackets to state titles in 1986 and 1987.
A two-sport All State star in football (1985) and baseball (1986), Glenn Glass was the first running back to break the single season rushing mark of 2,000 yards (2,036) and the first to rush for over 4,000 career yards (4,016), along with 39 career touchdowns. Laurin Byars Garrison is the only DSHS coach in any sport to be directly involved in winning four state championships (1986, 1987, 1998, 2000), while also securing four state runner-up finishes. As an assistant coach and co-head coach, her softball teams amassed a superb 479-123 career record.
Nikki Dixon Leader is the only Yellow Jacket in school history with the distinction of being an All State athlete (basketball/1964) and a two-time State Championship coach (softball/1986,1987). She was also named District Coach of the Year in girls basketball eight consecutive seasons. One-year Australian exchange student and All State basketball player, Katrina Hibbert, led the Lady Jackets to a state title in 1996 and, after a sterling career at LSU, became the first (and only) DSHS female athlete drafted into the WNBA (Seattle Storm) to play professional basketball. In 1999 Joey Chustz became the first (and only) Jacket in school history to be drafted into the NFL (Jacksonville Jaguars) and play professional football, having been an All State pick at DSHS and All-America honoree at Louisiana Tech.
HOF Banquet
The annual banquet at Forrest Grove is a dignified yet fun event that is well supported by the community. Crowds typically exceed 200 attendees with a record turnout of 276 in 2017. Shortly before the new members are introduced, deceased members are acknowledged individually with the clanging of a bell as their name is announced and their photo displayed. The most anticipated happening of the banquet is the videotaped interview of each inductee, displayed on three large screens. The interviews provide a delightful mix of humor, nostalgia, little-known sports tales, and great storytelling.
Orchestrating all the moving parts of the banquet agenda is the Emcee who must be organized, likeable, verbally facile, and sometimes humorous. During the past decade, Hall of Fame emcees have included these local personalities—Pee Wee Day, Randy Smith, Doug Hughes, and Kelly Jones—all DSHS alumni who have each made the event memorable. Only once has the banquet been headlined by a guest speaker, in 2018, when popular LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade filled the room with laughter, inside basketball nuggets, and colorful recruiting stories.
Perhaps a bit old fashioned—yet jubilant in this setting on this nostalgic evening—the banquet concludes as the crowd is invited to give a rousing, pride-filled rendition of the school’s alma mater.
The DSHS Athletic Hall of Fame has earned a reputation for integrity, for being well organized, for its classy banquet. Thanks to the support of the Denham Springs community, the dedication of volunteers, and a pool of quality nominees, your Hall of Fame is well positioned for continued excellence in future decades.
Prep All-Americans Collegiate All-Americans Professional Athletes
Kelvin Robinson Ben McDonald Ben McDonald
Jana Garrison Orillion Russ Johnson Russ Johnson
Ryan Byrd Joey Chustz Katrina Hibbert
Tasmin Mitchell Tasmin Mitchell Joey Chustz
Cade Doughty Regena Jackson
Travis Swaggerty
Abby O’Donohgue
-DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS THE OWNER OF AN EBAY STORE. ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides, SELLS SPORTS PUBLICATIONS. YOU CAN LINK TO IT BY VISITING JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS PROUD TO WORK AS A MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE FOR SPORTSRADIO-1310-KEZM-SULPHUR/LAKE CHARLES.
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DENHAM SPRINGS HS FOOTBALL RADIO BROADCASTS ARE A JON FINE PRODUCTION ON FAMILY RADIO, 91.9 FM, BATON ROUGE and JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS THE OWNER OF AN EBAY STORE. ArrestedDevelopmentMediaGuides, SELLS SPORTS PUBLICATIONS. YOU CAN LINK TO IT BY VISITING JonFineProductions.com.
JON IS PROUD TO WORK AS A MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE FOR SPORTSRADIO-1310-KEZM-SULPHUR/LAKE CHARLES.