Monday, April 9, 2012

SU's Pete Richardson, GSU's Aaron James headed for Induction with 2012 Class, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

2012 LOUISIANA SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CELEBRATION: THURSDAY, JUNE 21 - SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2012

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NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana – Five football standouts, led by star NFL running backs Deuce McAllister of the New Orleans Saints and Baton Rouge native Warrick Dunn, are among the eight 2012 inductees who will enter the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Another remarkable running back, LSU great Terry Robiskie, joins Louisiana Tech pass catching sensation Roger Carr and highly-successful former Southern University head coach Pete Richardson in the five-man football component going into the Hall this summer.
COACH PETE RICHARDSON
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY JAGUARS
Click here for the inductee bios
Three-time Grambling basketball All-American Aaron James, a New Orleans native, joins LSU baseball stalwart Eddy Furniss and nationally-acclaimed jockey Mark Guidry, a Lafayette native, in the Hall’s 2012 induction class.

Their selection was announced late Saturday. They will be officially enshrined Saturday, June 23, 2012 in Natchitoches to culminate the June 21-23 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Celebration.

A 30-member Louisiana Sports Writers Association committee selected the 2012 inductees. The panel considered a record 142 nominees from 24 different sport categories on a 25-page ballot, said Hall of Fame chairman Doug Ireland.

Richardson defined Southern University football from his arrival in 1993 to 2009, winning five Southwestern Athletic Conference titles, including a three-peat from 1997-99 (the school’s first consecutive SWAC titles since 1959-60), four black college national titles (1993, 1995, 1997 and 2003) and four Heritage Bowl titles. Richardson was 12-5 in the Bayou Classic and is the only SWAC coach never to have lost to Eddie Robinson.

His winning percentage of 68.4 percent in 17 seasons (134-62) at the school is second behind only College Football Hall of Fame coach Ace Mumford’s 70.4 percent (176-60-14). Prior to his arrival, Southern had last won the SWAC in 1975 and 1966. The program had four different head coaches in the 1970s and four between 1981 and 1992.

Richardson took over a program that had three straight losing seasons and guided it to an 11-1 record, winning the SWAC and black college national titles. At SU, Richardson had four 11-win seasons -- including a 12-1 run in 2003.

AARON JAMES
GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY
TIGERS
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A three-time All-American at Grambling after a prep All-America career at New Orleans’ Cohen High School, James played five seasons with the expansion New Orleans Jazz, who took him as their first-ever draft pick in the second round of the 1974 draft. Nicknamed “A.J. from the Parking Lot” for his long-range jump shots, he averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds and had 370 assists in 356 NBA games, then starred for five seasons in Italy and three in the Philippines.

The 6-foot-8 James excelled for legendary Grambling coach Fred Hobdy. James was the SWAC Freshman of the Year in 1970-71, a three-time All-Southwestern Athletic Conference pick and the league’s MVP as a senior in 973-74. He was a second-team small college All-American as a sophomore and junior and a first-teamer as a senior when he led the nation in scoring with a 32.1 average. For his college career, he averaged 22.2 points and 10.9 rebounds in 106 games, helping Grambling claim two SWAC titles and one NAIA District Championship.

Click here for the inductee bios

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