1992 - Jerry Byrd - A Shreveport journalism legend, Jerry Byrd is THE historian of Louisiana Track and Field. Founder of the original Meet of Champions.

1993 - Allan Conque - A longtime age group coach and official in the Lafayette area, Mr. Conque is considered one of the foremost authorities in Louisiana on the rules of the sport.

1994 – Ronnie Doyle - Coach Doyle was one of the founders of the Louisiana Track And Field Coaches Association. He was instrumental in the foundation and administration of the Southern Track and Field Officials Association which has had a profound and unique impact on the sport in the Greater New Orleans Area. Over a span of some 30 years, Doyle built Archbishop Rummel High School into a perennial powerhouse, capped off by a state championship in 1982.

1994 – John D. Bel – Coach Bel served the Lafayette area an an official for over 30 years in addition to supplying many programs with needed equipment from his sporting goods store.

1996 – Simon Chaisson – A long time official at all levels including the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials in New Orleans, 1996 Olympic Trials and the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta. A fixture on the track and field scene in Lafayette for a number of decades, Mr. Chaisson is regarded as one of the most knowlegable and impartial officials in our sport.

1996 – Kenneth “Bobby” Cagle– A life long supporter of Track and Field in Lake Charles.

1997 – Danny Theil – Former coach at Tulane University. After leaving his post at Tulane, Danny assumed the role of Director of Competition at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Coach Thiel was prime mover behind the effort to renovate Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans and bring the Olympic Trials there in 1992.

1997 – Charles Lancon – Head Coach at Southwestern Louisiana University.

1998 - James Berryhill - Coach Berryhill's career spanned some 50 years in the New Orleans area.He was instrumental in getting a number of youth programs started throughout the city.

1999 – Eddie Sorrell – While at New Iberia Senior High School , Coach Sorrell’s teams won 6 District and 2 Regional Championships in addition to placing second in State twice.

2000 – Leon Johnson – Johnson coached at both Opelousas and Deridder High Schools where he amassed three State Track and Field Championships. As of 2000, he has served at Northwestern State University for the past seventeen years where one of the highlights of his career was to coach an NCAA Champion in the high jump.

2000 - Julius Derbigny – Coach Derbigny is a graduate of Xaver University in New Orleans and is the former track coach at Cypress Grove High School. Coach Derbigny was nominated by Coach Boo Schexnayder who stated, “Coach Derbigny was instrumental to both the development of track and field in Louisiana and to the development of young athletes in Louisiana through both his dedication as a coach and to his caring as a track official.

2001 – No recipients

2002 – Boo Schexnayder. Starting his career at St. James High School in Vacharie, Coach Schexnayder quickly established himself as one of the top field event coaches in the state. Leaving St. James to be the Jumps and Combined Events coach at USL (now known as ULL), Boo further inhanced his reputation by developing the Ragin Cajuns jumps program into one of the best in the country including '95 NCAA Triple Jump champion Ndabe Mdhlongwa. His success has continued at LSU where he has guided no fewer than 18 NCAA individual champions including World Triple Jump Champion Walter Davis and Olympic Long Jump Silver Medalist John Moffit. In his "spare" time, Boo has guided the USA Track & Field Coaching Education program, developing that program into a model for other Olympic sport educational programs.

2003 – Al Seither - After a 30 plus year career at Holy Cross School in New Orleans, Coach Seither shifted his attention to the college level by assuming the Head Coaching position at Loyola Univerisity. During his time at Holy Cross, Seither developed state championship contenders in virtually every event area. Outstanding athletes such as Greg Duplantis (PV), Alvin Lawson (sprints), Bert Rareshide (Hurdles) and Andrew Pack (Throws) are but a few of the athletes that Coach Seither guided.

2003 - Jack Schommer - Considered by many to be the "Father of New Orleans Cross Country", coach Schommer was among the first coaches in the state to develop a cross country program in the state. Along with Al Seither of Holy Cross and Ronnie Dole of Archbishop Rummel (both LTFCA Lifetime Achievement Award recipients), Coach Schommer organized all aspects of the development of the sport in the New Orleans area. Fielding some of the most competitive teams in the state for over 20 years, Coach Schommer laid the foundation of the perennial state championship contender Brother Martin High School cross country team

2005 - John Boyer - Longtime official and club coach in New Orleans. John Boyer has been a fixture on the track and field scene for over 40 years, he founded and served as coach of the Crescent City Striders TC. Following several successful years coaching, John turned his attention to officating. By forming the Southern Track and Field Officials Association in the mid 80's, John brought an organized track and field officials group to the New Orleans area for the very first time. John has served as the LHSAA State Championship meet referee for many years as well as the national director of the AAU Jr. Olympics Track and Field National Championship.

2005 - Pete Boudreaux - Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Catholic High School of Baton Rouge. Pete's remarkably successful run at Catholic began in 1967, since that time his Cross Country teams have won 13 state championships and finished runner up 7 times. Bourdeaux's teams have also claimed numerous indoor and outdoor track and field state titles.

2005 - Daniel Mouton - Daniel Mouton, a 1962 graduate of Southern University, participated in track from 1958 to 1962. He ran the 440 yard dash and was a member of Southern’s Mile Relay team. In 1960, he won the 440 yard dash at the SWAC Championships, with a time of 46.1 seconds and also ran a 45.8 split on the mile relay. After a stint with the Peace Corps, he started his career in Calcasieu Parish. He was a teacher and coach at Washington High School for 6 years, and a coach for 2 years at S.P. Arnett Middle School. He coached at Sulphur High School for 22 years. He coaches Sulphur’s cross country team to 5 consecutive district championships, and the track team to 3 consecutive district championships. In 1993, he was inducted into the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame. In 1994, he retired from Sulphur High School.

2006 - Pat Arceneaux - Pat Arceneaux spent years championing the sport of high school track and field, sometimes running afoul of the powers that be within the state but never fearful of taking a stand. The one-time Cathedral-Carmel, Teurlings Catholic and Breaux Bridge High is one of the founding members of the LTFCA and is a past president of the organization. Pat was instrumental in helping track coaches have a voice when dealing with the LHSAA on rule and competition issues.

2006 - Bob Hayes - Hayes, a native of Kansas and a graduate of Louisiana Tech where he was a record setting miler, was the first fulltime track coach in McNeese State history. He took over the university's program in 1967 after a stint as head coach at Lake Charles High. He served in that capacity until 1988 when he was named athletic director at McNeese, a position he held until his retirement in 1996. During his track coaching career at McNeese, Hayes led the Cowboy cross country team to four league titles and he had four runnerup finishes in outdoor track and one in indoor track. He was named the Southland Conference track coach of the year in 1974. Among the athletes Hayes coached on the field at McNeese are current Cowboy Hall of Famers Fanahan McSweeney, Pat O'Callaghan, Brian Cooper, Stephen Starring and Dicky Morgan. Hayes' athletes who earned all-American honors included Cooper, Starring and Edward Loyd.

2006 - Woodrow Turner - Jerry Byrd, who has covered Track and Field in the state of Louisiana for over 50 years, and was the first recipient of our Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, said this about our first inductee in this year’s distinguished class. “Woodrow Turner revolutionized the sport of track and field in Louisiana, lifting it to a level never dreamed of before his arrival at Byrd High School. While the records have been broken, I don’t think anybody ever had as much impact on the sport in this state.” Byrd dedicated his book, “Runners Whom Renown Outran”, to Coach Turner and all the coaches in our state who have set the bar high in Louisiana Track and Field. Woodrow Turner began his track career as a distance runner at Springhill High School, and Louisiana Normal, now Northwestern State University. As a high school coach, he coached state champion mile relay teams at Ouachita High School in 1939 and 1940, setting a record in 1939 that stood until his 1952 Byrd High School team broke it. He coached State Championship track teams at Columbia High School, now Caldwell Parish High School, in 1950 and 1951, but it was at Byrd High School in Shreveport that he really made his mark. From 1954 until 1965, his Byrd High track teams won 9 State Championships in 12 years in the top classification. At Byrd, Turner produced All-Staters in every event except the Triple Jump. But it was in the relays where his star shined most brightly. As previously mentioned, after his 1952 Byrd team set the state mile relay record, his mile relay teams were All-State in each of the next 11 years, 7 times with the fastest time in the state, and the other 4 years with the 2nd fastest time. At one time, mile relay teams coached by Turner had 10 of the 11 fastest times in Louisiana History. In his 9 championship seasons, Byrd won 17 of 27 relays and scored 219 out of a possible 270 points in relay events. In three of those championship seasons, Byrd swept all three relays at the State Meet. The list of accomplishments just goes on and on. A listing of the outstanding athletes who competed for Coach Turner reads like a “Who’s Who of Outstanding Track and Field Athletes in Louisiana from that era. Owen Self, Charles Beazley, and Stewart Blue to name a few.

2007 - Jimmy Mize - Coach Jimmy Mize served as the head track and field coach and assistant football coach at Louisiana Tech University for over 30 years, retiring in 1977. During his tenure at LA Tech, Mize's teams claimed numerous conference championship titles and countless numbers of individual titles at all levels of competition.

2007 - James Simmons - James Simmons’ career has spanned over 40 years and counting. As the head track and field coach at Acadiana & Crowley High Schools, Simmons built a consistent winner both on the track and in the field. Currently the Athletic Director of Lafayette Parish Schools, Simmons is also recognized as one of the most knowledgeable track and field officials in the state and has served as the referee of the LHSAA State Track & Field Championship meet for a number of years.

2007 - Sam Seemes - Former LSU Assistant Coach Sam Seemes built his reputation as a “get things done” guy by bringing such prestigious events as the US Olympic Track & Field Trials, the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships and the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships to New Orleans. One of the founders of the LTFCA, Seemes put together the first LTFCA clinic in 1986. After a successful career in the track construction business, Seemes has moved onto a new challenge as the CEO of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association an organization that represents Division I, II and III track & field and cross country coaches throughout the country.

2008 - Lawrence Hunter - Lawrence Hunter guided a number of outstanding teams throughout a career that began at W.O. Boston High School in 1965, but one in particular stands out as what is arguably the best team ever assembled in the state of Louisiana. In 1978, Coach Hunter took a Lake Charles High School team to Baton Rouge and literally rewrote the record book in a manner never before done and perhaps never to be equaled. His team set composite state records in every relay as well as two additional composite records in individual events. The 880 yard relay team of Gray, McDaniel, Hayes and Davis set a mark that stood up as the national record for over 20 years (1:24.90). Coach Hunter’s LCHS teams captured 17 District titles, 6 State Championships and 4 runner up trophies. He was inducted into the LHSAA – LHSCA Hall of Fame in 1996.

2008 - Tom Nolan - Tom Nolan was a fixture on the track and cross country scenes in southwest Louisiana for almost 30 years, most of those spent as the Cross Country and Track & Field coach at Comeaux High School. Nolan’s Spartan teams captured two state titles and ten district championships in Cross Country as well as two regional and eight district titles in track & field. An outstanding runner in his own right, Nolan was a two time Southland Conference champion in Cross Country as well as the Southland mile champion in 1976. After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Tom Nolan passed away in October 2007.

2008 - L.J. Raymond - L.J. Raymond began his coaching career in 1950 as the lone coach of the Marksville High School football, basketball and track teams. Raymond’s coaching career also included stops at Opelousas HS, Plaquemine HS where is started a tradition of nighttime track meets, a first for the area. In 1963 Raymond began a track and field officiating career that continues to this day. One of the most well respected officials in the sport, Raymond has worked countless state, regional and district meets throughout the state as well as such prestigious meets at the Texas Relays and Penn Relays.

2008 - Bob Woodworth - Bob Woodworth has amassed one of the most incredible list of accomplishments in all of sports in the state of Louisiana. After stops at Pensacola (FL)Catholic HS, Gulfport (MS) HS and Archbishop Shaw, Woodworth arrived at Mandeville High School and began a championship run that is virtually unmatched in the state. Woodworth’s Skipper teams claimed 20 State Championships over the course of 19 years as well as 8 State Runner Up finishes. Under Woodworth’s guidance, the Mandeville HS program was multi dimensional as these state titles were won in Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track by both the boys and girls teams. Distance runners, sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers, MHS was well represented in every event area. Over 100 athletes earned individual state championships and/ or All State honors while being coached by Bob Woodworth.

2009 - Albert Perry - Albert Perry has been coaching track for over 30 years as an Assistant Coach and Head Coach.  He is a legend among track coaches in South Louisiana.  As a Head Coach at Franklin High School, he won two boys state outdoor championships and one indoor state championship.  He also coached two state runner-up teams, several regional championships, and numerous district championships.  His teams were always a force to be reckoned with in South Louisiana and at the state Level.  After retiring from high school coaching and teaching in 2000, Coach Perry served as an assistant track coach at Southern University, where he helped coach the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track teams.   During that two year period, the Jaguar teams won three conference championships.  Following his stint at Southern University, Coach Perry returned to Franklin High School and is currently serving as the girls head track and field coach, where he is doing what he loves; teaching and developing young track athletes. 

2009 - Joe Moreau - Joe Moreau began his coaching career at Alexandria Sr. High School after graduating from Northwestern State University in 1976.  He coached at Bolton High School from 1980 to 1985, and then moved to Pineville High School where he built a dynasty from 1985 to 1995.  He took the helm at Alexandria Senior High in 1995 having served as coach and later as principal until his retirement last year.  Moreau is currently serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern State University.  Coach Moreau’s teams won the Class 4A State Championship in cross country  in 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993 and were Class 4A State Runner-ups in both boys’ and girls’ divisions in 1994-1997.  His Pineville track team won state titles in 1993 and 1994, and was state runner-ups in 1995 and 1996.  His team won 10 Regional 4A Championships and 11 district titles in track, while capturing 14 District Cross Country crowns.  He coached 17 State Champions and developed 3 NCAA All-America Competitors.  He won 25 District “Coach of the Year” honors, and was the 1993 Louisiana State Prep Coach of the Year.  He served as president of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches Association from 2000 to 2002.  In addition to receiving numerous awards as a teacher, coach, and administrator, Coach Moreau was presented the prestigious Casey Kozminski Award by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for meritorious service for fostering positive relationships between media and coaches in the state. 

2009 - Mike Boyer - Mike Boyer, a former high school distance runner at Broadmoor High School, and later at LSU, coached for 16 years at E.D. White Catholic High School, Catholic High of Point Coupee, and St. Thomas More High School before becoming an administrator and Principal at Teurlings Catholic High School in Lafayette.  As a Head Coach and Assistant Coach in Track and Cross Country, his teams won numerous District, Parish, and Regional Runner-ups.  His 1991 St. Thomas More boys cross country team finished as state runner-up.  But it was in another area of track and field that Mike Boyer truly distinguished himself, as a meet announcer.  Mike Boyer or more accurately Mike Boyer’s “voice” has been heard by more track and field athletes than any other coach or announcer in the history of track and field in Louisiana.  His service to various track and field meets and venues are almost too numerous to mention, but here are only a few.  He has served as LSU’s track announcer since 1977 and as a University of Louisiana-Lafayette announcer since 1986.  He was an announcer at the 1992 Olympic Trials in New Orleans and at 15 SEC Indoor Championships, 2 SEC Outdoor Championships, 4 NCAA Outdoor, and 1 NCAA Indoor Championships.  He has announced SWAC, Metro, Southland, and Sun Belt Conference Track Championships, as well as at Jr. Olympics and Senior Olympics.  His contributions to high school track and field in Louisiana are significant.  He has announced at the Louisiana Outdoor State Track Meet since 1974, the State Indoor Track Meet since 1982, and the LSU Indoor Track Classic since 1978.  Mike Boyer is literally “the voice of track and field in Louisiana.”

2010 Allie Smith - Allie Smith has been coaching in some capacity since 1964. Some people only know Allie as a great football coach, which he is. Some people only know Allie as a great Track and Cross Country Coach, which he is. Allie Smith is all this and more. The coach who nominated Allie put it this way. “I would like to nominate Allie Smith. He has helped me have faith that all football coaches don’t think alike and his quiet humble demeanor and dedication to track (at whatever school he is coaching) has impressed me for years.” Allie is most often associated with the programs at Covington High School, where he coached Track, Cross Country, and Football. As the Head Track Coach at Covington from 1964 to 1994, Allie had 18 District Champions, 3 Regional Champions, and 1 State Runner-Up Team. He was selected as District Coach of the Year 18 times. While coaching Cross Country at Covington High from 1968 to 1989, Allie had 14 District Champions, 3 State Runner-Ups, and his 1972, 1983, and 1984 teams captured the State Championship. He was selected as District Cross Country Coach of the Year 14 times. Allie also coached football at Covington High School from 1964 to 2001, serving as Head Coach from 1996 to 2001. During his tenure at Covington High, Allie was on the staff or teams that won, 1 State Championship, 3 State Runner-Ups, and numerous District Championships. Allie was twice selected as All Star Football Coach (1989, 1997) and was inducted into the LHSAA-LHSCA Hall of Fame in 2009. Allie Smith has literally “done it all” when it comes to coaching. He has impacted literally thousands of lives through the young people he has coached and the coaches he has worked with and coached against over the decades. His is an impressive “body of work.”

2010 Morty Hurston Sr. The late Morty Hurston was a long-time resident of Baton Rouge. He attended Baton Rouge High where he played varsity football. He served 2 stints in the U.S. Navy, serving on submarines and P.T. Boats in the Pacific Theatre. During World War II, he was a squadron mate of LtJG John Kennedy. The two remained close friends after the war and for the remainder of President Kennedy’s life. After the war, Morty returned to work at the Esso (Exxon) refinery where he worked for 42 years. He married Jane Facundus in 1943 and together they raised 6 boys. Morty began officiating football in 1947 and officiated for 37 years. The Baton Rouge Football Officials’ Association established the Morty Hurston Award which is presented annually to the most improved rookie in the Baton Rouge Association. He was also a member of the Chain Gang at LSU football games from 1984 to 1988. But it is for his accomplishment in Track and Field that we honor Morty Hurston today. Morty began working at LSU Track Meets as a Meet Official in 1982 and became a Senior Meet Official in 1988 during the Pat Henry regime at LSU. He served as Head Umpire from 1988 to 2003, and was member of the LSU Track & Field Board of Directors for 8 years. He also worked numerous High School District, Regional, and State Track Meets until 2003. His accomplishments were recognized by his fellow Track Officials when he was inducted into the LSU Track & Field Official Association in 1993. Mr. L.J. Raymond, a fellow LSU Meet Official and also a past recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award said this of Morty. “He knew the Rule Book better than anyone I ever worked with. He was one of the most dedicated officials I have ever known. He is famous for his last minute instructions to his Umpires, ‘Let’s Go! Cover it like a blanket!’ “ Coach Boo Schexnayder remembered Morty, “ In addition to being a great Official, he was famous for his friendliness and verbosity, especially for circulating around the track telling jokes to every official, coach, or athlete he could find.” His fellow Track Officials once bought him a shirt that said, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t shut up!” Morty was, in short, an unforgettable character who dedicated his life to helping promote Track and Field through officiating. In fact, even after his retirement from officiating, he continued to conduct classes for the LHSAA for first year football officials until his untimely death at the age of 83. Ironically, Morty died from injuries suffered while leaving an officiating training he had just conducted. As his son, Morty Jr. said, “He died with his ‘Cleats On!”

2010 Eddie Cole - Eddie Cole began his coaching career as a Graduate Assistant Track Coach at LSU from 1973-1976. During that time, he started the Cross Country Program at University High School and his Boys’ Teams won Class A State Titles in 1973, 1974, and 1975. His U.High Girls’ Team finished as State Runner Up in all classes in the inaugural Girls State Cross Country Meet in 1975. Upon completion of his graduate studies, he accepted a position at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux where he started his second cross country program. His first E.D.White team finished 23rd out of 24 teams in their first meet but improved rapidly. His Girls’ teams went on to capture 30 District Championships in 32 years, State Runner-Ups in 89, 98, 00, and 04, and State Championships in 1978 and 1979. His E.D.White Boys’ teams won 26 District Championships in 32 years, 1 State Runner-up in 1989, and won State Championships in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. He also served as Boys’ Track coach from 1976 to 1987 and his 1983 team finished as State Runner-up. He assumed the Girls’ Track position in 1988 and his E.D.White Girls’ teams won 16 District Championships in 20 years, finishing as State Runner-Up in 1992. Eddie accepted the job of Girls’ Cross Country and Track Coach at Episcopal High School in the fall of 2008. His Girls’ Cross Country team finished as State Runner-up in 2008 and Class 2A State Champions in 2009. His 2009 Girls’ Track Team finished as Division II Runner-up at the State Indoor Meet and Class 2A State Track and Field Champions that same year. Eddie served as President of the LTFCA in 1995 and 1996 and began the LTFCA Academic All State Track and Cross Country programs in 1996. Since that time, the LTFCA has recognized over 2,500 track and cross country athletes for their academic excellence. He currently serves as Awards Chairman for the LTFCA.

2011-DAVE ANDERSON: Dave Anderson has coached 11 State Championship Teams and 19 State Runner-Up Teams in Track and Cross Country at Ruston, West Monroe, and Neville High Schools. He was the Louisiana Sportswriters Association “Coach of the Year” in 1992, 2004, 2005, and 2006. He was a National Federation “National Coach of the Year” Nominee in 1992 and 2004. He was inducted into the ARK-LA-TEX Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1999. He is the only coach in the history of Class 5A to win State Championships in Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Boys Track, and Girls Track. His Ruston Boy’s Teams are the only Public School to win the Boys Class 5A Cross Country Championship, doing so in 1992, 1995, 1997, and 2000. In 20 years at Ruston, his athletes have established 39 out of a possible 42 School Records. Dave has coached at least 1 State Champion in every Track and Field Event, both Boys and Girls. He has coached six High School National Champions. Dave coached the first Louisiana girl to break 11:00 for 3200 meters, the first Louisiana Girl to jump 39’ in the Triple Jump, and Louisiana’s highest female finisher at the Foot Locker Regional Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dave’s list of outstanding performers reads like a “Who’s Who” of excellence in Louisiana Track and Field and Cross Country and five of his former athletes went on to play in the NFL including former LSU Tiger and current Buffalo Bill Pro Bowler, Kyle Williams. If you could only say 1 thing about Dave Anderson, it might be this. “The Man Can Coach!”
But Dave’s contributions go beyond his accomplishments as a coach. He has done a lot for the sports of Cross Country and Track and Field in our state as well. As a past president of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association, he was instrumental in getting the LHSAA to adopt awarding top ten individual awards at the State Cross Country Meet, he helped introduce chip-timing to the LHSAA State Cross Country Meet, and he was instrumental in the creation of the LTFCA Composite All State Cross Country Team. He is a USA Track and Field Level 1 & 2 Certified Coach as well as a Level 1 Instructor. He has served as a Meet Official in numerous SEC, WAC, Sunbelt, and Southland Conference Championship Meets as well as USATF and AAU Summer Championship Meets. He has also served as an official in four NCAA Championship Meets, including NCAA Meets in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

2011-WINSTON BURNS, SR.: Winston Burns, Sr. was born in New Orleans on November, 1924. He attended New Orleans Public Schools and graduated from Xavier University Prep School and holds a B.S. degree from Xavier University. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict. Winston Burns, Sr. was a Health and Physical Education teacher in the Orleans Parish School System for 25 years. He also worked in the Adult Education Program. At Woodson Jr. High School and Booker T. Washington High School, he was the head coach of the Track and Football Teams where his teams won numerous championships. Many of his former players went on to play professionally. After retiring from the school system, he worked in Juvenile Court for Orleans Parish for 25 years. Winston Burns was a mentor of numerous young men, many of whom he taught and coached, and some who became coaches. Leading by example, he taught his students the value of an education and hard work, and motivated them to succeed in all endeavors and become productive citizens. A sense of fairness and desire to compete was a part of his philosophy. Throughout his life, Winston Burns has volunteered his time to numerous community and civic activities, but it is for his contributions to the sport of Track and Field that we honor him today. He was one of the original organizers of the Liberty Bank Track Meet which attracted athletes from the New Orleans area and throughout the State. He continued to run that meet until Hurricane Katrina. Throughout the years, he officiated at Track Meets for NORD, the Orleans Parish Public Schools, St Augustine, Xavier Prep, St. Mary’s Academy, St. Leo the Great, and numerous other meets. In 1982, he was honored as “Track Coach of the Year” by Liberty Bank. He was a recipient of the Children’s Defense Fund Award for his commitment to the youth in the community in 2009.

2011-Mac Chauvin Mac Chauvin was born in Rosedale, Louisiana in 1942. He attended Shady Grove High School (North Iberville) where he was a three sport star. Mac was an All-State basketball player in 1959 and All-State in both Basketball and Football (6 man) in 1960. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Physical Education from Southeastern Louisiana University. After graduating in 1964, Mac began his teaching career at McGill High School in Mobile, Alabama. He returned to Louisiana in 1967 where he taught and coached at Brusly, Holy Cross, and several schools in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Mac began officiating while still a college student and continued to do so for over 29 years. He worked on the high school level, officiating football and basketball, for over 17 years. During that time he officiated 3 state championship football games, 5 Top 28 Tournaments, and 4 Sweet 16 Tournaments. Mac also officiated on the collegiate level in basketball during his teaching career. Mac was a basketball official for 29 years, 25 of that as an SEC referee. Mac worked several Conference Tournaments and Regional Championships during this time. Most people know Mac through his tenure as an Assistant Commissioner with the LHSAA where he served in this capacity from 1983 – 2008. His responsibilities included oversight of football and basketball officials as well as the sports of Golf, Tennis, Gymnastics, Basketball, Cross Country, and Track and Field. His efforts led to significant improvements to the track & field and cross country state meets that are enjoyed to this day by the student athletes of Louisiana.

2011-GREG GAUTHIER: Greg Gauthier has been an educator for 32 years. Greg began teaching at Lacassine High School and has spent the remainder of his career in Calcasieu Parish, serving as a teacher, coach, and administrator. During his 32 year coaching career, Greg has served in many capacities in football, basketball, track, and cross country. During the first 8 years of coaching, Greg coached voluntarily without pay. During his tenure as Head Cross Country Coach at Lake Charles-Boston High School, Greg’s teams won five straight Class 3A Girls State Championships, winning in 1989-1993, and his teams were State Runner-Up in three consecutive years in 1995-1997. His Boys’ Cross Country Team finished as State Runner Up in 1996. As the Head Girls Track and Field Coach, Greg’s teams won seven Class 3A State Championships including 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2007. They finished as State Runner-Up four times in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2007. His teams won 12 out of 15 District Championships and finished 2nd the other 3 years. Greg Gauthier was named Southwest Louisiana Coach of the Year five times, outstanding District Coach 12 times, and State Coach of the Year in 2004. He served as a member of the LHSCA Executive Council in 1996, 1997, and 2006. Greg received his 25 year plaque from the LHSCA in 2008.
When asked to list his greatest accomplishments, Greg listed three. The first was the opportunity to coach both of his daughters in Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field. During some of that time, he also had the opportunity to coach with his son, Terrell, who led the Boys’ Track Team to 3 Class 3A State Championships and two Indoor State Championships. His second greatest accomplishment centers around the fact that 98% of his student athletes graduated from high school. Fifteen of them received athletic scholarships and many others, including his two daughters, received academic scholarships. His third is to have coached at a school that captured 25 State Championships in various sports in 25 years during its existence.

2012 - JOHN DESSELLES spent the majority of his coaching career at White Castle High School where he served as Head Football and Track Coach. During a 7-year span from 1971 to 1978, his track teams won 7 District Championships, 7 Regional Championships, 3 State Runner-Up titles, and State Championships in 1976, 1977, and 1978. His 1977 track team qualified athletes in all 18 events at the State Track Meet and placed in 15 of the 18 events. His 1978 won every track meet they entered that year including the 39-team Tiger Relays in Thibodaux as well as the State Meet. Coach Desselles has also served as a Track Official for 37 years and was elected to the LSU Track Official’s Hall of Fame in 1990.

2012 - John Talley has coached at several area schools including Lee High, Woodlawn, St. Amant, and Dutchtown where he has served in various capacities including track coach, football coach, powerlifting, and strength and conditioning coach. In track and field , his throwers have distinguished themselves and he has coached multiple state champions in the shot put and discus. Coach Talley is regarded as one of the premier throws’ coaches in the South. He has also contributed significantly to the sport of track and field as a lecturer and clinician for the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association, as a USA Track and Field Level 1 and 2 Instructor, and as a USTFCCCA Technical Certification Instructor and Throwing Event Specialist. A past president of the LTFCA and Clinic Chairman, Coach Talley continues to promote track and field throughout our state through his various endeavors.

2012 - Zach Winfield began his coaching career in New Orleans at his alma mater, St. Augustine High School, before going to Eleanor McMain High School where he coached from 1982 to 2005. At McMain, his teams won 8 State Track Championships and 2 State Runner-Ups in outdoor and indoor track. In 2006, Coach Winfield moved to Baton Rouge where his Scotlandville Magnet team won the Indoor State Championship that year. He moved to Baton Rouge Magnet in 2008. During his tenure there, his teams have won 3 consecutive Class 5A State Track Championships and the Indoor State Track Championship in 2011. Coach Winfield is a past president of the Louisiana Track and Field Coaches’ Association, the Louisiana High School Coaches’ Association, and he has served in various capacities with USA Track and Field. He has also served as an LSU Track Official in the Jumps since 1987.