By JONATHON ZENK, Written for the LSWA
NATCHITOCHES — During Thursday afternoon’s introductory press conference for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, a couple sentiments were common threads — gratitude and relationships.
Memories and stories were shared by all the inductees, or those speaking on their behalf, as they reflected on the state where they built a legacy that led them to the honor they will officially receive Saturday night during the induction ceremony televised live on Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
Today the scene shifts to Alexandria’s Four Seasons Bowling Center for the Mardi Gras Bowling Bash then returns to Natchitoches where the evening offers the free Rockin’ RiverFest concert from 6-10:30 on the downtown Cane River Lake stage, including inductee introductions at 9:15 followed by a 10-minute sports-themed fireworks show.
Saturday’s activities begin with the Junior Training Camp led by the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans marketing staff from 9-11 a.m. at the Webb Wellness Center on the Northwestern State campus.
Two more inductees will join the festivities. LSU and NFL star Andrew Whitworth arrives today after his daughter’s dance recital last night in Los Angeles. His LSU coach, Nick Saban, has been filming AFLAC commercials in Los Angeles and will arrive Saturday for the induction ceremony. Whitworth and Saban helped lead the Tigers to the 2003 national championship.
Relationships are a major theme during every induction, so it made sense Thursday afternoon that college chums Glenn Guilbeau and Herb Vincent were at the podium early in the chain of inductees.
“I am real proud of my friendship with Herb,” Guilbeau said. “We’ve been able to get along, dating back to when we were both at LSU at the same time.
“It was great to follow Herb’s career from the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL to the SEC. He’s been a great friend to have.”
Guilbeau, a two-time Louisiana Sportswriter of the Year, will receive the LSWA’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.
LSHOF Foundation President & CEO Ronnie Rantz, a Menard High standout who pitched for LSU’s first two College World Series champions in 1991 and 1993, recounted a joke played on Guilbeau, who was working at the Alexandria Daily Town Talk when hometown hero Rantz played for the Tigers.
Rantz was pitching well but Vincent exaggerated when he called Guilbeau in Alexandria claiming Rantz had a no-hitter going late in a midweek game. Guilbeau quickly hung up, called the paper’s editors and told them be ready for a big story — before Vincent called back moments later saying while Rantz had a good outing going, it was not a no-hitter.
“Glenn hung up the phone before we could tell him it was a joke,” Vincent said. “We tried to figure out how to call him back to tell him to stop and wondered how long do we let this go? Finally, we called him back and told him the truth.
“That was when we realized Glenn would believe anything if he took the bait that Ronnie was throwing a no-hitter at an LSU baseball game.”
Vincent, now in his 12th year as an associate commissioner of the SEC, will receive the Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award.
While those two had a relationship in the workplace, other inductees didn’t have to look so far for their big relationships.
In 1990, Rags Scheuermann was inducted into the LSHOF as a legendary Delgado Community College baseball coach.
After 35 years, Rags will be joined by his son, Joe. They become the fourth father-son combination in the Hall.
The younger Scheuermann has won a state-record 1,207 games as the Delgado CC baseball coach and has led the Dolphins to five JUCO World Series appearances.
“It is special being a father-son duo in the LSHOF,” he said. “You grow up and you have idols — my dad was my idol. I just wish he was here. You follow somebody and you try to emulate him. I remember sitting on his lap in the dugout. The fact that we’re in it together is special.”
While Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier dominate the present-day WNBA, former Louisiana Tech star Vickie Johnson walked so the current trio could run. The Coushatta native, currently an assistant coach with the Atlanta Dream, played in the WNBA’s inaugural season.
“The WNBA started in 1997, and I was one of the original 32 players in the league and I was placed in New York with some amazing players, Teresa Weatherspoon, Rebecca Lobo …. We didn’t make a whole lot of money, but it wasn’t about that. It was about the next generation and now you see the league’s growth with Clark and Angel Reese.”
Johnson was a two-time All-American for the Lady Techsters before playing 13 seasons in the WNBA. In her 13 seasons, she averaged 10.4 points, set the WNBA record for minutes played in a career, and made a pair of WNBA All-Star teams.
A replay of the 2025 Induction Press Conference can be found at youtube.com/@LouisianaSportsHallofFame.