S-Club HAll of Fame Inductees 2003

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The University of Louisiana will induct four former athletes into Louisiana's S Club Hall of Fame this year. Those athletes are Alyson Habetz, softball; Gerald Landry, football; Garrett O’Connor, baseball; and Ndabe Mdhlongwa, track and field.

The purpose of Louisiana's Hall of Fame is to give recognition to those athletes who have made a significant contribution to the good name of the university by demonstrating exceptional ability and sportsmanship on the playing fields, commendable scholarship in the classroom, high quality leadership on the campus, and who after leaving the university established a personal reputation for character and citizenship in the community which they reside.

The S Club Alumni Chapter is comprised of men and women who lettered in athletics while they were students at SLI/USL/UL. The S Club is a constituent chapter of the UL Alumni Association and it retains close ties to the Athletic Department.

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O’Connor, Habetz, Landry, Mdhlongwa make up class.

LOUISIANA La. — Baseball pitcher Garrett O’Connor, softball-basketball standout Alyson Habetz, football’s Gerald Landry and NCAA track and field champion Ndabe Mdhlongwa will be inducted into Louisiana's “S” Club Hall of Fame this week.

The four will be part of Homecoming 2003 activities at the school, including introduction at halftime of Saturday’s 4 p.m. football game against UL Monroe at Cajun Field.

Habetz, a Notre Dame of Crowley product who went on to play professional baseball with the Silver Bullets prior to her current stint as a softball assistant at Alabama, will be honored for her contributions to Lady Cajun softball from 1992-94.

She received a bachelor of arts degree in 1995 and was the outstanding graduate for the College of Liberal Arts at UL that same year.

During her college career, Habetz was a four-year letterman in softball and basketball. She received All-South Region honors all four years and was named All-American in 1994 and Academic All-American two years.

Habetz helped to lead the Lady Cajuns to their first World Series appearance in 1993.

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Four Althletes Inducted To UL Hall of Fame

Far from Canton, Ohio, (home of the NFL Hall of Fame) and Cooperstown (Major League Baseball Hall of Fame) is a hall of fame that has exceedingly more value to the athletes of the University of Louisiana. This is the Ragin’ Cajun Hall of Fame.

Founded by the S Club in 1940, the Ragin’ Cajun Hall of Fame has been a tribute to the student athletes at Louisiana who have worked so hard to establish a winning tradition at the university.

“Our goal is to remind each new generation of athletes of the tradition they must uphold and the ideals that they should strive for while they are wearing the Louisiana uniforms,” said S Club President Dwight Prudhomme (football; 1979-82).

Many people know about the more popular Cajun athletes. Names such as Brian Mitchell and Jake Delhomme are mainstays in the sports world. But, it is the athletes who did not necessarily have phenomenal pro careers who have kept the UL athletic program the success that it is today.

This year, four athletes have been selected to the hall of fame. They are Alyson Habetz, softball; Gerald Landry, football; Garrett O’Conner, baseball; and Ndabe Mdhlongwa, track and field. All of these athletes graduated from Louisiana and received high honors in their respective sports. Athletes are elected into the hall of fame by members of the S Club based on their accomplishments on the field and their proficiency in the classroom. Most members earned degrees and either hold some sort of record or have received awards from the NCAA.

Habetz (softball; 1992-94) received a bachelor of arts degree and helped lead the Lady Cajuns to their first ever College World Series appearance.

Landry (football; 1963-66) received a B.S. in marketing and holds the university record for most extra points and consecutive field goals.

O’Conner (baseball; 1982-86) graduated in 1985 with a degree in business administration. He received All-American honors during his four-year career.

Mdhlongwa (track and field 1993-96) received his MBA in 1998 and was an eight-time Sun Belt Conference Champion in the triple jump.

These four athletes have succeeded through the many trials and tribulations that confronted them in college. Afterward, they maintained their goals for excellence and became successful in their respective fields, as well as preserved their images as outstanding members of the community.

Original link to The Vermilion story.

Grant Alexander - Sports Writer