UL Coach 1980-2000 Yvette Girouard

[Turbine]

While at Louisiana Yvette Girouard became the eighth-winningest active NCAA Division I softball coach, she amassed 758 wins in 20 seasons at the University of Louisiana. When the University of Louisiana decided to start a softball program, Girouard was square one. For the last 22 years the Ragin’ Cajuns have been a perennial powerhouse.

When a visionary with Louisiana hired Yvette Girouard in October of 1980, she was given $3,000 to run the team. Due to having no home field to call their own Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns played in five different city parks. The odds were long on succeeding. That was her only losing season.

In her second year, she had one scholarship, and a makeshift field was constructed. The rest is history, . . .

By year 10, Louisiana was ranked seventh in the country, Stefni Lotief (Louisiana’s current coach) was a first-team All-American, and Yvette was the national coach of the year.

Yvette has always credited the University of Louisiana as having great traditions. “There are things in place there that money can’t buy—like the love of a town for its softball program”.

While at UL she produced 28 All-Americans and 13 Academic All-Americans. Yvette attributed this success to teaching self-discipline. She once said it is “the number-one trait I look for in all individuals, because good time management is extremely necessary when you’re an athlete at the Division I level.”

While at Lafayette, attendance at home games was considered phenomenal by softball standards, averaging 800 spectators a game. Yvette attributed this fan support with the team’s involvement in the community. “We would read in the elementary schools. We participated in Special Olympics. We gave free clinics. After a hurricane, we volunteered our services to clean up people’s yards. We were just very visible, and of course I was a product of that community, so they embraced us.”

[NewsCopy]

Link

Girouard bound for softball Hall

Advocate staff report
LSU softball coach Yvette Girouard will be inducted into the Louisiana Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame tonight.
The banquet is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel and is held in conjuction with the Louisiana High School Coaches Association All-Star softball games to be played Saturday at LSU's Tiger Park.

"This is so neat ... very neat," Girouard said. "I'm honored that the group that selected me is made up of high school coaches because that's all I ever really wanted to be was a high school coach.

"Coaching on the college level is something that happened for me. I loved the time I spent in high school coaching. My favorite part of the day was sixth hour when I got to work with my athletes."

Girouard has spent 22 years as a college coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and LSU. Girouard started her career as a high school coach at Lafayette and her alma mater, Comeaux.

Girouard never played fast-pitch softball. She learned the sport after she began coaching.

To date, Girouard has 874 collegiate wins and ranks among the top 10 for wins.

[LuLu]

Yvette Girouard is responsible for softball becoming such a big sport in Louisiana high schools. She was/is a tremendous influence in all softball programs in the state. Her program at UL is one of the premier programs in the USA. Yes, I still claim that the UL program is still hers. How can you build something for 20 years and just vanish from its entity? Can't! She is still around, maybe not in person but certainly in memory and spirit. God Bless Yvette! She's a local that has "done good"!

[Snuffy]

Say what you will but Yvette Girourd was and will always be a proud CAJUN...though she may have moved to that other place. IT does not change the fact that she was very successful as the Lady Cajuns coach.
In your hatred of LSU do not become like they are...unable to accept the success of another

[studentfan]

Even though she moved on to LSU A&M, without her we might not have the coach we have now. She played under Yvette and if Yvette wasn't coaching here she might have gone elsewhere. She is a big part of this softball team's history and will always be.

[NewsCopy]

ORLANDO, Fla. - Yvette Girouard, who founded the University of Louisiana's softball program and led the squad to national prominence in a 20-year career at the school, will be inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame tonight at a 7 p.m. banquet here. The banquet will be held in conjunction with the NFCA's annual convention, which began Wednesday and concludes Saturday at the Caribe Royal Resort. In addition to Girouard, the 2005 induction class includes former Notre Dame head coach Liz Miller and Kennesaw State head coach Scott Whitlock. A native of Broussard and a graduate of both Comeaux High and then-USL, Girouard has coached the LSU softball team over the last five seasons and has brought the Lady Tigers the same national success that became her hallmark in two decades with the Cajuns. Last season, Girouard became only the fifth head coach in NCAA Division I softball history and the sixth coach in NCAA history at any division to win 1,000 career games. She joined Fresno State head coach Margie Wright, Florida State head coach JoAnne Graf, Iowa head coach Gayle Blevins and Arizona head coach Mike Candrea as the only coaches in Division I history to reach 1,000. Entering her 26th season as a head coach, she ranks as the fifth winningest coach in NCAA Division I history by percentage, posting a 1,012-325 record for a .757 career winning percentage. In addition, she ranks as the 13th winningest coach in NCAA history, regardless of division. With 24 straight winning seasons to her credit, she has coached 35 All-Americans, 14 Academic All-Americans and taken her teams to 14 NCAA Regionals. The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

BATON ROUGE -- One of the greatest coaches in the history of women's softball and an icon throughout the state of Louisiana, LSU head coach Yvette Girouard will be inducted into the New Iberia Recreation Department’s Softball Hall of Fame in a banquet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Sliman Theater in New Iberia. A three-time National Coach of the Year and 2005 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, Girouard is entering her 28th year as a collegiate head coach, both with the Tigers and at Louisiana-Lafayette, where she built the program from the ground up beginning in 1981. Prior to her outstanding collegiate career, she began as a high school coach at Lafayette and her alma mater, Comeaux. Girouard’s softball journey, however, began with the New Iberia Recreation Department’s leagues, playing for coach Maggi Romero, who later went onto become an assistant coach for Sue Gunter’s Lady Tiger basketball team for three seasons from 1982-1985. For eight years, Girouard played for the highly successful New Iberia league softball team, which went on to be sponsored by Ton’s, the restaurant owned by her parents in Broussard. With 26-straight winning seasons to her credit as a collegiate head coach, she has coached 39 All-Americans, 16 Academic All-Americans and taken her teams to 16 NCAA Regionals. Guiding LSU to a pair of Women’s College World Series appearances in her first four seasons, she became just the third coach in NCAA history to take two programs to the WCWS after leading Louisiana-Lafayette to three World Series appearances in the 1990s. The rest of the story

[USLJim]

_ Yvette Girouard is responsible for softball becoming such a big sport in Louisiana high schools. She was/is a tremendous influence in all softball programs in the state. Her program at UL is one of the premier programs in the USA. Yes, I still claim that the UL program is still hers. How can you build something for 20 years and just vanish from its entity? Can't! She is still around, maybe not in person but certainly in memory and spirit. God Bless Yvette! She's a local that has "done good"! _

We can and are proud of Yvette. She is Ms Softball in Louisiana and She is a grauduate of our Great University. Recognizing her talents and dedication, LSU got her to change jobs. I am happy for Yvette, she did what she had to do for her future, which no one should complain about. We had a chance to match or raise her salary and didn't, so we lost her. I was bumbed out but I got over it and most have. Let's move on and Congratulate Yvette with the best Wishes for the Future.
Remember, A USL/UL grad coaching at lsu.
Geaux Cajuns

[Hammer58]

_

Remember, A USL/UL grad coaching at lsu.
Geaux Cajuns _

Yeah, right where she stated she always dreamed of being according to her press conference.

[Cajun Express]

_ We can and are proud of Yvette. She is Ms Softball in Louisiana and She is a grauduate of our Great University. Recognizing her talents and dedication, LSU got her to change jobs. I am happy for Yvette, she did what she had to do for her future, which no one should complain about. We had a chance to match or raise her salary and didn't, so we lost her. I was bumbed out but I got over it and most have. Let's move on and Congratulate Yvette with the best Wishes for the Future.
Remember, A USL/UL grad coaching at lsu.
Geaux Cajuns _

I remember her, even though she turned her back on UL, I am happy for her. Good luck Yvette, but I only owe her as much loyalty as she gave UL. Right now we do have a USL All American coaching UL softball, and she and Mike are the only coach I pull for in softball.

Of course we could not match her salary at LSU, and she did not need to try to steal our supporters as she left town. She found out pretty quickly that we support UL not a coach who found greener pastures. She also was not to nice on some things she said in her leaving. So again good luck Yvette, but Mike and Steffi are our coaches and they earn our respect every day.