Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Announces Star-Studded 2026 Class

(KNGT-FM) - The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame has revealed its Class of 2026, and it’s filled with some of the biggest names in Louisiana sports history. This year’s group includes athletes from the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and legendary coaches who made their mark on folks from Louisiana and beyond.

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If you haven't had a chance to take a trip to Natchitoches to check out the beautiful Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, you are truly missing out. The building is a glorious 27,500-square-foot two-story structure that faces Cane River Lake in the National Historic Landmark District of Natchitoches.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame is filled with some of the biggest names in sports. It already includes 25 Pro Football Hall of Famers, 18 Olympic medalists (11 of them gold winners), and 14 members of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Leading the way is Sylvia Fowles, one of the greatest women’s basketball players ever. Fowles is already a member of both the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She helped LSU reach four straight Final Fours, won four Olympic gold medals, and became an eight-time WNBA All-Star. She also led the Minnesota Lynx to two championships and was named one of the top 25 players in WNBA history.

Joining her are NFL stars Joe Horn, a fan-favorite wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints; Todd McClure, a Baton Rouge native who played 14 seasons as a center for the Atlanta Falcons; and Pat Williams, a Monroe standout who became a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle.

Baseball is represented by Jonathan Lucroy, a former UL-Lafayette catcher who went on to become a two-time MLB All-Star with the Milwaukee Brewers.

On the coaching side, the Hall will welcome John Brady, who led LSU to the 2006 Final Four; Mike McConathy, who coached Northwestern State to one of March Madness’ biggest upsets in 2006; and Dewain Strother, one of the most successful high school girls’ basketball coaches in the nation, with over 1,200 career wins.

In addition to the player and coach inductees, the Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award will be given to Warren Morris. Morris became a baseball legend when he hit the walk-off home run to win the 1996 College World Series for LSU. Since then, he’s remained an important spokesperson for the sport.

The 2026 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame class will be honored at a big ceremony on June 27th in Natchitoches. The celebration will include three days of events starting on June 25th. Some events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit LaSportsHall.com or call 318-238-4255.