Second hall of fame class inducted at STHS

South Terrebonne High School will induct the second class into its Athletic Hall of Fame during halftime of Friday’s homecoming game against H.L. Bourgeois at 7 p.m.

Eleven athletes who graduated in the early 1970s, a coach and a teacher will be enshrined.

“Many names were nominated from the decade of the 70s – too many to do in one night,” Gators’ athletic director Francis Labat explained. “The 1970s was a banner time for athletes at South Terrebonne. So, we decided to divide the 70s into two parts. Next year we will focus on the years between 1975 and 1980.”

A group of current and former STHS coaches formed a committee and selected the 12 men and one woman to be placed in the Hall of Fame.

South Terrebonne principal Kenneth Delcambre and former Gator coach Buddy Marcello will present a plaque to each inductee and a biography of their accomplishments will be read.

The inductees are:

• Melvin Johnson Jr. (1970-73) an All-District, All-State and All-American football and track star his junior and senior year. He was the Class 4A state champion in the 220-yard dash in 1972 and the 100- and 220-yard dashes in 1973. He was the country’s fastest high school runner in 1973, setting school records in the 100-meter (10.30) and 200-meter dash (21.10). He also anchored the Gators’ 440- and 880-yard relay teams that set then-national and state records with times of 41.30 and 1:26:00, respectively.

• Kenneth Paul Cenac (1968-71) garnered All-Parish and All-District honors as an offensive and defensive lineman for three straight years. As a junior, he was chosen an All-State offensive lineman. In his senior year, he was also selected as an All-State and All-American offensive and defensive lineman.

• Robert Matthew LaGarde, Jr. (1970-73) was an All-American track athlete his junior and senior year. He was selected an All-State wide receiver in football as a senior. He was the 440-yard-run state champion and ran on the 440- and 880-yard relay teams on the 1973 state championship track team. He only lost one race in his high school career.

• Richard “Ricky” Allen Britt (1971-73) was an All-State track athlete his junior and senior year. He ran on the 440- and 880-yard relay teams on the 1973 state championship track team. He was named All-Region and defensive MVP his senior year in football.

• Col. Lynn M. Champagne (1968-70) was selected an All-District pitcher and infielder in baseball three straight years and was named district MVP his senior year. In football, he was also chosen All-District place kicker as a senior.

• James Michael “Mike” Adams (1961-92) coached the track and field and football teams. He guided the Gators to the 1973 State Track & Field Championship.

• Steve Trosclair (1972-73) was named All-Parish and All-District defensive lineman MVP and selected All-State honorable mention during his only season playing football.

• Leroy Simmons (1968-70) was named All-District running back his senior year. He is the fifth all-time leading rusher in Gator history with 2,291 yards. He was one of the first scholarship players for Nicholls State University’s 1971 inaugural football team.

• Ronald Johnson (1966-70) was the first black student athlete on the Gators’ basketball team. He earned All-District and All-State honors. He coached basketball in Africa while in the Peace Corps.

• Alma Richard (1961-84) headed the girls’ physical education department and was assistant coach for the girls’ basketball and volleyball teams.

• George Washington (1970-73) was selected an All-State second baseman in baseball and All-District tailback in football in his senior year.

• Robert “Bip” Joseph (1971-74) was named All-District in basketball and baseball his senior year. He became an All-Gulf South Conference player at Nicholls.

• Curtis Pellegrin (1970-73) was an All-District linebacker in football his junior and senior year and All-District catcher in baseball as a senior.

“Selecting athletes from the early ’70s, considering all the great players in those years, I consider it a great honor,” said Champagne, 57, a 1974 U.S. Naval Academy graduate and 26-year Marine veteran.

“I was shocked to get the news because it’s been years ago,” said Cenac, 56, owner of Master Valve & Wellhead Service in Houma.

Melvin Johnson is the most well- known member of this year’s hall of fame class.

On the track, he never lost a race in his high school career. As a member of the relay teams – along with Britt, Lagarde and Herman Verdin – they set a then-state high school record in the 440-yard relay and tied the record in the 880-yard relay.

On the gridiron, Johnson led the 1971 team to the state Class 4A semifinals where they lost to eventual state champion West Jefferson. He is fourth on the Gators’ all-time rushing list with 2,345 yards.

After four years at the University of Colorado, Johnson signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent in 1979. The next year, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he never got the chance to fulfill his NFL dream.

At age 25, Johnson died during surgery to fix a wrist injury suffered during the Chiefs’ training camp.

“He was my only brother and best friend,” said younger brother Troy Johnson, who also went on to an NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I got to see a guy who had a tremendous work ethic, a true competitor and someone who didn’t take his God-given skills for granted,” Johnson continued. “He got up in the morning and jogged a mile or two before catching the bus to go to school. He was constantly swimming, lifting weights, not eating certain foods and just taking care of himself. He wanted to be the best.”

The school retired the No. 40 football jersey worn by Melvin Johnson and later Gators’ star running back David Butler in 1997.

Earlier this year, Terrebonne Parish Recreation District No. 7 renamed its Smithridge recreation center and park after Johnson.

His brother and parents, Adlean Johnson and Melvin Johnson Sr., will represent him at Friday’s ceremony.

“I’m elated. My family is very happy. It means a lot to us,” Troy Johnson said.

Adams, 72, said he didn’t have to do much coaching to get his four star runners to excel.

“No one could outrun them,” he recalled. “Before we went to a lot of meets, I told them, ‘Ain’t nobody here that can beat you. Just don’t drop the baton or jump out the block early.'”

“Wherever we went – New Orleans, Opelousas, Lake Charles – we would walk by and everybody would say, ‘There they are,'” said Britt, 54, technical services manager for Chevron. “It was exciting to be a part of a team that everybody knew was going to win. We were fortunate enough and blessed enough to win.”

One of Champagne’s fondest memories was finally being able to participate in the state baseball playoffs in 1970, even though the Gators were eliminated early.

“(The Louisiana High School Athletic Association) did away with the playoffs my sophomore and junior years because it conflicted with exams and graduation,” he recalled. “I was really happy when they reinstated it in my last year because we were the district champs.”

Besides Melvin Johnson, the other inductee who will not be present is Pellegrin, who died in 1984. His brother Randy will represent him at the halftime ceremony.

“He was a devoted athlete and student,” Randy Pellegrin said. “I’m very proud and excited to have his name carry on at South Terrebonne.”

Three members of the 1973 state champion 440- and 880-yard relay team (left to right) Melvin Johnson Jr., Ricky Britt and Robert LaGarde Jr. will be inducted into the South Terrebonne Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night. Also pictured is Herman Verdin (far right). * Photo provided by SOUTH TERREBONNE HIGH SCHOOL