We catch a lot of heat in Louisiana for being backward and a few baseballs shy of a sack. Last in this and next-to-last in that.

Sometimes I think the rest of America just makes stuff up about us so they can feel better about themselves.

True, we bring some of it on ourselves.

But one thing we’ve about got figured out, and that’s ball. Any sport of any kind — we’ll take a knee and give you the winter sports — we’ll call you and raise you.

Louisiana knows ball. Louisiana knows all about competition. And winning.

Case in point: the annual Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies are a week from Saturday, June 22, in Natchitoches, home of the state’s Hall. (To be a part of the celebration, visit LASportsHall.com and join in the three-day festivities, beginning Thursday afternoon, June 20. Good times!)

Among the “only” inductees we could come up with this year are NFL record-setting passer and Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees of your New Orleans Saints, eight-time WNBA All-Star Seimone Augustus of Capitol High in Baton Rouge, 1992 Olympic wrestling gold medalist and LSU All-American Kevin Jackson, and Breeders’ Cup-winning thoroughbred jockey Ray Sibille from Sunset, who in retirement was selected by his peers as the winner of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, given annually “for career achievements and personal character that reflect positively on the sport of thoroughbred racing”; his mounts won nearly $69 million over a 35-year career.

And that’s not even HALF the class.

Most other states are scraping around to find three or maybe four inductees into their Sports Halls each year. Our 40-person Louisiana Sports Writers Association selection committee dukes it out all year until a Sunday in August when we gather and fistfight and pray and laugh and argue until we can settle on eight — and that’s not counting a couple of other awards that honor top-shelf media and worldwide leaders from Louisiana.

This year the panel considered 149 nominees from 28 different sports categories. The ballot was 35 pages.

It’s not easy, even if you know what you’re doing. We have Olympians and All-Pros and All-Americans on the ballot in-waiting. Their only flaw? — their deep ties to a state where you can’t swing a cat without hitting some athletic superstar.

Star-studded, every year.

Perry Clark will be enshrined next week. His masterful job of guiding Tulane basketball in the 1990s might never be duplicated.

McNeese football’s Kerry Joseph was a pro who could play for anyone and most any skill position.

Frank Monica won state titles coaching at three different south Louisiana schools.

Daniel Cormier of Lafayette’s Northside High is a name as familiar to mixed martial arts fans as Babe Ruth’s is to baseball fans. An all-state football player and All-American wrestler, he transitioned to mixed martial arts, where the King of the Cage became a UFC Hall of Famer and is now a staple as a commentator on ESPN’s UFC events.

This year, the second-ever recipient of the Louisiana Sports Ambassador Award will be presented to Wilbur Ellis, and if there’s been a more humble or honorable inductee, most of us are scratching our heads to figure out who that could be. The retired Grambling baseball coach is being recognized with this non-annual award, first presented in 2020 to network broadcaster Tim Brando of Fair Park, for his “long-term exemplary contributions to the perception of Louisiana.” Coach Ellis represents the best we have.

Since its founding in 1958, the Hall will have enshrined 492 men and women by next Saturday. If you’ve been to any of these ceremonies, you’ve witnessed taped video introductions that defy even the most sports minded. You’ve shared in gracious acceptance speeches, most including laughs, many including tears. It’s the best night of the year for Louisiana sports because the Hall of Famers and Louisiana’s fans, the best in the business, make it so.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu