Board members of the Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame (JPSHOF) have finalized the plans for the 2026 Induction Banquet, where five local legends will be enshrined as new members of the Hall of Fame and one will be presented with an Outstanding Meritorious Award.
The 2026 JPSHOF Induction Banquet will be held in the Family Life Center of the First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, located at 500 South Cooper Street. The gala event will begin at 5:00 pm with a “meet and greet” social hour, followed by the Induction program and dinner.
Seats for the ceremony and dinner are now being reserved at a cost of $25.00 per person and $225.00 for a table of eight. Reserved tables for induction members are $200.00. To make your reservation, contact Wilda Smith at (318) 426 – 6511 or by email at wsmithcoc@aol.com. Reservations and payments can also be made by mailing a check or money order to:
Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame
c/o Wilda Smith
PO Box 192
Jonesboro, LA 71251
Being enshrined as the Class of 2026 are Lowell Mize (JHHS football), Cynthia Loyd Stampley (JHHS girls basketball), Shelby Green (Quitman High boys basketball), Steve Treadway (JHHS football) and Joey Pender (JHHS coach). Being honored with the Outstanding Meritorious Award is Bill DeCou (Rundell Junior High Coach).
Also being recognized as the 2025-26 High School Male and Female Athletes of the Year after being selected by representatives of each of the schools of the Jackson Parish School District are:
Dakota Knox and Ciara Gray of Jonesboro-Hodge High School
Hudson Pullig and Maggie Guyotte of Quitman High School
Livi Otwell and Drew Browning of Weston High School.
Stay Tuned! In the upcoming weeks, in-depth articles on each of the six new inductees and high school athletes of the year will be published in the Jackson Parish Journal.
The Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame was created from a vision held by Mr. Henry Kimp of a venue to recognize athletes, coaches, and administrators who have lived or worked in Jackson Parish and who have made a great impact in the arena of sports. In 2008, the first meeting of a loosely formed board of Henry Kimp, Bobby Culpepper, Leslie Thompson, Nathaniel Belton, and Raymond Jeffress took place and declared that the primary function of the Hall of Fame would be to create a venue of outstanding individuals and their accomplishments so that future generations would know more about the tremendous history of athletics in Jackson Parish and the people who helped make it great.
In 2009, the inaugural induction ceremony took place with John Garlington, Bob Hopkins, Jo Ann Jackson-Buckner, Dr. Arnold Kilpatrick, and Edgar Walker being the first class to be enshrined. With the inclusion of this year’s class, the Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame will now boast 88 inductees and seven Meritorious Award winners.
Leading into 2026, the Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame was located at the Jackson Parish Recreation Department Sports Complex, but due to the need to find a new location due to structural problems with the building it was housed in, it is now in a state of transition as a new location is being sought. To learn more about the Jackson Parish Sports Hall of Fame and the ones enshrined, click here or visit https://www.jpsportshalloffame.com/