LSU legends, Saban and Whitworth, inducted into LA Sports HOF

NATCHITOCHES, LA (KTAL/KMSS) – On Saturday, twelve new members got inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, two of which are some of the top names in football and notable LSU figures, Nick Saban and Andrew Whitworth.

 “The ride that LSU fans have been on for the last 20+ years is directly related to Nick Saban being the head coach,” Whitworth said.

Over 25 years after his first year as head coach, Nick Saban is officially a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. The former LSU coach put LSU football on the map, with the Tigers winning three national titles since he began his reign. 

“The standard he set and we set with it, and it took the players doing it, the coaches and everyone that poured into this program, but by all means it was Nick Saban who started it and started that vision and that standard and the players carried it on and the coaches after him kept holding it up,” Whitworth said. “I think we all realized his impact and so really special to me to think about who he is and the vision he had and to see it all come to life for LSU sports.” 

 For Saban, it was all possible through something as simple as support. 

 “This was the first job that I ever had where the people actually trusted and respected the process of what we were going to try to do to win and I think you know we took over a 3-8 program and everybody was committed to it,” Saban said. “I certainly hope that I did my part to make everybody proud of the kind of team that we were able to develop.” 

And no one has been more proud than his players, including fellow class of 2025 inductee, Whitworth. 

” [We] told people what we were going to do. We were going to go to LSU and we’re going to win a national championship,” Whitworth said. “I’ll never forget that opportunity, sure enough 2.5 years later we’re there and we did it. When you when you do that with somebody and you have a vision and both of you pour into it and you accomplish it, it’s forever. You’re forever bonded in that. So it’s great to have a little bit of reflection time with him.”

As with many behind the scenes decisions in the Sabin family, the Tigers can thank Miss Terry for coming down to Baton Rouge and interviewing for Sabin. 

 “Miss Terry goes and looks at the facilities in the stadium and all that, so I called her up on the phone and I said, Well, what do you think? And she said, ‘they don’t have very good facilities. The coach’s offices are in the bank building, so they’re not very good. They don’t have an academic center. You got to get on a bus and ride across the railroad tracks to get the practice,’ but she said, ‘I went in the weight room, they got some good looking players.'” 

Whitworth and Saban were just two of the inspirational members going to the Hall of Fame Saturday night.

The inductees include:

• Danny Broussard, prep basketball coach
• April Burkholder, LSU gymnast
• Danny Granger, NBA All-Star
• Vickie Johnson, WNBA All-Star, LA Tech alum
• Nick Saban, LSU head coach
• Bobby Soileau, LSU boxer
• Joe Scheuermann, prep baseball coach
• Dale Weiner, prep football coach
• Andrew Whitworth, LSU alum, Los Angeles Rams
• Herb Vincent, Dave Dixon Award
• Ed Daniels, Distinguished Service Award
• Glenn Guilbeau, Distinguished Service Award

All were honored with a video and sit down discussion at Saturday’s ceremony.