June 1, 2007

GALEVESTON, Texas - Sports Information Director Louis Bonnette and former Athletics Director Bob Hayes were inducted into the Southland Conferences Hall of Honor here Thursday night at the San Luis Resort Spa & Conference Center.

Bonnette is entering his 42nd year as McNeese State's Sports Information Director and also serves as the Senior Associate Athletics Director.

A native of Pineville, La., Bonnette is also a past president (two terms) of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and has been the recipient of the LSWA's Mac Russo Award. He has received the Distinguished Service Award from the LSWA and has been inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, in the sports journalism division. Bonnette is also a member of the McNeese Hall of Fame which he founded and serves as its chairman.

Only five other SIDs nationally, just one remains active, has served longer in the profession than Bonnette. His ongoing streak of working at 458 consecutive Cowboy football games is tops all-time among all College Sports Information Directors of America members.

A 1963 graduate of Louisiana Tech, Bonnette has won dozens of state and national awards for writing, media guides and game programs.

Hayes served McNeese and the Southland for 29 years after joining the Cowboys as track coach in 1967. He took over as Athletics Director in 1987, a position he held until retiring in 1996.

Hayes was a four-time SLC Cross Country Coach of the Year after producing four team champions in the sport. One of the top track and field coaches in the nation, Hayes took the McNeese program to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, including helping construct the first track on campus. Hayes' athletes earned five SLC individual cross country titles, six outdoor track scoring titles, four SLC athlete of the year awards and a total of 34 SLC championship gold medals.

During his tenure as athletics director, McNeese posted eight conference titles and participated in five NCAA postseason tournaments in various sports.