The St. Bernard Sports Hall of Fame was founded in June of 1992 when a group of childhood friends met at Par 3 Restaurant for an organizational meeting. The charter members were Roy Cortes, Earl Laigast, Dr. Bryan Frichter, and Ronnie Kornick Sr. The loss of their childhood baseball coach, Samuel “Sammy” Frichter Sr. sparked the idea. With the birth of the Sports Hall would come expenses. A sponsor was needed. Nick Trist, president of Peoples Bank of St. Bernard, said, “Where do I sign and how much do you need.” In 1995 the first Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was conducted at the St. Bernard Cultural Center. The first two inductees, Norris Weese, NFL quarterback with the Denver
Broncos and Jerry Pellegrini, “The Boxing Barber”, #3 in the world welterweight, set the bar high and gave the organization instant recognition.
The St. Bernard Sports Hall of Fame continues to have a clear mission. To recognize athletes, sports personalities, and coaches who have made their mark in St. Bernard Parish or were residents of the parish and made their mark elsewhere. And to never allow these honorees to be forgotten.
Over the past 24 years, the SBSHOF has inducted 60 parish athletes into the hall. The Sports Hall of Fame has recognized 55 amateur athletes and awarded 28 individuals for their humanitarian and coaching contributions to St. Bernard Parish athletics. The Hall of Fame has donated over $175,000 dollars to the Athletic Departments of the St. Bernard Parish Schools, Recreation Department Ballparks, Special Olympics, the League of Angels, and other sports programs.
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary with the first Induction Ceremony since the pandemic began, became another milestone for the Sports Hall. Inducting, for the first time, a professional fisherman: Captain Charlie Thomason. Since St. Bernard Parish is synonymous with seafood and fishing, you’d think a professional fisherman would already be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Capt. Thomason says, “He is honored to be the first”. His long list of accomplishments includes winning an ESPN All-Star Event in Alabama. Finishing 2nd and 5th place for ESPN Redfish Cup Angler of the Year, hosting television programs on ESPN, ESPN2, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, the Outdoor Channel, and local New Orleans Fox and NBC stations. Being featured as an industry expert, introducing his viewers to Louisiana and St. Bernard. Captain Charlie is one of the largest Charter fishing operators along the entire Gulf of Mexico. Local boy, Chalmette High graduate. Went to Louisiana State University graduating with a BS degree in Forest Management Then headed back to St. Bernard to open Capt. Charlie Thomason’s Bayou Charters based in Hopedale, LA. Married to local girl Lexie Gremillion. Two daughters Grace who attends ULL in nursing and Ella who will attend LSU in the fall. The St. Bernard Sports Hall of Fame is honored to add Capt. Charlie to our Hall of Fame Inductees.
This year’s other recognized recipients: 2019 Spotlight winners: Ryder Planchard played catcher, 3rd base, and pitched the last inning of the Little League World Series Championship Game. Chelsey Tharp Quirk, World-Class Weight-lifter. Owner of Girls Gone Buff and the Parish Barbell Club. LSU National Champion coaches Bobby April, Special Teams Analyst, Derek Ponamsky, Special Assistant to Coach Orgeron, Vic Viloria, Associate Strength & Conditioning Coach. Crystal Award winner Donna Nye, Moran Printing, Banquet Program co-ordinator. Jade Butler, Special Olympics Female Amateur Athlete. Leland “Maddox” Chatham, Special Olympics Male Amateur Athlete. Abby Molinary, Female Amateur
Athlete of the Year. Guilhermy Antunes, Male Amateur Athlete of the Year. Shelton Alexander, 2019 Elphage Caillouette Special Recognition Award. Guy Williams, president & CEO of Gulf Coast Bank and VP Gus Riess, Sports Hall of Fame Humanitarian Award winners.
The Sports Hall would like to thank our 4 major partners/sponsors, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust, Lamarque Motor Company, Catherine Neyland, and Bernard John Lara, Jr. Anyone who is interested in a partner/sponsorship, or who would like to make a donation please contact Ron Evans, SHOF president at 504-914-0647 or visit the website at www.stbhof.com.
St. Bernard Sports Hall of Fame is a 501c3 organization. Donations are tax deductible.
You must be logged in to post a comment.