Seven greats to enter LSU Athletic Hall of Fame

BATON ROUGE, La. — Seven former student-athletes have been elected for induction into the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame, Director of Athletics Scott Woodward announced on Tuesday.

The 2019 induction class was chosen by the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Election Board, and it includes NCAA track and field champion Walter Davis; All-American softball infielder Ashlee Ducote; All-American women’s golfer Meredith Duncan; Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kevin Jackson; NCAA gymnastics champion Susan Jackson; All-American football linebacker Bradie James; and All-American baseball infielder Jason Williams.

The induction ceremony will be held on Friday, October 11, at the Capitol Park Museum in downtown Baton Rouge.

“There is no greater honor for a former student-athlete at LSU than to be selected to this venerable hall of fame,” Woodward said. “It’s a very difficult hall of fame in which to be inducted. Those in the hall represent the very best of LSU Athletics as students, as athletes and as all-around contributors to this university and its great history. We are so proud to welcome this new class.”

Davis, who competed at LSU from 2000-02, was a nine-time All-American as a long jumper, triple jumper and sprinter. He won six NCAA individual titles, and he led the Tigers to the 2002 NCAA men’s outdoor team title, scoring 30 of LSU’s 64 total points.

Davis was a three-time United States Olympian, a two-time World Champion, the 2002 National Track & Field Athlete of the Year and the 2002 SEC Male Athlete of the Year.

Ducote was a first-team All-American in 1999 and 2000, and she was voted the 2000 SEC Player of the Year. She was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection, and she led LSU to the softball program’s first-ever Top 5 ranking.

Ducote completed her career as LSU’s all-time leader in six offense categories – batting average, hits, RBI, walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

Duncan was a 2002 first-team All-American, and she posted 22 Top 10 finishes during her LSU career. She also earned second-team All-America honors in 2001 and honorable mention All-America recognition in 2000.

Duncan, the 2001 United States Women’s Amateur champion, was a two-time Academic All-American at LSU and a two-time first-team All-SEC selection. She has been a player on the LPGA Tour since 2004.

Kevin Jackson was a three-time wrestling All-American at LSU from 1984-86 before the university discontinued its wrestling program. He completed his collegiate career at Iowa State in 1987, where he finished as the NCAA national runner-up in his weight class.

He enjoyed a tremendous international wrestling career, and he captured an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. He was also a two-time World Championships Gold Medalist and a two-time Pan American Games Gold Medalist.

Susan Jackson won the 2010 Honda Award as the National Gymnast of the Year, and she was named the 2010 SEC Female Athlete of the Year. She was a four-time first-team All-American, and she won individual NCAA Championships in the all-around, the balance beam and the vault.

She was the 2010 SEC Gymnast of the Year, a three-time first-team All-SEC performer and a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

James was a 2002 first-team All-American at linebacker, and he was named a 2002 National Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation. He was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and for the Lombardi Award, and he was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection.

James, who set the LSU record for most tackles in a season (154) in 2002, played in the NFL for 10 years with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texas. He established Foundation 56, a charitable organization which raises funds for the fight against breast cancer.

Williams helped lead LSU to two NCAA College World Series titles in 1993 (at third base) and 1996 (at shortstop). He was also the starting shortstop for the 1996 United States Olympic team, which earned a bronze medal in Atlanta.

Twenty-three years after his collegiate playing career has ended, Williams is still the all-time SEC leader in runs scored with 270, and he finished his LSU eligibility as the Tigers’ all-time leader in games played (266), at-bats (1,019) and walks received (164). Williams, who is No. 4 on the LSU career list for base hits with 327, received All-America recognition in 1995 and 1996.

2019 LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Class
• Walter Davis, Men’s Track & Field
• Ashlee Ducote, Softball
• Meredith Duncan, Women’s Golf
• Kevin Jackson, Wrestling
• Susan Jackson, Gymnastics
• Bradie James, Football
• Jason Williams, Baseball