Football's Hadley Prince, top, Demond Mallet from basketball, Jes Stewart from tennis, Anissa Parker Fontenot from volleyball and former athletic director Harold ''Sonny'' Watkins have been selected for induction into the McNeese State Hall of Fame. (American Press)
Sulphur's Prince leads McNeese Hall of Fame class
Last Modified: Friday, July 20, 2012 7:34 PM
LAKE CHARLES — Three who earned player of the year honors, a two time individual conference champion and an athletic director who oversaw programs that produced 16 league titles are going into the McNeese State Hall of Fame.
Hadley Prince from football, Demond Mallet from basketball, Jes Stewart from tennis, Anissa Parker Fontenot from volleyball and former athletic director Harold “Sonny” Watkins have been selected for induction into the McNeese State Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony will take place at halftime of the Cowboy football game with McMurry on September 8. A reception in honor of the five inductees will be held in the Cowboy Room beginning at 5:30 p.m. that day sponsored by the McNeese Cowboy Club.
The addition of the new inductees will lift the number in the Hall of Fame to 130. The Hall is located in the Jack Doland field house.
Prince, a native of Sulphur, earned all-American, all-conference and all-Louisiana honors as a defensive back during his career with the Cowboys. He played on Southland Conference championship teams in 2001 and 2002 and helped lead the Cowboys to the FCS championship game in 2002.
In his senior year he was named the SLC player of the year and he was also the runnerup in the voting for the national defensive player of the year award.
A three time academic all-American, Prince capped off his senior year by being named the McNeese athlete of the year. He also paced the Cowboys in tackles in the 2000 season with 106 and continues to hold the fourth longest pass interception touchdown return in school history, an 88 yard runback against Alcorn State in 2001
Following graduation he went on to obtain his doctor of veterinary degree from LSU and is now in practice in Lake Charles.
Mallet, a Leesville native, was a three-time first team all-Southland Conference selection who went on to become the third leading scorer in McNeese basketball history (1,941 points and a 16.6 per game average).
A guard, he led his team in scoring, free-throw shooting and three-point shooting for three straight seasons. His career totals of 331 three point goals and 206 steals continue to serve as school records.
Twice he led the conference in scoring (21.3 ppg in 2001 and 18.9 in 1998) and he was named the SLC player of the year in 2001 and the Louisiana Athletic Director’s Association player of the year in 1999.
Following graduation he moved into the professional ranks and is now in his 11th season as a pro. He has had stints with the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons and has spent the last nine years playing in Europe where he is currently a member of the Belgacom Spirou team in the Belgium-Ethias League.
Five times he has earned all-star status (MVP in 2007) and has been player of the year, guard of the year and import of the year.
A dominate tennis player for McNeese in the 1960s, Stewart was a standout for four straight years in the Gulf States Conference.
A Lake Charles native, he was twice named his team’s most valuable player (1966 and 1968) and he won the GSC No. 2 singles titles in 1967 (record of 13-3) and 1968.
He played on two conference championship teams, compiling a 43-17 career singles record. In his senior year he represented McNeese in the national college division championship tournament.
One of the first volleyball standouts in McNeese history, Parker Fontenot was a two-time Louisiana player of the year selected by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and was named the state player of the year by the Louisiana Athletic Directors Association.
A native of Bakersfield, Calif., she was also named to the all-Louisiana team four straight years and to the all-Southland Conference team three years in a row.
During her career she set a school single season record with 625 kills and 1,726 attempts, records which still stand. She also still holds the career records for attempts (5,486) and kills (1,958) and is second in digs (1,701).
She was also named a SLC newcomer of the year.
Watkins, a graduate of McNeese and native of Lake Charles, served as the university’s athletic director from 1997 to 2008. During that period the school’s athletic teams won a total of 16 Southland Conference titles and also won the men’s all-sports trophy in the 2001-02 season, the only one in school history.
He was also recognized as one of the top athletic directors in the nation by the All-American Football Foundation and was inducted into the SLC Hall of Honor.
During his tenure he served on the NCAA 1-AA football selecting committee and on the SLC committees for championships and officiating.
A graduate of and a basketball player for McNeese, Watkins had also served as an assistant athletic director, as co-head coach for the women’s basketball program and as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team during his career.
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