For the past 39 years, Sherry LeBas has driven to her office at Earl K. Long Gym in the morning and away from it the majority of the time late at night.

But on June 30, LeBas, an Opelousas native, will drive to and from her office for the last time, as the UL Ragin’ Cajuns’ Associates Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator will be calling it a career.

"I’m retiring," LeBas said. "It was a very tough decision for me to make, because this is who I am. Sherry LeBas and athletics has been my identity for almost 40 years. It’s going to be very difficult to drive away from my office for a final time."

Former Ragin’ Cajuns Assistant Athletic Director and Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters referred to LeBas as "a pioneer."

"My association with Sherry goes back to 1983," Waters said in a release by the university. "Sherry was a pioneer in women’s athletics. She made the move from coach to administration while being a mother. Always loyal to the university and the student-athletes, she will be remembered as someone you could always count on to do the right thing."

Former Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball player Nyoki McKeith described LeBas as being a basketball mom.

"If the Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball program would have had a team mother it would have been Mrs. Sherry LeBas," McKeith said. "She has seen many girls turn into women and has helped us all along the way. For that I am grateful to have crossed her path."

LeBas, who was the first female athletics administrator in the Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics Department, was hired in 1973 as the coordinator of women’s athletics, a position that she developed and used to make women athletics an integral part of the university.

"I was totally caught off guard when I was hired," LeBas said. "When Toby Warren said he wanted to talk to me, I thought he was going to ask me to work with the cheerleaders, because at the time I was working with the dance team. But he didn’t, he told me they were looking to hire a coordinator for women’s athletics. I asked him if he thought I was able to do it and he said yes. So, I did it.

"My goal wasn’t to take anything away from the men," LeBas continued. "My goal was to simply make women’s athletics here at the university an integral part of our school and I feel like we’ve done that."

In her career, LeBas has seen women’s athletics grow tremendously, from four sports (gymnastics, basketball, tennis and volleyball) to a total of eight sports (basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, volleyball).

"All we wanted to do was provide an opportunity for our female athletes to compete," LeBas said. "It’s a credit to our university’s administration for seeing fit to do the right thing. I’m not the reason why women’s athletics are where they are today, because all I can do is make suggestions, but the administration (president and athletic director) are the ones who must have a similar vision and be willing to work toward them. It all starts at the top."

LeBas, who has been through eight different athletic directors and two university presidents, first served as women’s tennis coach two different seasons (1977 and 1978) and then spent six seasons as head coach of the Ragin’ Cajuns volleyball team from 1980-85, compiling the second-most victories (111) in program history. In 1981, she led the Cajuns volleyball team to the LAIAW State Volleyball championship.

LeBas, a 1971 graduate of UL, played an instrumental part in helping the athletics department secure the first NCAA Softball Regional in Lafayette in 1990. With her guidance as regional site tournament director, the athletic department set some of the current standards that are required by the NCAA for sites today — a key factor which led to Lamson Park hosting an additional seven NCAA Regional tournaments (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002).

"That is one of my greatest memories," LeBas said. "I remember Yvette Girouard and I putting in a request to put a bid in to host the regional. For the longest time, our softball program was one of the best kept secrets and then it just blew up after that. I mean look where we are now."

Although her retirement marks the end of her career, LeBas vows the university hasn’t seen the end of her.

"I’ve had a great run," LeBas said. "I have really loved what I’ve done and I know that I’m going to really miss it. But this isn’t the end of the book; it’s only the end of a chapter. I have been able to experience things that I will treasure the rest of my life, but the time has come. It’s time for me to take on another role with the university and that’s as a fan and the No. 1 volunteer."

Follow prep editor Eric Narcisse on Twitter @tdanarcisse.