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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Albert Fournette, III
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Home Phone: -- Track & Field: Fournette Finishes Strong Season at NCAAs www.ragincajuns.com June 12, 2001 University of Louisiana shot put thrower Albert Fournette finished a solid sophomore campaign at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday evening at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Fournette, a two-time All-Sun Belt shot put thrower, did not record a mark at the NCAA Championships after making a foul in three attempts. “He put all of his effort in every throw,” said UL volunteer assistant coach Dr. David Bellar. “I was very happy to see Albert have the ability to gear up and try to put himself in the mix. He has some work to do before the next season starts, but I think we will be going back to more national meets in the future.” The sophomore from New Orleans finished among the top-24 in the nation after recording a record throw of 59-3 (18.07m) at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary on May 26. “It’s a great accomplishment to be one of the 24 throwers to make it here,” said Fournette. “I am going to work hard during the offseason and hopefully return next year.” Earlier in the season, Fournette broke a 26-year old UL record in the shot put with a throw of 57-7 ¾ (17.57m) at the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational. Due to a lightning delay, Fournette’s final ranking in the shot put will not be available until late Friday evening. Fournette was the first Ragin’ Cajuns track & field athlete to reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships since Lawrence Willis accomplished the feat in 2004. — Ragin’ Cajuns – * * * * * * * * * * Track & Field: Fournette ready for chance to shine at NCAA event Joshua Parrott, Daily Advertiser, June 10, 2011 Before Brenda Fournette allowed her son, Albert Fournette III, to leave for college two years ago, she made him agree to an ultimatum. No exceptions or he wasn’t going to UL. He planned to join the school’s track team as a non-scholarship athlete after graduating from Brother Martin High School in New Orleans. “I had to hear from him every day,” she said. “He had to check in and let me know how he was doing. That was our pact.” Now a college sophomore, Fournette stuck to the agreement. The soft-spoken giant sometimes calls his parents two or three times a day. They’ll be patiently waiting for his next phone call sometime tonight after he throws the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. His first throw is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. “I’m very excited about this opportunity and grateful for everything that’s happened,” said the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Fournette. “It’s a tribute to my perseverance and hard work, my faith in God and my coaches and parents.” In late May, Fournette set a school record with a throw of 59 feet-3.5 inches (18.07 meters) at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Meet in Bloomington, Ind. That broke his previous school record of 57-7.75 (17.57 meters) set at the Northwestern State Invitational in April. He became the first Ragin’ Cajun to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships since Lawrence Willis in 2004. Surprisingly, Fournette has done all of this in his first year using a “slide” or “rotational” technique. “Albert had all the physical tools when he got here two years ago, but he didn’t have the technique,” said Cajuns assistant coach David Bellar. “He’s very fast, strong and explosive, and that’s helped him develop like he has this year.” Fournette’s story is one of setbacks and determination. Raised in a two-parent home in New Orleans, he and his older sister were taught about the importance of working hard, having faith and getting an education. The mother, Brenda, was a beautician, while the father, Albert Jr., worked as a surgical tech at East Jefferson General Hospital. As a youngster Fournette was too big to play football with his peers, so his father still signed him up to play baseball and basketball. “He was always big for his age,” Albert Jr. said. “He was like a man child.” Fournette hoped to play football as a freshman at Brother Martin in 2005. Then Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast that August. With the family displaced to Texas, Fournette completed his freshman year of high school at Stratford High School in Houston. He didn’t play any sports that year. “That situation was horrible for me and my family,” Fournette said. “We got about five feet of water in our house, so we lost pretty much everything that wasn’t in our attic.” The family returned to New Orleans in the summer of 2006. Fournette started playing football as a sophomore at Brother Martin, becoming a starting defensive tackle as a junior and senior. After being slowed briefly by a torn calf muscle during his junior season, Fournette learned how to throw the shot put that spring. In his final two years of high school he helped Brother Martin win district and regional championships. He had found his calling. Tulane, Grambling, Southern and Alabama State recruited him to play football in college, but Fournette wasn’t interested. The Cajuns saw him compete at a track meet in Lafayette as a senior, liked his potential and asked him to join the team as a non-scholarship athlete. It helped that Fournette’s prep teammate, Wes Gonzales, was already planning on becoming a Cajun and his older sister, Janay, was attending the school. Fournette struggled in adjusting to the college level early on but kept working. He got bigger, stronger and faster. He earned all-conference honors in the shot put during outdoor competition as a freshman. His sophomore season was up and down until he broke a 26-year-old school record at the NSU Invitational in April. Then he finished second at the Sun Belt outdoor meet and shined in Bloomington a few weeks ago. One of the biggest reasons for his improvement: His numbers in the weight room. Fournette arrived as a 6-2, 264-pound freshman. He could bench press 350 pounds, squat 400 pounds and couldn’t do a proper clean and jerk. Now Fournette is 6-3, 305. He can bench press 425 pounds, squat 600 pounds and clean and jerk about 295 pounds. Fournette also gets it done in the classroom. He made the Dean’s List this spring after recording a 3.5 grade-point average. Bellar describes Fournette as a “coach’s dream. Whatever you ask him to do he does it.” Fournette now hopes to at least earn All-America honors this weekend by finishing in the top eight in the shot put at the national meet. “When I got here as a walk-on nobody really had any expectations for me,” he said. “Now the coaches expect me to throw far and so do I.” And his mom and dad couldn’t be any prouder. “I’ve always told him to just do the best he could in everything he did,” said Brenda, who has co-owned “A New Day Beauty Salon” in New Orleans since 2006. “I told my children to take every day as a blessing, and they took it serious.” His father added: “I think he has what it takes to maybe get to the Olympics. But even if he doesn’t, I know he’s going to be successful in life.”
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