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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. Gerald Landry
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Home Phone: 337-893-6073 Served as assistant football coach from 1972-1976. Four athletes join ‘S’ Club Hall of Fame October 8, 2003 LAFAYETTE — Baseball pitcher Garrett O’Connor, softball-basketball standout Alyson Habetz, football’s Gerald Landry and NCAA track and field champion Ndabe Mdhlongwa will be inducted into the UL Lafayette “S” Club Hall of Fame this week. The four will be part of Homecoming 2003 activities at the school, including introduction at halftime of Saturday’s 4 p.m. football game against UL Monroe at Cajun Field. Habetz, a Notre Dame of Crowley product who went on to play professional baseball with the Silver Bullets prior to her current stint as a softball assistant at Alabama, will be honored for her contributions to Lady Cajun softball from 1992-94. She received a bachelor of arts degree in 1995 and was the outstanding graduate for the College of Liberal Arts at UL Lafayette that same year. During her college career, Habetz was a four-year letterman in softball and basketball. She received All-South Region honors all four years and was named All-American in 1994 and Academic All-American two years. Habetz helped to lead the Lady Cajuns to their first World Series appearance in 1993. O’Connor, a former Lafayette High star who pitched and hit his Burger Chef team to the American Legion state championship in 1981, excelled as a Cajun pitcher from 1982-86. He won 22 games in his Cajun career, including nine in 1984 when he had a 1.79 earned run average and 78 strikeouts, and worked 290 1/3 innings. O’Connor led UL in innings pitched for three straight years. He graduated from UL Lafayette in 1985 with a degree in Business Administration and is a successful local businessman. O’Connor, a four-year letterman, received All-Louisiana and All-American honors during his career. Mdhlongwa (1993-96) graduated from UL Lafayette in 1996 with a degree in General Studies and then received his MBA from UL in 1998. A four-year letter winner in track and field, Mdhlongwa received All-American honors three times and was an eight-time Sun Belt Conference Champion in the triple jump. Mdhlongwa was the 1995 NCAA triple jump champion, and competed in both the 1995 World Championships and 1996 Olympics for his native Zimbabwe. He holds the school record in the triple jump at 55-9 1/4, and also owns the Cajun Track stadium mark of 56-10 3/4 in March 1999 Louisiana Classics competition. Landry (1963-66) received a B.S. in Marketing and an M.A. in Education from UL Lafayette. He was a four-year letterman in football, receiving All-Conference honors two of those years. Landry holds UL Lafayette records in most extra points and consecutive field goals as well as leading scorer and receiver. “Our goal is to remind each new generation of athletes of the tradition they must uphold and the ideals that they should strive for while they are wearing the UL Lafayette uniforms,” “S” Club President Dwight Prudhomme (football, 1979-82) said. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to give recognition to those athletes who have made a significant contribution to the good name of the university by demonstrating exceptional ability and sportsmanship on the playing fields, commendable scholarship in the classroom, high quality leadership on the campus, and who after leaving the university established a personal reputation for character and citizenship in the community which they reside. ©The Lafayette Daily Advertiser Habetz’ pioneer legacy is solid October 12, 2003 Alyson Habetz was a pioneer at a young age. The Crowley product was such a good athlete in her youth that she joined boys and played on her high school baseball team at Notre Dame. Habetz soon excelled in both softball and basketball at UL Lafayette, then broke more new ground by playing professional baseball with the Silver Bullets. It was no surprise, then, to find Habetz among a select group of four honorees inducted Saturday into the “S” Club Hall of Fame. “It’s an incredible honor to be part of such a prestigious group,” Habetz said just before being introduced during halftime of UL’s homecoming game against UL Monroe at Cajun Field. “It’s a reflection, really, of the wonderful people who helped me along the way. I had great coaches, teammates, fans and friends. I’ve been blessed.” Habetz, UL’s 1995 Outstanding Graduate in the College of Commerce, is now an assistant softball coach at Alabama under Pat Murphy. It was poetic justice last May when both Alabama and UL Lafayette were in the Women’s College World Series, since Habetz helped the Lady Cajuns to their first WCWS in 1993. Just as special, though, was her time as a member of the Silver Bullets. “It had always been my dream to play professional baseball,” Habetz said. “The Silver Bullets came along right after college. It was just about the opportunity given, and it came around at the right time.” It also helps to have talent, and the Hall of Fame quartet had plenty of that. Triple jumper Ndabe Mdhlongwa was an NCAA champion, a multiple Sun Belt Conference champion and an Olympian for his native Zimbabwe. He is now a business consultant living in Dallas. “I first got the call from Lance (UL track coach Lance Veazey), saying that he nominated me,” Mdhlongwa said. “Then I got a really nice letter about it, and a month or so later another letter telling me I’d been selected. It’s very exciting. “It never crossed my mind that I would be considered. When you see the emotion of people like Walter Payton and Jim Kelly when they go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, you’re thrilled to experience something like this for yourself. “I just wish Boo (former UL assistant Irving Schexnayder) could be here. He couldn’t make it, but this is a direct result of his work. This says something for him, too.” Gerald Landry, a star kicker, punter and receiver for Ragin’ Cajun football in the 1960’s, was thrilled with the “S” Club recognition. “This is out of sight,” Landry said. “It’s my biggest thrill in athletics. One of my teammates, Tom Couste, nominated me. I knew there were certain guidelines, and there were certain records I held. “There are probably a lot of people happy in Acadiana today, but I’ve got to be numero uno.” At the halftime ceremonies, the Cajuns were down 28-14 to UL Monroe and Landry was agonizing with other Cajun followers. “I just hope we can get this thing turned around,” Landry said. Former Cajun baseball pitcher Garrett O’Connor was a Lafayette High product who was part of a turnaround in UL’s fortunes in the 1980’s. “We went to the University of Texas and nobody respected us,” O’Connor said. “At the time, Texas and Texas A&M were the dominant teams in the game, and we took two of three from them. I pitched a one-hitter, and that helped establish us and made us believe in ourselves. “Mel Didier and Brad Kelley brought a big-league atmosphere to our program. “I also remember my win against LSU in Skip Bertman’s first year there. Me and Xavier Hernandez beat them.” The Cajuns at the time were loaded with local and area products, and that influenced O’Connor to stick around longer. “Most of us were from the area, local kids, and that made me want to come back for my final year,” O’Connor said. “I had been taken in the first round by the Twins. But I stayed and was picked in the second round by the Yankees.” Now a local businessman, O’Connor relished Hall of Fame inclusion. “I wish the starting nine could be here with me,” he said. “It’s a total team effort. I just get credit for the ‘W’. I’m proud for my kids, my family and friends. “It’s a fraternity for life.” There is room, of course, for outstanding women like Alyson Habetz in that select group. ©The Lafayette Daily Advertiser
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