Doug Ireland played key role in Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum's path

Doug Ireland played key role in Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum's path

Read online and see video - story by Jason Pugh, Shreveport Times
28 June 2013


NATCHITOCHES — Doug Ireland’s personality and skill as a sports information director built his reputation as a cornerstone of the Northwestern State athletic department.

His passion, however, helped bring to life the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Museum, which opens tonight in Natchitoches.

As the executive director of the Hall of Fame, Ireland was instrumental in bringing the 50-year-plus dream of the museum to life. Just don’t expect him to take credit for the 27,500-square-foot shrine in downtown Natchitoches.

“This is too important not to make it happen, but it’s we, not me,” Ireland said. “I’m the point person, but there are so many people involved, some who may not even realize what they did.”

Those who know Ireland best are not surprised by his modesty.  

Since taking the executive director position from Jerry Pierce, now a vice president at Northwestern State, in 1991, Ireland has balanced his job of promoting Demons athletics with those of shepherding the Hall of Fame museum from a trophy case outside his office in NSU’s Prather Coliseum to its glistening new building facing the Cane River.

“As far as Doug doing (the Hall of Fame museum) and being the SID at all hours of the day and night, weekends, whenever, he’s going to find a way to get done for our coaches and for our student-athletes what he needs to get done,” said NSU athletic director Greg Burke, who has known Ireland for 28 years, 16 of which have come in Burke’s current position. “He would never short-change them. As important as this project is, he would never short-change his alma mater.”

The museum has survived an uncertain future in terms of physical location to when, or if, it would physically come to fruition.

An opening appeared in 2005, when the museum was placed on the state’s bond commission agenda. In July 2005, the collection was packed and shipped to New Orleans, less than two months ahead of Hurricane Katrina, the aftermath of which made for some tense moments for the entire state.

For Ireland, they were doubly tense.

“Katrina hits at the end of August, and suddenly, not only is there not going to be a bond commission meeting, (the question was) is there going to be any funding at all?” Ireland said. “The immediate scare was the stuff’s in New Orleans where there’s flooding and fires. It was in the French Quarter, the highest point in New Orleans. Every time that week on CNN I’d hear fire in the French Quarter, I’d get scared to death. We survived that with no damage.”

The museum found its way back to the bond commission in 2006, landing funding that set in motion everything leading up to tonight’s fete.

Through it all, Ireland always made sure to credit everyone from legislators like Taylor Townsend to his NSU secretaries Ronnie Pellegrin and the late Rhenda Cedars for their assistance and efforts to bring the museum to life.

For as many volunteers, workers and politicians Ireland named while recounting the museum’s long road to tonight’s opening, there seems to be an equal amount of people waiting to say thanks to Ireland for his efforts.

“Doug’s just the ultimate tireless worker,” Natchitoches Mayor Lee Posey said. “He has a regular job. This has been a second job for him. His passion for the university, the community and the sports enthusiasts of Louisiana, his diligence, we’re lucky to have him in the community. I can’t imagine a harder worker with the work ethic he’s shown. It’s been a task, no doubt about it.”

As a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan who once lived 8 miles from Forbes Field, Ireland grew up rooting for the likes of Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski, two mainstays for a pair of World Series champions.

His position with the Hall of Fame has helped Ireland draw comparisons to his boyhood team’s standouts.

“When things started to wane, Doug was there, saying ‘We can do this. I can do this,’” said Iris Harper, executive director of the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission. “The fact it’s happening this weekend is really a tribute to Doug Ireland and, of course, the sports writers of Louisiana. I don’t think without Doug they could have held this thing together. He’s been their solid rock the whole way through.”

Ireland, however, is more concerned with the accolades inside the museum than any that come his way.

“Some people would say, ‘You‘ve made sacrifices,’” Ireland said. “I don’t see it that way. I’ve had the privilege. What does it mean to me? It’s too important to mess up. Not only do you not want to mess it up, you want to do it justice. It is something I’m very, very proud to have been a part of and help steer and help get to this point.”