(Photo caption l-r) Ryan Anholt, Adrian Hardy, Kenta Bell, Peggy Lewis, Ed Moses, Barry Rubin and Ed Orgeron, all inducted in the Graduate N Club Hall of Fame at Northwestern State on Saturday morning.

NATCHITOCHES – With the seven honorees including a two-time USA Olympian, one of college football's most passionate figures and a renowned NFL strength coach, there was no question Saturday's Graduate N Club Hall of Fame Ceremony at Northwestern State would be memorable.
 
The stories and emotions that flowed freely enthralled the crowd at Magale Recital Hall during a stirring and entertaining 90 minutes on NSU's Homecoming morning.
 
There were poignant reflections, like this from All-American shortstop and Academic All-American Ryan Anholt, a Canadian who played in 1998-99 as the Demons won a Southland Conference title and beat programs like LSU and UCLA. His lasting joy?
 
"I was able to meet and marry my best friend. She was that hot blonde from Dallas, smart and athletic, a soccer player, and that's all I needed to know. I scored a lot of runs playing baseball here at Northwestern State," he said, "but the biggest score I made was getting Kelly to marry me."
 
There were heartfelt expressions of gratitude to the institution.
 
"I couldn't have chosen a better place to be my second home than Northwestern," said Kilgore, Texas, native Kenta Bell, who ranked among the world's top triple jumpers for a decade while competing in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. "There are so many people who have been so influential in my career, I know when I start naming people, I'm going to leave somebody out and I better apologize up front for that."
 
There were plentiful tributes to those they lined up alongside at NSU.
 
"I want to thank my coaches and teammates. The times that we had were wonderful," said "Coach O," Ed Orgeron, who has been a pivotal figure shaping national championship football teams at Miami and Southern California. "People want to know why I'm not sacking shrimp back home, how I've had success in coaching. I learned from you guys. When I went to Miami, I went to Syracuse, I went to Los Angeles, I brought the passion these coaches taught me, the knowledge of how to teach the right things, and to you guys, I'm very, very thankful, very grateful."
 
"I attribute a lot of my success to playing alongside (All-America linebacker and all-time leading tackler) Andre Carron and (fellow 2014 inductee) Adrian Hardy. They taught me how to play and the offenses tried to stay away from them, so that made me look good," said linebacker Ed Moses, now a Baton Rouge attorney whose 431 tackles from 1990-93 ranks second in school history. "Clearly, I owe those guys and my other teammates a great deal of gratitude."
 
And there were testaments from presenters introducing the inductees, like what former Demon offensive line coach Joe Raymond Peace passed along from Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid about Saturday's Distinguished Service Award winner.
 
"Coach Andy Reid sent me this message:  'Barry Rubin is the finest strength coach in the NFL. More importantly, there's not a finer person in the NFL than Barry Rubin.' "
 
Former Lady Demon track and field coach Dr. Chris Maggio chimed in with reflections on how a small-town upbringing helped produce a four-time All-Louisiana and three-time All-Southland Conference shot putter, Peggy Lewis, now a junior high teacher, just as she said she wanted to be on a questionnaire she filled out in her freshman year at NSU.
 
"I used to kid Peggy every day about being from the big town of Epps, but I wish every person in America could come from a small community like Epps, Louisiana, where hard work, perseverance, respect, all make a difference," said Maggio, now NSU's alumni and NSU Foundation director. "I was a 24-year-old coach and I wish I could say Peggy was my daughter, but we were too close in age. Peggy Lewis is the epitome of Northwestern State University, where somebody with big dreams can come, often overlooked by bigger schools, and with heart, determination and a great work ethic, they will succeed and in a big way, competitively and in life."
 
Again and again, there was humor from every inductee and nearly every speaker.  Legendary Demon football coach Sam Goodwin drew double duty, introducing Hardy and Orgeron, offering this observation on the feisty, colorful Cajun.
 
"Ed is arguably the most nationally famous alumnus in NSU history," asserted Goodwin.  "I make that statement because Will Ferrell does a pretty good Ed Orgeron imitation. The guy goes George Bush, and he does Ed Orgeron, so I'd say that's pretty famous."
 
Orgeron demonstrated that his experience in Los Angeles, most recently as the very successful interim head coach at USC last season, sharpened his comedic timing.
 
"My wife, Kelly, is my No. 1 recruit of all-time. I met her on a blind date and married her two months later. I always say my wife is pretty - pretty expensive."
 
He told stories about his role in the movie "Blind Side" starring Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock.
 
"They sent me a little script, and all of my coaches and teammates here will appreciate this, I didn't read a word of it. I show up at the house where we're filming, pretty excited, and they've got a star on a door with my name on it: it's spelled Ore-gon. I felt better when I realized most of the crew graduated from the University of Southern California film school, and they all knew Coach O."
 
Fast forward to going on the set after going through wardrobe:
 
"So I'm standing this close to Sandra Bullock, they've got the lights on, they're about to call 'action," and I get a bead of sweat, right on top of my forehead. It trickles down my nose, and they say, Coach O, you're sweating!'
 
"I say, 'you're damned right I am!' "
 
While laughs were plentiful, the powerful memories shared by the inductees carried the day.
 
Said Bell, about the father-son track and field coaching team of Leon and Dean Johnson:
 
"Coach (Leon) Johnson told me we might not have everything at Northwestern the big schools can provide, but  if you want to be good, and you want to have a career in this sport, and you will do the right things, then we can make you great. Coach Johnson, thank you," he said. "Then I have to thank the other Coach Johnson, his son, Dean, who is the most influential person in my career. Mentally Dean prepared me for what it took to be a great athlete and compete at the highest level in track and field."
 
Anholt, who hit .417 as a junior,  paid tribute to his head coach, who has since won national coach of the year honors at Kentucky and two years ago guided Mississippi State to the College World Series championship round.
 
"John Cohen was a great leader and a genius coach. Yes, he helped me become a hitter, but there are a lot of things that come into play as a leader in my business world today that I learned from Coach Cohen."
 
He also remembered playing behind future six-year Major League starting pitcher Brian Lawrence in 1998.
 
"Any time Brian Lawrence took the mound, especially when it was against Ben Sheets at UL-Monroe, those games were under two hours and they were  a joy to play in," said Anholt.
 
Rubin, a Monroe-Neville product, gave praise to his head coach at NSU, A.L. Williams, who sat proudly in the audience.
 
"He was an awesome coach, a wonderful man," said Rubin. "I met so many great people here and had the honor of playing with so many tremendous players like Petey Perot, Joe Delaney, Bill Johnson, Warren Griffith, Bobby Hebert, Gary Reasons and Ed Orgeron, just to name a few."
 
He remembered the late Eugene "Doc" Christmas, the beloved athletic trainer for the Demons until he retired in 1989.
 
"I always say if Mr. Chris isn't in heaven, none of us are getting in," said Rubin.
 
Rubin was enshrined in the U.S. Strength and Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005 and is in his 18^th NFL season after getting his start from one of Williams' assistant coaches who is a trailblazer in the field of strength coaching.
 
"I can't say enough about Coach Al Miller. I think he's the greatest strength coach of them all. He was such a positive person, a great motivator and continues to be a wonderful friend," said Rubin.
 
Hardy, a New Orleans native whose relatively soft-spoken personality belied his aggressive play at cornerback as he blocked 10 kicks before becoming a second-round NFL Draft pick in 1992, summed up the morning's themes well.
 
"One thing we say about Northwestern, it's all about the tradition. It is so strong here and you feel  a responsibility to live up to it, try to add to it," he said.
 
"I covered a lot of miles in this town and on this campus, and it all turned out great for me. Thanks a lot, Northwestern."