Erath High graduate to be inducted into McNeese Hall of Fame

LAKE CHARLES - A national high jump champion, a player who set a NCAA rushing record in his very first football game, all-Americans, league players of the year and university athletes of the year as well as a coach who brought the Cowboys back to the forefront in tennis are among those selected for induction into the McNeese State Hall of Fame for 2014.
Mike Roberson captured a NCAA high jump title during his McNeese career while tailback Tony Citizen set a NCAA freshman rushing record in the very first game of his career and went on to become the winner of the school’s Desmond Jones Athlete of the Year award.
Kavika Pittman earned all-America honors as a defensive end and was named the Southland Conference defensive player of the year while quarterback Derrick Fourroux led McNeese to three SLC football titles and was named the league player of the year as a senior.
Fourroux led McNeese to three conference titles and to three post season NCAA playoffs in the four years he led the Cowboys from the quarterback position, setting numerous school records along the way.
The Erath native continues to hold the school career records for total offense (10,236 yards), passing yards (8,226), passes completed (618 of 1034) and rushing yards by a quarterback (2,010). Nine times he passed for over 200 yards in a game and twice he rushed for more than 100 yards.
He was named the McNeese athlete of the year for the 2009-10 season, the team football team MVP for 2009, the Southland Conference and the Louisiana player of the year in 2009 and to the first team all-SLC and all-Louisiana squads. Last year he was named to the SLC’s all-decade team for the 2000s.
In the 1970s defensive back Charles Jefferson was twice a first team all-conference pick and concluded his career with 19 pass interceptions (still No. 2 on the all-time McNeese list, fourth on the SLC ranking and ninth on the Louisiana collegiate mark).
These six inductees will be honored Sept. 13 during McNeese’s season opening football game with Prairie View. A reception for the honorees, family, friends and fans will be held in the Cowboy Room (sponsored by the Cowboy Club) beginning at 5 p.m. and then the official induction will be held at halftime of the football game at midfield.