Thibodaux – Shelby Hypolite, a 1972 graduate of St. Martinville Senior High School, will be honored Saturday at Nicholls State University’s Southland Conference football game against No. 14 Lamar as the NSU Alumni of the Game.
Each week the Colonels honor an Alumni of the Game at home football games, with the public address announcer notifying the crowd during the first television timeout of the first quarter of the game.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is at 3 p.m. on Manning Field at John L.. Guidry Stadium.
Hypolite will be honored for his many years of service, support and dedication to Nicholls State University and the surrounding community, the university announced. “Shelby is truly the ultimate ambassador for Nicholls,” the university said in a press release. “His involvement with the university extends well beyond simply being an alumnus. For many years, he has consistently supported Nicholls Athletics, its student-athletes, and the university as a whole. He continues to be actively involved today, always willing to lend his time, relationships, resources, and support to help Nicholls and its students succeed.”
The university noted that Hypolite has built a reputation as someone who genuinely cares about people and about making a difference.
“His commitment to Nicholls has spanned decades, and his contributions have helped strengthen the connection between the university and the communities it serves,” the press release stated. “It is especially meaningful that Shelby will be recognized in this way because he continues to represent the university with tremendous pride and enthusiasm. He is the type of alumnus who never stops giving back and continues to be an ambassador for Nicholls wherever he goes.”
Hypolite was a key member of the Colonels’ 1975-76 Gulf South Conference championship basketball team, helping Nicholls go 22-4 overall and win the NCAA South Central Regional championship and reach the NCAA Division II Elite Eight under coach Don Landry, finishing ranked No. 2 in the country.
Hypolite will be joined by his wife, Christine Hypolite, for the recognition during Saturday’s game.
Hypolite played for the Colonels from 1973-76 and was a first-team All-Gulf South Conference and All-American player his final season, when he was named Gulf South Conference Player of the Year.
He was later named to the Nicholls Athletics Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
He returned to Nicholls as an assistant coach on the men’s basketball team in 1991. He also served as assistant director, counselor and recruiter for the Upward Bound Program at Nicholls for many years, and is recognized as one of the school’s greatest ambassadors in his work representing the school for more than 50 years.
