– Dozens of former players who helped make St. Martinville Senior High a football powerhouse returned to the site of many of their triumphs on Friday to celebrate the dedication of Coach Carroll Delahoussaye Stadium, renamed in honor of the man who led the Tigers to 246 wins and two state championships in 28 years as head coach of the program.
Delahoussaye was joined by his family and many former players and coaches on the field during a halftime ceremony of the Tigers’ 4843 win over New Iberia Senior High on Friday.
He thanked all of those players, coaches and family members along with everyone from administrators, teachers and even custodians at the school. He also thanked the community at large and the business leaders who supported the team faithfully and financially, and the physical therapy team that helped the squad stay healthy each week, as well as the sports media that covered the team.
“I want to thank the good Lord,” he said. “I couldn’t have done anything without him.
He thanked his two sisters for their support in good and tough times.
“Thanks to my family for the sacrifices they made for 46 years being away from home during football season, and especially to my wife Janet,” Delahoussaye said. “Thank you for your love and support during all the wins and losses, when I wouldn’t talk to you (after losses).
“Thanks to my parents for the sacrifices they made so I could attend college at UL. Thank you, mom and dad. And most of all thank you very much you guys who wore the purple and gold. I’m proud of you guys.. I miss you guys. It’s so good to see you guys tonight. I love you all.”
He also thanked the committee of Tommy Thibodeaux, Jonas Fontenette, Kervin Fontenette, Jason Willis, Harold Jean-Batiste and Garland Jean-Batiste for their work in getting the stadium named in his honor, along with the school board for giving approval to have the stadium renamed.
Ceremony
He also recalled the days before the stadium was expanded, when fans lined the sidelines and opposing teams had to fight their way through the crowd to get to the playing field, and thanked the band for the great performances at halftime, even though sometimes he would tell them to hurry up so the team could get back on the field.
“Thank you fans,” Delahoussaye said. “People didn’t want to come here because they didn’t want to walk through the people to get to the field. It made all the difference in the world to these young men (on the SMSH team). Thank you.”
Willis, now the mayor of St. Martinville, introduced Delahoussaye, noting he spent more than four decades dedicating his life to the school and the football team, serving as athletic director for many years after he stopped serving as head football coach.
“His greatest impact was made through the young people he mentored and the community he helped bring together,” Willis said. “Coach Delahoussaye’s career was defined not only by championships and victories, but his commitment to developing young people into responsible, productive and caring members of society.”
After three years as an assistant coach, Delahoussaye became head coach and led the Tigers to a 246-93-1 record over 28 years for a 72-percent winning percentage. He served for 46 years overall as a coach and athletic director, with the Tigers winning state championships in 1981 and 1984 and finishing as state runner-up in 1985.
He also led the team to undefeated regular seasons in 1982, 1983 and 1996 and had eight seasons with one regular- season loss and five with two regular-season losses. He was the first public school coach to reach 100 career wins in the state.
His teams won 17 district titles, leading to 17 district Coach of the Year honors as well as three state Coach of the Year awards.
“Coach Delahoussaye’s record tells the story of a great football coach,” Willis said. “His championships tell the story of a successful leader. His awards tell the story of a respected coach. But the people whose lives he touched tell the story of the man himself. Generations of former players have carried the lessons they learned from Coach into their families, careers and communities. His influence can be seen not only in the football players he coached but in the husbands, fathers, teachers, coaches, business owners and community leaders those young men became. His greatest victories were not recorded on the scoreboard. They were recorded in the lives of the people he helped. That is the legacy that will live on in Coach Carroll Delahoussaye football stadium, a lasting memory of the coach, mentor, leader, father figure and community servant who devoted his life to St. Martinville.”
Gov. Jeff Landry, who was among the former players attending the game to honor Delahoussaye, presented a plaque to Delahoussaye in honor of the stadium being named in his honor.
