Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns alumni Melissa Coronado Abner, John Breaux, B.J. Ryan, and the late Beryl Shipley are Hall of Famers.
The three former student-athletes and former coach will be inducted into the UL Lafayette Athletics Hall of Fame during halftime of the 2016 Homecoming football game. The Ragin’ Cajuns will square off against the Idaho Vandals at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Cajun Field.
The University’s Hall of Fame recognizes men and women who distinguished themselves as student-athletes and have made significant contributions to their professions and their communities. They are nominated and selected through a process that is overseen by the board of directors of Ragin' Cajuns Lettermen Club, an organization of former athletes who have lettered in their sport.
In 2015, new eligibility criteria for the Hall of Fame were adopted to allow the nomination of coaches and administrators, as well as alumni whose collegiate careers were shortened by the chance to pursue professional sports, explained Rob Stewart, UL Lafayette associate director of athletics for external affairs.
Breaux, a four-year letterman in tennis from 1961-64, was a team captain. In 1962, he won conference championships in both singles and doubles.
In 1995, Breaux received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s David A Benjamin Achievement Award. It is given yearly to one person for accomplishments on the court, professional achievement and contributions to society. Breaux was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987, and a member of the U.S. Senate from 1987 to 2005.
Coronado Abner was a four-year letterman in softball from 1999-2002. She was a two-time selection to the All-Sun Belt Conference first team, in 2001 and 2002. In both of those years, Coronado Abner was recognized as pitcher of the year for the conference. She was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s South Region team three times. In 2002, Coronado Abner was recognized as the Sun Belt Conference Tournament’s outstanding player.
Ryan was a two-year letterman in baseball, in 1997 and 1998. He was named a Sun Belt All-Conference pitcher in 1998. Ryan was also the conference tournament’s most valuable player that year.
He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. He also played for the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays during an 11-year professional career. He was selected to the MLB all-star team twice.
Shipley guided the men’s basketball team to national prominence as head coach from 1957-1973.
His teams compiled a 293-126 record. Six of Shipley’s teams earned spots among the nation’s top 20, and two of those were among the nation’s top 10.
He was conference Coach of the Year five times, and is a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Shipley was the first coach at a predominantly white state college in the Deep South to give scholarships to black student-athletes.
The 2016 inductees will be honored by the University and the Ragin’ Cajuns Lettermen Club at an invitation-only reception on Friday, Nov. 4 at the UL Athletic Performance Center.
Coronado Abner, Breaux, and Ryan will ride in the Homecoming Parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5. They will sign autographs at 2 p.m. at the Alumni tent near the Gate A entrance of Cajun Field.
Learn more about the UL Lafayette Athletics Hall of Fame.