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Six LSU greats elected to Athletics Hall of Fame

May 12, 2025 | 5:07 PM

BATON ROUGE, La. — Six individuals who made lasting impacts upon the esteemed tradition of LSU Athletics have been elected for induction into the Hall of Fame, Director of Athletics Scott Woodward announced on Monday.

The 2025 induction class was chosen by the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Election Board, and it includes men’s basketball coach John Brady, who directed the Tigers to the 2006 Final Four; men’s golf coach J. Perry Cole, who guided LSU to NCAA national championships in 1940 and 1942; gymnast Rheagan Courville, a 23-time All-American; men’s basketball guard Ronald Dupree, who helped lead the Tigers to the 2000 NCAA Sweet 16; women’s basketball All-American Cornelia Gayden, the most prolific three-point shooter in school history; and women’s basketball All-American Temeka Johnson, the point guard who served as floor leader for LSU’s first two Final Four teams in 2004 and 2005.

“Each of the inductees in our 2025 Hall of Fame class epitomizes athletics excellence and a commitment to character and integrity,” said LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward. “This prestigious honor is well-earned based on the significant contributions each of these outstanding individuals has made to our university.”

Nominees are required to have earned a college degree in order to be considered by the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Election Board. The induction ceremony is scheduled to be held on Friday, September 19, at the Manship Theatre in downtown Baton Rouge.

Brady and Cole were elected in the Coach/Administrator category, and Courville, Dupree, Gayden and Johnson were elected in the Student-Athlete category.

Brady, a native of McComb, Miss., who was honored as an SEC Basketball Legend in 2018, guided LSU to the 2006 NCAA Men’s Final Four, becoming just the third coach in school history to accomplish the feat. The drive to the Final Four included a win over top-ranked Duke in the regional semifinals.

Brady, who earned degrees at Belhaven and Mississippi State, coached at LSU from 1997-2008, leading the Tigers to SEC titles in 2000 and 2006, an NCAA Sweet 16 berth in 2000, and the 2006 Final Four bid. He was voted SEC Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2006, and he coached three SEC Players of the Year:  Stromile Swift (2000), Brandon Bass (2005) and Glen Davis (2006).

He also coached four SEC Freshmen of the Year at LSU:  Torris Bright (2000), Brandon Bass (2004), Glen Davis (2005) and Tyrus Thomas (2006). Brady now works as the color analyst on the LSU Sports Radio Network for LSU men’s basketball games.

Cole, the LSU men’s golf coach from 1933-43, directed the Tigers to five SEC titles and to NCAA National Championships in 1940 and 1942. His entire LSU career spanned from 1919 – 1960, as he also worked for the university as a math professor, the Dean of Student Affairs and the Director of Student Life.

Cole was one of the driving forces behind the construction of the War Memorial Tower on the LSU campus, and he helped to create and organize the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in 2012.

Cole, a native of Galveston, Texas, earned degrees in civil engineering (1912) and mathematics (1926) from LSU, and he was inducted in 2021 into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction and the LSU Ole War Skule Hall of Honor. He was a World War I U.S. Army veteran who served as a battalion commander, and he was honorably discharged in 1921.

Courville, a product of Baton Rouge, was a 23-time gymnastics All-American during her LSU career (2012-15), claiming NCAA vault national championships in 2013 and 2014.

She was the SEC all-round and vault champion in 2013 and in 2015, and the SEC beam champion in 2013. Courville was voted SEC Gymnast of the Year in 2013 and Central Region Gymnast of the Year in 2013 and 2014.

A four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Courville earned her LSU degree in 2015, and she now works as one of the top sales representatives for GK Elite sport wear.

Dupree, a native of Biloxi, Miss., played for the Tigers from 2000-03, and he is one of only five LSU players to rank in the school’s career Top 10 in both scoring and rebounding – the others are Shaquille O’Neal, Rudy Macklin, Bob Pettit and Tasmin Mitchell.

Dupree was a three-time All-SEC selection and helped lead LSU in 2000 to the SEC regular-season title and an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth. He is one of only 16 players in LSU history to accumulate 1,000 points, 200 assists and 100 steals, and he is ranked in the career Top 10 in school annals in points scored (1,726), rebounds (907), games played (129) and double-figure games (88).

Dupree played six seasons in the NBA, earned an electrical engineering degree from LSU in 2015, and he now works as the General Manager for the Tigers’ men’s basketball program.

Gayden, a 1995 All-American and a three-time All-SEC selection, is No. 1 on LSU’s career three-point field goals made list with 337, and she is No. 1 in school history for most three pointers made in a single season (105 in 1994-95).

She holds the LSU record for most points in a game (49 vs. Jackson State on February 9, 1995) and in that contest, she established the NCAA single-game record for most three-pointers (12), a mark that stood until 2018.

A four-year letterwinner (1992-95), the native of Bogue Chitto, Miss., earned her LSU degree in 1997. Gayden is currently No. 4 on LSU’s all-time scoring list (2,451 points), No. 9 on the school’s career rebounding list (894 rebounds) and No. 5 on LSU’s all-time field goals made list (829 field goals).

Johnson, a product of New Orleans, La., was a four-time All-American (2002-05) and the winner of the 2005 Nancy Liebermann Award as the nation’s best point guard. She is No. 1 on LSU’s all-time assists list with 945, a mark that is No. 8 in NCAA Division I history.

She holds the LSU record for assists in a game (17 vs. Georgia on March 5, 2005) and she posted four 15-assist games during her career. Johnson was an NCAA Regional All-Tournament selection in 2004 and 2005, as she helped lead the Tigers to Final Four appearances in both seasons.

Johnson earned her LSU degree in 2004, and she was voted 2005 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She won a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury in 2009.

2025 LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Class

  • John Brady – Men’s Basketball Head Coach (1997 – 2008)
  • J. Perry Cole – Men’s Golf Head Coach (1933 – 1943)
  • Rheagan Courville – Gymnastics (2012 – 2015)
  • Ronald Dupree – Men’s Basketball (2000 – 2003)
  • Cornelia Gayden – Women’s Basketball (1992 – 1995)
  • Temeka Johnson – Women’s Basketball (2002 – 2005)