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Walter P. Ledet Track Complex
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The Northwestern State track team competed on a cinder oval in old Demon Stadium (football) until the early 1970s, when the stadium underwent major renovations. A new facility exclusively for track and field was constructed adjacent to the football stadium and opened in 1977.Â
The track was resurfaced in 1987 and 1995, but drainage problems near the third turn resulted in damage that prevented its use for home meets from 2002-06, although NSU was able to train at the track for all but one fall. The facility underwent a design, relocating some event venues and enhancing others, with installation of a world-class track, and reopened for competition for the 2007 season. In 2013, a new mondo surface was added to maintain the complex, which is named after legendary NSU athlete and coach Walter Ledet.
Ledet was the first All-American athlete in the history of Northwestern State, making the All-American football team in 1938. After his graduation, he became an assistant football and track coach, then was named the head track coach in 1952 and built a program which dominated the state for more than a decade. He guided the Demons to five straight Gulf State Conference championships from 1953-57. He retired as track coach in 1964. He was among the inaugural class of inductees for the Graduate N Club Hall of Fame and was elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. He was also selected as a member of the Top 100 Football Players of the Century in 2006.
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