Northwestern State University and NSU Athletics will pay tribute to the life of local educator and community icon J.D. Garrett, who passed away this summer, by presenting an Nth Degree in his memory to his family members during Saturday evening's home football game at Turpin Stadium.
 
The NSU Demons kick off their five-game home schedule Saturday at 6 against Arkansas-Monticello. The Nth Degree is a special honor presented to individuals with ties to NSU in recognition of their unselfish devotion to duty and the willingness to go the extra mile in meritorious service. University president Dr. Randall J. Webb will participate in the ceremony Saturday evening.
 
Garrett, who was a fourth-term Natchitoches Parish Police Juror at the time of his passing, was a career educator as a teacher and coach in the Natchitoches Parish School System. He notably served as the longtime head basketball coach and assistant football coach at Natchitoches Central High School.
 
A Natchitoches native who earned his undergraduate degree in education from Grambling while becoming an All-American football star for Coach Eddie Robinson's Tigers, Garrett later earned a master's in education from Northwestern. That followed his professional football career for the old Boston (now New England) Patriots in the American Football League.
 
He ran for 2,581 yards in three seasons at Grambling before being chosen in both the AFL (8^th round) and NFL (13^th round, New York Giants) drafts. Garrett ran for 600 yards as a Patriots rookie fullback and played five years before knee problems forced his retirement.
 
As a high school athlete for the Central High Gophers, Garrett ran a 9.7 100-yard dash and played in the state high school all-star basketball game along with running for 2,956 yards as a 6-0, 178-pound running back. He began his coaching and teaching career at Central, then was a pivotal figure influencing a successful integration of parish schools in the early 1970s.
 
At NCHS, he was influential in the development of future Basketball Hall of Fame standout Joe Dumars. When Dumars was enshrined in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, he selected Garrett to make his presentation speech.