NATCHITOCHES – The 2015 recipients of N-Club Hall of Fame honors from Northwestern State were so excited at Saturday morning's ceremony, the podium couldn't contain some of them.
 
None of the nine, along with some of their presenters, could control their emotions in front of about 250 family, friends, fans, and past and current NSU student-athletes, coaches and staff.
 
Poignant pauses in remarks, prepared and unscripted alike, reflected the impact of the event.
 
"I almost didn't cry," said Brenda Laird, smiling minutes after her son, record-setting quarterback Brad Laird, was enshrined to conclude the ceremony. She introduced him in lieu of his father Billy, a former Demon offensive coordinator who passed away in June, and only choked up near the end of her speech.
 
"As I look back at how much he sacrificed for me to have the opportunities I got, that led to this day, I graciously and humbly accept this on behalf of him, knowing he is excited," said Laird, who threw for 6,037 yards from 1991-95.
 
Laird, his former backfield mate Clarence Matthews, and NSU's veteran NCAA compliance director Dustin Eubanks abandoned the podium as they made their acceptance speeches.
 
"I guess I'm excited, but like Dustin, I'm barely tall enough to see over the podium," cracked Laird as he moved around the stage at the Magale Recital Hall.
 
Matthews' mobility was by necessity. After his daughter Mercedes, an NSU student, introduced him, he was joined by his three youngest daughters, including two preschoolers, and they were more captivated by the displays on stage than their father's remarks.
 
Laird and three-time All-America triple jumper Eric Lancelin blossomed into Hall of Famers against the odds. NSU was the only college to offer them athletic scholarships.
"I wore No. 10 at Ruston High, and at that time, Northwestern had just had a great little quarterback named Scott Stoker who wore No. 10," said Laird. "Considering my size, I don't think I'd have gotten a shot here, and I didn't have one anywhere else, if Scott hadn't done what he did."
 
"I wasn't sure I was going to go away to college, but my mother, she was like, 'pull on your Northwestern T-shirt, son," said Lancelin. "Thank you for believing in me and developing my talents."
 
There was no denying the talent of Lisa Brewer, a phenomenal scorer for the DeRidder High girls basketball team in the mid-1970s. But there was a dearth of opportunity to continue playing in college until NSU became the first university in Louisiana to provide athletic scholarships for women in April 1975, and Brewer was the first prize recruit.
 
"Before she got here, we heard over and over how good she was," said Louise Bonin, an NSU teammate who coached basketball on the prep and college level for 33 years. "I'm so fortunate I had the opportunity to be on the floor with her. Lisa was a shining star in every game she played, high school, college and pro ball."
 
"Women's athletics has come so far, and I'm extremely proud to be part of its history. I was so fortunate to continue my basketball career here. Northwestern was progressive and groundbreaking when it came to women's athletics. My years here allowed me to grow athletically, socially and intellectually," said Brewer, who averaged 20.9 points per game in three seasons (1975-78) with the Lady Demons and played two years in the Women's Basketball League, a predecessor of the WNBA.
 
Charles Bloodworth, a Natchitoches native who led Central High School to a state championship, was praised by his college coach, Tynes Hildebrand, for his life after basketball as much as for his achievements with the Demons as the first black hoopster at NSU from 1968-70.
 
"Charles was drafted in the NBA and the ABA, and went to the ABA. If he had not had the serious knee injury, I truly believe he would have developed into a star on the professional level. He became a star in his life after basketball and I'm proud to call him my friend," said Hildebrand.
 
Holly Horn Broussard, a three-time All-Southland Conference selection who helped NSU to a pair of Southland Conference Tournament championships (1997, 2000), became the first Lady Demon soccer standout enshrined. Athletics director Greg Burke said Broussard was a versatile, selfless teammate whose leadership was impactful as a fledgling program developed into the state's best at the turn of the century.
 
Conference tennis champion Willie Paz, who coached the Lady Demon netters from 1995-2006, had nearly all of his teammates from his 1973 squad in the audience and got a rollicking introduction by his coach, Johnnie Emmons.
 
Eubanks was presented an honorary letterman's award, only the sixth of its kind ever issued by the N-Club, for his service. Basketball coach Mike McConathy made his presentation speech, praising Eubanks' commitment to his alma mater and its student-athletes.
 
A.L. Williams, the Demons football coach from 1975-82, received the Distinguished Service Award after a touching introduction by former receiver Jack "Britt" Brittain Jr., who said "words like trustworthy, religious, southern gentleman, loyal, generous, humble, first-class, soft-spoken, forward-thinking, and a leader by example describe Coach Williams from the players' perspective. All of his players loved him. Probably most important, we knew he loved us."
 
The group was introduced to the crowd at Turpin Stadium Saturday night during the homecoming football game against Lamar.