NATCHITOCHES—Whether it was the family on the field or court or their actual families, family had a major impact at the N-Club Hall of Fame ceremony.

"It is a great honor to be inducted," an emotional Josh Hancock said. "I lost my dad a few weeks ago. I brought my mom up to the stage because my parents gave me a lot of support. My parents worked hard and taught us to work hard and never give up.

"The appreciation I have for them is undeniable and I appreciate all the sacrifices they've made and that is one of the reasons why I worked as hard as we got where did at Northwestern State."

Hancock was one of three members of NSU basketball, and 13 members total to be inducted into the N-Club Hall of Fame on Saturday at Magale Recital Hall.

The point guard finished with 307 career assists, which was sixth in program history at the end of his career. Hancock also sealed the Demons' first NCAA Tournament victory by draining a triple in the final minute in the victory over Winthrop in 2001.

On a day filled with reminiscing about tremendous moments in their careers, it was fitting that the man who made the biggest play in NSU athletics history was honored.

Jermaine Wallace, who drilled a 3-pointer in the corner to defeat third-seeded Iowa in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, earned his spot on the team.

A two-time All-Southland Conference selection, Wallace ranks 13th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,427 points. A member of the Demons' All-Century Team, Wallace's 200 career 3-pointers stood as a school record for nearly a decade.

"Without my brothers on the team," there would be no me," Wallace said.

"I remember the shot frame-by-frame. I remember every second, but any time anybody asks me about that shot, I always revert to the comeback before the shot. I tell people that I just made the shot you remember, but my brothers and I made the comeback to make it possible. That is what I remember the most."

Wallace shared a locker room with Tyrone Mitchell, who has made an impact after his playing career as the head coach for Xavier (N.O.) as well as his time with the Demons.

As the leader of the 'Demons of Destiny,' it helped Mitchell throughout his playing career to becoming a head coach.

"I was a scorer coming out of high school and six games into my high school career, coach Mike (McConathy) brought me into his office," Mitchell said. "He said 'Tyrone, if you lead us in scoring, we're never going to win a championship.' He said 'Trust what I'm telling you. You're a leader, we need you to lead this group. We need you to make the ultimate sacrifices. Still, those are the things I do today as a head coach, and it sticks with me."

He wasn't the only one of the 13 who was born to be a head coach.

As a daughter of a head football coach, coaching was in the blood of former NSU softball coach Gay McNutt.

"I grew up on the sidelines on Friday nights," McNutt said. "I heard a lot of words I probably should not have heard, words that my mother probably didn't appreciate. But that is where it started. I knew I wanted to coach all along."

And coach she did, leading the program to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances (1998, 2000) as part of a three-year run of Southland Conference titles from 1998-2000.

In that stretch, McNutt led NSU to a 112-55 mark, including a 40-18 record in 1998 and 41-19 mark in 2000. Her 161 career victories are third in program history.

While McNutt and Amanda Glenn Peters never crossed paths on the softball diamond together, both had a major impact on the history of the program.

A two-way standout, Glenn Peters' name is scattered all over the record books as both a pitcher and hitter.

She has two of the top four strikeout seasons in school history, ranking second all-time in career strikeouts with 568 and is third in innings pitched with 560.

As great as she was in the circle, her heart was always as a hitter. A two-time first-team All-Louisiana selection, she slugged 29 career home runs and Glenn's 125 RBIs remain fourth in program career history.

When it came to who would win in a battle between Glenn Peters as a pitcher and Glenn as a hitter, she was confident in her selection.

"If Amanda Glenn the hitter faced Amanda Glenn the pitcher, the choice was easy who would win," she said. "It would probably be the hitter because that was where my heart was and we were winning games. But, 100 percent, if Amanda Glenn the pitcher thought Amanda Glenn the hitter was going to beat her, she would hit her."

While he wasn't a member of the softball team himself, Layne Miller has made a giant impact on the program and was honored with the distinguished service award. A former Demon baseball player, he has a daughter, Lauren, who played softball at NSU, and Layne has been a major supporter of Natchitoches and Northwestern State.

A Demon Booster Club/NSU Athletic Association/Demons Unlimited Foundation board member, he has made sure fans stomachs are full as a chef and has served in the upwards of thousands of fans at countless football, basketball, softball and baseball games.

Like many others being honored, his parents were big inspirations for helping him earn a spot in the N-Club Hall of Fame. For Miller, it was his love of cooking.

"Both my father and mother were good cooks," he said. "My dad used to cook at large crowds for camp and that is where I picked it up from. The first time I cooked for Northwestern State athletics was for Jim Wells and the baseball team and it grew from there.

"Gay McNutt asked me if I had ever been to a Mississippi State baseball game. I said 'No' and she told me 'We need an outfield club like that.' So, we got it started."

Over on the baseball diamond, David Reynolds owes a lot to the city of Natchitoches and NSU.

Making the change from position player to pitcher, Reynolds spent six years in minor league baseball in minor league baseball. He was an All-TransAmerica Conference selection and All-Louisiana as a freshman when he batted .274 with six home runs and 34 RBI.

In the minors, he posted a record of 36-28 with a 3.47 ERA and 22 saves in the White Sox organization, appearing in 202 games on the mound and another 37 as a position player.

"You talk about the people," he said. "Natchitoches is more special to me. I married a girl from Natchitoches and with my two kids, we come back here for the holidays. It is special that all my family was able to come here and see this."

He showed his love for his family, as his son introduced him.

Many top track and field athletes have come to NSU over the years, but none have done what Cody Fillinich did, becoming a four-time All-American in the javelin, becoming only the second ever male javelin thrower in the NCAAs to earn All-American status four times.

He finished runner-up at USA Juniors before representing the USA at the Junior Pan-Am Games.

Fillinich always had a strong arm, but he credited much of his success to (NSU track and field coach) Mike Heimerman, who introduced him at the ceremony.

"Coach Mike really taught me how to train," he said. "He tweaked my technique a little bit and told me 'This is what it takes to get on that stage and compete.' That is what got me to that next level."

While Fillinich was making waves on the track, Heather Penico Morain was making her mark next door at the Demon Soccer Complex.

She started her career with a bang, being named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in 2002, helping lead the Demons to their second NCAA Tournament berth. Three years later, she led her team to another NCAA berth in 2005 as a senior and was named conference player of the year.

The two-time All-Louisiana selection is tied for 10^th in program history with 21 goals scored.

Introducing her was former teammate Julie Zavala, and Penico Morain had a group of supporters who came in the form of former teammates.

"I think it is better that it has been 20 years," Penico Morain said. "It has been great to re-connect with former teammates I might have lost touch with. My boys are really into soccer and when we were at Prather Coliseum yesterday, they saw my name on the wall and were so excited and got so proud and it brought me so much joy."

From one NCAA Tournament player to another, Amanda Bennett. She earned a first team nod in 2003-04 as a junior when the Lady Demons finished 24-7 and swept the conference regular season and tournament titles.

The sharp-shooter ranks eighth in program history with 177 3-pointers, and her 1,163 career points in 26^th all-time.

Despite making 177 3-pointers, she attempted just two in high school. From a young age, she always had one school she wanted to attend.

"I wanted to be a Lady Demon from the time I was in fifth grade," she said. "I came every single summer to try to get Coach (James) Smith to talk to me. Finally, I got the call and came on a visit. Coach Smith said, 'I don't even need to recruit Bennett, I know she's coming.' He knew my heart was set on coming to NSU."

Like others on this list, teammates Derrick Johnese and Toby Zeigler earned spots in the Hall.

Johnese set the Demons' career scoring record of 212 points, which is still the best by a non-kicker, as well as the touchdowns mark of 34, not to mention he is fourth all-time in rushing yards.

He was named the SLC Offensive Player of the Year during the 2004 SLC championship season and was selected for Top 100 Demon Football Players of All-Time roster in the 2007 centennial season.

But Johnese had a specific reason for going to NSU, and once again, family was at the root of it.

"I was being recruited by McNeese and NSU," he said. "But the mistake McNeese made was they didn't invite my parents on my visit. NSU invited my parents and my mom looked at the school and before we went into the last little meeting, she told me, 'Derick, this is where I want you to go.' So that is why I am here right now."

Johnese scored the touchdowns whenever Zeigler didn't run them back to the house on a punt return.

Despite starting all four years at wide receiver, many remember Zeigler as a return specialist, capping his career as the Southland, state and school record-holder in  career punt return average (1,361 yards, 109 attempts, 12.5 average), ranking second in FCS history at the time. His 99 receptions were a then-school record and also set Demons' career all-purpose yardage record (4,943).

He played in the CFL and he currently lives in Canada.

"With two all-conference running backs, I wanted to house every return," Zeigler said. "I wanted to make an impact on the game to help my guys win. The offense knew I wanted to do something special every time I touched the ball."

He wasn't the only player with a big special teams background to be inducted, as punter Mike Crow made his presence felt on the field as well.

Crow still holds career records for punts (276) and punt yards (11,028) and was a First-Team All-Gulf Star Conference selection and was All-Louisiana as a junior with a 42.4 average, second-team All-Louisiana and All-Gulf Star as a senior. He was big reason why NSU led the FCS in net punting (40.4) in 1985.

"I wanted to play college football and Coach Sam Goodwin gave me that opportunity," Crow said.

"There are three phases in football—offense, defense and special teams—and we took a lot of pride in our special teams. Coach Goodwin was the coach of special teams. There is pressure with 10 guys coming at you, but we took a lot of pride in it."

Like many inductees, he was proud to be able to share the moment with former teammates and family.

"It's great to have my kids and grandkids here today," he said. "They are old enough to be a part of this and understand what is going on. It is great that my family is here to see this."