LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – When Hurricane Laura swept through Southwest Louisiana, it left widespread destruction and the McNeese State University athletic facilities were no exception.
Now, almost five years later, 7 News is looking back at those trying times that built an even stronger university.
“I stood right here, and I said five years ago we were going to come back and be better than ever before, and we have,” McNeese VP and Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer said.
Schroyer was juggling a dual role as men’s basketball coach and athletic director when Hurricane Laura made landfall.
“So it was a really hard time, maybe one of the most depressing times that anyone could have, but obviously as the athletic director and you’re on the job for two months, and you walk into that and you have 400 athletes, your staff, everybody is looking at you saying, ‘What are we going to do?’ It was trial by fire, to say the least,” Schroyer said.
Baseball Head Coach Justin Hill remembers the nightmare.
“It was unbelievable. It was really hard to take in all the emotions of the moment because this wasn’t isolated. There was also my wife’s business, which is right across Common Street, and there was the Legacy Center and football press box,” Hill said.
In utter devastation, the people of Southwest Louisiana who care so much about their community rallied around their university.
“During the hardest time was when I fell in love with Southwest Louisiana, neighbors helping neighbors it’s about community. I learned that August that McNeese was the soul and backbone of this community,” Schroyer said.
With the help of the community and brick by brick, the McNeese athletic facilities were back in action.
“We never missed a sporting event, we didn’t miss a season. We played football in the spring. We did it all to give back to this community,” Schroyer said.
Hill said the quick turnaround was unbelievable.
“Realizing we played baseball on this field was a miracle and all the things that happened to make that happen. I think that’s probably what I remember most about it, is how people rallied,” he said.
They rallied off and on the field.
“If you don’t play that season, you never know what’s going to happen with your program. It could change the trajectory of your program forever, and the fact we were able to do that and win a championship that year against all odds,” Hill said.
Fitting for a school and community that were down on their luck but stood tall in the face of adversity. Since Laura, McNeese has won 16 Southland Conference championships.
“I’m really excited and I’m really proud of what we accomplished, and the neat thing is we’re just getting started,” Schroyer said.
