In one year a state-of-the-art building will open and it will be home to some of the greatest pioneers, players, coaches and members of the media of all time. And that spectacular building will be in downtown Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Yes, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame will become a likely destination for sports fans all over the country as Louisiana has produced some of the greatest players and coaches of all time in many different sports.

The Class of 2012 features eight former greats who have made outstanding accomplishments throughout their sports careers. The eight new inductees will raise the total of Hall of Fame members to 292 men and women honored since the first induction class.

This year’s class includes former greats like:

--former Southern University Coach Pete Richardson

--former Florida State and Tampa Bay Buc great Warrick Dunn

--LSU All American Eddie Furness

--coaching legend Terry Robiskie

--along with Mark Guidry, Aaron James and Roger Carr.

Deuce McAllister is one of the most beloved Saints players ever to wear Black and Gold and now he is going into the Louisiana Hall of Fame. Former Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints Great RB Deuce McAllister headlines a very solid class of entries into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame this weekend.

“This is another great class. We are looking for a fun week with the golf tournament and of course then our induction ceremony as well,” said Doug Ireland of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Board. Ireland also serves as Sports Information Director at Northwestern State University.

Next year the brand new Hall of Fame will open its doors in downtown Natchitoches on Front Street. The class of 2012 is solid from top to bottom but Deuce McAllister gets top billing in my book. The all-time leading rusher in New Orleans Saints history is in a class by himself.

“It’s a tremendous honor that I’m very proud of. I was fortunate enough to play my entire career down in these parts and it has been a great time,” said Deuce.

Deuce had a great career at Ole Miss where he became a legend in the Magnolia State.

McAllister is the only player in Mississippi history to have three straight seasons of one thousand or more all purpose yards. Deuce finished his college career with Ole Miss records for carries (616), yards (3,060), rushing TDs (36), total touchdowns (41) points (246). And he recorded 13 100-yard games.

The Hall of Fame does an excellent job as several activities take place with the weekend coming to a close with the induction ceremony. Last year was the first time that I made the event and it was more than worth it.

The new building will only add to the history that our state enjoys when it comes to sports legends. The successful athletes who have passed through the state of Louisiana ranks among the best in the nation.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame includes nine members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, six of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, six baseball Hall of Fame inductees, 13 Pro Football Hall of Fame members, seven Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame enshrines, 18 Olympic medalists (10 gold medal winners), 32 College Football Hall of Fame members, three National High School Hall of Fame winners, jockeys with a combined 12 Triple Crown victories, six world boxing champions, three College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees (Furniss will be the fourth), three NBA Finals MVPs and two Super Bowl MVPs.

A complete membership list and biographical information on all 285 current members is available at the www.lasportshall.com website. And a steady stream of info available at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Facebook page. The 2012 Induction Celebration will kick off Thursday, June 21 with the La Capitol press conference and reception.