HAMMOND – A pair of All-Americans in their respective sports at Southeastern Louisiana University along with basketball's ultimate showman will be inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame, officials announced on Tuesday.
Headlining the trio will be Nate “Big Easy” Lofton, who played men's basketball at Southeastern from 2003-05 and is currently a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. The New Orleans native will be joined by track and field All-American Chris Carter and football All-American Felton Huggins.
The induction of the trio will increase the all-time membership to 131. They will be formally inducted on Oct. 5, 2013 in an afternoon ceremony in University Center's Hall of Champions before being introduced at halftime of Southeastern's football game against the University of the Incarnate Word.
Lofton, a two-time, first-team All-Southland Conference performer under former coach Billy Kennedy, helped Southeastern to a two-year record of 44-18, a pair of Southland Conference regular-season titles and a berth in the 2005 NCAA Championships. He finished his career as the school's all-time leader in field goal percentage and is currently ranked among the career leaders in blocked shots, rebounding average and steals.
In his first season with the Lions in 2003-04, Lofton helped Southeastern to a 20-9 record – its first 20-win season in over 30 years – while helping the Lions reach the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time since joining the league in the 1997-98 season. Lofton grabbed a team-high 10.9 rebounds per game, the ninth-best average in school history, and pulled down a University Center-record 22 boards against Texas-San Antonio in the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament.
As a senior in 2004-05, the 6-foot-10 Lofton led the Lions in rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots while being named to the Southland Conference All-Tournament team. Lofton was part of a team that won a school-record 24 games and made its lone appearance as a Division I school in the NCAA Championships. His 60 steals during the season are the second-most in a single-season and his 52 blocked shots are sixth-best.
Lofton, a member of the Southland Conference All-Decade Team for the 2000's, has spent the past seven years with the Harlem Globetrotters, where he is regarded as the team's showman. Lofton has appeared in numerous television shows while with the Globetrotters, including “Amazing Race” and “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?”
Huggins, a Zachary native, enjoyed a stellar three-year career from 2003-05 at Southeastern in which he established school records in career receptions (162), receiving yards (2,345) and receiving touchdowns (22).
The former Northeast High product recorded six 100-yard receiving games in his career, highlighted by a single-game record 266-yard performance in the Lions' 2004 season opener against Arkansas-Monticello. Huggins followed his record-breaking performance one week later with a 13-reception, 235-yard performance in a 51-17 victory at nationally-ranked McNeese State
Named a third-team All-American in 2004 by the Associated Press and the Sports Network, Huggins set single-season records in pass receptions (84), receiving yards (1,313) and receiving touchdowns (13). Huggins earned All-Southland Conference honors in 2005 – the Lions' inaugural season in the league – and was twice named to the All-Louisiana squad.
After concluding his career at Southeastern, Huggins was signed to a free agent contract with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars before spending the 2007 season with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, where he helped the team to the World Bowl. He spent three seasons with the NFL's Buffalo Bills (2007-09) and was a member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 2012.
Carter, who competed in track and field for Southeastern from 2002-06, finished his career as one of the top javelin throwers in the country. Carter became Southeastern's fifth Division I All-American in 2006 when he finished sixth overall at the NCAA Championships.
A three-time participant in the NCAA Championships, Carter won Southland Conference titles in the javelin in 2005 and 2006 and currently holds the school record with a throw of 238 feet, 2 inches.
Carter was named the Southeastern Male Student Athlete of the Year in 2003 and 2005 and was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Field Athlete of the Year in 2005. A two-time All-Louisiana selection, Carter finished second overall at the 2006 NCAA Mideast Regionals and was eighth over at the 2006 USA Championships.
