Bobby Ardoin

Sport: Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism

Induction Year: 2024

University: UL-Lafayette

The longtime Opelousas resident has been tirelessly working the sidelines of high school and collegiate sports for more than five decades, while his byline has appeared routinely throughout Acadiana and in some of the state’s biggest and best newspapers.

Ardoin, a Eunice native, attended Northwestern State and graduated from USL (now UL-Lafayette). In 1972, Ardoin’s professional career took off as he served as sports writer for the Opelousas Daily World, covering high school sports in both St. Landry and Evangeline parishes, as well as the New Orleans Saints, LSU basketball, USL football, multiple Sugar Bowls and horse racing at nearby Evangeline Downs.

From 1984 to 1987, Ardoin worked for St. Landry Today, a bi-weekly newspaper in Opelousas where he first served as associate editor of the paper and then as sports editor, in which he covered high schools, New Orleans Saints, LSU and racing at Evangeline Downs. After St. Landry Today closed its doors, Ardoin made the transition to cable television as he worked from 1988-1990 as a sports and news writer, producer, videographer and daily news anchor for OWL Television in Opelousas. During this period, Ardoin also served as a sports correspondent for the Baton Rouge States Times, where he wrote stories on area high school sports and USL. Ardoin also began serving as a sports correspondent for The Daily Iberian from 1989 to 1998 covering high school sports, LSU football and basketball and the New Orleans Saints.

From 1990 to 2016, Ardoin also served as a sports and news correspondent for The Advocate covering high schools, UL-Lafayette athletics, LSU-Eunice and Evangeline Downs. For the news department, Ardoin covered parish and municipal governments as well as features. Ardoin even served as interim bureau chief for The Acadiana Advocate in 2007. Ardoin reconnected to his roots in 2013 as he returned to The Daily World as the sports editor covering high schools in St. Landry Parish, as well as LSU-Eunice and UL-L athletics. He’s now back with St. Landry Today, which has evolved into a vibrant online publication, and is almost a one-man band, again covering news as well.

In addition to his 50-plus years as a journalist, Ardoin also worked as a full-time teacher starting at Amy Bradford Ware High in Opelousas (1971-74) to then the next 39 years spent at Opelousas High School where he taught English, social studies, journalism and served as the school newspaper advisor.

Ardoin has received numerous awards for his work having won 27 first or second place writing awards presented by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, Louisiana Press Association, UPI and AP, including being named the LSWA’s Prep Writer of The Year in 1982. Ardoin also won three separate State Education Writer of the Year Award presented by the Louisiana Association of Educators, and was named Teacher of the Year at Opelousas High three times.