By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations; Brad Welborn, NSU Assistant Sports Information Director
NATCHITOCHES – Ten standout student-athletes, a championship-collecting coach and two of the athletic programs’ ultimate “glue guys” will forever be part of Northwestern State history.
A group of 13 former student-athletes, coaches and staff will be inducted into the Northwestern State N-Club Hall of Fame on Oct. 24 during the 2026 Homecoming ceremonies in a 9 a.m. ceremony on campus.
The group of inductees was chosen through a combination of a vote of Northwestern letterwinners and a selection committee.
Five-time track and field All-American Mike Brown leads a group of competitive-ballot inductees that span seven sports and includes another All-American in football offensive lineman Greg Buckley.
Buckley is joined by two fellow football standouts – quarterback Warren Patterson and tight end Carlos Treadway. Joining football with multiple selections are baseball – pitcher Jason Slanina and first baseman Anatole Vincent – and soccer – Katie Priest Riccobono and coach Jimmy Mitchell, the program’s all-time leader in wins who took Northwestern to three NCAA Tournaments.
Women’s basketball standout Louise Chase, softball pitching ace Crista Miller Hobbs and men’s basketball post presence Byron Allen represent their sports while the final member of the 2026 class, John Fleckenstein, encompassed most of the athletic department during his time as a manager and trainer. Steve Pezant, a longtime presence officially and unofficially around Northwestern State athletics, has been selected as the Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to Demon athletics.
Brown’s five All-American honors are the second most among Demon track and field competitors. From 1973-76, Brown picked up two outdoor All-American awards (1973, 74) and two indoor (1975, 76) in his signature event – the long jump.
Brown, who will be inducted posthumously, added a fifth All-American honor as part of the Demons’ 1976 4×100 relay team. Brown helped the Demons capture the 1974 Gulf South Conference outdoor championship in 1974 and finish as runner-up in 1975 while winning a pair of individual Gulf South long jump crowns.
Buckley earned All-American honors in 2004 when the Demons captured the Southland Conference championship. A three-time All-Southland Conference selection, Buckley was named as one of the Top 100 Demons of the Century during the 2007 centennial season celebration.
Buckley started for a pair of FCS playoff teams (2002, 2004) and helped the Demons set a single-season scoring record while allowing only six sacks as a team in 2004.
Patterson quarterbacked the Demons to a Southland Conference championship in 1997 and was part of the 1998 squad that reached the FCS semifinals. A Bunkie product, Patterson remains in the top 10 in career touchdown passes (29, 4th) and in passing yardage (3,851, 8th). He finished his career second and fourth in those categories, respectively.
Treadway rounds out the trio of football players who will be honored, giving him his second selection to the N-Club Hall of Fame. Two years ago, Treadway was named the Distinguished Service Award.
On the field, Treadway was a two-time All-Southland Conference tight end who was named one of 13 honorary captains on the Demons’ All-Century Team as part of the 2007 centennial celebration. A first-team All-Southland and All-Louisiana pick as a senior, Treadway caught 44 passes for 575 yards and four touchdowns in his career. As a freshman, Treadway was part of the 1988 Demons that reached the FCS quarterfinals.
Slanina and Vincent were key components of some of the best years of Northwestern baseball’s gilded history.
Slanina, a right-handed workhorse, was a two-time All-Southland Conference selection who also earned All-Southland Tournament team honors. His 23 wins (fifth), 40 starts (sixth), 197 strikeouts (sixth), 295 1-3 innings pitched (sixth) and 64 appearances (seventh) all remain in Northwestern’s career top 10. Slanina was part of Southland Conference championship teams in his final two years (2001-02) under coaches John Cohen and Mitch Gaspard.
Vincent made his mark quickly, putting up the second-most RBIs (60) in a single-season in program history in his first season after transferring from Pratt Junor College. Vincent’s .361 average, 11 home runs and 60 RBIs earned him first-team All-Southland honors as the Demons collected the Southland regular-season title. A year later, Vincent drove in 59 more runs, giving him the eighth-most career RBIs in school history at that point.
Vincent’s .585 career slugging percentage was and still remains sixth in program history.
Priest Riccobono and Mitchell were pivotal members of Northwestern soccer teams that reached the NCAA Tournament.
Priest Riccobono was the Southland Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore – one of three All-Southland honors in her decorated career. A first-team All-Louisiana and All-Southland Conference Tournament selection in 2002, Priest Riccobono keyed a Northwestern defense that allowed 34 total goals in 23 matches, posting six shutouts en route to a Southland Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth.
As a freshman, Priest Riccobono helped backline an NSU defense that set a school record for fewest goals allowed (27).
Mitchell spent 13 seasons on the sidelines, building the soccer program into a consistent winner that positioned itself at or near the top of the Southland in most seasons. During his Northwestern tenure, Mitchell averaged more than 10 wins a season, finishing with a program-record 131.
Mitchell delivered the first three NCAA Tournament berths in program history while earning All-Louisiana Coach of the Year honors in 2000 and 2002 while coaching three conference championship teams, three conference Player of the Year honorees, 33 All-Southland Conference picks and 25 academic all-conference players.
Both basketball programs are represented by one player each.
Allen, who stood 6-foot-7 and weighed 260 pounds, proved to be a powerful presence in the post for back-to-back Southland Conference regular-season champions (2005, 2006) and the 2005-06 “Demons of Destiny,” whose upset win against third-seeded Iowa in the NCAA Tournament remains a staple of March Madness lore.
Allen averaged a career-est 10.2 points per game in his freshman season and finished his career with the 25th-most rebounds in program history (502). A versatile athlete, Allen threw the discus for the Demon track and field team in 2003 and earned an NFL tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals before embarking on a five-year professional basketball career overseas. Allen was chosen as part of the “Fab 50” modern era roster as part of the Demons’ All-Century Team in 2012-13.
Chase was a two-time All-Southland Conference selection who embellished her resume with a pair of Southland All-Tournament selections as well as twice being named to the LSWA All-Louisiana Team.
A four-year starter, Chase finished her career ranking 11th in scoring (1,391) and ninth in rebounds (761) on Northwestern’s career list. A Ringgold product, Chase averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the 1998-99 Southland champions and averaged 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a senior when the Lady Demons posted a 24-6 record – the best single-season winning percentage in school history.
Miller Hobbs was a standout in the circle for the softball program, spinning a remarkable three solo perfect games in her career.
The school record-holder for pitching appearances (130), Miller Hobbs was perfect against Southern (Feb. 2, 2002), Prairie View A&M (March 12, 2003) and McNeese (April 3, 2004) and added her name to another perfect game in 2001 when she and fellow N-Club Hall of Famer Amanda Ortego perfected Centenary.
Miller Hobbs helped Northwestern capture the 2002 Southland Conference Tournament title, earning an NCAA Tournament berth. Her work in the circle has remained tough to duplicate as she remains in the top 10 in program history in fewest walks per seven innings (0.99, 2nd), complete games (59, 3rd), innings pitched (614 2-3, 3rd), shutouts (15, T-3rd), strikeouts (442, 5th), wins (48, 5th) and saves (5, T-5th).
She owns the school single-season record for fewest walks (11) and fewest walks per seven innings (0.51), both set during the 2004 season – a year in which she also earned first-team Academic All-Southland Conference honors.
The final competitive ballot selection is someone whose career spanned most of the athletic department.
Fleckenstein spent eight years at Northwestern, beginning as a student equipment manager before transitioning into a hybrid role that included assisting N-Club Hall of Fame athletic trainer Eugene Christmas’ staff.
A student manager for the football team during his undergraduate time at Northwestern State, Pezant has remained a fixture around Demon athletics. He has spent more than two decades as an official security leader for Demon football, handling both game security on the sideline and assisting with team travel during his time as a Louisiana State Police trooper.
After his retirement from the state police, Pezant continued to volunteer with the program during his time as a city marshal. In addition, Pezant has been a longtime supporter of Demon athletics, actively participating in softball’s Outfield Club, basketball’s Sixth Man Club and baseball’s Cooking Club.
For Pezant, the influence of Northwestern athletics stretched through his family as his daughter, Sonja, is a former director of football operations for the Demons.