NATCHITOCHES – Watson Library’s Living Library Collection will hold a panel discussion “What it means to be an NSU athlete” on Tuesday April 18 at 1 p.m. in the Ora G. Williams TV Studio located in Room 142 of Kyser Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.
The goal of the Living Library Collection is to create an environment where individuals can share their life stories through dialogue and perspectives; to challenge stereotypes and to gain an understanding of our diverse human experiences. This initiative is meant to enhance and build on established library collections.
The mission is to safely showcase and promote the diversity of communities. This is done by validating life experiences of individuals via round table discussions, interviews, question and answer panels, live recordings, speakers and panel events. Integrating the ‘living library collection’ at NSU can make an educational impact by using a social approach to educate students, breaking down any silos on campus via multi-disciplinary presentations and panels, enhancing and complementing library collections in times of great budget constraints and creating an inclusive environment to accept today’s diverse community.
The program will be moderated by former NSU Sports Information Director Doug Ireland. Panel members will be Northwestern State Head Baseball Coach Bobby Barbier, Head Football Coach Brad Laird, former football player Jack Brittain, former women’s basketball player Rachel Cunningham, track and field athlete Diamante Gumbs, football player Tory Morgan and softball player Laney Roos.
An institution in the sports information office at Northwestern State, Ireland also is regarded as the cornerstone of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum in Natchitoches. In addition to serving his alma mater promoting its athletic and academic successes for more than 30 years, Ireland has won numerous writing awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and the former College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Born in Indianapolis, Ireland spent several of his childhood years in Butler, Pennsylvania, before his family moved to Jonesboro. Ireland came to NSU as a student from Jonesboro-Hodge High School where he played baseball and football.
An Academic All-American as a player for Northwestern State, Barbier is in his seventh season as the Demons’ head baseball coach. A product of Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero, Barbier led Northwestern State to the first Southland Conference Tournament championship in 2018 and was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, Southland Conference and American Baseball Coaches Association Central Region coach of the year that season. As a player, Barbier finished his career in the top 10 of seven offensive categories, including the most hit by pitches in school history, and helped the Demons win the 2005 Southland Conference regular season title and reach the NCAA Regionals.
A Natchitoches native, Brittain played four seasons of football at Northwestern State in a variety of positions. A teammate of the late Joe Delaney, Brittain has been one of the main conduits in keeping Delaney’s memory alive. Brittain played a pivotal role in the filming of the ESPN 30 For 30 short, “Delaney,” which was released in 2015. Brittain long has been involved in Louisiana politics, working with state representatives, governors and U.S. senators from Louisiana in Washington, D.C. He also has provided legal support for the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and worked closely with the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. A lifelong Demon, Brittain attended his first NSU football game at six months old with his parents and was the sideline reporter for the Demon Sports Network for almost two decades.
A 2015 N-Club Hall of Fame inductee and a member of Northwestern State’s Top 100 Demon Players of All-Time, Brad Laird is in his sixth season as the Demons’ head football coach. Laird came to NSU after a state championship career at Ruston High School, where he helped the Bearcats earn USA TODAY’s No. 1 national ranking. Laird finished his playing career as Northwestern State’s all-time leading passer with 6,037 yards and had a school record 6,178 yards total offense. Laird led the Demons to a 24-20 win at McNeese on Nov. 20, 2021, marking NSU’s first win in Lake Charles since 1988.
A four-year letterwinner as a point guard, Cunningham handed out 356 assists as the “quarterback” of the Lady Demon offense. A Coushatta native, Cunningham finished her career with the fifth-most career assists in school history. An elementary education graduate, Cunningham added 169 career steals, averaging better than 1.6 steals per game. In her four seasons as a Lady Demon, Northwestern State won 76 games and reached the 1989 NCAA Tournament.
A native of Road Town, British Virgin Islands, Gumbs burst on the scene in his first season at Northwestern State, reaching the NCAA East Preliminary Round in both the shot put and discus. In his first season at NSU, Gumbs earned All-Southland Conference honors three times – twice in the outdoor season (shot put and discus) and once in the indoor (shot put). A Southland Conference Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll selection, Gumbs also earned two spots on the LSWA’s All-Louisiana Track and Field Team.
A redshirt freshman linebacker, Morgan is the second member of his family to play football at Northwestern State, following his older brother, Trevor. A two-year team captain at Edna Karr High School in New Orleans, Morgan won two state championships and played for another in 2020 at Turpin Stadium.
In her second season with the Northwestern State softball team, Laney Roos led the team in eight offensive categories and was in the top 10 in the Southland Conference in four categories. A native of Aubrey, Texas, Roos was a first-team All-Southland and second-team All-Louisiana selection in 2022. Additionally, she was named an Easton/NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete. Along with her sister and current teammate Lexie Roos, Laney Roos is the third member of the Roos family to play softball at NSU, following older sister, Kylie Roos, who ranks fourth in program history in career wins and strikeouts.
