at his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame: “The state lifted me to greatness,” he said. “LSU lifted me to greatness, and the people of Louisiana lifted me to greatness. After I left college, I had so much confidence and ability because of the character I created in the state of Louisiana.” “I wasn’t supposed to announce this, but I’m going to do it anyway,” Dr. O’Neal said. “I had a talk with the powers that be in Baton Rouge, and my plan is to build a Shaquille O’Neal children’s hospital. That’s my plan, so that right now is in the works, and hopefully it gets done. ” Dr. O’Neal said the idea has been discussed for two years, and his goal is to join with Our Lady of the Lake “to build the biggest, freest hospital in the state of Louisiana.” “All sick children can come for free,” he said. “That’s my vision." http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=269852
Shaq visiting small town in Louisiana because he's getting inducted in their hall of fame, and left this at the shooting range.
The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame is opened this weekend in Natchitoches, LA -- It is housed in a $23 million, 27,500-square-foot building which is also home to the Northwest Louisiana History Museum. NBA Star and former LSU Tiger Shaquille O'Neal attended the ribbon cutting Friday, opening his remarks with a tongue-in-cheek 'renaming' of the oldest city in Louisiana. "Welcome to Shaq-itoches," he quipped. He also shared a story about how terrible he was as a basketball player growing up, and how Dale Brown at LSU was the one who believed that O'Neal had the talent. "He sent me a letter every week. You know, I lived in West Germany and I would have to walk a half a mile to get the mail in the winter in the snow, and I would always see a letter from LSU. So, when I got back to the states and I developed as a player, now every college in America wanted me. So I went to a couple of stadiums and, you know, they put on the 'Do you want Shaq to come here' spiel, and when I went to a football game in Baton Rouge, I just felt the realness of the Louisiana people. And I think I owed it to Coach Brown because he believed in me." Shaq also made a major announcement, saying he's been working on building a Shaquille O'Neal Children's Hospital for the past two years. "That right now is in the works, and hopefully it gets done. That's my plan, to be the biggest, 'free-est' hospital in the state of Louisiana. All of the sick children can come for free. That's my vision." http://www.ksla.com/story/22720261/...er&utm_content=buffer05ae7&utm_medium=twitter
In a Grand Opening on Friday night, June 28, the doors swing open on the stunning $23 million Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, a 27,500-square foot structure at 800 Front Street in the National Historic District of Natchitoches. ... a true museum home for the state’s all-time greats
the state’s newest and most dazzling cultural attraction—the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame “Louisiana’s sports tradition is on par with our world-class food, music and culture so we are proud it finally has a space to call its own,” Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne said. Developed and operated by the Louisiana State Museum system in partnership with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and the City of Natchitoches, the 27,500-square-foot museum complex provides a permanent home for the Sports Hall of Fame and its collection of portraits and memorabilia celebrating the achievements of more than 300 Louisiana athletes, coaches and other sports figures. The museum complex is located at 800 Front Street in downtown Natchitoches.
“This is a landmark event for the Hall of Fame and the LSWA,” said LSWA president Jim Kleinpeter. “It’s the fruition of a dream that goes beyond 50 years. It literally marks the spot on the map for Louisiana sports.”
“It an honor to be elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and join so many great athletes and coaches, including my head coach at LSU, Dale Brown. My career has taken me all over the country, and the world, but Louisiana has always been special for me. I love Louisiana,” said "Baton Rouge is one of the best cities in the world. ... Besides my parents who raised me well, it is the people of Louisiana who really made me.” “I had the best time of my life from 1989-92 right here in Baton Rouge,” O’Neal said “The first day I arrived here and went to TJ Ribs and had chimichangas. What the hell is a chimichanga? I fell in love with them. The second night I ate at Gino’s. Oh the spaghetti, the lasagna. The third night I go to a small town, Gonzales, to a jambalaya festival. What the hell is a jambalaya festival? These people were so nice to me. “I went to a small (high) school and I was a local superstar. But when I got (to Baton Rouge), everyone knew who I was. People just treated me with so much honor and so much respect. That’s why I come back every year. It’s not just to show up and show off. I miss Baton Rouge” “That’s why I jump on the highway from Orlando in my RV and we drive 14 hours to come to Baton Rouge every first football weekend. It’s beautiful. ” “LSU will remain one of the top universities in athletics. If any of the parents want their kids to attend a nice clean college, LSU is where to come, baby.” “A lot of people don’t know this,” the big center said, “But when I had to call Coach Brown and tell him I didn’t think I wanted to come back (after his junior season), that was one of the hardest days of my life because if I leave Coach Brown there will be no more Tiger Town, no more Sports on Thursday, no more football games, no more tailgating, no more crawfish. There would be no more fun. Now I’ve got to go to work.” It was tough because I loved being at LSU.” But in leaving for millions he promised his mother that there would eventually be a diploma from LSU that would say Shaquille O’Neal on it. That came seven years later in one of the most famous graduation ceremonies in school history when O’Neal was the commencement speaker and as then Chancellor Mark Emmert said in his introduction, O’Neal “raised the median average income of the 2000 graduation class.” O’Neal would for the first time proclaim what has become a common note when he is speaking to large crowds, declaring LSU“ Love Shaq University” and “Can You Dig It?” But there was more to the graduation on that weekend for O’Neal. “My favorite memory is coming out of the tunnel and hearing those horns. Looking up and seeing the whole city behind us win or lose. The only thing I regret is not being able to give LSU a national championship because Baton Rouge has given me so much.” “I had the best time of my life from 1989-92 right here in Baton Rouge.”
