BATON ROUGE — Lady Tiger great Esther Jones helped establish LSU’s dominance in the sport of track and field during her illustrious career in the purple and gold, and she was honored as one of six inductees to the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame during a special ceremony Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
During her four-year career from 1988-91, Jones guided the Lady Tigers to six NCAA team titles while racking up four NCAA individual titles and a school record 21 All-America honors.
“There is no question that Esther helped set the standard for the women’s sprints at the collegiate level during her career here at LSU,” said LSU head coach Dennis Shaver. “She is certainly very deserving of this great honor. Her grace both on and off the track is unmatched, and we are lucky to have someone like Esther as a graduate of LSU and an alumnae of our program.”
Perhaps the highlight of Jones’ LSU career came at the 1990 NCAA Outdoor Championships for which she was crowned the NCAA champion in both the 100 meters and 200 meters, while also running leadoff on LSU’s national championship 4×100-meter relay team.
In addition, Jones was a member of the Lady Tigers’ sprint relay team that won the NCAA crown at the outdoor national meet during the 1989 season.
“We were part of the teams that started the legacy,” Jones said in a press conference prior to Tuesday’s induction ceremony. “We were the early group, and what we did was start the foundation. As we would grow, we would just pass the baton back and coach the younger girls. It just started a legacy that we are all very proud of. I’m really thrilled to be back in Baton Rouge.”
The Lady Tigers have now won a total of 25 NCAA team championships in the program’s storied history, a number that is unmatched in all of women’s collegiate athletics. In fact, they will open the outdoor season as the defending NCAA Outdoor champions after taking the title in 2008.
Following her collegiate career, Jones went on to represent the United States at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, where she won a gold medal as a member of the 4×100-meter relay.
“I would say the one moment was in 1990, winning both the national championships in the 100 meters and 200 meters, and winning the relay as well. That was my most memorable moment,” Jones said. “What I was able to do at LSU allowed me to go on to the Olympic Games, and when I went to the Olympics, I wasn’t just representing my country, I was also representing this state.”
Inducted along with Jones were football defensive lineman Anthony “Booger” McFarland, softball pitcher Britni Sneed, athletic trainer Dr. Martin J. “Marty” Broussard, former football and track and field coach Bernie Moore, and former basketball and baseball coach Henry Rabenhorst.