Bobby Ardoin is a well-known Acadiana sportswriter; his passion and inspiration began at an early age.
“For Christmas, I was gifted the best sports stories of 1958 by a group of different sports writers,” said Ardoin. “I told myself I want to do this one day.”
That present turned into one of Ardoin’s greatest gifts, the gift of writing.
He started as a journalist working for his alma mater at Northwestern State. Shortly after that, he got a job at the Daily World, and his work became persuasive for others.
“I worked at other papers, and they looked at Bobby’s story as the blueprint,” said Freddie Harpin. They wanted to ensure they were doing their work correctly.”
Being a good journalist can be based on storytelling, but the real plot is acknowledging their responsibility to citizens.
“I didn’t want to talk to the reporters because they would take what I said out of context,” said Micheal Ortego. "Bobby never did that, he was always honest with every story he told.”
Ardoin’s career was going smoothly as pen to paper being a teacher by day and a sportswriter by night. But In 2014 he had a heart attack that sidelined him for some time.
“I knew what it was when I stumbled out of the car and laid down on the pavement," said Ardoin. “I knew I wasn’t going to die but I knew I needed to get help.”
Ardoin may have cut his career short in the classroom by retiring after the heart attack. But he couldn’t give up being on the sidelines because the love of the game flowed through his veins.
“It’s in my blood”, said Ardoin. "It’s something I can’t get out.”
This weekend will mean the world to Ardoin, as he will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches. This is not the conclusion to his career, but it’s where it all started.
“I never thought I deserved this and I still don’t feel that I do,” said Ardoin. ”My career feels so varied, with all the different obstacles I had to overcome."