ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - During his 33 years coaching cross country at Menard, Wally Smith had championship success. On Tuesday, Smith learned he would be welcomed into a club made up of the very best in the history of Louisiana’s high school sports.

“It’s good for Menard, and it’s going to make a lot of runners smile because they were a part of it,” Smith said.

In a surprise orchestrated by Hall of Fame committee member Joe Moreau and Menard principal Chris Gatlin, friends and family of Smith came to his home to reveal the news.

“Wally was an engineer that got into the education field late, and he came in coaching...he was 20 years old, and he was actually 40,” Gatlin said.

Smith, alongside the rest of the Class of 2026, will be inducted in Baton Rouge next April.

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