BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University will be inducting its largest class into the Cardinal Hall of Honor since the program's inception in 1973. The incoming class of inductees includes five individual student-athletes and the 2007 LU men's golf team. The 2026 Hall of Honor induction ceremony will also honor former men's golf coach Brad McMakin who was a 2025 inductee.
 
The 2026 inductees are Leon Babineaux (football, 1971-74), Barry Boecher (men's track and field, 1962-65), Clerc Koenck (women's cross country/track and field, 2006-08), Samuel Kosgei (men's cross country/track and field, 2006-10) and Kyle Stutes (baseball, 2001-04). The 2007 men's golf team includes Ryan Kornmann, Dusty Smith, Casey Clendenon, Russell Helson, Dawie van der Walt, Oliver Bekker, Justin Harding, Will Gilchriest, Matt Eschenburg and Jaime Garcia, and the team was coached by Brian White and assisted by Casey Cain.
 
The current installment of the Cardinal Hall of Honor covers four decades, dates back to the 1962-63 academic year and includes seven sports (men's golf, baseball, football, men's and women's cross country and men's and women's track and field). The class includes a golf team that just missed the NCAA Division I National Championship, a combined 27 all-conference honors, 20 SLC individual titles, eight SLC Player/Golfer/Athlete of the Year honors, eight All-Americans, five Southland team titles and one SLC Newcomer of the Year to go along with multiple school and conference records.
 
This group will be officially enshrined during an induction ceremony, Saturday Oct. 10^th, and will be recognized on the field at halftime of Lamar's football game against UIW. The induction ceremony will take place in the Live Oak Ballroom (also known as the Setzer Center Ballroom). Ticket information for the event will be released at the later date.
  Leon Babineaux (Football, 1971-74)
A four-year letterwinner … A two-time All-Southland Conference defensive end … Twice named LU Outstanding Lineman … Helped guide the Cardinals to 26 wins including two eight-win campaigns and a share of the 1971 Southland Conference title … During Babineaux's time, the Cardinals recorded one first-place finish and two SLC runner-up finishes … Babineaux helped led Big Red to a 14-6 (.700) conference record.
 
Barry Boecher (Track & Field, 1962-65)
Coached by LU great Ty Terrell … A four-time individual conference champion … Set the conference record in steeplechase in 1965 … Was a conference individual champion in the two-mile run in 1964 and 1965 … Also won the conference 3,000-meter steeplechase title in those same seasons … Was a member of Lamar University's first Southland Conference championship team … One of the top middle distance runners in program history.  
 
Clerc Koenck (Women's Track and Field/Cross Country, 2006-08)
Four-time NCAA Qualifier … Three-time NCAA Qualifier in the 1500 meters … A 10-time Southland Conference Champion … Two-time Southland Conference Cross Country Individual champion … Two-time SLC Female Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year … Two-Time Indoor Outstanding Track Performer … 2008 SLC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year … Set the school outdoor 800 meter and 1,500-meter records (2008) … During the 2008 indoor season, she set the school records in the mile and 3,000-meter runs.
 
Samuel Kosgei (Men's Track & Field/Cross Country, 2006-10)
Three-time NCAA All-American … Recorded All-America honors in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs in 2010 … Also received Cross Country All-America honors … Two-time NCAA Qualifier (Cross Country and Track and Field) … 2008 Southland Conference Cross Country Male Athlete of the Year … 2006 SLC Cross Country Newcomer of the Year … Five-Time Southland Conference Individual Champion … Owns the Southland's second fastest time in the 5,000 meters.
 
Kyle Stutes (Baseball, 2001-04)
A Collegiate Baseball All-America selection … ABCA All-American … NCBWA All-American … Named to the ABCA All-South Central Region team … Named 2004 Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year … First-Team All-Southland Conference … Guided the Cardinals to two Southland Conference regular-season titles, and the 2002 SLC tournament championship … Graduated ranked among the school's all-time top 10 in games pitched and strikeouts … Went 18-7 (.720) during is four seasons, recording 206 strikeouts … Pitched three complete games including one shutout during his senior season … Cardinals won 154 games during Stutes' career.
 
Team Award Recipient – 2007 LU Men's Golf
The 2007 golf team posted a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships which remains the highest recorded finish in program history … The Cardinals finished behind only National Champion Stanford and NCAA Runner-up Georgia … LU's historic finish missed an NCAA title by just 16 strokes … It marked the second year in a row that Lamar had posted a top-10 finish … LU was led by All-Americans Dawie van der Walt – who was also named SLC Player of the Year – and Oliver Bekker … van der Walt finished just 10 strokes off an individual championship … Lamar's near national title came just weeks after winning the 2007 Southland team title by an overwhelming 30 strokes … Five Cardinals would go on to be named All-SLC.
 
Brad McMakin (Men's Golf Coach, 1996-2006)
Coached the LU men's golf team for 10 seasons … A five-time SLC Coach of the Year selection … During his time has head coach, McMakin guided the Cardinals to five Southland Conference Championship titles and six-straight NCAA Regional appearances … During his final six seasons on staff, he produced three All-Americans, three SLC individual champions, 21 All-SLC performers, 3 SLC Freshmen of the Year, an SLC Newcomer of the Year and the league's only four-time player of the year … He was named the NCAA Central Region Coach of the Year after leading Big Red to a ninth-place national finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships … Although not with the team in 2007, McMakin solidified the recruiting class that would go on the following year to finish third nationally.