March 2, 2008

The McNeese Athletic Foundation (MAF) will host its first annual Denim and Diamonds dinner and auction on Thursday, March 6 in the west exhibition hall of the Lake Charles Civic Center.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. and will include silent and live auctions as well as dinner. Participants are encouraged to wear their best western or McNeese attire. Tickets are $50 a person or $400 for a table of eight and can be obtained at the McNeese ticket office (337-475-5203) or from Pam McGough (337-475-5279), the university's coordinator of athletic development.

All proceeds from the event go to athletic scholarships.

Former Cowboy standouts, tailback Buford Jordan and quarterback Kerry Joseph, two players who were named Louisiana's amateur athlete of the year during their careers, will be guest speakers while local television celebrity John Bridges will serve as master of ceremonies and local outdoorsman and policy juror Hal McMillan will be the auctioneer.

Jordan, who played nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints, became McNeese's all-time leading rusher during his career with the Cowboys. He was famous for his "Iota two-step" and he rushed for 4,156 yards, earned all-American honors and went on to be a first round selection by the old US Football League.

Jordan, who now lives in the New Orleans area and conducts speed and agility camps for boys and girls throughout the state, was a McNeese most valuable player in 1981 and 1983, has been inducted into the university's Hall of Fame, played in the Independence Bowl in 1980 and helped the Cowboys to a Southland Conference title and to a 27-16-2 record.

Joseph is still going strong in the professional ranks and only this past season led Sasketchwan to the Canadian Football League title while being named the loop's player of the year.

During his career he was equally effective running and passing the football. He was a Southland Conference and Louisiana Player of the Year and in four years totaled 9,676 yards, having rushed for 1,802 yards and completed 565 passes for 7,874 yards.

He was also named McNeese's athlete of the year for the 1995-96 school year and directed his team to a 42-11 record, to two Southland Conference titles and into four straight NCAA 1-AA playoffs.

Joseph is also a member of the McNeese Hall of Fame.