By Bobby Ardoin
Eunice News
Correspondent
His lifelong love of athletic competitiveness and coaching has secured a place in the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame for former Eunice High head football coach Paul Trosclair.
Trosclair stepped onto the induction stage inside the Baton Rouge Crowne Plaza Hotel ballroom with nine other honorees Monday night as he was recognized for his success, leadership and lasting impact on student athletes.
With his wife Irma Trosclair and sons Tyler, Trace, Trenon and Brent in attendance, Trosclair told a packed audience that his induction moment “means everything to me.”
Trosclair, whose teams won 208 games at Eunice High along with a 2018 state title and two runner-up finishes in 1997 and 1998, said that throughout his career, he has appreciated his family and the players that he has coached.
“It’s really been exciting and I’ve realized just how important coaching is,” Trosclair said after the ceremony.
The other 2026 LHSAA honorees on Monday night included former Brother Martin basketball standout D.J. Augustin, Jr., Redemptorist High head football coach Sid Edwards, Waterproof High basketball coach Gladys Hamlin Edwards, Franklin High basketball player Alexis Rack, Holy Savior Menard track coach Wally Smith, Edna Karr football player Patrick Surtain, Sr., Southern Lab basketball coach Quianna Nelma Chaney and contributors Ed Daniels and Richard Lewis Bourgeois.
Trosclair Honored
Trosclair became the third Eunice High football coach to be inducted into the LHSAA Hall of Fame.
Faize Mahfouz was inducted in 1979 and Joe Nagata was a 2008 honoree. Nagata was also a head football coach at St. Edmund.
Trosclair said the affinity he developed for sports was evident as he participated in the Opelousas youth athletic leagues and later at Opelousas High.
A coaching career in football and other sports later evolved as an assistant under David Aymond at Abbeville, Mike Ortego at Opelousas and Johnny Bourque at Eunice High.
“At an early age I loved athletics and I loved to compete. I loved all of it, the opponents, the preparations, all of it,” Trosclair said.
A Career Develops
However Trosclair admitted that during his early coaching career, he became discouraged about his progress.
Oakdale finished 4-6 during his first year as a head coach and then the following season, the Warriors started with more losses.
“I told myself that I didn’t think I could do it, but then things began to turn around,” Trosclair said.
At Eunice High, Trosclair recalled thinking that although the Bobcats had reached the quarterfinal and semifinal state playoff rounds, he also wondered whether his program would ever win a state title.
That all changed in 2018.
“Winning a state championship meant a great deal. I really didn’t think that it was going to happen. We had six sophomores (in 2018), but we had a team that caught fire. We beat Kaplan (in a semifinal on a muddy field) and when we got to the Dome, you looked up and there was nothing but a sea of green. The town really showed up for us,” Trosclair said.
Eunice is a small city with a big fan base that loves sports, he added.
“I’ve really been fortunate. I am appreciative of my family and I have two sons that are presently on the Eunice High staff. The staff there now has players that I once coached.
“Sports really means a lot to me. At Eunice over the years I’ve coached softball, baseball and track. I’ve just enjoyed coaching athletes,” said Trosclair.
His football coaching philosophy has always been simple.
“We’ve always been pretty much old school. We’ve just tried to win games and block and tackle the right way,” added Trosclair.
What Others Said
Aymond, who also attended the event, said he knew that Trosclair, even as an adolescent athlete, possessed a special quality.
“I coached him in baseball in high school and you noticed then that Paul had a way of handling himself. He was a people-person and he was the type of guy who could inspire you,” Aymond remembered.
“Paul turned out to be a great coach and family man. (On Monday night) I thought (Trosclair) gave me too much credit,” Aymond said.
Ortego, who was also present at the event, said Trosclair possesses the tangible leadership qualities that all great coaches display.
“I think that a lot of his success also comes from the fact that Paul has always valued his family and he has had coaches on his staff who are great family men dedicated to doing things the right way,” said Ortego.