Lamar sports information

BEAUMONT – Veteran broadcaster Dave Hofferth, who has covered Lamar athletics for nearly 40 years, is the 2017 recipient of the Southland Conference’s Louis Bonnette Award.

The award, named after longtime McNeese State sports information director Louis Bonnette, is presented annually to an individual that has made an outstanding contribution in the field of sports information, print journalism, broadcasting or other media focused on the Southland Conference and/or its member institutions.

Hofferth, currently the sports director at KBMT-TV in Beaumont, started his career in Southeast Texas in 1975 as a news and sports reporter for KLVI Radio in Beaumont before joining KBMT in 1998. He started broadcasting LU athletic contests in 1978. Since then he has called more than 1,000 LU games, including football, baseball and men’s and women’s basketball. Hofferth has been on hand to call some of the biggest moments in LU history, including the first NCAA Tournament win by the men’s basketball team in 1979 as the Cardinals defeated Detroit, women’s basketball’s magical run to the Elite Eight in 1991 and football’s last-second win over Baylor in 1981.

Hofferth often did double-duty, calling basketball games on KLVI while shooting video highlights from his courtside seat without ever missing a beat.

“I was blown away by the call from Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett,” Hofferth said. “It is a great honor to receive this award. When you think of the great individuals who have received it in the past, to be recognized with them is very special. Louis Bonnette handled his position with a great deal of integrity, and did an amazing job of providing the media with information over the years. I was just one of many in the media whom he helped to take care of.”

Hofferth, who received the Big Red Award from the LU Hall of Honor in 1997, is the second person connected with Lamar to receive the Louis Bonnette Award. Longtime sports information director and newspaper reporter Rush Wood won the award in 2013.

“Dave is highly deserving of this honor. He has been a great ambassador for Lamar University for nearly four decades,” Lamar University Director of Athletics Jason Henderson said. “We have been fortunate to have tremendous professionals such as Rush and Dave, along with many others provide great coverage of the success of this program and its student-athletes.”

Hofferth will receive the award during the conference’s annual football media day on Thursday in Houston.