« Back

StM Announces 2025 Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame Honorees

July 17th, 2025


St. Martin’s Episcopal School is pleased to announce the 2025 inductees into the Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame: the 1974-75 District Championship Football Team, Billy Coleman ’97, and JaJuan Gair Hickerson ’97. 

This Hall of Fame class will be formally inducted in a special ceremony in St. Martin’s Solomon Theater on Friday, September 26, 2025. Inductees will also be honored at the school’s Homecoming football game that evening, right before the 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Tony Porter Field, when the Saints take on the McMain Mustangs. All alumni are invited to attend both events.

 

1974-75 District Champion Football Team 

According to the 1975 edition of The Shield, St. Martin's 1974 Varsity Football Team "had [an] outstanding season with a Co-District Championship and a Regional Championship to its honor….The season was enjoyable and fun. The pre-district games included victories over Port Sulphur, Episcopal High, and Country Day. In the first four district games the Saints held their opponents to a total of 7 points. The biggest game of the schedule was, of course, against arch-rival Newman. The Saints spoiled the Greenies Homecoming with a very exciting and well played game, 6-0. The team wrapped up the first place position in the state play-offs with a convincing Homecoming victory over the John Curtis Patriots, 33-15.”

Throughout the season, the team scored 196 points, surrendered only 59 points and had 4 shutout games. Much like the 1992-93 Football Team, which was inducted into the St. Martin’s Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024, the 1974-75 team benefited from strong senior leadership. Of the team’s sixteen seniors, many had been playing together since Middle School, when their seventh grade team was known as the undefeated “Mighty Mites,” and their JV team also went undefeated their freshman year in 1971, when they were referred to as the “best ever” JV team. Their coach Bobby Flettrich ‘61 praised, “This year’s freshman class showed class unity never before equaled at St. Martins.”

Additionally, the team was recognized for its many outstanding individual achievements, including Honorable Mention All-District to All-State.  Senior Brian Ball ‘75 rushed for 1,776 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, which remained a school record until 2021. 

Teammates from the Class of 1975 included Brian Ball, J.B. Benton, Ed Boldt, Jimmy Bryant, Frank Clark, Greg Dupuy, Robert Gonzales, Bryan Guice, Clint Harper, Douglas Harris, Blair Johnson, Ken Larkin, John McKey, Gil Pafford, Thom Robbins, and Jimmy Robinson. Underclassmen included J.D. Akenhead ‘76, Tommy Brannan ‘77, Cricky Brown ‘76, John Early ‘76, George Farber ‘77, Steve Harris ‘76, Ken Howe ‘76, F. Martin James ‘78, Kevin Kiser ‘76, Tommy LeTard ‘76, Johnny McCollam ‘78, Brian Rourke ‘77, Stephen Rue ‘78, Shawn Sistrunk ‘77, Buddy Spell ‘76, Glen Stokes ‘76, and Todd Trenchard ‘76.

 

Billy Coleman ‘97

Billy Coleman was considered “the greatest male swimmer ever to swim at St. Martin’s” by his longtime Coach Alan Smith. Throughout his swimming career at St. Martin’s, Billy was a six-time High School All American, twelve-time State Champion as an individual and as a member of relay teams. He set six Louisiana State records, and held three individual school records. He was a three-time US National Champion in high school and in 1997 set the United States national record in Men’s 200y Breaststroke. Billy was consecutively the top National Age Group swimmer in the Top 16 Rankings from 1995 through 1997. He was an integral part of the St. Martin’s Swim Team’s back-to-back State Championships in the 1990s, when the men’s swim team won the Division IV State Championship in 1996 and 1997, and the Division II State Championships in 1994 and 1995, all under Swim Coach Alan Smith. He was also the Swim Team MVP 1995, 1996, and 1997, and served as Team Captain his senior year. After St. Martin’s, Billy attended Southern Methodist University on a full swimming scholarship, where he WAC and American Conference Champion in several events, as well as a NCAA finalist, and placed among the NCAA Top 10 finishes. Billy was a US Olympic Trial qualifier and a College All-American.  

 Top High School Times

  • Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle: 20.78*
  • Men’s 100 Yard Breaststroke: 56.34*
  • Men’s 200 Yard Breaststroke: 2.01.03**
  • Men’s 100 Yard Butterfly: 50.66

*US National Champion 
**US National Record

 

JaJuan Gair Hickerson ‘97

A multi-sport athlete, JaJuan was voted The Class of 1997’s “Most Athletic” by her peers, and was a standout in Track & Field, Basketball, and Cheer throughout all four years of high school. On the basketball court, JaJuan served as Team Captain her senior year, when she was also listed to All District and All District Defense, helping her team to earn the title of District Champions. As a Freshman, JaJuan was a member of the 1994 Division 2A State Championship Team, led by Coach Plaisance. 

In Track & Field, JaJuan was state runner-up in 100M Hurdles in 1995, then state champion in 1996 and 1997. Her senior year, she was a member of the Louisiana Girls’ All State 100M Hurdles Team, she set a Class 2A State Record in 100M Hurdles (14.98), and was also undefeated in this event. 

Throughout her high school career, JaJuan set a a number of school records, as an individual and member of relay teams, including the 100M Hurdles in 1995 (14.93); the 400M Relay Team, along with Tatum Truax, Lisa Abry, and Claude Eyamba ‘95 (51.23); and the 800M Relay Team, with Staci James, Elizabeth McManus, and Claude Eyamba (1:47.41). She was recognized as one of the “State’s outstanding freshman runners” in 1994, placing 3rd in the 100M Hurdles event, when the team earned State Runner-Up. She earned Track & Field MVP in 1994, and Regionals MVP in 1995. 

JaJuan was also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Captain of the Cheer team her senior year, and the co-recipient of the Robert L. Pettit, Sr. Award in 1997. 

 

Posted in the categories Alumni, Athletics, Alumni Awards.