Larry Hymel, former Southeastern Louisiana University sports information director and once a sports editor for The Lion’s Roar, was recently inducted into the national College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame.

Hymel was recognized at this year’s CSC national convention in Orlando, Florida, along with five others, including Lonza Hardy (Alcorn, SWAC), Tony Neely (Kentucky), John Painter (Maryville College), Cindy Potter (Columbia College) and Scottie Rodgers (Cotton Bowl Classic).

As a student at Southeastern, Hymel worked in the Publications Office as a sports writer and also served on The Lion’s Roar staff, including holding the position of Sports Editor for several years.
He was inducted into the Southeastern Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. In the state Hall of Fame, he joined two other former sports editors for The Lion’s Roar, Jim Corbett and Bud Johnson, who had been previously inducted.

Asked by The Lion’s Roar about the awards night, Hymel said, “Anytime you are recognized by your peers, it’s special. And this being a nationwide group only adds to the prestige of it.”
“Another unique part was that each HOF member was interviewed on stage by ESPN reporter Holly Rowe,” he added. “That was amazing especially considering just three days before that she was interviewing coaches at the softball college World Series. She was so down to earth, it made the interview entertaining and not stressful.”

A 1966 graduate of Southeastern, he became sports editor of the Hammond Daily Star for five months before being called to serve as Southeastern’s first full-time sports information director.
He served in that position for 28 years before becoming director of the University Center for 11 years. He then worked for the Alumni Association for 12 years as Alumni Athletic Coordinator.
Hymel wrote a book, “70 Years of Southeastern Lions Athletic History 1930-1999,” after retiring. The book traces the history of Lion and Lady Lion athletics during that time.

He also established the Larry Hymel Endowed Scholarship for Sports Journalism for a student doing sports journalism at Southeastern. He continues to assist Lions Roar students when needed.
Hymel’s football game programs earned top 10 rankings five times, including a second-best in the nation in 1974. He won several CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America – now CSC) writing awards, as well as awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and Associated Press.

He currently participates in Hall of Fame selection committees for Southeastern and the Louisiana HOF.