2021 Louisiana Legends Hall inducts six; presents three special outdoor awards

Inductees and special award winners at the 2021 Louisiana Chapter Legends of the Outdoors banquet held this weekend. Left to right: Kinny Haddox, Glynn Harris, Joe Macaluso, Bo Dowden, Warren Coco, Cory Gilbert, Scott Hall, Lisa Cuccia, Dale Bordelon, Peyton McKinnie, Leon Stilley, Johnny Wink, Warren Womack, Dan DeWitt and Ronda Johnson.
Inductees and special award winners at the 2021 Louisiana Chapter Legends of the Outdoors banquet held this weekend. Left to right: Kinny Haddox, Glynn Harris, Joe Macaluso, Bo Dowden, Warren Coco, Cory Gilbert, Scott Hall, Lisa Cuccia, Dale Bordelon, Peyton McKinnie, Leon Stilley, Johnny Wink, Warren Womack, Dan DeWitt and Ronda Johnson.

Six prominent Louisiana outdoor personalities with outstanding legacies of contributions to the outdoors were inducted into the second class of the Louisiana Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame at an awards banquet Oct. 16 at Tunks Cypress Inn on Lake Kincaid near Boyce, the Louisiana Sportsman received one of three special awards.

The 2021 class of inductees includes Warren Coco of Baton Rouge, founder and owner of Go Devil Boats; Bo Dowden of Natchitoches, former BASS Masters Classic champion and owner of a marine dealership; noted deer hunter and woodsman  Warren Womack of Bluff Creek and Joe Macaluso of Baton Rouge, veteran outdoors editor of the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate and one of the founders for “Hunters For the Hungry” in the state. Also inducted were Dale Bordelon of Effie, the owner of Bayou Beast Duck Calls, a duck decoy carver and outdoor history preservationist; and freelance outdoor writer and broadcaster Glynn Harris of Ruston.

Louisiana Sportsman, based in Boutte, was presented with the Legends Legacy Award in recognition of the business as well as many contributions of the magazine. Leon Stilley of Albany, a tireless relief volunteer working and veteran turkey hunter, received the Louisiana Sportsman of the Year award, and Hogg Boss Gates of Bastrop was honored with the Manufacturer of Excellence Award.

The National Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame was established in 2002. The Louisiana chapter, managed by Peyton McKinney of Marion, is the first to initiate a state program along national guidelines.

The first class of the Louisiana Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame was chosen in 2019, however, the 2020 process was postponed due to COVID-19.

This year’s inductees

  • Warren Coco: An avid duck hunter, at 22, he founded a company destined to become one of the most-important and influential members of the waterfowl industry. He founded Go-Devil with about $1,000 capital and a handful of garage equipment. The first version of the Go-Devil motor weighed nearly 200 pounds. Today, the company maintains more than 30 full-time employees with more than 52,000 square feet of high-tech buildings turning out at least 1,000 engines per year.
  • Bo Dowden:Villis P. “Bo” Dowden of Natchitoches is one of two Louisiana residents to win the prestigious Bassmaster Classic, winning on New York’s St. Lawrence River in New York in 1980. He is a former marine dealer and now real estate agent. He competed in Classics, finishing in third in 1982. ESPN Outdoors and B.A.S.S. named him among the 35 greatest anglers of all-time in 2004. He is also a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
  • Warren Womack:  Warren Womack has had countless endeavors in the outdoors, but he has drawn the most notice for his harvesting and journaling the details of 387 whitetails. The logging of each successful hunt is what has made his name one that many hunters have come to recognize. The written descriptions of successful hunts are littered with facts and methods that have helped him hone his craft into something quite special. Today, his attention to detail has helped many hunters searching for ways to improve their hunting and his tactics and strategies have been featured in magazines and podcasts.
  • Joe Macaluso: Best known as the veteran outdoors editor of the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, he has won numerous awards, including the Louisiana Governor’s Conservationist of the Year in the Communicator category and the Arthur Van Pelt Lifetime Achievement Award from the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association. In 2014, he was presented the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism by the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. He has been awarded/recognized more than 90 times for stories in state, regional and national organizations. He also wrote the Louisiana section of the World Encyclopedia of Fishing and conceived the idea, then was director/co-host for the award-winning “Paradise Louisiana,” a groundbreaking one-hour outdoors magazine TV show. In 1994, Joe was one of a group of local hunters who helped establish “Hunters For The Hungry”.
  • Dale Bordelon: The owner of Bayou Beast Duck Calls, Bordelon carries on a family tradition of making duck calls that dates to the 1870s when calls were made from river cane. In addition to hand-making duck calls, he still hand carves all of his many different types of decoys from cypress. He still hunts with his Winchester Model 1897 in his dugout pirogue hand-carved from a 5,000-pound cypress log. Bordelon incorporates tradition into every hunting or fishing trip. He makes pillows from duck feathers as his ancestors did.
  • Glynn Harris: A noted freelance outdoor writer and radio-show host, Harris has spent most of his life enjoying the outdoors. He was in on the groundbreaking coverage of  tournament fishing in north Louisiana and big bucks statewide. He writes a weekly outdoor column for several north Louisiana newspapers, has magazine credits in a number of magazines and has a weekly outdoor radio show. He has won more than 50 writing and broadcasting awards during his almost 50-year career.

Louisiana Sportsman wins Legacy Award

The Louisiana Sportsman Magazine was presented the 2021 Outdoor Legends Hall of Fame Legacy Award in recognition of their ongoing commitment to Louisiana’s outdoor resources and people as well as the many contributors to the magazine over the years.

Louisiana Sportsman President Lisa Cuccia accepted the award in honor of her family.

“We are so very happy to accept this award and we are very appreciative,” said Cuccia, who attended the banquet with her husband, Craig. “I would like to accept this award on behalf of my father, Allen Lottinger, who founded the Louisiana Sportsman magazine, and also everyone who has contributed to it’s success over the years.”

Allen Lottinger and Lisa Cuccia received the Louisiana Chapter Outdoor Legends Hall of Fame Legacy Award on behalf of the Louisiana Sportsman.
Allen Lottinger and Lisa Cuccia received the Louisiana Chapter Outdoor Legends Hall of Fame Legacy Award on behalf of the Louisiana Sportsman.

Lisa called the family’s camp in Grand Isle the birth place of the magazine and cited the importance family played in getting the magazine started.

Allen was the journalist of the family, and began Louisiana Sportsman as a tabloid. In 1985, Louisiana Sportsman was switched to a magazine format. Allen served as publisher and also wrote the Coastal Erosion column. His wife, Colette, sold advertising and penned the How Sportsman Cook column.

It was a true family affair from the beginning.

Colette’s grandfather, Al Moreau, wrote a fishing column called Allons a la Peche, while Lisa ran the magazine’s production department. Ann Taylor, Lisa’s sister, was instrumental in the magazine’s editorial development and direction, while her husband, Tony, sold advertising.  Another of Allen’s daughters, Lauren, worked in graphic design.

“It’s come a long way since then. Ida took our camp in Grand Isle, but hopefully we can keep the legacy alive,” Lisa added.

When Allen retired, Ann and Tony took over the day to day operations of the company. Lisa took over as president in June 2020. The magazine has maintained a commitment to covering the great resources and people in the Louisiana outdoors. The magazine’s audience includes 45,000 monthly readers, plus 360,000 monthly web visitors and 180,000 social media followers.

About Kinny Haddox 589 Articles
Kinny Haddox has been writing magazine and newspaper articles about the outdoors in Louisiana for 45 years. He publishes a daily website, lakedarbonnelife.com and is a member of the Louisiana Chapter of the Outdoor Legends Hall of Fame. He and his wife, DiAnne, live in West Monroe.