When Marc Fournet arrived at St.Thomas More Catholic School in September 1977, he never imagined that theopportunity would become a 43-year calling or that his name would one day bepermanently associated with STM Athletics.

Marc Fournet, a Baton Rouge native,attended St. Anthony Catholic School and later Catholic High School, where hecompeted in JV football. While pursuing his graduate studies at LSU, Fournetlearned that STM was searching for someone to lead its athletic program. Withthe encouragement of his mother, Pearl Fournet, who was a teacher at theschool, Fournet met with then-principal Sister Phyllis Manda, who offered himthe position of athletic director.

Fournet accepted the position atjust 26 years old and remained at St. Thomas More until his retirement in 2020at age 69. Along the way, STM became an important part of his family’s life aswell. Fournet married his wife, Karen, in 1979, and together they raised threechildren — Monique, Adrienne, and Andrew, all of whom attended STM andparticipated in the school’s athletic program. “I spent more than half of mylife at STM,” Fournet said. “Even though I did not attend school there, Ibecame a member of the STM community, and I am so grateful for that.” Inaddition to serving as athletic director, Fournet taught physical education,social studies, and mathematics, at times teaching two different subjectswithin the same school year.

Back in 1977, STM Athletics lookedvery different from the program students and families know today. At the time,the school offered just a handful of sports: football, boys’ and girls’basketball, and volleyball. Over the course of Fournet’s tenure, the programcontinued to grow, adding cross country, swimming, soccer, and golf. Fournetplayed a hands-on role in that growth, coaching football, boys’ and girls’basketball, and track while also overseeing the athletic program as a whole.

Facilities were also limited duringFournet’s early years at STM. Basketball practice and intramural activitieswere played outside on cement, while volleyball took place on the field. Foryears, STM teams relied on other facilities to host competitions. That allchanged in 1988, when a new church was built and the former church wasrenovated into the school gymnasium. The first game was played there inFebruary 1988. With its multipurpose Tarkett floor and electric basketballgoals, the gym gave STM Athletics a home of its own and became an importantpart of the program’s growth.

Registration, communication, andeven discipline looked very different in Fournet’s early years at STM. Beforewebsites, email, and cell phones, digital schedules, announcements, andlast-minute changes were often sent home with students, relying on them todeliver the information to their parents. Registration was much simpler aswell, with participation fees starting at approximately $15 before eventuallyincreasing to $100. Discipline was also handled differently. Fournet wasoccasionally known as “the enforcer.”. While the methods may have changed overthe years, Fournet’s expectations for effort, behavior, and accountabilityremained consistent throughout his career.

For Fournet, athletics were aboutmuch more than wins and losses. He believed team sports taught students how towork with others, recognize their own shortcomings, support teammates throughtheirs, and learn from both success and disappointment. “Failure is part oflife, and you have to get back up,” Fournet said. That philosophy shaped theway he coached and the expectations he set for STM athletes. He taught histeams to win with class, lose with dignity, and always respect their opponents.Even with a comfortable lead, Fournet never believed in running up the score,knowing that one day his team could easily find itself on the other side. Heexpected his athletes to compete hard, but never at the expense of goodsportsmanship.

Among Fournet’s most memorableteams were two standout boys’ basketball groups. One team finished itseighth-grade season with an impressive 36–1 record, winning every tournament itentered except one—the STM Tournament. That championship game, the team’s onlyloss of the season, is still the one Fournet says he would most like to haveanother chance to play. Another special group was a team Fournet coachedthroughout sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. Over those three seasons, theycompiled an incredible 84–1 record. Their only loss came as seventh graderswhen they played up in an eighth-grade bracket at the Episcopal Tournament.Along the way, the team competed and won in the Catholic Schools Tournament aswell as tournaments in Lafayette, New Orleans, and Frenchtown, building arecord that remains one of the highlights of Fournet’s coaching career. Theirplaque remains in the STM trophy case to this day.

Football produced its share ofmemorable moments as well. In the early 1980s, Fournet and Mike Polito coachedSTM to a CSAL championship victory over rival St. George at Port Allen Stadium.Playing on a Friday night under the lights, STM came away with a 14–7 win andthe championship. Afterward, the team celebrated together at Shakey’s Pizza — asimple ending to a championship night that Fournet still remembers decadeslater. Then, in 1984, STM faced an undefeated St. Aloysius team considered thepowerhouse of the league, with a roster that included two players who wouldlater become starters at LSU. STM battled them into overtime and pulled off theupset with a successful two-point conversion.

Fournet rarely received technicalfouls, perhaps only two in his 35 years of coaching; a reflection of his beliefthat coaches should model the same composure and sportsmanship they expectedfrom their players. To him, a great STM coach was someone invested in thecomplete development of every child: consistent and fair, able to setachievable goals, encourage students to perform to the best of their abilities,and teach them how to handle both winning and losing. That philosophy helpedcreate one of STM Athletics’ greatest strengths: the stability of its coachingstaff. Many coaches devoted years of service to the program, returning seasonafter season and building lasting relationships with students and families.Fournet understood that a strong athletic program depended on dependable peoplewho cared about the children entrusted to them. Among the many coaches Fournetremembers for their years of service were:

Football:Chuck Blanchard, Ricky Bourgeois, Trey Dejean, Sid Edwards, Farrell Fruge, PatGiblin, Brad Nelson, Brady Perry, Mike Polito, Mike Ross, Terry Ross, TreySamaha, Wayne Stabler Jr., and Wayne Stabler Sr.

Volleyball:Pam Adams, Donna and Mickey Ashmore and later with their daughters KimberlyAshmore and Michelle A. LeBouef. Ali Buchart, Dawn Fontenot, Fournet's owndaughters and niece also coached: Monique and Adrienne Fournet and MadelineBlanchard.  

Boys’and/or Girls’ Basketball: Ron DeJean, Chuck Ellis, Beth Ellis, Derrick Fifte,Scottie Fruge, Brian Hargroder, Sparky Hoffman, Chase Hull, James Kirkland,Squeaky Miranda, Cindy Morris, Brad Nelson, Mike Polito, Brant Ruiz, and BobbySanches.

Track:Brant Ruiz and Jason Hugenroth

Intramurals:Clyde Messenger and Ron DeJean

Fournet and the STM communitycontinually looked for ways to improve the school’s athletic facilities andopportunities for students. One of those efforts was the annual STM AthleticsGolf Tournament, which began in 1994 and became an important fundraiser for theathletic program. Proceeds helped fund improvements such as field lighting ,the construction of a press box, uniforms, and other investments for theprogram. For many years, the tournament was held at Sherwood Forest CountryClub before later moving to Greystone Golf and Country Club. The tournamentcontinued for 25 years, ending in 2019, and became another longstandingtradition that helped shape and support STM Athletics.

While the golf tournament becameone of STM Athletics’ longest-running traditions, it was not the only eventcreated to bring the school community together. In 2006, another traditionbegan: Monday Night Football. What started during Fournet’s tenure quicklybecame a special night for STM athletes, families, and fans. Nearly two decadeslater, Monday Night Football remains part of the STM Athletics tradition, withthis year’s event scheduled for September 28, 2026.

Fournet guided STM Athleticsthrough decades of change, from new facilities and growing sports programs tochanging league regulations and advances in communication and technology. Healso led the program through hurricanes and their aftermath. FollowingHurricane Katrina and another major storm, the STM gymnasium was transformedinto a temporary nursing home. Fournet knew there was no question that the gymneeded to be used to help those in need, though, as any longtime athleticdirector would, he admits he couldn’t help but worry a little about what itmight mean for his beloved gym and its floor. In the end, the experience showedthat the building he cared for so closely was more than an athletic facility,it was a place of refuge and service when the wider community needed it most.

Through all of those changes,Fournet remained a constant presence at STM. By the time he retired in 2020,the athletic program looked very different from the one he inherited as a26-year-old in 1977. There were more sports, better facilities, new traditions,and generations of student-athletes, families, and coaches who had passed through the program.

Those relationships, especially hisdaily interactions with students, were not easy to leave behind. After retiringas athletic director in 2020, Fournet returned to STM as a tutor for two moreyears because he missed being around the students. Retirement also gave him theopportunity to reflect on the support that made his 43 years at STM possible,especially that of his wife, Karen, who stood beside him through countlesspractices, games, tournaments, and late nights.

Although Fournet officiallyretired, he never truly left STM Athletics. He continues to lend a hand andoffer advice when needed and remains a familiar face at Monday Night Footballand STM tournament championship games. He hopes those traditions, and the senseof community surrounding them, continue for generations to come.

Being selected as the firstinductee into the STM Athletics Hall of Fame is both a privilege and an honorfor Fournet. From arriving at STM as a young athletic director in 1977 toretiring 43 years later, his life became closely tied to the school and communityhe served.

Marc Fournet did more than overseeSTM Athletics. He helped build its foundation, establish its traditions, anddefine what it meant to represent STM with effort, character, and class. Hisinfluence can be found in the program’s facilities, championships, and history,but perhaps more importantly, in the generations of students who left STMbetter prepared to handle both victory and defeat.

It is fitting that the first nameentered into the STM Athletics Hall of Fame belongs to the man whose leadershiphelped shape the program for more than four decades: Marc Fournet.