Former McNeese volleyball/softball player Margaret (Haydel) Johnson to be inducted into NHSACA National Hall of Fame

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - Former McNeese volleyball and softball standout Margaret (Haydel) Johnson was recently named to the National High School Athletic Coaches’ Association (NHSACA) National Hall of Fame. She will be inducted into the class on June 25 in Bismark, N.D.

The honor is awarded to coaches who make large contributions to their schools, communities and state. The award also recognizes years of service to high school athletics and commitment to athletes.

Johnson, currently the Vandebilt Catholic Athletics Director was a four-year volleyball and softball letter winner at McNeese from 1984-87.

In volleyball, Johnson still holds the second-best single match digs record with 49 against UL-Lafayette during the 1986 season.

In softball, she was part of four teams that finished in the Top 5 in the conference standings all four years including a second-place finish in 1984.

Upon graduation from McNeese in 1988, Johnson returned to Vanderbilt as a faculty member in 1989. She has served in many roles, including head softball coach, head volleyball coach, teacher and athletic director.

She is most known for her success as a head softball coach at Vandebilt, where she led the Lady Terriers to 20 trips to the state tournament, seven state championships and six state runner-up titles in 24 seasons. She was inducted into the Louisiana Softball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Vandebilt Catholic Hall of Fame in 2013.