Victor Joseph “Vic” Vavasseur
Coach Victor Vavasseur was born in St. Martinville, Louisiana. He attended high school in New Orleans at Joseph S. Clark High School where he was an excellent student that participated in many extracurricular activities. He was a veteran and he completed his military service in Korea and entered Dillard University of New Orleans in 1954. He graduated in 1957 and began his teaching career at Joseph S. Clark High School in New Orleans. He taught Social studies from 1957 until 1960. From 1960 to 1974 he taught Health and Physical Education to eleventh and twelfth grade students. He proudly served as an assistant coach, head coach, department chair, curriculum coordinator and athletic director.
Coach Vic taught school for decades in the New Orleans Public School system and he was the head basketball coach at L.B. Landry High School for many years. Coach Vavasseur’s basketball teams won several District LIALO championships. In 1969 coach Vavasseur’s L. B. Landry High School Basketball team reached the LIALO State Basketball finals and lost by two points to Iberville High School of Plaquemine, La.
While at L.B. Landry coach Vavasseur introduced the most diverse intramural program in the history of New Orleans Public Schools. Eighty percent of the student body participated. Landry’s Physical Education classes offered Golf, Archery, Boating safety, Swimming, Bow and Fly Fishing and Powder Puff Football.
Coach Vavasseur was committed to youth education and physical fitness. He was instrumental in helping many of the youth he met through his work in the public schools and NORD (New Orleans Recreation Department) to attend college and earn college degrees. He was a strong advocate for HBCUs. He was very active in school and community activities in New Orleans throughout his life. Coach Vavasseur was dedicated to improving community life and organizing positive community activities in the greater New Orleans area. He was very proud of his commitment to helping youth succeed and become productive citizens in their communities.
Throughout his teaching and coaching career, he was employed by the New Orleans Recreation Department. Working at NORD allowed Vic to conduct numerous “how to” demonstrations, in-service programs and clinics for teachers, coaches, and prospective teachers (student teachers).
He also served as a recreation supervisor, recreation coordinator, boating and water safety instructor, and golf coordinator.
Coach Vavasseur was instrumental in helping establish the (NORD) No Budget Golf Program.
NORD Director, Mrs. D. Aaron first supported the idea of a Youth Golf Program. The program lasted several years and was sustained through five NORD directors and three mayors!
Golf equipment was donated by friends from all over the United States. The program consisted of eight high schools and fifteen NORD day camps.
High Schools: Fifteen students per class, two classes per day, five days a week. These classes changed every six weeks with one hundred fifty beginners per week, nine hundred per trimester.
Fifteen NORD Day Camps: twenty per class, three classes per day, five days per week, 300 beginners per week, eighteen hundred students for six weeks.
Every year over twenty-seven hundred children were introduced to golf. All NORD participants had to be registered. Detailed documentation enabled the NORD program to influence the Tiger Woods Foundation to come to New Orleans.
African American High Schools in Louisiana Before 1970 