The Leesville High School Alumni Association is pleased to announce the 2026 inductees for the LHS Sports Hall of Fame: Kavika Pittman and Michael Wheatley.
Kavika Pittman was a 1992 graduate of LHS. In his senior year, he earned All-District honors in football, basketball and track. On the track, Kavika earned All-State honors in winning and setting a State record in the long jump. He also placed third in the high jump and scored points for the Cats in the Triple Jump. In basketball, he led Coach Hub Jordan’s team to a 21-11 record and a playoff appearance. In football, he earned individual honors and was recruited by McNeese State University, where he played and lettered 4 years for the Cowboys. While at McNeese, Kavika earned All-Conference and All-American honors and was invited to play in the prestigious Senior Bowl. After his time at McNeese, Kavika was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played 9 years in the NFL, spending time primarily at Dallas but also in Denver and Carolina. In 2014, he was inducted into the McNeese Cowboys’ Hall of Fame. Kavika serves as a pastor and lives in East Texas. He and his wife Porsha have six children, Terrance, Duce, Pharoh, Torren, Haley and Saphire.
Mike Wheatley, LHS Class of 1965, was a record-setting track athlete and accomplished basketball player during his time at Leesville. In his senior year, Mike won the title and broke the State records for the mile and half mile (now the 1600 meters and 800 meters, respectively). For these efforts, he was named All-State. The records he set in the State meet established Leesville High School records, which stood until 2024—almost 60 years. Mike was recruited by LSU, and he ran track and cross country for the Tigers, earning 3 varsity letters. He set school records at LSU in the mile and the half mile, and to this day, his name remains on the All-time LSU record list as one of the top performances in the Distance Medley Relay. Mike was also a superb basketball player at LHS, lettering in his senior year and leading the Cats to the post-season under Coach Ralph Kees. After graduation from LSU, Mike attended graduate school at Fullerton Theological Seminary and became a pastor in the Presbyterian Church, where he served for over 40 years. He and his wife Sandy live in West Chester, Ohio. They have two grown children, Erynn and Andrew.
Both of this year’s inductees were sons of Army soldiers, as were a number of other Hall members. Kavika and Mike join Kevin Mawae, Eddie Fuller, Richard Reese, Ted Paris, Robert Gaines, Terry Holt, Grant Westerchil, Holly Wentz-Reeves, TB Porter, Demond Mallet, Greg Fontenot, Nikita Wilson, Foster Thomas, Keith Zinger, Cecil Collins, Faye Jean-West, George Smith and Richard Schwartz as members of this Prestigious Hall.
The Induction Ceremony for Kavika and Mike will take place at this year’s LHS Homecoming, which will take place on the 23rd of October. The schedule of events and tickets for Homecoming activities can be found at the Alumni Association’s website www. wampuscats.org