Published May 12, 2025
photo by Brice Jones, ULM Office of Marketing & Communications
Bob Fenn, 90, has been in the crowd for over 900 ULM baseball games since 1992.
by Adam McDonald, ULM Office of Marketing & Communications
How far would you travel to see your favorite team play? For one Warhawk baseball
fan, the answer is around 90,000 miles. Bob Fenn, 90, is a resident of Winnsboro,
La. Since 1992, Fenn has missed fewer ULM Warhawk baseball games than he can count
on two hands. “About nine games in the last 33 years,” recounted Fenn when asked how
many he had missed since he began making ULM baseball a way of life. To put Fenn’s
attendance record in baseball terms, he’s batting around .991 when it comes to being
there to see his beloved Warhawks play at Lou St. Amant Field, consistently making
the 90-mile round trip from his home in Winnsboro for about 30 home games each season.
“I guess I’ve got a disease,” joked Fenn, noting that he can’t really put his finger
on what keeps him coming back. In an age where nothing stays the same for very long,
Fenn’s loyalty to Warhawk baseball is a rarity worth celebrating.
Seated in a barber’s chair in a small room inside “The Lou” about an hour before the
first pitch of the Warhawks’ game against Louisiana Tech, Fenn tells the story of
how an athletically inclined young boy from rural Mississippi ended up becoming one
of the most prolific sports fans in the area.
Bob Fenn was born on October 19, 1934, in Amite County, Miss. His father was a sharecropper
and Fenn’s family regularly moved throughout his childhood based on where his father
was working. The middle child of seven, Bob, along with his siblings, was also expected
to help in the fields in addition to his schoolwork. This learned and lived work ethic
served Bob well as he grew into his teenage years and began to excel in athletics.
Fenn is a graduate of Mars Hill High School, where he played baseball and basketball,
becoming a standout in both sports. Fenn says his favorite sport was whatever was
in season. He was never able to play football in high school because Mars Hill didn’t
have a team.
Never one to let the matter of distance get between him and a good sporting event,
Fenn and his friends would hitchhike 15 miles to and from nearby Liberty, Miss., to
watch football games. This trend continued into junior college as Fenn would hitchhike
to away football games and then stowaway on the team bus to get back home after the
game.
Fenn’s baseball and basketball talents would land him a full scholarship to attend
Southwest Mississippi Junior College (now Southwest Mississippi Community College)
in nearby Summit, Miss. Attending from 1953 to 1955, Fenn made an impact in both sports,
and in 2001, he was inducted into the Southwest Mississippi Community College Hall
of Fame for both baseball and basketball.
Following his time at Southwest Mississippi, Fenn considered other options to continue
his athletic career, including a basketball tryout at ULM (then Northeast Louisiana
State College). Though he enjoyed his visit to Monroe, it was ultimately not to be.
He ended up back in Mississippi, this time at William Carey University in Hattiesburg,
where he played two seasons of basketball and one season of baseball. Once his college
playing career ended, Fenn spent some time in the National Guard and then landed in
southeastern Louisiana working for Shell Oil.
It was there while living in Morgan City, La., that Fenn’s life changed forever when
he met a young lady named Carolyn Albritton from Winnsboro, La. Carolyn was new in
town, working as a school teacher after graduating from NLSC (now ULM), where she
was also a cheerleader.
After a short courtship, they were engaged to be married in June 1962, but when Ole
Miss was selected to play in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Fenns’ wedding plans were
accelerated. Bob said he could not miss seeing Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl (“I would
have walked if I had to,” he noted), and Carolyn wanted to join him. In a foreshadowing
of just how much this couple would grow to love traveling for sporting events, they
were married on December 30, 1961, and included the Cotton Bowl in their honeymoon
plans. The Fenns returned home to Morgan City with $2.43 between them as they began
their family, which eventually included three children.
Bob Fenn’s love of athletics continued as he went on to serve as assistant recreation
director for St. Mary Parish, coaching youth baseball for many years, often taking
his all-star teams deep into the Southern Regionals and once to the Colt League World
Series.
The Fenn family had always hoped to return to North Louisiana, but it took until 1988
for them to make the move. Carolyn finished out her career as a public school teacher
in Franklin Parish. Since Bob could never stay away from baseball for too long, he
became a regular fixture at ULM (then NLU) baseball games in 1992. Early on, he became
part of the Coach’s Committee, a booster club that cheered at every game and encouraged
community participation with the baseball team.
Part of being a baseball fan is giving the visiting team a hard time whenever possible.
The Coach’s Committee had a tradition of tying an old boot to a rope and throwing
it on the field whenever the opposing team made an error or “booted” the ball. The
boot toss was always accompanied by shouts of “Boot!” Fenn contends that he was able
to throw the boot as far as anybody. The tradition of the boot faded over the years,
but it surely still rings in the memories of a generation of ULM opponents.
From their days as the NLU Indians to the ULM Indians to the ULM Warhawks, Fenn has
stuck with the ULM baseball team through thick and thin. He has attended somewhere
between 900 and 1,000 games over the last 33 years at Lou St. Amant Field. That’s
not to mention the numerous road games he’s traveled to see.
High on the list of memories for Fenn is the 1999 season when future Milwaukee Brewers
ace Ben Sheets was on the mound for the Indians. Sheets set the single game record
for strikeouts with an astounding 20 Ks in a 6-2 victory over perennial rival Louisiana
Tech. Fenn noted that any win over Louisiana Tech is a good win.(Note: On the night of this interview, the Warhawks defeated the Bulldogs 8-3.)
Just a week later, ULM’s career strikeout leader Kenny Holubec got the win, and Sheets
recorded the save as the Indians defeated the LSU Tigers in Monroe, 6-5.
Another high point was the 2012 season, when the Warhawks clinched their first-ever
Sun Belt Conference championship.
Jeff Schexnaider was the head coach of the Warhawks from 2006 to 2014. Schexnaider
says he would visit with Fenn after almost every game. “I realized early on that
if you go talk to Mr. Fenn after the game, be ready, because he’s going to be honest
and tell you how it is,” said Schexnaider. “I laughed and I told him, ‘I love your
honesty, because you’re here every day. I take it to heart, and I respect it.’ He’s
a great fan for ULM and a great fan for baseball.”
Current Head Baseball Coach Mike Federico echoed those sentiments.
“Seeing Mr. Fenn sitting in his spot down the line is comforting. I love the passion
he has for our program, but more importantly, for our players. He is always checking
on them, and when former players come back, they always go say hello and catch up
with him. He has seen and been so loyal to ULM, and I value that he loves his experience
of watching us play. I love that he is honest with me and authentic in sharing his
insight and wisdom of the game,” said Federico.
Fenn’s son Mark, a local pastor, states that one of the most impactful elements of
Bob’s long-lasting support of Warhawk baseball is the number of connections that he
has made with the players over the years. “They know where he’s sitting, and they’ll
come by and say hello. He has gotten wedding invitations from guys he would have never
known other than him supporting them and this team,” said Mark about his father.
“I meet just about every new player. I make it my business to go talk to them and
thank them for coming to ULM,” said Bob. “He knows from his playing days what it’s
like to be away from home and need some support,” said Mark.
“I make sure to get him a roster each year before the season so he can learn the new
players’ names and where they are from,” said Federico. “He makes them feel special
and gets to know them as individuals, and their parents love visiting with him as
well.”
Michael Harvey played catcher for the NLU Indians from 1994 to 1998, earning All-Southland
Conference honors in 1996 and 1997. He’s one of the many players that grew to know
and love Mr. Fenn.
“He’s a great human being, and the most loyal ULM baseball supporter of all time,
most likely,” said Harvey. “He did a good job of making sure that he spoke to everyone.
They knew him by name. He probably remembers every player from every year. He tries
to make everybody feel at home in Monroe,” added Harvey.
Bob and Carolyn Fenn’s love of ULM athletics was not just limited to baseball. They
could regularly be seen tailgating at ULM football and basketball games as well. ULM
has continued to be a family affair for the Fenns, with Carolyn, one daughter, one
daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren graduating from the university.
Bob and Carolyn’s passion for baseball also extended to Omaha, Neb., home of the College
World Series. The Fenns made the trip to Omaha for the World Series every year from
2004 to 2019, except 2013, when a medical issue made him miss the trip. Over the years,
they developed friendships with other tailgaters from across the country who came
together around their love of baseball. Fenn likened it to a family reunion each year.
Even as Bob entered his 80s, the tradition continued with Mark taking the wheel for
the annual family trip.
Carolyn passed away in December 2023, just a few days short of her and Bob’s 62nd anniversary. Though the loss has affected Bob profoundly, he has still continued
his tradition of supporting the Warhawks and hopes to keep taking in every home game
from his lawn chair down the first base line as long as he is able.
“It’s entertainment for me,” says Fenn of his many years at the ballpark. “I could
just sit out here and watch them take infield.”
If Bob Fenn has a disease, maybe it’s one worth catching.
You can join Bob Fenn at Lou St. Amant Field for the final homestand of the 2025 season
as the Warhawks host South Alabama for a three-game series Thursday, May 15, through
Saturday, May 17. For tickets, game times, and more information, visit ulmwarhawks.com.