Ernie Duplechain has distinguished himself at Louisiana College as an athlete and later throughout Louisiana as a coach.
Duplechain played baseball and football while at Louisiana College, excelling at both. He was a leading Wildcat fullback until a knee injury in the 1954 season sidelined him. That same year, he was a catcher for the Wildcats and had a batting average of .307.
After his 1955 graduation from LC, he received a master's degree from McNeese State University.
He coached at Ville Platte High School and at Eunice High before becoming the Assistant Football Coach and later Head Football Coach at Basille High School. While at Basile, his teams were District champions in 1961 and 1964 and were semi-finalists in 1962 and 1963.
After leaving Basile, he was named Assistant Football Coach at McNeese State University. He worked his way up as Head Football Coach and eventually, as Athletic Director.
Duplechain coached his teams to two Southland Conference Championships, in 1979 and again in 1980. McNeese also played in three Independence Bowl games while Duplechain was at the healm. They also played in a Grantland Rice Bowl.
During his three years as Head Coach at McNeese, Duplechain had a record of 28 wins, 4 losses, and 1 tie.
Duplechain is married to the former Delores McClelland, an LC graduate herself. The Wildcat Athletic Association proudly inducted Joseph Ernie Duplechain into the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame on February 17, 1995.
