One coach called her a gift. She has also been called the backbone and the nucleus of the athletic department.

She plans the budget and washes the uniforms, yet doesn’t consider her work a job. This woman is Doris Bordelon, administrative assistant to the athletic department. Her fans simply call her “Miss Doris.”

Bordelon is the mother of three children, all of whom have been involved with sports. She often helped with her children’s teams as they were growing up.

Women’s basketball coach DoBee Plaisance first met Bordelon about 12 years ago while Plaisance was coaching Bordelon’s youngest child, Joelle.

“She took the lead; she was the team mom and she coordinated trips and fundraisers,” Plaisance said.

At the time, Bordelon was teaching kindergarten students at St. Mark’s Elementary School. However, when sociology junior Joelle Bordelon’s freshman year at Loyola coincided with a job opening in the athletic department, Bordelon made her move.

“I’m still working with kids, but they’re just a little older,” Bordelon said.

Through the years, Bordelon formed a friendship with Plaisance and enjoyed coming out to support the Loyola teams, so the job move made sense to her.

“I applied for the job and got it, and now I’m on the inside,” Bordelon said.

She came to the department about three years ago and is now in charge of all administrative duties. In addition to handling the budget for the department, she deals with equipment orders, transportation and food arrangements, missing class letters and anything else big or small that she may be asked to do.

“I tell the coaches all the time that if there is anything I can do, I’ll do it. I have so much respect for them,” Bordelon said.

Though her duties may seem daunting, Bordelon had a hard time naming any part of her job that she doesn’t like.

“This is a job, but I don’t consider it a job because I enjoy it so much: I’m in my element,” Bordelon said.

Bordelon’s work is not ignored within the athletic department. Jerry Hernandez, director of the department and men’s basketball coach, called her the lifeline of the department.

“She is the one that keeps our office running. If it wasn’t for her, our jobs would be much more difficult, if not impossible,” Hernandez said.

Plaisance praised Bordelon’s strong work ethic, stressing her ability to follow through on projects.

“She’s very aggressive in getting the job done and works a lot of extra hours doing things for us in the department,” Plaisance said.

Bordelon said that her favorite part of the job is being around the students. Assistant athletic director and assistant baseball coach Brett Simpson said that her relationship with the students is one of her greatest strengths.

“She definitely cares about the kids and the trials and tribulations of being an athlete at Loyola,” Simpson said. “She helps them do all the things they need to do to be successful.”

Along with her passion for the job, Bordelon brings a personal interest in seeing the teams succeed. Her daughter, Joelle, is the starting point guard for the women’s basketball team. Joelle Bordelon said that she enjoys having her mother around.

“If I ever need anything she’s there. I take that for granted sometimes, but it’s great,” she said.

Though it isn’t required of her, Bordelon manages to attend all of the basketball games and many games for other Loyola sports.

“She is the type of mom that never misses a game, so for that to be a part of her job is great,” Joelle Bordelon said.

Bordelon spends so much of her time within the athletic department that she says it has become like a family. She was moved to tears at last week’s ceremony for seniors who were playing their last home game.

“It brought tears to my eyes to know that it was the last time for them,” Bordelon said.

The coaches agreed that Miss Doris Bordelon goes above and beyond the call of duty in her work with the athletic department, taking care of all of the behind-the-scenes duties that are required to make the department run.

Simpson said that she was the liaison between the department and the rest of the university.

“She’s the first face you see when you walk into our department, and she represents us well,” Simpson said.