From the Bayou to Professional Baseball: Gavin Dugas, Tommy White Bring Spotlight to Blue Boot Foundation With Custom Cleats

Louisiana athletes are bringing national attention to the Blue Boot Foundation’s life-saving mission for the fifth year in a row.

Seven members of the LSU baseball team, as well as former LSU players and now professional athletes Gavin Dugas and Tommy White, are honoring the mission of the local foundation with custom-designed Blue Boot Cleats. These local athletes gained national attention as a vital part of the LSU baseball team that won the NCAA Men’s College World Series in 2023; and were named “Baseball Ambassadors” for the popular Blue Boot Foundation in Grand Isle in between 2021-2025.

“Before our third annual event, I reached out to Gavin Dugas and asked if he would be interested in coming to the Blue Boot Rodeo and signing some autographs for local baseball fans who watched him play for LSU,” explained Chairman Corey Hebert with the Blue Boot Foundation. “Gavin showed up with his family and really just fell in love with the mission– he came back the next year with more LSU baseball players to sign autographs and support the mission, and things really grew from there.”

Now, in the Blue Boot Ambassador Program’s fourth year, Gavin and Tommy have continued to take the partnership to the national stage of professional baseball.

“These boys won a National Championship wearing our cleats, and it’s amazing they haven’t left us behind when they went pro,” continued Hebert. “They’re doing a great job spreading our mission, and it’s a true blessing to see them wear these cleats. We hope we can use this momentum to continue to grow and raise as much safety about water awareness as we can.”

The Blue Boot Foundation was born from a profound personal tragedy that transformed into a beacon of hope and action against childhood drowning. In memory of Riley John Bourgeois, whose vibrant life was tragically cut short in a drowning accident, our foundation strives to prevent such heartbreak for other families.

Riley’s fearless spirit and joyous love for life inspire our mission: to educate, advocate, and implement water safety measures that ensure children everywhere can explore the world with the same zest as Riley, but with the safety and knowledge to protect them.

The Blue Boot Rodeo is our annual fishing tournament held in Grand Isle, Louisiana. It is a family orientated event with the goal of raising awareness to the dangers of childhood drowning. Blue Boot is currently the largest fishing rodeo in the state of Louisiana and is growing at a rapid pace.

2025 will mark our fifth year and we look forward to another successful event for everyone, taking place July 9, 10, and 11, 2025. For more information, please visit the Blue Boot Foundation’s website.