Sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame was created in 1971 and has honored 255 sports figures (through 2023) who were born in New Orleans and achieved prominence in or away from the Greater New Orleans area; or, those non-natives who achieved sports prominence in the Greater New Orleans area in high school, college, professional or amateur sports. Plaques honoring the Hall of Famers were displayed prominently in the Caesars Superdome untilt the current phases of renovations. They will be returned to prominence as part of the current project.
Each year’s Hall of Fame class is selected by the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, a volunteer group which has met monthly to pay homage to outstanding achievements in athletics in the Greater New Orleans area for over five decades. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the committee recognizes an Amateur Athlete of the Month for the Greater New Orleans area and selects yearly winners for a variety of major awards, including the Eddie Robinson Award and the Jimmy Collins Awards. The group also selects the Corbett Awards, presented annually to the most outstanding male and female collegiate athletes in the State of Louisiana. The Corbett Award was created in 1967 and named in honor of the late James J. Corbett to commemorate his many contributions to intercollegiate athletics and specifically to the Sugar Bowl.
The Committee began in 1957 when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 13 years, the committee honored local athletes each month. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the creation of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, nominees must have excelled in the sports field in New Orleans or been born or raised in the city. Each year, the Committee evaluates nominees and selects the inductees.
Those eligible for election shall be chosen from these categories: sports participants, coaches, and managers who shall have been retired for a minimum of six (6) years of active competition in their field of sport OR who have reached 65 years of age. Athletic directors, school officials, or team executives, need not be retired or inactive in order to be eligible.
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Members
