Sugar Bowl

Wayne Stein, who directed St. Charles Catholic to a pair of state championships, was selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Boys’ Prep Coach of the Year for 2021-22. The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, selects annual award winners in a variety of categories; it also selects Amateur Athletes of the Month and each year’s Hall of Fame class.
 
Stein, in his first year as the St. Charles Catholic football coach after taking over for the legendary Frank Monica, directed the Comets to an undefeated record and the LHSAA Division III state championship – he then followed that by directing the Comets to the LHSAA Division III Baseball State Championship to give him a very rare double championship. The Comets won the football title on the strength of their defense and special teams. The defense did not allow a point in seven of the first nine games. In the championship, two blocked punts and three made field goals keyed a 32-27 victory against Lafayette Christian.
 
More impressively, Stein achieved this success in his first season despite having to deal with tremendous challenges after Hurricane Ida devastated his school’s community. Despite the severe damage, the entirety of the St. Charles Catholic football program and school family regrouped, galvanized their resolve and rallied around each other.
 
“I hope all of our players, coaches, administration and fan base can take pride in awards like this,” Stein said. “It’s not a one-man job; I deserve the least credit for everything we accomplished. Every time an award is given to any of us, we can all feel proud. And I’m very proud to represent our community with an award from an organization like the Sugar Bowl.”

The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee has recognized outstanding high school coaches for the New Orleans area since 1962. Stein also collected the honor in 2019 after leading the St. Charles Catholic baseball team to a state title. Monica was recognized with the award in 2011-12 after leading the Comet football team to its last state title prior to 2021.

The other finalists for Greater New Orleans Boys’ Prep Coach of the Year were Errol Gauff (Archbishop Hannan Basketball), Ryan Manale (Jesuit Football) and Nate Roche (George Washington Carver Basketball). Gauff directed the third-seeded Hawks to their first state title with a memorable championship game performance as they connected on 27-of-33 shots in an 81-60 victory over top-seeded Liberty. Manale, in his first year at the helm of the Jesuit program had the Blue Jays improve throughout the season as they advanced to the LHSAA Division I state championship game for the first time since 2014. After suffering a one-point loss in the LHSAA Class 4A championship game in 2021, Roche and Carver left no doubt this year. The top-seeded Rams dominated No. 3 McMain, 66-31, to earn the state title.
              
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards 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. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the committee has continued to recognize the top amateur athlete in the Greater New Orleans area each month - the honors enter their 66th year in 2022. To be eligible, an athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 100 Hall of Fame players, 51 Hall of Fame coaches and 20 Heisman Trophy winners in its 88-year history. The 89th annual Sugar Bowl Classic is scheduled to be played on Saturday, December 31, 2022. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.2 billion into the local economy in the last decade.