NEW ORLEANS (July 15, 2022) – Carvie Upshaw, the UNO legend that led the women's basketball program to its greatest heights, has been selected for induction into the Allstate Sugar Bowl's Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
 
FULL STORY BELOW.
 
Upshaw is one of six standout local sports figures who will be added to the Hall of Fame this year. Each year's Hall of Fame class is selected by the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, a group of current and former media members who annually recognize a variety of annual award-winners, as well as the Hall of Fame, the Corbett Awards and the Eddie Robinson Award. The group also selects the Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month each month.
 
Overall, 26 individuals and four teams will be honored this year for their achievements at the Committee's annual awards banquet on Saturday, July 30. Honorees are currently being announced over a month-long period, wrapping up with the Corbett Awards for the top male and female amateur athletes in the state on July 25 and 26.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl will continue announcing its annual awards tomorrow (Wednesday) with the next member of the 2022 Class of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.
 
Jimmy Collins Special Awards: Loyola Men's Basketball and St. Charles Catholic Athletic Department
Outstanding Boys' Prep Coach of the Year, New Orleans: Wayne Stein, St. Charles Catholic Football/Baseball
Outstanding Girls' Prep Coach of the Year, New Orleans: Becky Lambert, Archbishop Hannan Softball
Outstanding Female Amateur Athlete, New Orleans: Alia Armstrong, LSU Track & Field
Outstanding Male Amateur Athlete, New Orleans: Zach Wrightsil, Loyola Basketball
Eddie Robinson Award: Ronald "Hendu" Henderson
Outstanding Boys' Prep Team, New Orleans: Brother Martin Bowling, LHSAA
Outstanding Girls' Prep Team, New Orleans: Ponchatoula Basketball, LHSAA
Outstanding Collegiate Coach, Louisiana: Stacey Hollowell, Loyola Men's Basketball
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee: Ashley Brignac, Softball
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee: Marques Colston, Football
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee: Billy Ray Hobley, Basketball
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee: Shaun King, Football
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee: Carvie Upshaw, Basketball
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductee: July 18 (Monday)
Corbett Award – Female: July 25 (Monday)
Corbett Award – Male: July 26 (Tuesday)
 
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. 
   

Carvie Upshaw, UNO Basketball
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2022

By Ken Trahan of the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee
 
In 1985, the University of New Orleans was playing at Lakefront Arena for the third year.
 
The men's basketball program was on the verge of turning the corner to become an NCAA tournament team under Benny Dees, who came on board.
 
The women's basketball program was solid but needed one big, missing piece to become an NCAA tournament team under Joey Favaloro, who served as the head coach from 1980-2004, winning 382 games.
 
Enter Carvie Upshaw from Brandon High in Tampa, Florida as Favaloro was able to convince the talented high school senior to fend off significant overtures from Florida and Florida State to make her way to New Orleans.
 
Wins, records, and many, many great games and memories followed, thanks to the talented center performing brilliantly.
 
"I am so pleased to have made the decision to play at UNO," Upshaw said. "I recall many things from UNO and once I saw the list of records of everything that have my name on it, I was a bit shocked. A lot of that, I didn't even know about it. After all these years, it is amazing and enlightening to me to be able to actually see everything written down. I shared it with my family and it was heartwarming."
 
There were a few special moments which stand out for Upshaw from her days as a player.
 
"Going to the NCAA Tournament, winning the tournament we played in when we played in Alaska were special memories," Upshaw said. "I remember when we went to California twice. We did so much as a team. I have a lot of great memories as a team. I took a lot of pictures. I remember the wall by the locker room with all the records on there. It was humbling to see my name."
 
Favaloro had the pleasure of coaching Upshaw at UNO.
 
"Carvie was our first dominant big player," Favaloro said. "She was the first at six-foot-five or above and she had the ability to dominate the game at both ends of the floor. She was very easy to work with, very easy to coach. She was well-coached and well-prepared in high school so the transition was pretty easy. It was a lot of fun working with her. I really enjoyed working with her. She had a disposition about her that made it very easy to work with her."
 
It did not take long for Upshaw to make her mark.

As a freshman, Upshaw earned Freshman All-American honors in 1986.
 
By her sophomore season, Upshaw averaged 18.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, leading the team then known as the Buc-kettes to a 25-7 record and their first and still only appearance in the NCAA tournament.
 
Upshaw guided UNO to the Women's NIT in her junior season as well, one of only two NIT appearances in program history as Upshaw was named an honorable mention All-American as New Orleans won 25 games again.
 
In her senior season, Upshaw was named third-team All-American.
 
Upshaw earned All-Louisiana honors three times, scoring 1,759 points.
 
Upshaw remains the all-time leader in rebounds in UNO history with 1,124 and is first all-time in blocks with 492. Upshaw also remains the all-time leader in triple-doubles with three in UNO history. Upshaw is second all-time in field goals with 723, ranks second in field goal percentage (.556) and third in career scoring average (14.8) and third in points scored (1,759).
 
Upshaw helped lead the Privateers to 82 victories, the best four-year stretch in program history.
 
Upon graduating, Upshaw went on to play professionally overseas and became the first female to play in the all-male Polish league.
 
Upshaw ranks among the best ever to play for the Privateer women.
 
"We had many big wins with her and she was the primary reason we won," Favaloro said. "She made others around her better. We had a very good group to play around her. She was a joy to work with. Carvie was as good as any player, if not the best player, I ever coached at UNO. She would be right there. I was so blessed to have her."
 
A humble person, Upshaw has never forgotten her days in New Orleans.
 
"New Orleans holds a special place in my heart," Upshaw said. "Many of my teammates get together for reunions. It is special. So many of us are really close, to this day. I always felt that I never accomplished much. To be able to be recognized for my playing days, it is totally an honor to know that I left a mark in New Orleans and that the people remember me."