NEW ORLEANS (August 1, 2022) – The Allstate Sugar Bowl welcomed six inductees into its Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame at its annual awards banquet on Saturday, July 30 at the Caesars Superdome. In addition to the Hall of Famers, the annual James J. Corbett Awards for the top male and female amateur athletes in the state of Louisiana were presented along with honors for 16 other individuals and four teams. The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee selects all of the honorees.
 
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: Johnny Wright, Baseball
 
Corbett Award – Female: Alia Armstrong, LSU Track & Field
Corbett Award – Male: Zach Wrightsil, Loyola Basketball
 
Jimmy Collins Special Awards: Loyola Men's Basketball and St. Charles Catholic Athletics
Eddie Robinson Award: Ronald "Hendu" Henderson
 
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
Outstanding Boys' Prep Team, New Orleans: Brother Martin Bowling
Outstanding Girls' Prep Team, New Orleans: Ponchatoula Basketball
Outstanding Collegiate Coach, Louisiana: Stacey Hollowell, Loyola Men's Basketball
 
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.