NEW ORLEANS (July 19) – The Tulane football team and Lisa Stockton, the head coach of the Tulane women's basketball team, have both been selected to receive Jimmy Collins Awards from the Allstate Sugar Bowl's Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee.
 
The Sports Awards Committee 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. Overall, 24 individuals and three teams will be honored for their 2022-23 achievements at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Awards Banquet on August 5. Honorees are currently being announced over a two-week period, wrapping up with the Corbett Awards for the top male and female amateur athletes in the state on Friday, July 28.

While there are many different categories of awards presented by the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, some years the Committee finds that there are people deserving of recognition who do not necessarily fit into one specific category. For that reason, the Committee presents the Jimmy Collins Awards to outstanding individuals and organizations.

Collins was a longtime New Orleans sportswriter who is credited with creating the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards and forming the awards committee in 1958.

This year, the committee has designated two worthy recipients of Collins Awards. Both achieved historic success in the athletic area while representing Tulane University – the Green Wave football team enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in program history in 2022, while Tulane women's basketball coach Lisa Stockton became the winningest women's basketball coach in Louisiana history.

Tulane's football team enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in program history in 2022. The Green Wave posted a fantastic 12-2 record and won its first American Athletic Conference title while shocking the nation with a thrilling Cotton Bowl victory over USC. In the Cotton Bowl, the underdog Greenies trailed the blueblood Trojans 45-30 with 4:30 to go. However, Tyjae Spears scored on a four-yard TD run, the Wave added two points on a safety and then Michael Pratt found Alex Bauman for a six-yard touchdown with nine seconds to go. Valentino Ambrosio's extra point gave Tulane its first lead of the game and the improbable victory.

"It's a huge win for the program," said head coach Willie Fritz following the Cotton Bowl. "Huge win for the university. Huge win for the city. We represent New Orleans. We represent Tulane University. We represent our football program. And I think we've seen this year what a great football season and competing at a high level can do for an institution. So I'm just very proud to be a part of it.

The Cotton Bowl was Tulane's first appearance in a major bowl game since 1940 when it lost to Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl. The Wave's 12 wins matched the school record and the seven league victories were its most since 1934; the win in the AAC Championship was the school's first conference championship game victory. In order to reach the conference championship game, the Wave defeated No. 23 Cincinnati on the road – it was the first Tulane win over a ranked opponent since 1984 and the first time the Green Wave won a ranked-against-ranked match-up since 1956. Tulane closed the year at No. 9 in the final Associated Press Top 25 and AFCA USA Today Coaches Polls.

Lisa Stockton became the winningest coach in the history of women's college basketball in Louisiana on Feb. 18. Her 65-45 victory that evening in Cincinnati lifted her past former Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame, who led the Techsters to the 1988 NCAA Championship. Stockton, who has averaged 20 wins per year over 29 seasons, has an all-time record of 579-324 at Tulane (Barmore had 576 wins) – she also coached at Greensboro for four years and has 642 overall career wins (69th all-time among college women's basketball coaches).

"I think it's really special because I think Leon Barmore, with what he's meant to women's basketball, is amazing," Stockton said. "To be mentioned in the same sentence as him is pretty incredible. I think, for my team, they're so excited. I think they're so much more excited than I am, and I love to see them have these types of moments that they can celebrate."

Stockton has taken the Green Wave to the postseason 22 times (including 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament) and won five conference tournament titles and four regular-season conference titles. She has earned conference Coach of the Year honors three times (Metro in 1995, C-USA in 2007 and 2010).

The Allstate Sugar Bowl will continue announcing its annual awards tomorrow (Thursday) with the Outstanding Boys' and Girls' Prep Teams from New Orleans.

 
Outstanding Boys' Prep Coach of the Year, New Orleans: Cullen Doody, Jesuit Cross Country
Outstanding Girls' Prep Coach of the Year, New Orleans: Chris Prator, St. Scholastica Swimming
Outstanding Female Amateur Athlete, New Orleans: Alia Armstrong, LSU Track & Field
Outstanding Male Amateur Athlete, New Orleans: Tyjae Spears, Tulane Football
Jimmy Collins Special Awards: Tulane Football & Lisa Stockton (Tulane Women's Basketball Coach)
Outstanding Boys' Prep Team, New Orleans: July 20 (Thursday)
Outstanding Girls' Prep Team, New Orleans: July 20 (Thursday)
Outstanding Collegiate Coach, Louisiana: July 21 (Friday)
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductee: July 24 (Monday)
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductee: July 25 (Tuesday)
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductee: July 26 (Wednesday)
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductee: July 27 (Thursday)
Corbett Award – Female: July 28 (Friday)
Corbett Award – Male: July 28 (Friday)
              
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee came together 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 and a variety of annual award winners. 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 as well as a range of annual awards – the honors enter their 67th year in 2023.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 102 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 89-year history. The 90th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Semifinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2024. 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 nearly $2.4 billion into the local economy in the last decade.