NEW ORLEANS (April 4, 2024) – Twelve New Orleans legends have been announced as finalists for the Allstate Sugar Bowl's Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. 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 award-winners, including 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.
 
The 2024 Hall of Fame Class is scheduled to be announced in May.
 
This year's finalists for the Hall of Fame are led by seven basketball legends, four football standouts, and a sensational softball star. The group's careers span a total of nearly 60 years.
 
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Finalists, 2024
Chris Duhon, Basketball, Salmen HS/Duke/NBA, 1997-2013
Jahri Evans, Football, New Orleans Saints, 2006-17
Matt Forté, Football, Slidell HS/Tulane/NFL, 2000-17
Shan Foster, Basketball, Bonnabel HS/Vanderbilt, 2001-13
Danyele Gomez, Softball, Cabrini HS/UL Lafayette, 1998-2007
Danny Granger, Basketball, Grace King HS/Bradley/New Mexico/NBA, 1998-2015
Temeka Johnson, Basketball, Bonnabel HS/LSU/WNBA, 1997-2017
Carmen Jones, Basketball, McMain HS/Tulane, 1982-90
Joe McKnight, Football, John Curtis Christian/USC/NFL, 2004-16
Duane Reboul, Basketball, De La Salle HS/UNO/Jesuit/Birmingham Southern, 1966-2006
Michael Stonebreaker, Football, John Curtis Christian/Notre Dame/NFL, 1984-95
Paul Thompson, Basketball, Tulane, 1979-99

Those eligible for election to the Hall of Fame shall be chosen from the following 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.
 
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 68th year in 2021. 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 29 national champions, 107 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 90-year history. The 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2025. 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 $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade.