NEW ORLEANS (December 15, 2025) – The Allstate Sugar Bowl will introduce four legends as the seventh class of the
Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame in conjunction with the 92nd annual Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2026. This year's class of Hall of Famers includes three players who earned the Miller-Digby Award as the Most Outstanding Player in the Sugar Bowl and one College Football Hall of Famer.
"The Sugar Bowl Committee is proud to recognize four legends of the game with induction into our Hall of Fame," said Jeff Hundley, the chief executive officer of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. "It's always a pleasure to reconnect with these great players and give them due recognition for their accomplishments, not just here in the Sugar Bowl, but throughout their careers."
The four stars will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at a private event on January 1. They will then be recognized on the field during the pregame ceremonies for the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl that evening.
Allstate Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame – Class of 2026
Tom Clements delivered one of the most memorable passes in Sugar Bowl history – a 35-yard completion from his own end zone on third-and-eight with just over two minutes to go to preserve Notre Dame's 24-23 victory over top-ranked Alabama and to secure an undefeated season and a national championship for the Fighting Irish. It was one of just seven completions for Clements, who also ran for 74 yards, but it was enough to earn him Most Outstanding Player honors. A Pittsburgh product who also starred in high school basketball (he was offered a scholarship by North Carolina), Clements was a three-year starter for the Irish and was a first-team All-American as a senior in 1974 – he led Notre Dame to another victory over Alabama as well, in the 1975 Orange Bowl, in Ara Parseghian's final game as the Fighting Irish head coach. He had a 13-year playing career in the CFL, winning a pair of Grey Cup championships (1976, 1984) and was selected as the CFL Most Outstanding Player in 1987 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. While playing in the CFL, Clements earned his law degree from Notre Dame Law School in 1986 and after his retirement, he practiced law for five years in Chicago. However, he returned to football as the quarterbacks coach at his alma mater (1992-95) before establishing himself as a respected offensive coach in the NFL – serving 28 years with six teams. He retired following the 2024 season with the Green Bay Packers. He is also a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Bobby Franklin was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1960 Sugar Bowl as Ole Miss gained sweet revenge on LSU with a 21-0 shutout – the Rebels had lost to LSU on Halloween Night of the 1959 season behind star Billy Cannon's famed 89-yard punt return touchdown. That LSU team had not allowed a passing touchdown all season, but Franklin connected on an 18-yard TD pass in the third quarter and then a nine-yarder in the fourth quarter to key the victory. A native of Clarksdale, Miss., Franklin led Ole Miss to three straight bowl games from 1958-60 and was also the MVP of the 1958 Gator Bowl. After his time in Oxford, he played seven years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns as a defensive back and backup punter. He led the Browns with eight interceptions in 1960, including a game against the Bears in which he had two INT return touchdowns, and also helped the Browns to the 1964 NFL Championship. After six years of coaching in the NFL, he ran Bobby Franklin's Dollar Store in Tunica, Miss., for three years (1976-79) before joining the coaching staff at Northwest Mississippi Community College. He was named head coach in 1981 and held that position for 24 years until his retirement in 2004. He won two junior college national championships (1982, 1992) during his tenure and the school's football stadium now bears his name. He is also a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, the Ole Miss M Club Hall of Fame, and the Northwest Mississippi Community College Hall of Fame. Franklin passed away on May 13, 2025, at the age of 88.
Barry Krauss is the key player in what is recognized as the greatest play in Sugar Bowl history as well as one of the most memorable plays in college football history. Second-ranked Alabama was clinging to a 14-7 lead over No. 1 Penn State with 6:44 remaining in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. The Nittany Lions had the ball on fourth down from the half-yard line. Penn State slammed the ball up the middle and Krauss became a Sugar Bowl legend by stopping the ball carrier for no gain and allowing Alabama to regain possession and eventually run out the clock to capture the national championship. Krauss finished that game with eight tackles and was named the game's Most Outstanding Player. The star linebacker from Pompano Beach, Fla., also tallied six tackles in the 1978 Sugar Bowl as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 35-6 victory over Ohio State. A First-Team All-America selection as a senior in 1978, he was a first-round pick in the 1979 NFL Draft (sixth overall), Krauss played 12 years in the NFL (10 with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts and two with the Miami Dolphins). In 12 seasons, he played in 152 games, amassed over 1,000 tackles, and had 8 sacks and 6 interceptions. Krauss was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Johnny Roland, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee, did a little bit of everything for the Missouri Tigers in their 1966 Sugar Bowl win over Florida. The 6-2, 220-pound halfback delivered an 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, ran for two yards, returned a kick for 19 yards and had three punt returns for 15 yards. He also was a key player in the Tigers secondary as Missouri held off a furious Gator rally led by Steve Spurrier to win 20-18. A high school football star in Corpus Christi, Texas, Roland led Roy Miller High School to the 1960 Class 4A state championship – it was the first racially-integrated team to win a Texas state championship. At Missouri, he was selected as a team captain for the 1965 team, the first African American to serve as a captain for any University of Missouri team. He capped that season with the Sugar Bowl victory and was named a consensus All-American. He was also an All-Big Eight selection in 1962, 1964, and 1965. The NFL Rookie of the Year in 1966 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Roland had a seven-year professional playing career before embarking on a 22-year coaching career, primarily in the NFL. He was inducted into Missouri's Hall of Fame in 1990, and the school also retired his jersey (#23) in 1998 at the time of his selection for the College Football Hall of Fame.
The New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association was founded in 1934 by a group of civic-minded businessman and professionals interested in promoting amateur athletic events geared toward bringing visitors to New Orleans during what had traditionally been a slow period for tourism. Now known as the Sugar Bowl Committee, the organization remains a voluntary group whose members serve without remuneration.
The
Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 110 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 91-year history. The 92nd Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will serve as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2026. 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
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