Champions have long defined the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The list of Hall of Fame athletes who have competed in the annual contest is breathtaking. Heisman Trophy winners, future NFL Super Bowl champions and national championship coaches have made their mark in the annual game that brings in thousands of fans to New Orleans and millions of television viewers. But the list of Sugar Bowl champions extends well past the gridiron. There is a long list of distinguished individuals who have proven themselves to be champions in life as well – the Sugar Bowl has highlighted these lesser known success stories with a series of online stories.
We Believe in Champions
In 2013, McMain High School junior Aleia Hobbs had a solid day on the track at Tad Gormley Stadium, placing second in both the 100- and the 200-meter dashes at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Track & Field Classic. As a senior, she won the 100-meter dash in the same meet and that same July (2014), she was recognized by the Allstate Sugar Bowl as its Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for winning a pair of titles (100 meters, 4×100 relay) at the USATF Junior Olympic Championships.
As she developed into a star sprinter at LSU, Hobbs would go on to earn three more Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month honors from the Sugar Bowl as well as being twice recognized as the Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Year. However, her crowning achievement locally was when she was presented with the Sugar Bowl’s James J. Corbett Award as the top female amateur athlete in the state of Louisiana in August of 2018.
“The Sugar Bowl has been involved with thousands of outstanding athletes throughout our years,” Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO Paul Hoolahan said. “But I think we’d be hard-pressed to find any individual who has been connected to our organization like Aleia – a champion at our long-time track classic, four athlete of the month honors, two athlete of the year awards and then she capped it all with the Corbett Award. She is a true champion and we look forward to watching her continue to excel.”
Hobbs closed her collegiate career with three NCAA Championships – the indoor 60-meter dash and the outdoor 100-meter dash and 4×100 relay – and she followed those victories up by winning the USATF outdoor national title in the 100-meter dash to become the first woman since 1991 to win the NCAA title and U.S. national title in that event.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Hobbs said on the podium after the race. “This season was the best season I’ve had in my life. To finish it out with this title is just a blessing.”
A nine-time All-American, Hobbs was one of 10 semifinalists for the Bowerman Award, which is presented to the top collegiate athlete in track and field each December. She won a combined 20 races between indoors and outdoors in 2018 and posted four of the top eight wind-legal 100-meter dash times in NCAA history.
“She’s been such a great representative for LSU and we will miss her,” said LSU track and field coach Dennis Shaver. “When you take a step back and look at what she has achieved this season, the times and all-time ranks are astounding. She will go down as one of the most accomplished sprinters in NCAA history.”
From its earliest years, the Sugar Bowl Committee has been honored to provide opportunities for young athletes from around the country, athletes like Aleia Hobbs. That’s because, at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, We Believe in Champions.
Photo Courtesy of LSU Athletics.
