Photo by Ron Brocato.
Paul Klein, the Brother Martin High School star who closed out one of the more impressive eras in Louisiana high school wrestling history, was selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Male Amateur Athlete of the Year for 2014-15. The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, 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.
Klein won his unprecedented fourth state title in four years – it is the first time in 71 years of the Louisiana state wrestling tournament that an individual has won four titles. An Arizona State signee, he was also tabbed the most outstanding grappler in all of Division I after completing an undefeated season at 44-0 – all while wrestling with a torn ACL. Among many honors, he was named a National High School Coaches Association Junior All-American and a Wrestling USA All-American.
“Coach always tells me to go out there and have fun and don’t worry about the stuff I can’t really control, so that’s really it,” Klein said.
His title at 132 pounds helped lead Brother Martin to its fourth consecutive team state championship in Division I as the Crusaders scored 310 points to Jesuit’s 270.5. The state title was the 16th in school history for the Crusaders outstanding wrestling program. Klein completed his amazing career with an astonishing 166-10 mark, including 82 pins. He also holds a 3.4 grade-point average in the classroom.
“I think Paul is the best wrestler to ever come through the LHSAA because he is a four-time state champion,” Brother Martin coach Robert Dauterive said. “I know he is the best wrestler I have been around.”
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee began in 1957 when 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 65th 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 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.
