Sugar Bowl

Nick Saltaformaggio, the head coach of the East Jefferson High School football team, was selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Boys’ Prep Coach of the Year for 2013-14. 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.
 
Saltaformaggio took a team that hadn’t won a playoff game in 44 years all the way to the Class 4A state championship this past fall. The 54-year coach, in his sixth year at East Jeff, molded a team without any FBS-signees into an undefeated powerhouse. After a perfect 10-0 regular season, which included seven shutouts, the Warriors defeated McDonogh #35 (first playoff win since 1970), North DeSoto and Warren Easton to advance to the state semifinals. They came from behind to top powerhouse Neville in the semifinals, 18-15, then shocked defending state champ Karr by rallying three times from deficits for a 38-28 win. In addition to being selected as the Class 4A Coach of the Year, Saltaformaggio was named the National Coach of the Year by NationalHighSchoolFotball.com.  
              
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 66th year in 2022. 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.