The Sugar Bowl has been a fixture of college football since its inaugural game in 1935, and it hasn't slowed down — the 92nd edition, the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic, took place on January 1, 2026, at the Caesars Superdome. Across those nine-plus decades, the game has drawn some of the sport's biggest names: 55 Hall of Fame coaches have paced its sidelines, 21 Heisman winners have taken its field, and the event has hosted 29 national championship squads, including eight true title showdowns between the nation's top two teams.

The Sugar Bowl also stands as one of the country's most enduring volunteer-run nonprofits. It was founded by businessman and attorney Warren Miller and sports journalist Fred Digby, along with a group of fellow civic boosters, with a mission that hasn't changed since: showcase New Orleans to the world through amateur athletics and drive economic benefit to the city by pulling in over 100,000 visitors each year.

While Heisman winners have been a near-constant presence at the game, the Miller-Digby Award for the bowl's Most Outstanding Player has its own storied roster of future NFL talent. It started with Bobby Layne in 1948, the Texas standout who'd go on to a Hall of Fame pro career, and has since included names like Archie Manning (Ole Miss), Kenny Stabler (Alabama), Herschel Walker (Georgia), Dan Marino (Pittsburgh), Bo Jackson (Auburn), and Jerome Bettis (Notre Dame).

Beyond the coaches, 110 Sugar Bowl players have gone on to the College Football Hall of Fame — a list that includes Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh), Davey O'Brien (TCU), Deion Sanders (Florida State), Lee Roy Selmon (Oklahoma), Steve Spurrier (Florida), and Curt Warner (Penn State).

The game has kept producing standout moments in recent years, too. Tim Tebow threw for a bowl-record 482 yards in Florida's 2010 win over Cincinnati, and Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a record 230 yards in Ohio State's 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal victory over Alabama. Most recently, Notre Dame beat Georgia 23-10 in the first-ever Quarterfinal Game held as part of the Sugar Bowl.

That on-field success has translated into real impact off the field. More than six million fans have come to New Orleans over the years to attend the game, along with a full week of surrounding events that still serve the same purpose the bowl was founded on in 1934: boosting the local economy. Over just the last ten years, the Allstate Sugar Bowl has generated more than $2.5 billion in economic impact for New Orleans and Louisiana, with national broadcasts adding even more visibility and tourism dollars. Since the College Football Playoff era began in 2015, the game has reached an audience of nearly 150 million viewers worldwide.

None of this would be possible without the volunteers who keep the organization running — some of them descendants of the founding members, others newer additions equally committed to the mission of putting New Orleans on the map.

More than 90 years after it began, the Sugar Bowl remains inseparable from New Orleans and from the best college football has to offer.

Sugar Bowl History and Records

Sugar Bowl MVP | Record Book | Program Covers | Sugar Bowl Name and Trophy | Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame | No. 1 Teams at the Sugar Bowl

Year	Date	Result	Offensive MVP	Defensive MVP	Recap
2026	Jan. 1	Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34, 68,371 (CFP Quarterfinal)	Trinidad Chambliss	Will Echoles	Box Score
2025	Jan. 2	#7 Notre Dame 23, #2 Georgia 10, 57,267	Riley Leonard	Xavier Watts	Box Score
2024	Jan .1	#2 Washington 37, #3 Texas 31, 68,791	Michael Penix	Bralen Trice	Box Score
2022	Dec. 31	#5 Alabama 45, #9 Kansas State 20, 60,437	Bryce Young	N/A	Box Score
2022	Jan. 1	#6 Baylor 21, #8 Ole Miss, 66,479	Terrel Bernard	N/A	Box Score
2021	Jan. 1	#3 Ohio State 49, #2 Clemson 28, 3,000	Justin Fields	Tuf Borland	Box Score
2020	Jan. 1	#5 Georgia 26, #7 Baylor 14, 55,211	George Pickens	N/A	Box Score
2019	Jan. 1	#14 Texas 28, #6 Georgia 21, 71,449	Sam Ehlinger	N/A	Box Score
2018	Jan. 1	#4 Alabama 28, #1 Clemson 6, 72,360	Jalen Hurts	Da'Ron Payne	Box Score
2017	Jan. 2	#7 Oklahoma 35, #14 Auburn 19, 54,077	Baker Mayfield	N/A	Box Score
2016	Jan. 1	#12 Ole Miss 48, #16 Oklahoma State 20, 72,117	Chad Kelly	N/A	Box Score
2015	Jan. 1	#4 Ohio State 42, #1 Alabama 35, 64,512	Ezekiel Elliott	Darron Lee	Box Score
2014	Jan. 2	#11 Oklahoma 45, #3 Alabama 31, 70,473	Trevor Knight	N/A	Box Score
2013	Jan. 2	#21 Louisville 33, #3 Florida 23, 54,178	Teddy Bridgewater	N/A	Box Score
2012	Jan. 9	#2 Alabama 21, #1 LSU 0, 78,237 (BCS Championship)	A.J. McCarron	Courtney Upshaw	Box Score
2012	Jan. 3	#13 Michigan 23, #11 Virginia Tech 20, 64,512	Junior Hemingway	N/A	Box Score
2011	Jan. 4	#6 Ohio State 31, #8 Arkansas 26, 73,879	Terrell Pryor, Jr.	N/A	Box Score
2010	Jan. 1	#5 Florida 51, #3 Cincinnati 24, 65,207	Tim Tebow	N/A	Box Score
2009	Jan. 2	#7 Utah 31, #4 Alabama 17, 71,872	Brian Johnson	N/A	Box Score
2008	Jan. 7	#2 LSU 38, #1 Ohio State 24, 79,651 (BCS Championship)	Matt Flynn	Ricky Jean-Francois	Box Score
2008	Jan. 1	#4 Georgia 41, #10 Hawai'i 10, 74,383	Marcus Howard	N/A	Box Score
2007	Jan. 3	#4 LSU 41, #11 Notre Dame 14, 77,781	JaMarcus Russell	N/A	Box Score
2006	Jan. 2	#11 West Virginia 38, #8 Georgia 35, 74,458	Steve Slaton	N/A	Box Score
2005	Jan. 3	#3 Auburn 16, #9 Virginia Tech 14, 77,349	Jason Campbell	N/A	Box Score
2004	Jan. 4	#2 LSU 21, #3 Oklahoma 14, 79,342	Justin Vincent	N/A	Box Score
2003	Jan. 1	#4 Georgia 26, #16 Florida State 13, 74,269	Musa Smith	N/A	Box Score
2002	Jan. 1	#12 LSU 47, #7 Illinois 34, 77,688	Rohan Davey	N/A	Box Score
2001	Jan. 2	#2 Miami 37, #7 Florida 20, 64,407	Ken Dorsey	N/A	Box Score
2000	Jan. 4	#1 Florida State 46, #2 Virginia Tech 29, 79,280 (BCS Championship)	Peter Warrick	N/A	Box Score
1999	Jan. 1	#3 Ohio State24, #8 Texas A&M 14, 76,503	David Boston	N/A	Box Score
1998	Jan. 1	#5 Florida State 31, #9 Ohio State14, 67,289	E.G. Green	N/A	Box Score
1997	Jan. 2	#3 Florida 52, #1 Florida State 20, 78,344	Danny Wuerffel	N/A	Box Score
1995	Dec. 31	#13 Virginia Tech 28, #9 Texas 10, 70,283	Bryan Still	N/A	Box Score
1995	Jan. 2	#7 Florida State 23, #5 Florida 17, 76,224	Warrick Dunn	N/A	Box Score
1994	Jan. 1	#8 Florida 41, #3 West Virginia 7, 75,437	Errict Rhett	N/A	Box Score
1993	Jan. 1	#2 Alabama 34, #1 Miami 13, 76,789	Derrick Lassic	N/A	Box Score
1992	Jan. 1	#18 Notre Dame 39, #3 Florida 28, 76,447	Jerome Betts	N/A	Box Score
1991	Jan. 1	#10 Tennessee 23, Virginia 22, 75,132	Andy Kelly	N/A	Box Score
1990	Jan. 1	#2 Miami 33, #7 Alabama 25	Craig Erickson	N/A	Box Score
1989	Jan. 1	#4 Florida State 13, #7 Auburn 7, 75,098	Sammie Smith	Results	Box Score
1988	Jan. 1	#4 Syracuse 16, #6 Auburn 16, 76,496	Don McPherson	Results	Box Score
1987	Jan. 1	#6 Nebraska 30, #5 LSU 15, 76,234	Steve Taylor	Results	Box Score
1986	Jan. 1	#8 Tennessee 35, #2 Miami 7, 77,432	Daryl Dickey	Results	Box Score
1985	Jan. 1	#5 Nebraska 28, #11 LSU 10, 75,608	Craig Sundberg	Results	Box Score
1984	Jan. 2	#3 Auburn 9, #8 Michigan 7, 77,893	Bo Jackson	Results	Box Score
1983	Jan. 1	#2 Penn State 27, #1 Goegia 23, 78,124	Tdd Blackledge	Results	Box Score
1982	Jan. 1	#8 Pittsburgh 24, #2 Georgia 20, 77,224	Dan Marino	Results	Box Score
1981	Jan. 1	#1 Georgia 17, #7 Notre Dame 10, 77,896	Herschel Walker	Results	Box Score
1980	Jan. 1	#1 Alabama 24, #6 Arkansas 9, 77,484	Major Ogilvie	N/A	Box Score
1979	Jan. 1	#2 Alabama 14, #1 Penn State 7, 76,824	Barry Krauss	N/A	Box Score
1978	Jan. 2	#3 Alabama 35, #9 Ohio State 6, 76,811	Jeff Rutledge	N/A	Box Score
1977	Jan. 1	#1 Pittsburgh 27, #4 Georgia 3, 76,117	Matt Cavanaugh	N/A	Box Score
1975	Dec. 31	#4 Alabama 13, #10 Penn State 6, 75,212	Richard Todd	N/A	Box Score
1974	Dec. 31	#8 Nebraska 13, #18 Florida 10, 68,890	Tony Davis	N/A	Box Score
1973	Dec. 31	#3 Notre Dame 24, #1 Alabama 23, 85,161	Tom Clements	N/A	Box Score
1972	Dec. 31	#2 Oklahoma Oklahoma 2, #5 Penn State 0, 80,123	Tinker Owens	N/A	Box Score
1972	Jan. 1	#3 Oklahoma 40, #5 Auburn 22, 84,031	Jack Mildren	N/A	Box Score
1971	Jan. 1	#4 Tennessee 34, #11 Air Force 13, 75,087	Bobby Scott	N/A	Box Score
1970	Jan. 1	#13 Ole Miss 27, #3 Arkansas 22, 82,500	Archie Manning	N/A	Box Score
1969	Jan. 1	#9 Arkansas 16, #4 Georgia 2, 82113	Chuck Dicus	N/A	Box Score
1968	Jan. 1	LSU 20, #6 Wyoming 13, 72,858	Glenn Smith	N/A	Box Score
1967	Jan. 2	#3 Alabama 34, #6 Nebraska 7, 82,000	Kenny Stabler	N/A	Box Score
1966	Jan. 1	#6 Missouri 20, Florida 18, 67,421	Steve Spurrier	N/A	Box Score
1965	Jan. 1	#7 LSU 13, Syracuse 10, 60,322	Doug Moreau	N/A	Box Score
1964	Jan. 1	#8 Alabama 12, #7 Ole Miss 7, 80,785	Tim Davis	N/A	Box Score
1963	Jan. 1	#3 Ole Miss 17, #6 Arkansas 13	Glynn Griffing	N/A	Box Score
1962	Jan. 1	#1 Alabama 10, #9 Arkansas 3, 82,910	Mike Fracchia	N/A	Box Score
1961	Jan. 2	#2 Ole Miss 14, #20 Rice 6, 79,707	Jake Gibbs	N/A	Box Score
1960	Jan. 1	#2 Ole Miss 21, #3 LSU 0, 81,141	Bobby Franklin	N/A	Box Score
1959	Jan. 1	#1 LSU 7, #12 Clemson 0, 80,331	Billy Cannon	N/A	Box Score
1958	Jan. 1	#7 Ole Miss 39, #11 Texas 7, 77,484	Raymond Brown	N/A	Box Score
1957	Jan. 1	#11 Baylor 13, #2 Tennessee 7, 78,084	Del Shofner	N/A	Box Score
1956	Jan. 2	#7 Georgia Tech 7, #11 Pittsburgh 0, 76,535	Franklin Brooks	N/A	Box Score
1955	Jan. 1	#5 Navy 21, #6 Ole Miss 0, 80,190	Joe Gattuso	N/A	Box Score
1954	Jan. 1	#8 Georgia Tech 42, #10 West Virginia 19, 71,666	Pepper Rodgers	N/A	Box Score
1953	Jan. 1	#2 Georgia Tech 24, #7 Ole Miss 7, 80,206	Leon Hardeman	N/A	Box Score
1952	Jan. 1	#3 Maryland 28, #1 Tennessee  13, 80,187	Ed Modzelewski	N/A	Box Score
1951	Jan. 1	#7 Kentucky 13, #1 Oklahoma 7, 80,206	Walt Yowarsky	N/A	Box Score
1950	Jan. 2	#2 Oklahoma 35, #9 LSU 0, 82,000	Leon Heath	N/A	Box Score
1949	Jan. 1	#5 Oklahoma 14, #3 North Carolina 6, 80,363	Jack Mitchell	N/A	Box Score
1948	Jan. 1	#5 Texas 27, #6 Alabama 7, 73,000	Bobby Layne	N/A	Box Score
1947	Jan. 1	#3 Georgia 20, #9 North Carolina 10, 68,936			Box Score
1946	Jan. 1	#5 Oklahoma A&M 33, #7 St. Mary's 13			Box Score
1945	Jan. 1	#11 Duke 29, Alabama 26, 66,822			Box Score
1944	Jan. 1	#13 Georgia Tech 20, #15 Tulsa 18, 69,134			Box Score
1943	Jan. 1	#7 Tennessee 14, #4 Tulsa 7, 58,361			Box Score
1942	Jan. 1	#6 Fordham 2, #7 Missouri 0, 66,154			Box Score
1941	Jan. 1	#5 Boston College 19, #4 Tennessee 13, 68,486			Box Score
1940	Jan. 1	#1 Texas A&M 14, #5 Tulane 13, 73,000			Box Score
1939	Jan. 2	#1 TCU 15, #6 Carnegie Tech 7, 44,308			Box Score
1938	Jan. 1	#9 Santa Clara 6, #8 LSU 0, 40,000			Box Score
1937	Jan. 1	#9 Santa Clara 21, #2 LSU 14, 38,343			Box Score
1936	Jan. 1	#4 TCU 3, #1 LSU 2, 35,000			Box Score
1935	Jan. 1	#13 Tulane 20, #3 Temple 14, 22,206			Box Score