News Summary
The Allstate Sugar Bowl’s annual awards banquet paid tribute to prominent local athletes, including four new inductees into the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. The event recognized remarkable achievements among athletes and coaches, highlighting New Orleans’ rich sports heritage. Key awards were presented, including the Eddie Robinson Award and James J. Corbett Awards, honoring contributions and performance in various sports.
New Orleans Celebrates Excellence in Sports at Annual Awards Banquet
The Allstate Sugar Bowl held its annual awards banquet on August 2, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome, honoring four new inductees into the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame and recognizing outstanding achievements among local athletes and coaches. The event celebrated not only the rich sports heritage of New Orleans but also highlighted the exceptional talent that the region continues to foster.
Hall of Fame Inductees
This year saw four remarkable athletes inducted into the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame. The inductees included:
- Shan Foster – A legendary basketball player from Bonnabel High School, Foster was an all-time leading scorer at Vanderbilt University and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. He played professionally in the NBA from 2001 to 2013.
- Temeka Johnson – Another basketball standout from Bonnabel High School, Johnson achieved an impressive quadruple-double in high school with 62 points. She had a successful collegiate career at LSU, reaching two Final Fours before playing in the WNBA from 1997 to 2018. Both Johnson and Foster have had their jerseys retired on Bruin Drive.
- Joe McKnight – Known for his football prowess, McKnight attended John Curtis Christian School and later played at USC before going on to the NFL from 2004 to 2016.
- Andy Russo – A basketball talent from Fortier High School, Russo had a prominent career spanning from 1956 to 1978, representing the University of Southwestern Louisiana and Brother Martin High School.
Awards and Recognitions
In addition to the Hall of Fame honors, Burzis Kanga was awarded the Eddie Robinson Award for his contributions as the tennis coach at the University of New Orleans. Kade Anderson from LSU Baseball and Aneesah Morrow from LSU Basketball received the James J. Corbett Award for the outstanding male and female athletes in Louisiana, respectively.
The event also recognized Hank Tierney from Archbishop Shaw as the Outstanding Boys’ Prep Coach of the Year. Edna Karr Football was named the Outstanding Boys’ Prep Team. Overall, over 30 individuals and teams received awards at the banquet.
Additional Honors
Emceed by Doug Mouton, the sports director of WWL-TV, the ceremony included several other notable awards:
- Jimmy Collins Awards: Presented to Noah Confident from Brother Martin Wrestling and Brian Marelo from Hahnville.
- Outstanding Collegiate Coach, Louisiana: Brad Neffendorf of LSU Shreveport Baseball.
- Outstanding Girls’ Prep Coach of the Year: Courtney Ward from Sacred Heart Basketball.
- Outstanding Female Athlete, New Orleans: My-Anh Holmes from Willow Tennis.
- Outstanding Girls’ Prep Team, New Orleans: Slidell Volleyball.
Women in Sport Scholarship Honorees
This year, the Women in Sport Scholarship recognized several accomplished female student-athletes:
- Jenna Eaton (Riverdale HS)
- Elizabeth Hamilton (Archbishop Chapelle HS)
- Jaime Harper (Thomas Jefferson Academy)
- Julia Jenkins (Covington HS)
- Reagan Robinson (Slidell HS)
- Kasia Rodriguez (Pope John Paul II HS)
Conclusion
The Sugar Bowl not only honors accomplished athletes but also provides significant scholarship funds for high school football players and recognizes female scholar-athletes on an annual basis. The selections for the awards are made by the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, which comprises current and former media members. This year’s event reaffirmed the exceptional talent and dedication of individuals in the New Orleans sports community.
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Additional Resources
- WGNO: Allstate Sugar Bowl Inducts Four Members into New Orleans Hall of Fame
- Crescent City Sports: Former Bonnabel Standouts Foster, Johnson in New Orleans HOF Class
- Fox 8: Allstate Sugar Bowl Kickoff Earlier New Year’s Day
- Deseret: Sugar Bowl Honors New Orleans Victims
- NBC Chicago: Sugar Bowl Game Between Notre Dame, Georgia Postponed After New Orleans Attack
- Wikipedia: New Orleans
- Google Search: Louisiana Sports
- Google Scholar: New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
- Encyclopedia Britannica: New Orleans
- Google News: New Orleans Sugar Bowl
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