| NEWS Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame's first class SEC-heavy

[Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com]

The 16 members of the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame's inaugural class were announced on Monday, and 11 of them had ties to the SEC, including coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant and Gene Stallings and running back Major Ogilvie of Alabama and running back Bo Jackson of Auburn.

Considering that 69 SEC teams have played in the Sugar Bowl, it's not surprising that the inaugural class of the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame is loaded with football greats from the conference.

The 16 members of the new hall of fame's first class were announcedon Monday, and 11 of them had ties to the SEC, including coachesPaul "Bear" Bryantand Gene Stallings and running back Major Ogilvie of Alabama and running back Bo Jackson of Auburn.

The other SEC-connected Hall of Famers are Herschel Walker of Georgia, Frank Broyles and Pepper Rodgers of Georgia Tech, Raymond Brown and Archie Manning of Ole Miss, Johnny Majors of Tennessee and Claude "Little Monk" Simons of Tulane.

The Hall of Fame choices from outside the SEC included Chuck Dicus of Arkansas, Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino of Pitt and Sammy Baugh and Davey O'Brien of TCU.

While Bryant is most associated with Alabama, where he coached for 25 years, Bryant made his first Sugar Bowl appearance as the coach of Kentucky. His Wildcats stunned top-ranked and previously undefeated Oklahoma 13-7 on Jan. 1, 1951.

Bryant took eight Alabama teams to the Sugar Bowl, and Crimson Tide national-championship teams capped the 1962, 1978 and 1979 seasons with victories in New Orleans.

Stallings also earned a national championship for Alabama with a Sugar Bowl victory when the Tide upended top-ranked Miami (Fla.) 34-13 on Jan. 1, 1993, to complete an unbeaten season.

Ogilvie scored touchdowns in three straight Sugar Bowls as Alabama beat Ohio State 35-6 on Jan. 2, 1978, Penn State 14-7 on Jan. 1, 1979, and Arkansas 24-9 on Jan. 1, 1980. He earned the Most Outstanding Player Award in the win over the Razorbacks.

Jackson ran for 130 yards in Auburn's 9-7 victory over Michigan on Jan. 2, 1984.

When Ole Miss defeated Texas 39-7 on Jan. 1, 1958, Brown ran for two touchdowns -- including a 92-yarder from punt formation that's the longest scoring run in Sugar Bowl history -- threw for a TD and intercepted three passes.

Before he coached four pre-SEC Arkansas teams in the Sugar Bowl, Broyles played for Georgia Tech in the Yellow Jackets' 20-18 victory over Tulsa on Jan. 1, 1944. Broyles was a part of 18 Sugar Bowls as a player, assistant coach, head coach, athletic director or broadcaster.

Majors scored Tennessee's TD in a 13-7 loss to Baylor on Jan. 1, 1957. Twenty years later, Majors coached Pitt to a 27-3 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to secure the national championship. Majors also led two Tennessee teams to Sugar Bowl victories as the Volunteers' coach.

Manning threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score in Ole Miss' 27-22 victory over Arkansas on Jan. 1, 1970. Manning joined the Sugar Bowl Committee in 1986.

Rodgers led Georgia Tech to two Sugar Bowl wins. He threw a touchdown pass and kicked a field goal in a 24-7 victory over Ole Miss in an all-SEC Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1953, then threw three TD passes and kicked another field goal in a 42-19 victory over West Virginia on Jan. 1, 1954.

In the first Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1935, Simons ran 85 yards for a touchdown in Tulane's 20-14 victory over Temple. Simons served on the Sugar Bowl Committee from 1949 through 1975.

Walker played in three Sugar Bowls and ran for 337 yards and five touchdowns for Georgia.

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[RTB Twitter Bot]

NEW ORLEANS (December 11, 2017) – The Allstate Sugar Bowl will introduce a new Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame with an inaugural class composed of 16 legends of the annual New Orleans football classic. The first class of Hall of Famers spans seven decades of Sugar Bowl action and includes 12 all-star players, two national championship coaches and two individuals who had the rare distinction of both playing and coaching in the Bowl.

“The Sugar Bowl has had the opportunity to host many of the greatest coaches and players in college football history,” said Stanley Cohn, the President of the Sugar Bowl Committee. “We wanted to have a way to recognize the best-of-the-best in our history – what better way to do that than to create a Hall of Fame?

“We believe we have an inaugural class which should go down as one of the most accomplished groups of inductees into any Hall of Fame,” Cohn continued. “But let me tell you, it was very challenging to limit it to 16. There have been so many legends in our game, our future classes figure to be just as impressive as this one.”

The living members of the inaugural class of the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame have all been invited to New Orleans for this year’s Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Attendees and their guests will participate in select Sugar Bowl VIP activities and will be recognized on the field during the pregame ceremony leading up to the big Clemson vs. Alabama showdown.

Allstate Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame – Inaugural Class





TCU’s Sammy Baugh came into the 1936 Sugar Bowl known as “Slingin’ Sammy” due to his prowess as a quarterback. However, three days of heavy rains leading into New Year’s Day made the 1936 showdown between the Horned Frogs and LSU a mud bowl. The teams combined to complete just four passes, but Baugh averaged 47 yards on 14 punts and made a pair of touchdown-saving tackles as a defensive back to cement his status as one of the greats of college football.

Arguably the greatest all-around performance in Sugar Bowl history was turned in by Raymond Brown in the 1958 Sugar Bowl. The Ole Miss senior rushed for an early touchdown, passed for a second-quarter score and recorded a Sugar Bowl-record three interceptions on defense. However, his most memorable moment came as the clock wound down. Dropping back to punt from deep in his own end zone, Brown found himself under heavy pressure; he bolted to the right and then steamed down the sideline 103 yards for a touchdown – the play was officially 92 yards, still the longest in Sugar Bowl history.

Frank Broyles, a young three-sport standout, made his Sugar Bowl debut in 1944, helping Georgia Tech to victory. However, Broyles’ impact on the Sugar Bowl would go well beyond that as he is recognized as the man who had the most roles with the Bowl – player, assistant coach, head coach, athletic director, broadcaster and fan. He coached Arkansas to four different Sugar Bowls and when adding in his experience as an AD and broadcaster, he was a part of 18 Sugar Bowls.

Paul “Bear” Bryant directed nine different teams to the Sugar Bowl. His first appearance was in the 1951 game when his heavy underdog Kentucky Wildcats shocked top-ranked Oklahoma. After taking over at Alabama, he led the Crimson Tide to eight Sugar Bowl appearances. His 1962 team capped a national championship season in the Sugar Bowl and his string of Sugar Bowl games ended with three straight appearances in 1978, 1979 and 1980. All three of those games resulted in wins over fellow College Football Hall of Fame coaches – Woody Hayes (Ohio State) in 1978, Joe Paterno (Penn State) in 1979 and Lou Holtz (Notre Dame) in 1980. His last two appearances (1979, 1980) were both national championships for the Crimson Tide.

Arkansas receiver Chuck Dicus posted arguably the best back-to-back Sugar Bowl performances in history. In the 1969 game, he had one of the greatest receiving days in Sugar Bowl history when he caught 12 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in a 16-2 win over Georgia. One year later, on January 1, 1970, Dicus proved 1969 was no fluke as he caught six passes for 171 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown. While his Razorbacks lost that day to Ole Miss, his two-game totals of 19 receptions and 340 receiving yards are both tops among individuals in Sugar Bowl history.

Following the 1976 season, the Sugar Bowl had the opportunity to host one of the 17 Heisman Trophy winners to play in the game as Tony Dorsett led his Pitt Panthers into the Sugar Bowl. Dorsett was solid in the first-half, scoring his lone touchdown of the game on an 11-yard dash, but it was the second half where he made his mark as he carried the ball 15 times for 130 yards and finished with a Sugar Bowl-record 202 rushing yards in a 27-3 win over Georgia.

For the Golden Anniversary of the Sugar Bowl Classic in 1984, the committee had the opportunity to invite Auburn and its once-in-a-lifetime athlete Bo Jackson. While Michigan managed to hold Jackson out of the end zone, he still finished with 130 yards on 22 carries as the Tigers escaped with a 9-7 victory. The legend of Bo also gained another chapter in New Orleans as it is said that the young football star tossed a football off the Superdome’s ceiling replay screen (over 200 feet up) during an Auburn practice session.

In the 1957 Sugar Bowl, Heisman Trophy runner-up Johnny Majors led the Tennessee Volunteers against Baylor. Majors was bottled up by the tenacious Bears, but he still managed 51 rushing yards and a key touchdown in a 13-7 loss. Those less-than-fond memories of New Orleans were likely tempered by Majors’ return trips as a head coach. In 1977, his Pitt squad capped a national championship season with a 27-3 win over Georgia and he added two more victories as the Tennessee coach in 1986 over Miami and in 1991 over Virginia.

The 1970s kicked off with a memorable performance by Ole Miss and its swash-buckling quarterback Archie Manning, who passed for 273 yards and a touchdown while also running for another score in a 27-22 victory over Arkansas. Manning would return to the Crescent City in 1971 after being drafted by the New Orleans Saints and would become one of the most beloved athletes in the city’s history. He was elected to the Sugar Bowl Committee in 1986 and remains a vital part of the organization today.

Pitt quarterback Dan Marino completed 26-of-41 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns in the 1982 Sugar Bowl against Georgia, but no pass was more critical than his final one. Trailing 20-17 with 42 seconds to go, Marino faced a do-or-die fourth and five at the Georgia 33. He delivered a near-perfect pass to John Brown for the game-winning score.

Another TCU passing legend was Heisman Trophy winner Davey O’Brien, who led the Horned Frogs into the 1939 Sugar Bowl against Carnegie Tech. Despite being just 5-7, “Little Davey” was the biggest name in college football, and he proved himself in New Orleans. O’Brien completed 17-of-27 passes for 224 yards in TCU’s victory. For good measure, the star booted a fourth-quarter field goal before effectively ending the contest with a late-game interception to clinch a perfect season and a national title for TCU.

Alabama, the team with the most Sugar Bowl appearances, has had many stars in the Sugar Bowl, but only one has the distinction of scoring touchdowns in three different Sugar Bowls. Major Ogilvie keyed three straight wins for the Crimson Tide in 1978, 1979 and 1980. In addition to scoring in all three, he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1980 game when ’Bama wrapped up another national championship.

Franklin “Pepper” Rodgers debuted in the Sugar Bowl in 1953 as he threw a touchdown pass, kicked a field goal and knocked home three point-after kicks in Georgia Tech’s 24-7 victory over Ole Miss. He outdid himself the following year, however, passing for 195 yards and three touchdowns while kicking another field goal and two more extra-points to lead the Yellow Jackets to a bowl record 42 points in a lopsided victory over West Virginia.

Claude “Little Monk” Simons was the star of the inaugural Sugar Bowl Classic in 1935. The Green Wave speedster had what is still considered one of the greatest plays in Sugar Bowl history when he took a lateral and dashed 85 yards to pay dirt to jump start a stalled Tulane offense. After his playing career, Simons would go on to a prominent role with the Sugar Bowl Committee from 1949 to 1975, including serving as President for the 1959 and 1960 games.

The most recent “alum” of the game scheduled to be inducted into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame is Gene Stallings. Stallings directed Alabama to a perfect 11-0 regular season in 1992, but as the Crimson Tide entered the 1993 Sugar Bowl, few gave it much of a chance against the powerful top-ranked Miami squad. However, Stallings and his staff installed a perfect defensive scheme and shut down the Hurricanes for a 34-13 blowout victory to capture ’Bama’s first national championship since the Bear Bryant era.

Herschel Walker played in three straight Sugar Bowls (1980, 1981, 1982) for the Georgia Bulldogs, scoring touchdowns in all three. His team’s 17-10 victory over Notre Dame in the 1980 game capped an “unbeaten, untied and unbelievable” national championship season. Walker ran 36 times for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win – his huge running numbers came despite the ‘Dawgs completing just one pass all day and despite Walker dislocating his shoulder on the first play of the game. Georgia may have lost Walker’s other two Sugar Bowls (by a total of eight points), but the running back’s legend only grew as he added 187 more rushing yards and three more TDs.

The New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association was founded in 1934 by a group of civic-minded businessman and professionals interested in promoting amateur athletic events geared toward bringing visitors to New Orleans during what had traditionally been a slow period for tourism. Now known as the Sugar Bowl Committee, the organization remains a voluntary group whose members serve without remuneration. A full-time staff is retained to assist the Committee in managing its affairs and is headed by CEO Paul Hoolahan and COO Jeff Hundley, who have over 40 years of combined experience running postseason college football games.

Since the first Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1935, the organization has hosted 27 national champion teams, 92 Hall of Fame players, 48 Hall of Fame coaches and 17 Heisman Trophy winners. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee is involved with various community initiatives through hosting and sponsorships of sporting events, awards and clinics. Through over 50 annual activities, the organization supports and honors nearly 100,000 student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade.

 

[TerryP]

Bama has been to the Sugar 16 times--three players on the list.
LSU has been to the Sugar 13 times--not a single player on the list?
Nine appearances include UGA, Ole Miss, and Florida. Florida doesn't have a player on the list and won a NC in the Sugar. Surprised to see Spurrier isn't on the list (likely next class.)

 

[TUSKtimes]

My first time at the Sugarbowl was actually the first year of the Superdome being used in 1975. Coach Bryant brought his Richard Todd led Tide against Penn State. Todd was playing hurt and a number of Bama players were suspended for curfew violation. Even as a youngster I remember being genuinely concerned about this one and Penn State fans almost gloating and feeling confident down in the french quarter. It was a hairy one down to the last moments but like JoPa always said, I just couldn't beat coach Bryant.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Some dad-ghum good players on list though

 

[50+yeartidefan]

My first time at the Sugarbowl was actually the first year of the Superdome being used in 1975. Coach Bryant brought his Richard Todd led Tide against Penn State. Todd was playing hurt and a number of Bama players were suspended for curfew violation. Even as a youngster I remember being genuinely concerned about this one and Penn State fans almost gloating and feeling confident down in the french quarter. It was a hairy one down to the last moments but like JoPa always said, I just couldn't beat coach Bryant.

Thats a great memory for sure....mine a little earlier....1973 Bama vs ND....
Bama fans older then 50 know how that turned out...old Tulane Stadium

 

[TUSKtimes]

Thats a great memory for sure....mine a little earlier....1973 Bama vs ND....
Bama fans older then 50 know how that turned out...old Tulane Stadium

Man, that broke all our hearts. Bama would take a complete 1st quarter to get going offensively and after that, they outplayed the domers. We followed almost the same recipe the following year in the orange bowl. Ugh.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Man, that broke all our hearts. Bama would take a complete 1st quarter to get going offensively and after that, they outplayed the domers. We followed almost the same recipe the following year in the orange bowl. Ugh.

And...and had tickets (had ticket source that provided tickets for all Bama games)for the 66 game vs Nebraska....butuncle Sam had other plans...:violin::tank:

 

[TUSKtimes]

And...and had tickets (had ticket source that provided tickets for all Bama games)for the 66 game vs Nebraska....butuncle Sam had other plans...:violin::tank:

Not much of a consolation prize there. You missed a good beatdown. Glad you got back.

 

[BamaFan334]

Never been to a Sugar Bowl or inside the Superdome. Was hoping to change that here in a few weeks, but most likely will have to wait, again.

 

[alabama mike]

Very impressive list for the first class. I am sure more Bama players will be added, especially the "Goal Line Stand" group. I can still see that long pass that QB from nd made on 3rd and half a mile. NIGHTMARE! :flaming:

 

[rick4bama]

Very impressive list for the first class. I am sure more Bama players will be added, especially the "Goal Line Stand" group. I can still see that long pass that QB from nd made on 3rd and half a mile. NIGHTMARE! :flaming:

My wife still upset with me about that game. We miss a New Year party for it. Well most of it, the game ended after New Year! We still went to it.

 

[No Huddle]

Very impressive list for the first class. I am sure more Bama players will be added, especially the "Goal Line Stand" group. I can still see that long pass that QB from nd made on 3rd and half a mile. NIGHTMARE! :flaming:

You better pass.