National Football Foundation

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame will recognize four individuals with 2018 NFF Legacy Awards during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 4 at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City.

Paul Hoolahan, who became the Sugar Bowl's sixth executive director in 1996 and will retire after this year's game on Jan. 1, has overseen numerous milestones, including operating five national championship games; orchestrating a landmark arrangement with the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 Conference to host the leagues' best available teams; and securing four College Football Playoff semifinals and one title game. During his tenure, the bowl has made an estimated economic impact of more than $3 billion, and it has nearly tripled its number of ancillary community events to nearly 60, including the NFF Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter, which annually leads the nation distributing $60,000 a year.
 
A graduate of the University of North Carolina where he was an All-ACC lineman, he began his career as a high school football coach before entering athletics administration. Prior to the Sugar Bowl, Hoolahan served as athletics director at Vanderbilt.
 
"As a player at North Carolina, Paul Hoolahan developed a passion for college football that enabled him to make enormous contributions to our sport over the years while rolling out the New Orleans welcome mat for so many of us from around the country," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "He certainly ranks among the most influential bowl representatives in the history of the game, and he made a lasting impact on the local community. As he prepares for his retirement, we hope he looks back on his many accomplishments with a great sense of pride because we are extremely grateful."