Paul Hoolahan, who ran the Sugar Bowl organization for 24 years, passed away in the fall of 2022 at the age of 72. When he took over as executive director of the Sugar Bowl in 1996, the postseason game was losing money and college football was moving toward a mandated championship. Hoolahan's leadership helped keep the Sugar Bowl – and New Orleans – in the national spotlight.
In this edition of the Historic New Orleans Collection's oral history series, NOLA Life Stories, Hoolahan explains what the organization was like when he came on board and how it changed during his tenure.