Sports in New Orleans explained

New Orleans is home to a wide variety of sporting events. Most notable are the home games of the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and the New Orleans Pelicans (NBA), the annual Sugar Bowl, the annual Zurich Classic (PGA Tour) and horse racing at the Fair Grounds Race Course. New Orleans has also occasionally hosted the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff semifinal game and the NCAA college basketball Final Four.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Major professional sports teams

ClubSportLeagueFoundedVenue
New Orleans SaintsAmerican footballNational Football League1967Caesars Superdome
New Orleans PelicansBasketballNational Basketball Association2002Smoothie King Center

Other professional sports teams

ClubSportLeagueFoundedVenue
New Orleans GoldRugbyMajor League Rugby2018Gold Mine on Airline
New Orleans HurricanesWomen's American footballWomen's Football Alliance2019Joe W. Brown Victory Stadium
New Orleans BreakersAmerican footballUnited States Football League (2022)2021TBD

Football

Professional

Former football teams in New Orleans include the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League (1984) (which became the Portland Breakers), the New Orleans Night of the Arena Football League (1991–1992), the New Orleans Thunder of the Regional Football League (1999), the Louisiana Jazz of the Women's Football Alliance (2002–2014), the New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League (2004–2005, 2007–2008, and 2010–2015), the New Orleans Jazz football club of the Stars Football League (2011) and New Orleans Krewe of the US Women's Football League (2016).

Collegiate

Former college football teams in New Orleans include the Dillard Bleu Devils (1935–1965), the Loyola Wolf Pack (1921–1939) and the Xavier Gold Rush (1925–1960).

Special Football Games

Basketball

Professional

Former professional basketball teams in New Orleans include the New Orleans Jazz of the NBA (1974–1979) (which became the Utah Jazz) and the New Orleans Buccaneers of the American Basketball Association (1967–1970) (which became the Memphis Pros). Other professional basketball teams include the New Orleans Hurricanes of the Professional Basketball League of America (1947), New Orleans Sports of the Southern Basketball League (1948–1949), New Orleans Pride of the Women's Professional Basketball League (1979–1981) and New Orleans Cougars of the American Basketball Association. The NBA's Atlanta Hawks played 12 special "home" games in New Orleans during the 1984–85 season.

Collegiate

Special Basketball Games

Baseball

Baseball was first played in New Orleans as early as 1859. In that year, amateur baseball leagues played games on the grounds of Delachaise Estates in Uptown New Orleans and the Lone Star Base Ball Club was organized.[10]

There were many innovations in baseball that originated in New Orleans. The first spring training was held in New Orleans in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings (now Chicago Cubs) traveled to the city to play the Cincinnati Red Stockings, but stayed several weeks to train.[10] The practice of covering the infield with a modified canvas tarpaulin on rainy days was first used in New Orleans in 1887.[10] On April 29, 1887, a recurring Ladies' Day was established to create an environment in the stands free of unsavory characters and conduct, as well as to make baseball a family oriented event.[10] In 1889, issuing "rain checks" for rained out games using a perforated ticket stub was invented in New Orleans by Abner Powell.[11]

Professional

Former baseball teams with the longest tenure in New Orleans include:

Former baseball teams in New Orleans include:

Collegiate

Youth

Special baseball games

Bowling

Professional

See main article: Professional bowling tournaments in New Orleans.

Collegiate

Boxing

New Orleans has long been home to boxing events.

Professional

Collegiate

Former college boxing teams in New Orleans include the Loyola Wolf Pack.

Cross country

Collegiate

Golf

Professional

Collegiate

Gymnastics

High school sports

See also: List of Louisiana high school athletic districts.

New Orleans has produced many championship teams at the LHSAA and national levels. Schools have earned high national rankings in football, basketball, baseball and soccer.The annual Louisiana Prep Classic state championship football games organized by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association have been held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome since 1981.

Horse racing

See main article: Fair Grounds Race Course. New Orleans is home to the Fair Grounds Race Course, the nation's third-oldest thoroughbred track. The most prestigious race held at the track is the Louisiana Derby, a Grade II stakes prep for the Kentucky Derby. The race course opened in 1852 as the Union Racetrack and later became the Creole Racetrack.

Former horse racing tracks in the New Orleans area include Eclipse Race Course (opened 1837), Metairie Course (1838–1872), Bingaman Race Track, City Park Race Track (1905–1920), Jefferson Park Race Track (1918–1934) and Jefferson Downs Racetrack (1959–1992).[40]

Ice hockey

Professional

Ironman 70.3

Lacrosse

The Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Lacrosse Series was held at Pan American Stadium from 2011 to 2015.[41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46]

The Allstate Sugar Bowl High School Lacrosse Classic first held in 2007 has been played at multiple locations in the New Orleans metropolitan area such as City Park, Lafreniere Park, LaSalle Park and Pan American Stadium.[47] [48] [49]

Mixed martial arts

Motorsports

The NOLA Motorsports Park is a road race track in Avondale, Louisiana, approximately twenty minutes from downtown New Orleans. The north track circuit and kart circuit opened in 2011.

New Orleans has hosted several auto races:

Professional bull riding

Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR), a professional bull riding organization held competitions in the New Orleans Arena in 2000–2003, 2007 and 2010.

Roller derby

Rugby

Professional

Amateur/Semi-Pro

Former rugby clubs in New Orleans include the Crescent City Rugby Football Club (1976–1979).

Running

Soccer

New Orleans was one of the first cities in the world where modern soccer was played.[66] Beginning in 1858 as a community sport, the sport became popular among many athletic clubs in the late 19th century. A semi-professional league consisting of some of the best players in the world, several of whom later played for first division teams in England and Scotland, briefly used the old grounds on what would become Pelican Stadium.[66]

Professional

Former professional soccer teams in New Orleans include the New Orleans Storm of the USL A-League (1993–1999) and FC New Orleans of the National Premier Soccer League as a provisional member (2012).

Amateur/Semi-Pro

Leagues

Teams

Former amateur/semi-pro soccer teams in New Orleans include the Louisiana Fire of the Gulf Coast Premier League (2016–2017).

Special Soccer Games

Chicago Fire Soccer Club vs. Real C.D. España -- An international friendly match between Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Honduran soccer club Real C.D. España was played at Tad Gormley Stadium on February 4, 2012.[67]

New England Revolution vs. C.D. Olimpia -- An international friendly match between Major League Soccer's New England Revolution and Honduran soccer club C.D. Olimpia was played at Tad Gormley Stadium on March 25, 2007.[68]

Honduras national team vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies -- On March 28, 1982, in a World Cup tune-up match, the Honduras national football team played the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League to a 1–1 draw at Tad Gormley Stadium.[69]

Swimming and diving

Collegiate

Tennis

Professional

Collegiate

Special Tennis Matches

Track and Field

Collegiate

Special Track and Field Meets

Volleyball

Collegiate

Special Volleyball Matches

Beach volleyball

Indoor volleyball

Water sports

Fishing tournaments

Powerboat racing

See main article: Offshore powerboat racing in New Orleans. Offshore powerboat racing has had a long history in New Orleans, Louisiana. Races have been held in either Lake Pontchartrain or on the Mississippi River. The most commonly held race was the Popeyes Offshore Grand Prix held annually from 1983 to 1991. Other powerboat races took place in 1980, 1981, 1982, 2002, 2003 and 2008.New Orleans was also the home port for the Popeyes Offshore race team from 1980 to 1990. The race team was formed by Al Copeland Sr., the founder of Popeyes Fried Chicken Restaurants and Copeland's Restaurants.[72] He was a six-time U.S. national champion and world champion in 1985 and 1986.

Yachting

New Orleans is home to the New Orleans Yacht Club and Southern Yacht Club, both of which are located at West End on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Southern Yacht Club was established in 1849 and is the second oldest yacht club in the United States.[73]

Regattas include:

Wrestling

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The definitive history of professional football in New Orleans - NFL - Yahoo! Sports . 2017-01-15 . 2010-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101206145925/http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-7247486 . dead .
  2. Web site: Sugar Bowl History - Official Site of the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
  3. Web site: New Orleans Hornets History . 2013-02-13 . 2013-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130521001240/http://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/history/NO/new-orleans-hornets . dead .
  4. Web site: History of New Orleans Baseball .
  5. Web site: Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Our History . 2013-02-13 . 2013-05-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130522050015/http://zurichgolfclassic.com/our-history.php . dead .
  6. Web site: Home .
  7. Web site: 1976 Pro Bowl game book . NFL Game Statistics & Information . . January 30, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202141522/http://www.nflgsis.com/1975/Post/04/55145/Gamebook.pdf . February 2, 2014 . live.
  8. At the time of the bowl's creation in 1972, the NCAA was divided into the "University Division" and "College Division". The current three-division setup was established in 1973. The conferences that participated in this game eventually became Division I conferences, and their members' football programs now compete in the Football Championship Subdivision.
  9. Web site: East-West Shrine Classic Games . 2008-12-07 . College Football Data Warehouse . 2013-11-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131101224159/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/bowls/bowl_results.php?bowlid=91 . dead .
  10. Web site: History of New Orleans Baseball. neworleansbaseball.com. 2015-02-08.
  11. Book: Somers, Dale A. . The Rise of Sports in New Orleans: 1850-1900 . 132.
  12. Web site: Early Baseball in New Orleans. vbba.org/. February 9, 2015.
  13. Web site: Diamonds in the Rough. February 25, 2015.
  14. Book: Somers. Dale A.. The Rise of Sports in New Orleans: 1850-1900. 1966. February 8, 2015. Pelican Publishing. Gretna, Louisiana. 1455611298. 122.
  15. Web site: Earliest Baseball Clubs. mlb.com. February 9, 2015.
  16. Book: Worth, Richard. Baseball Team Names: A Worldwide Dictionary, 1869-2011. 26 February 2013. McFarland and Company. Jefferson, North Carolina. 9780786468447. 200, 201.
  17. Web site: Center for Negro League Baseball Research. Negro Southern League (1920-1951). April 8, 2015.
  18. Web site: Negro Leagues of Louisiana. February 25, 2015.
  19. Web site: New Orleans, Louisiana Teams History. February 6, 2015.
  20. Web site: Spring Training Sites for all American League Baseball Teams. baseball-almanac.com. 2014-04-12.
  21. Web site: Spring Training Sites for all National League Baseball Teams. baseball-almanac.com. 2014-04-12.
  22. Web site: Marlins' Upcoming Game In New Orleans Triggers a Look Back. thetenthinning.com. 2015-03-29.
  23. Web site: Superdome. andrewclem.com. 2015-03-29.
  24. Web site: Superdome - New Orleans Louisiana. waymarking.com. 2015-03-29.
  25. Web site: Major League Baseball will return to New Orleans for the first time since 1999. The Times-Picayune/nola.com. 2015-03-29.
  26. Web site: How mule-drawn grandstands brought Detroit Tigers to New Orleans in 1915: Our Times. 29 March 2015 . The Times-Picayune/nola.com. 2015-03-29.
  27. Web site: LSU Baseball Media Guide. lsusports.net. 2015-03-21.
  28. Web site: Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic is poignant LSU tradition. 30 March 2015 . lsureveille.com. 2015-04-03.
  29. http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/mace-j.htm Cyber Boxing Zone – Jem Mace
  30. Web site: The Olympic Club of New Orleans: Epicenter of Professional Boxing, 1883-1897 (Paperback) .
  31. Web site: Fights at Coliseum Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. fightstat.com. August 27, 2019.
  32. Web site: The Coliseum. 20 January 2015 . southeasternarchitecture.blogspot.com (Tulane University's Southeastern Architectural Archive). August 27, 2019.
  33. Web site: What can you tell me about The Coliseum in the Garden District/Irish Channel?. 4 May 2015 . The Advocate/Gambit. August 27, 2019.
  34. Web site: Joe Brown. 64parishes.org. February 16, 2020.
  35. http://boxrec.com/location.php?country_code=US&region_name=LA&towncity_name=&towncity_id=19136&venue_name=&venue_id=34822&yyyy=&submit=Go BoxRec Boxing Records
  36. http://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/nationals_artistic_1995.pdf
  37. https://usagym.org/pages/athletes/archivedbios/m/dmoceanu.pdf
  38. Web site: Gymnastics. aauresults.org. 2018-06-20.
  39. Web site: New Orleans to host SEC gymnastics championships in 2019. 22 March 2018 . nola.com. 2018-03-24.
  40. Web site: NOLA History: Horse Racing in the Crescent City. 24 November 2011 . gonola.com. 2014-01-26.
  41. Web site: Behind the Scenes: Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic. insidelacrosse.com. 2018-03-18. 2018-03-18.
  42. Web site: St. Thomas More Earns Fifth Annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic Title park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  43. Web site: Texas and Ole Miss Win at Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  44. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Series Caps Strong Weekend park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  45. Web site: Collegiate Lacrosse Event Hosted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  46. Web site: South Carolina Captures Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Title park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  47. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl High School Lacrosse Classic. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  48. Web site: Two Lacrosse Events to be hosted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl: High School Classic Scheduled for Jan. 25-26 at Lafreniere Park. neworleansonline.com. 2018-03-18.
  49. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl lacrosse series scheduled for Feb. 15-17. nola.com. 2018-03-18.
  50. Web site: Allstate Sugar Bowl lacrosse series scheduled for Feb. 15-17. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  51. Web site: Klein Defends Title in Second Annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  52. Web site: Klein High School Wins Third Straight Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  53. Web site: Klein High School Remains Perfect to Claim its Fourth Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic Title park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  54. Web site: Klein High School Retakes Crown at Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  55. Web site: Jesuit High School Takes Varsity Title at Allstate Sugar Bowl Lacrosse Classic park. allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018-03-18.
  56. Web site: UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger. 14 September 2018 . ufc.com.
  57. News: Cormier gets Louisiana homecoming against Bader in June. ufc.co.nz. Thomas Gerbasi. 2015-02-11. 2015-02-11.
  58. Web site: Monster Energy Supercross Notes Package - New Orleans. sportsnola.com/ . April 8, 2012 . 2013-09-12.
  59. Web site: New Orleans .
  60. Web site: 2012 Session Results Round 12 Triumph Big Kahuna New Orleans presented by Dunlop. amaproracing.com . 2012-10-08 . 2013-06-09.
  61. Web site: IndyCar commits to New Orleans race at NOLA Motorsports Park in 2015. The Times-Picayune/nola.com. 2014-05-04 . 2014-05-27.
  62. Web site: New Orleans Confirms Major League Rugby Plans. This is American Rugby. 2017-05-25.
  63. Web site: USA Club Rugby: Geographical Unions. usarugby.org/. 2014-03-04.
  64. Web site: Halfmoons History. 22 August 2012 . neworleanswomensrugby.org. 2018-01-27.
  65. Web site: Practice Facility. neworleanswomensrugby.org. 2018-02-06.
  66. Book: Crawford, Scott. A History of Soccer in Louisiana: 1858-2013. 2013. LAprepSoccer Publishing Co.. New Orleans. 978-1489521880.
  67. Web site: The Fire have scheduled a friendly February 4th against Honduran club Real Espana in Louisiana. .... 9 December 2011. Hot Time In Old Town. 24 October 2014.
  68. Web site: New England Revolution vs. Olimpia, Honduras. March 19, 2007. nola.com/gambit. March 11, 2020.
  69. Web site: Rowdies waive two; midfield help coming. 26 March 1982. Evening Independent. 22 July 2015.
  70. Web site: Pro beach volleyball tournament in Kenner . theneworleansadvocate.com. 2015-06-08.
  71. Web site: Big Bass History. neworleanscitypark.com. October 20, 2012 . 2013-09-17.
  72. http://www.copelandsphenomenon.com/about.htm
  73. Web site: The Second Oldest Yacht Club. International Council of Yacht Clubs. December 18, 2012 . 2013-09-17.
  74. Web site: Race to the Coast. southernyachtclub.org. December 18, 2012 . 2018-01-27.
  75. Web site: Sugar Bowl, More Than Football. Sugar Bowl . January 25, 2013 . 2013-09-12.
  76. Web site: Wrestling. aauresults.org. 2018-06-20.
  77. Web site: 2004 Armed Forces Championships to be held March 6–7 in New Orleans LA. https://web.archive.org/web/20211018132932/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2004/March/04/2004-Armed-Forces-Championship-9431. dead. October 18, 2021. teamusa.org. 2020-03-07.