Fred Digby

Fred Digby (1893-November 3, 1958), the so-called "Father of the Sugar Bowl", was a New-Orleans based sportswriter for whom the game's Miller-Digby Award is named. Digby and Colonel James M. Thompson first had the idea for a New Year's Eve football game in 1927 and after pursuing it each fall, the New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association (now the Sugar Bowl) was formally organized on February 15, 1934. The first game was played on January 1, 1935. After his retirement from the newspaper, Digby served as the general manager of the Sugar Bowl until 1958. Aside from his work with the Sugar Bowl, Digby began to write for the New Orleans Item in 1912. He was named sports editor in 1923 and served in that role until his retirement in 1947.