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Fred Digby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fred Digby
Digby, c. 1956
Born(1893-01-26)January 26, 1893
DiedNovember 3, 1958(1958-11-03) (aged 65)
Known forGeneral manager of the Sugar Bowl

Frederick (Fred) Joseph Digby (January 26, 1893 – November 3, 1958),[1] was a sportswriter based in New Orleans. He was the founding member and first general manager of the Sugar Bowl, one of the oldest college bowl games in the United States.

Biography

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Digby began writing for the New Orleans Item newspaper in 1912; he was named sports editor in 1923 and served in that role until his retirement from the Item in 1947.[2]

In 1927, Digby and Colonel James M. Thomson, publisher of the New Orleans Item, first proposed the formation of a New Year's Eve college football bowl in New Orleans.[3][4] For several years, Digby pursued the idea each fall until finally the New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association (later the Sugar Bowl Committee) was formed on February 15, 1934.[3][5] The inaugural Sugar Bowl football classic was played on January 1, 1935.[3] The Sugar Bowl has been played annually on New Year's Day ever since.[4]

Digby is referred to as the "Father of the Sugar Bowl"[2] and is credited with giving the Sugar Bowl its name.[3][5] He described the success of the first college football bowl in New Orleans as "a dream come true".[4] He was a long-term member of the Sugar Bowl Committee and, after retiring as sports editor for the Item, he served as general manager of the Sugar Bowl until his death in 1958.[3]

Honors

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The game's Miller-Digby Award was named in honor of Digby and the first president of the Sugar Bowl, Warren V. Miller.[3][5]

In March 2018, Fred Digby and Warren Miller were honored with the Football Bowl Association’s Legacy Award for 2018.[5]

Personal life

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He was married to Mary Frances Digby.[4] They had four children: Anna (born c.1918), Fred Junior (born c.1920), Noel (born c.1925) and Doris (born c.1928).[6]

Death

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Fred Digby died on November 3, 1958, after a short illness,[2] at the age of 65; he is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, New Orleans.[1] Mary Digby died in 1986 and is buried in the same plot as her husband.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Frederick Joseph Digby". www.findagrave.com. 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Fred Digby Succumbs; Father of the Sugar Bowl". St. Petersburg Times. November 4, 1958. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Bowl Beginning". AllState Sugar Bowl. 2018. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Allstate Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame". allstatesugarbowl.org. 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "Allstate Sugar Bowl Founders to be Honored with FBA's Legacy Award". allstatesugarbowl.org. March 26, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "Fred J Digby in the 1940 Census". www.ancestry.com. 1997–2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.