Members Of Tulane Community Band Together To Bring Super Bowl to New Orleans

Tulane alumni played a key role on Super Bowl LIV Host Committee. Led by New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson, the Super Bowl is back in the Superdome.

Dec 1, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson walks the sideline before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Caesars Superdome. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Honorary Tulane alumna Gayle Benson took the handoff last February from the city of Las Vegas and knew she had a big year ahead of her as the Super Bowl would return once again to the Crescent City.

Benson is the Super Bowl LIV Host Committee Chairwoman and one of the most influential voices in the National Football League. She took control over the family's sports ventures which include the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans.

After the passing of her husband Tom Benson, who was one of New Orleans' favorite sons, Gayle Benson became the face of the city.

Benson is an emeritus member of the Board of Tulane who was named an honorary Tulane alumna in 2014.

In November, she and her late husband were inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Hall of Fame.

When she and Tom were so honored, Benson expressed her excitement and pride in bringing the Super Bowl back to her beloved city.

“One of the many things Tom and I shared is a passion for New Orleans and unwavering pride in the city we grew up in," Gayle Benson said at the time. "We love hosting the Super Bowl because it gives us the chance to show off New Orleans to the rest of the NFL and fans across the world."

The Super Bowl Host Committee is vital to any city winning the bid to host the big game. Once they secure the bid, they have to make the dream a reality.

Benson, along with Tulane alumnus Marcus Brown, turned the vision of the NFL and the history of New Orleans into the spectacle which the world will see beginning on Monday.

Brown is the committee chair and an executive at Entergy, a major employer of New Orleans residents. He and Benson worked fearlessly and tirelessly to celebrate not only the game, but the beauty and culture of the city.

Citing his love for the city and his love for the game, Brown said he could not say no when approached by Gayle Benson to become the committee chairman.

There is a lot of behind the scenes work which goes into winning a Super Bowl bid and then pulling off the event itself. The Committee bears a group of arduous assignments ranging from ensuring the stadium is prepared, to coordinating parking, hotel rooms, event spaces and security. The host committee is tasked with ensuring these promises are fulfilled.

The NFL wil oversee the project, but the Host Committee is responsible for the day-to-day minutiae and making sure the game goes off without a hitch. New Orleans does it so well, it has been selected to host the game 11 times, which is a record it shares with the city of Miami.

The city's history of hosting event started with Tulane. Tulane Stadium hosted the first three Super Bowls held in New Orleans. The stadium hosted the games in 1970, 1972 and 1975. This opened the door for New Orleans to host many other Super Bowls and championship events.

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