NEW ORLEANS – Former New Orleans Saints star and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Jackson, SMG Regional Vice President Doug Thornton, LSU Coordinator of Football Relations Charlie Baglio, Tulane Director of Player Personnel-External Relations Wayne Cordova and De La Salle head football coach Ryan Manale are the featured speakers at the weekly meeting of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Quarterback Club today, Tuesday, September 8, 2015, at The Cannery, 3803 Toulouse St., at 12:00 p.m.
The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation has joined forces with the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club to create the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Quarterback Club.
The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Quarterback Club promotes amateur and professional sports in the Greater New Orleans area on a weekly basis.
For the first time in the history of the organization, The Quarterback Club will meet weekly on Tuesday for 16 consecutive weeks at noon.
Today’s luncheon is the 2nd in the series and will feature:
• Rickey Jackson – Jackson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 after being inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson is also a member of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Jackson was a six-time Pro Bowl participant and was named All-Pro four times in his 13-year career with the New Orleans Saints from 1981-1993. He went on to win a Super Bowl as a member of the San Francisco 49ers in 1995. Jackson totaled 128 career sacks, one of the all-time leaders in NFL history.
• Doug Thornton – A native of Houston, Thornton moved to Shreveport at the age of two. He moved to New Orleans in 1984 and has been working in senior management at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome over the last two decades, currently serving as Regional Vice President of SMG, the management firm that runs the facility.
Thornton was instrumental in the fast rebuilding of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, enabling the Saints to return to the city and spurring economic development. He recently received the Regional Legends for Charity award from St. Jude Hospital at a function in New Orleans.
• Charlie Baglio – A native of Independence, Baglio enters his 13th season with the LSU athletics department as the director of external relations for the Tiger football team.
Baglio came to LSU in 2002 after coaching at Independence High School for 34 years, 22 of which as head coach. While at Independence, Baglio posted a head coaching record of 205-69. He won nine district titles and led his team to the state championship game twice.
• Wayne Cordova – A New Orleans native, Cordova serves as the Director of Player Personnel-External Relations for the Green Wave. On the college level, he worked previously at Grambling. Cordova previously served as head coach at St. Augustine, as well as an assistant coach at Destrehan and Brother Martin.
• Ryan Manale – In his fourth year as the head coach at De La Salle, Ryan Manale guided the Cavaliers to their first playoff win in 45 years in 2014 and has led De La Salle to the state playoffs in all three years. He played and coached previously at Archbishop Rummel under Jay Roth.
Speakers from the New Orleans Saints, LSU, Tulane and prep football will address the audience weekly, along with special guest speakers from the sports world in metropolitan New Orleans. A local high school player of the week is chosen throughout the season with a metro prep player of the year announced at the end of the season. Lunch is served weekly.
Annual standard membership is $50 per person with premier annual membership at $80, which includes a Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club golf shirt and lapel pin, along with reserved seating.
Luncheons are $20 per person for members and $25 per person for non-members.
The GNOSF Quarterback Club also offers a season ticket package that covers dues and all 16 luncheons for $295, which is $80 in total savings.
SportsNOLA.com will serve as the official web site of the Quarterback Club while Compliance Technology, Strength Shoe, WGSO 990am and WHNO-TV 20 remain sponsors as well.
