A distinguished list of speakers will kick off the 79th year of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Quarterback Club on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at a new, iconic venue.

New Orleans Saints Executive Officer Gayle Benson, LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva, Tulane football coach Willie Fritz, New Orleans Baby Cakes Vice President/General Manager Cookie Rojas and Edna Karr football coach Brice Brown will appear at Rock 'n' Bowl on 3016 South Carrollton Ave. in New Orleans.

A native of New Orleans, Benson has teamed with her husband, Saints and New Orleans Pelicans owner Tom Benson, to champion the Greater New Orleans community as a whole. A noted philanthropist, Benson has been part of giving and donating to Tulane University, Loyola University, Brother Martin, Dominican, Jesuit and Ochsner Hospital, among other entities. The Benson's annually put millions in charitable contributions, goods and services back into the entire Gulf South. Mrs. Benson is also heavily involved with the Pelicans and serves as owner of GMB Racing, a very successful horse racing stable.

In his 10th year at LSU, Alleva has expertly managed the department's finances and operations, making LSU one of the nation's top 10 programs in terms of revenue, profit, ticket sales and investment into its student-athletes and athletic endeavors. Alleva also owns the title of vice chancellor, a position he has held since 2009. Alleva previously served as athletic director at Duke.

In his second year as head football coach at Tulane, Fritz has accumulated 197 wins in his outstanding career which includes stints at Georgia Southern, Sam Houston, Central Missouri and Blinn College. In his first season with the Green Wave, Fritz guided Tulane to four wins.

In his second year as senior vice president and general manager of the New Orleans Baby Cakes, Rojas came to New Orleans from Pawtucket, where he worked for owner and now Baby Cakes owner Lou Schwechheimer as sales manager. A former marine who served in the Persian Gulf War, Rojas also served as general manager for Brown Bears Sports Properties at Brown University.

In his third season, Brown was a player and former assistant coach at Edna Karr before being named head coach in 2015. Brown promptly guided the Cougars to a Class 4A state championship game appearance before leading Karr to the 4A state title in 2016, with his team going unbeaten. Brown earned metro Coach of the Year honors from the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Quarterback Club for a second straight year.

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 locally and nationally. 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, sponsored by the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Lunch is served weekly.

In addition, Chevron sponsors student-athletes of the week each week, who receive plaques and recognition for their accomplishments in the classroom.

Annual standard membership is $50. Luncheons are $20 per person for members and $25 per person for non-members for the 16 week schedule (Aug. 29-Dec. 12).

CrescentCitySports.com serves as the official web site of the GNOSF Quarterback Club while Compliance Technology Group remains a presenting sponsor, along with Strength Systems and WGSO 990am. Weekly releases and the list of weekly speakers can be found at CrescentCitySports.com.

For more information on joining the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Quarterback Club, contact Stan Kottemann at (504) 908-6080 or at skotlaw@aol.com.

For more information on the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Membership program, visit www.gnosports.com or contact Tricia Lowe at (504) 619-6114 or at tlowe@gnosf.org.

**The GNOSF Quarterback Club also offers a season ticket package, covering dues and all 16 luncheons for $295, a savings of $80 over the course of the season.

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