A former Slidell football standout is headed to the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame (2024)

Former Slidell standout Matt Forté, one of the greatest football players in New Orleans and Tulane history,has been selected for induction into the Allstate Sugar Bowl'sGreater New Orleans Sports Hall of FameClass of 2024.

Forté is one of five standout local sports figures who will be added to the Hall of Fame this year. Each year's Hall of Fame class is selected by the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, a group of current and former media members who annually recognize a variety ofannual award-winners.

The Hall of Famers will be recognized at theAllstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Banquet, which will be held on Aug. 3 in New Orleans.

Tulane opened the 2007 football season with back-to-back losses to Mississippi State and Houston. And at halftime of game three, they were down to Southeastern Louisiana, 20-14. With things not going well for first-year head coach Bob Toledo, he adjusted his game plan to a two-word attack — Matt Forté. The senior running back proceeded to run the ball 25 times in the second half, gaining 177 yards and scoring three touchdowns, as the Green Wave posted a 35-27 victory.

He finished the game with 40 carries for school records of 303 yards and five touchdowns.

"Good backs get stronger as the game goes along," said Bob Toledo, Tulane's head coach in 2007. "They wind up wearing defenses down, and he kind of did that. He started making guys miss in the hole. Then he started running over people. And then he started dragging people. What he did [in the Southeastern game], that's simply phenomenal."

That was the start of a special season for the Slidell native. He finished the year with 2,127 rushing yards (seventh in FBS history). He broke his own single-game rushing mark with 342 yards (and four more TDs) in a win over SMU and also added a 278-yard performance (the third-best ever at Tulane) against Memphis.

"I always knew Matt had all the talent," said Michael Parenton, his college roommate and the godfather to his children, "But that SMU game was when I thought, 'Holy cow!' He was the only reason we were even in that game. He was our entire offense and way better than anybody else on the field."

Forté became the 12th player in history to run for over 2,000 yards in a single season — without the benefit of a bowl game. Another way of putting his 2007 accomplishments into perspective — only two other players in Tulane history reached 1,000 rushing yards in a season. Forget 2,000.

"It felt great [to have an outstanding senior season]," Forté said. "It felt like the work that I put in was paying off. Work ethic is always something that will surpass talent. After all my work, I reached the results I wanted."

Surprisingly, Forté was not considered a blue-chip recruit for the Green Wave. A two-star fullback, he was rated as the 89th-best prospect in Louisiana and the 17th-best player on Tulane's 2004 commitment list by one service.

Those ratings came despite him beingthe St. Tammany Parish Player of the Year and District 5-5A Offensive MVP, as well asan all-metro selection and a second-team all-state choice in 2003 at Slidell High. He totaled 2,432 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns to go with 48 career receptions for 618 yards and five more scores in his career.

"Our offense was built around him," said his high school coach Wayne Grubb. "We ran draw plays, power plays, screens.Sometimes people have an effect on other players to get the best out of them. Matt was one of those guys. The other kids wanted to follow him."

As a senior at Slidell, he gained 1,375 rushing yards (6.7 yards per carry) while scoring23 rushing TDs and catching 18 passes for 253 yards and a pair of scores. He gained 1,057 rushing yards with eight touchdowns and caught 30 passes for 365 yards and three scores as a junior.

"The only two scholarship offers I had were from Tulane and McNeese State, where my brother (Bryan) played," Forté said. "The way it worked out, going to Tulane ended up perfect because I got to follow in the footsteps of my father which not many people get to do, but also Tulane was the perfect place to get a great education."

Forté's father Gene played defensive line for Tulane from 1974-78, including serving as a team captain his senior season.

"He was my coach since I was six years old and has always given me advice," Matt said of his father. "He'd always tell me I've been where you're going, and the advice that I give you, take it and listen to it."

Tulane also offered easy access to his games for friends and family, including his mom Gilda, of whom he jokes, "She's even tougher than my 6-3, 300-pound dad!"

After a strong freshman season, he went into 2005 primed for a breakout season, but Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The football team was displaced and played 11 games in 11 different stadiums while living in a condemned dormitory on the Louisiana Tech campus and using a conference room as a locker room.

"To see how fickle and fragile life is was a good lesson," Forté said. "It humbles you, so you don't take things for granted. And it really helped me to grow. I just tried to embrace the moment as far as understanding how life can throw you a curve ball. I was just happy that my parents and family were OK."

During his junior season, he started strong and seemed likely to become Tulane's third 1,000-yard rusher in history. And then he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the ninth game of the year.

"That knee injury taught me about ups and downs in life," Forté remembered. "You can't put all your emotions into one incident. When something does happen, if you put in the hard work, you can get yourself out of it. That propelled me going forward; my goal for my senior year was to be in the best shape. I was ready if they wanted me to carry the ball every time."

For his Tulane career (2004-07), Forté ranks No. 1 all-time in rushing yards per game (99.2), rushing touchdowns (39) and total touchdowns (44) as well as No. 2 in rushing yards (4,265), all-purpose yards (5,261), rushing attempts (833) and 100-yard rushing games (16). He also caught 103 career passes for 985 yards and five touchdowns.

The next stop for Forté was the NFL. However, some questioned how he would fare at the top level. The 2008 NFL Draft class was loaded with big-time running backs. The Arkansas duo of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, Oregon star Jonathan Stewart, Illinois stud Rashard Mendenhall, and Chris Johnson from East Carolina all were selected before Forté, who was snagged by the Chicago Bears in the second round (No. 44 overall).

"He lasted until the second round, which is ridiculous," Tulane radio play-by-play man Todd Graffa*gnini told Nola.com. "He's a first-round talent, and they didn't draft him because he played at Tulane. Obviously, a lot of people made a mistake."

The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder made an instant impact with the Bears as a rookie when he gained 1,238 rushing yards, 477 receiving yards and scored 12 total touchdowns.Starting against the Indianapolis Colts, he broke loose for a 50-yard touchdown run on his fourth career carry and finished with 123 yards rushing.

"It was super exciting," Forté remembered about his first touchdown in an SI.com story. "I didn't even realize what I was actually doing — I was just running as fast as I could. It was an unbelievable feeling when I crossed the end zone line and realized that it was a touchdown. The whole crowd was silent because it was an away game. It took the breath right out of them."

Fortéwould establish himself asone of the NFL's premier offensive weapons during his 10-year career. From 2008-17, he accumulated 14,468 yards from scrimmage on 2,910 touches, both totals more than any player in the league.Hehad eight productive seasons with Chicago and finished his Bears career ranking second in franchise history with8,602 rushing yards, trailing only Hall ofFamerWalter Payton.Fortéleftin free agency to sign with the New York Jets in 2016. He continued to produce in 2016, but his role was diminished in 2017, as he had just 381 rushing yards and 293 receiving yards.

"When you're playing, you focus on that season or the next game," Forté said. "But it's good now, I can look back and say, 'In my decade in the NFL, I gained more yards than anybody.' I can hang my hat, or cleats, on that. That's what you're supposed to do as a running back — gain yards from scrimmage. I can take joy in that now."

Forté announced his retirement in 2018 after 10 years in the NFL. His career totals of 9,796 rushing yards, 4,672 receiving yards, and 75 total touchdowns are all more than any of the five running backs selected before him.

"I had played as long as I actually wanted to play, and through a lot of prayer and talking to my wife and family and everyone, I decided to call it a career and move on to bigger and better things," he told the Sports Spectrum podcast. "A decade is a long time, but in the grand scheme of things, there's a lot of life ahead of me."

That life includes raising his four children (Jaden, Nahla, Matthew, and Nia) and working closely with his wife, Danielle, in various charitable endeavors. The "What's Your Forté Foundation" was formed with a mission to invest in the equitable economic advancement of youth and families through partnership and purposeful relationships.

"My foundation was formed from something that happened when I was at Tulane," Forté said. "My teammate, Brandon Spincer, was murdered after his senior year [in 2006].That really affected me and stayed with me. When I went to Chicago, I noticed a lot of gun violence, and I wanted to do something. Every Saturday, I talk to kids [through the foundation]. We give them some food for their stomachs and some food for their brains."

He's also very involved with Pro Athletic Outreach (PAO), a nonprofit that aims to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus, and Biblica, a ministry that creates and shares life-changing Bible resources.

This September, he will publish a children's picture book entitled "My Hair Can." It's an encouraging reminder for young readers about loving themselves, respecting others' differences and celebrating their God-given uniqueness. He has also started a clothing line, Workhorse 22 Apparel; he has appeared on multiple TV shows; he has written songs; he's a musician; and he has his eyes set on potential entrepreneurial opportunities once he studies the opportunities properly.

Needless to say, "retirement" just referred to football for the Slidell product.

"He's the most genuine person you'll ever meet," said Parenton. "His faith has always been great, his work ethic is tireless, and he's authentically been himself his entire life. At every step, he embraced where God put him in his life — to preach his values, to be an example, to be a beacon for how we should all strive to be."