Matt Forté - Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2024

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Sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame was created in 1971 and has honored 260 sports figures (through 2024) who were born in New Orleans and achieved prominence in or away from the Greater New Orleans area; or, those non-natives who achieved sports prominence in the Greater New Orleans area in high school, college, professional or amateur sports.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 TDs.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. Forté became just 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.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 being the St. Tammany Parish Player of the Year and District 5-5A Offensive MVP as well as an all-metro selection and a second team all-state choice in 2003 at Slidell High School. He totaled 2,432 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns to go with 48 career reception for 618 yards and five more scores in his career.As a senior at Slidell, he gained 1,375 rushing yards (6.7 yards per carry) while scoring 23 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. After a strong freshman season, he went into 2005 primed for a major 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. During his junior season, he started strong and seemed like he would likely 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.For his distinguished 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).The next stop for Forté was the NFL. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round (No. 44 overall).The 6-1, 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.Forté would go on to establish himself as one 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. He had eight productive seasons with Chicago and finished his Bears career ranking second in franchise history with 8,602 rushing yards, trailing only Walter Payton. Forté left in 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.