Joe McKnight to be Inducted into New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
May 22, 2025 | Football
NEW ORLEANS–Joe McKnight, the late Trojan star running back, has been selected for induction into the Allstate Sugar Bowl's New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
McKnight, a superstar at John Curtis Christian School (La.) who went on to play in the NFL, was one of the top players in the distinguished history of John Curtis football. As a senior, he shared national high school player of the year honors after rushing 45 times for 719 yards (16.0 yards per carry) with 14 TDs to accompany 24 catches for 735 yards (30.6 avg.) and 13 more TDs. He also added three special teams scores as the Patriots posted a 14-0 record to win their second straight state title.
In three seasons at USC (2007-09), he rushed 347 times for 2,213 yards and 13 TDs as well as recorded 66 catches for 542 yards and two more scores. He ranks No. 2 at USC in all-time yards per carry (6.38) for his career. He led the team in punt return yards his freshman season and in rushing yards in his final season. He ranks 15th all-time on USC's career rushing yards list. McKnight's 206 all-purpose yards and a TD were key in USC's 49-17 win over Illinois in the 2008 Rose Bowl, as were his 105 all-purpose yards in USC's 18-15 come-from-behind victory over Ohio State in 2009. McKnight was drafted in the fourth round (112th overall) by the New York Jets in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played for New York from 2010-12, then for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014.
McKnight is one of four standout New Orleans sports figures who will be added to the Hall of Fame this year. Each year's Hall of Fame class is selected by the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, a group of current and former media members who annually recognize a variety of annual award-winners, as well as the Hall of Fame, the Corbett Awards and the Eddie Robinson Award. The group also selects the Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month each month.
The Hall of Famers will be recognized as part of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Banquet, presented by LCMC Health, to be held on Saturday, August 2, in New Orleans.
The New Orleans Sports Awards Committee came together when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 13 years, the committee honored local athletes each month and a variety of annual award winners. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the creation of the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the committee has continued to recognize the top athlete in the Greater New Orleans area each month as well as a range of annual awards – the honors enter their 69th year in 2025.
Joe McKnight Feature
New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2025
The New Orleans area has produced a long line of legendary football players. The barroom debate over which of those stars is the best of all time will likely never be resolved. However, there can be no argument that Joe McKnight must be included in the conversation.
"In my 30-plus years covering sports in New Orleans, there has never been a better, more impactful player than Joe McKnight," said Doug Mouton, the sports director of WWL-TV. "He was an amazing defensive back, a shut-down corner, but he could do everything else as well. If Curtis needed a touchdown, they found a way to get the ball in Joe's hands, and he usually got it done, from anywhere on the field."
After a junior season in which he scored 22 touchdowns (nine rushing, five receiving, four punt returns, three interceptions, and one kickoff return) and led John Curtis Christian School to the state championship, he also lettered in basketball and track – winning the Class AA state championship in the 100-meter dash. All while dealing with the region's devastation from Hurricane Katrina. He was officially on the nation's radar as a superstar. And he delivered on that promise.
As a senior in 2006, McKnight shared national high school player of the year honors (Parade Magazine) with future Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. He earned the honor despite his statistics not being overwhelming – he ran for 719 yards and had 735 receiving yards.
"I had a USA Today reporter call and say that Joe's stats don't match up with some other guys around the country," said J.T. Curtis, who has coached John Curtis Christian School for 55 years, winning 28 state championships and 623 games – more than any other high school coach in history. "I asked him to do me a favor and look at his averages. We were as good as any team in the country and many of our games were over by halftime."
The averages? The 6-0, 190-pounder needed just 45 carries to reach 719 yards – an average of 16.0 yards per carry. And his 735 receiving yards came on just 24 catches – 30.6 yards per catch. He recorded 14 rushing touchdowns and 13 receiving TDs meaning that he hit paydirt on nearly 40 percent of his offensive opportunities. He also added three special teams scores as the Patriots posted a 14-0 record to win their second straight state title.
"As a player, he was probably the most versatile player I've had," said Curtis. "He was a guy who excelled in all areas. He was an outstanding running back, a guy who played in the secondary, and a tremendous returner. He could do all of that and did it with passion."
"Everybody in the world wanted to be Reggie Bush," posted New Orleans native Tyrann Mathieu, who was a high school freshman in 2006, on social media. "Us in New Orleans wanted to run the ball like Joe McKnight."
One of his greatest performances came on Sept. 26, 2006, when John Curtis, ranked No. 11 in the nation, went on the road to challenge No. 1 ranked Hoover (Ala.) High, winners of five of six state championships in Alabama's largest classification – and the subject of a popular MTV documentary. After falling behind 14-0, Curtis turned to its superstar. And he delivered. McKnight had 70 rushing yards on five carries, he caught three passes for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he intercepted a pass in the final minute to seal the victory.
"Hoover was extremely talented, they had a number of players signed to the SEC, and it was a big game – ESPN was broadcasting it," Curtis remembered. "They jumped on us in the first quarter, but we were a good team too. We maintained our poise, and then Joe took it over. And the team knew he would. That was the demeanor he brought to every game. And the team followed his lead."
In 2016, WGNO's Friday Night Football ranked him as the top player in its 25 years of coverage. The Times-Picayune tabbed McKnight as the Male High School Athlete of the Decade of the 2000s.
"We were a really good team and when we'd have control of a game, Joe would come to me and say, 'Let the other guys have a shot. I had a chance to play when I was a freshman, give them a chance now.' He was so unselfish," said Curtis.
"For a guy with his notoriety and ability, he just wanted to be a teammate," Curtis continued. "He was just one of the guys. That's what made him the kind of teammate he was and the kind of person he was. He was very loyal and he just wanted to be Joe."
He shocked some in the region by choosing USC over LSU for college, but the chance for a new start appealed to McKnight. In three seasons with the Trojans (2007-09), he rushed 347 times for 2,213 yards (17th all-time at USC) and 13 touchdowns as well as 66 catches for 542 yards (8.2 yards per catch) and two more scores despite battling injuries and sharing carries with a loaded running back room. His 6.38 yards per carry ranks second all-time at USC to Reggie Bush.
"All of his success, and all the awards, that didn't mean much to Joe. He just wanted to play football," said his mother Jennifer McKnight. "I don't think it dawned on him that he was great. He just played the game, it was effortless, and he did it like nobody else could."
"College football is different today," Curtis said. "Seeing [Heisman Trophy winner] Travis Hunter play this year reminded me of Joe. I think Joe could have had the same type of impact and been the same type of player with the way the game is played today."
McKnight was drafted in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played for New York from 2010-12, earning All-Pro recognition as a return man – he had returns of 107 and 100 yards during his tenure. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2014 season and was seemingly back on track after catching two touchdown passes in his second game. Four days later, he tore his Achilles tendon.
He played for the Edmonton Eskimos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2016 – he averaged over six yards per carry over the final three games of 2016 with the Roughriders.
With promise once again in play, he returned to New Orleans following the season.
On Dec. 1, 2016, he was killed in a traffic altercation in Terrytown at the age of 28.
"Joe meant everything to me," said LSU star and John Curtis alum Duke Riley prior to wearing McKnight's No. 4 in his final collegiate game less than a month after the death of his mentor. "Honestly, I wanted to be a baseball player and then I saw what he could do with a football and how he could change the view of kids my age with a football in his hand. I know football meant everything to him. It was his life and he made football my life."
"I still watch his games, like he's watching it here with me," said Jennifer McKnight. "That's the Joe I knew, he could see the field, he knew what the coach wanted him to do. I just saw him playing good football like it was supposed to be played."
McKnight, a superstar at John Curtis Christian School (La.) who went on to play in the NFL, was one of the top players in the distinguished history of John Curtis football. As a senior, he shared national high school player of the year honors after rushing 45 times for 719 yards (16.0 yards per carry) with 14 TDs to accompany 24 catches for 735 yards (30.6 avg.) and 13 more TDs. He also added three special teams scores as the Patriots posted a 14-0 record to win their second straight state title.
In three seasons at USC (2007-09), he rushed 347 times for 2,213 yards and 13 TDs as well as recorded 66 catches for 542 yards and two more scores. He ranks No. 2 at USC in all-time yards per carry (6.38) for his career. He led the team in punt return yards his freshman season and in rushing yards in his final season. He ranks 15th all-time on USC's career rushing yards list. McKnight's 206 all-purpose yards and a TD were key in USC's 49-17 win over Illinois in the 2008 Rose Bowl, as were his 105 all-purpose yards in USC's 18-15 come-from-behind victory over Ohio State in 2009. McKnight was drafted in the fourth round (112th overall) by the New York Jets in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played for New York from 2010-12, then for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014.
McKnight is one of four standout New Orleans sports figures who will be added to the Hall of Fame this year. Each year's Hall of Fame class is selected by the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, a group of current and former media members who annually recognize a variety of annual award-winners, as well as the Hall of Fame, the Corbett Awards and the Eddie Robinson Award. The group also selects the Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month each month.
The Hall of Famers will be recognized as part of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Banquet, presented by LCMC Health, to be held on Saturday, August 2, in New Orleans.
The New Orleans Sports Awards Committee came together when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 13 years, the committee honored local athletes each month and a variety of annual award winners. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the creation of the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the committee has continued to recognize the top athlete in the Greater New Orleans area each month as well as a range of annual awards – the honors enter their 69th year in 2025.
Joe McKnight Feature
New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2025
The New Orleans area has produced a long line of legendary football players. The barroom debate over which of those stars is the best of all time will likely never be resolved. However, there can be no argument that Joe McKnight must be included in the conversation.
"In my 30-plus years covering sports in New Orleans, there has never been a better, more impactful player than Joe McKnight," said Doug Mouton, the sports director of WWL-TV. "He was an amazing defensive back, a shut-down corner, but he could do everything else as well. If Curtis needed a touchdown, they found a way to get the ball in Joe's hands, and he usually got it done, from anywhere on the field."
After a junior season in which he scored 22 touchdowns (nine rushing, five receiving, four punt returns, three interceptions, and one kickoff return) and led John Curtis Christian School to the state championship, he also lettered in basketball and track – winning the Class AA state championship in the 100-meter dash. All while dealing with the region's devastation from Hurricane Katrina. He was officially on the nation's radar as a superstar. And he delivered on that promise.
As a senior in 2006, McKnight shared national high school player of the year honors (Parade Magazine) with future Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. He earned the honor despite his statistics not being overwhelming – he ran for 719 yards and had 735 receiving yards.
"I had a USA Today reporter call and say that Joe's stats don't match up with some other guys around the country," said J.T. Curtis, who has coached John Curtis Christian School for 55 years, winning 28 state championships and 623 games – more than any other high school coach in history. "I asked him to do me a favor and look at his averages. We were as good as any team in the country and many of our games were over by halftime."
The averages? The 6-0, 190-pounder needed just 45 carries to reach 719 yards – an average of 16.0 yards per carry. And his 735 receiving yards came on just 24 catches – 30.6 yards per catch. He recorded 14 rushing touchdowns and 13 receiving TDs meaning that he hit paydirt on nearly 40 percent of his offensive opportunities. He also added three special teams scores as the Patriots posted a 14-0 record to win their second straight state title.
"As a player, he was probably the most versatile player I've had," said Curtis. "He was a guy who excelled in all areas. He was an outstanding running back, a guy who played in the secondary, and a tremendous returner. He could do all of that and did it with passion."
"Everybody in the world wanted to be Reggie Bush," posted New Orleans native Tyrann Mathieu, who was a high school freshman in 2006, on social media. "Us in New Orleans wanted to run the ball like Joe McKnight."
One of his greatest performances came on Sept. 26, 2006, when John Curtis, ranked No. 11 in the nation, went on the road to challenge No. 1 ranked Hoover (Ala.) High, winners of five of six state championships in Alabama's largest classification – and the subject of a popular MTV documentary. After falling behind 14-0, Curtis turned to its superstar. And he delivered. McKnight had 70 rushing yards on five carries, he caught three passes for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he intercepted a pass in the final minute to seal the victory.
"Hoover was extremely talented, they had a number of players signed to the SEC, and it was a big game – ESPN was broadcasting it," Curtis remembered. "They jumped on us in the first quarter, but we were a good team too. We maintained our poise, and then Joe took it over. And the team knew he would. That was the demeanor he brought to every game. And the team followed his lead."
In 2016, WGNO's Friday Night Football ranked him as the top player in its 25 years of coverage. The Times-Picayune tabbed McKnight as the Male High School Athlete of the Decade of the 2000s.
"We were a really good team and when we'd have control of a game, Joe would come to me and say, 'Let the other guys have a shot. I had a chance to play when I was a freshman, give them a chance now.' He was so unselfish," said Curtis.
"For a guy with his notoriety and ability, he just wanted to be a teammate," Curtis continued. "He was just one of the guys. That's what made him the kind of teammate he was and the kind of person he was. He was very loyal and he just wanted to be Joe."
He shocked some in the region by choosing USC over LSU for college, but the chance for a new start appealed to McKnight. In three seasons with the Trojans (2007-09), he rushed 347 times for 2,213 yards (17th all-time at USC) and 13 touchdowns as well as 66 catches for 542 yards (8.2 yards per catch) and two more scores despite battling injuries and sharing carries with a loaded running back room. His 6.38 yards per carry ranks second all-time at USC to Reggie Bush.
"All of his success, and all the awards, that didn't mean much to Joe. He just wanted to play football," said his mother Jennifer McKnight. "I don't think it dawned on him that he was great. He just played the game, it was effortless, and he did it like nobody else could."
"College football is different today," Curtis said. "Seeing [Heisman Trophy winner] Travis Hunter play this year reminded me of Joe. I think Joe could have had the same type of impact and been the same type of player with the way the game is played today."
McKnight was drafted in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played for New York from 2010-12, earning All-Pro recognition as a return man – he had returns of 107 and 100 yards during his tenure. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2014 season and was seemingly back on track after catching two touchdown passes in his second game. Four days later, he tore his Achilles tendon.
He played for the Edmonton Eskimos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2016 – he averaged over six yards per carry over the final three games of 2016 with the Roughriders.
With promise once again in play, he returned to New Orleans following the season.
On Dec. 1, 2016, he was killed in a traffic altercation in Terrytown at the age of 28.
"Joe meant everything to me," said LSU star and John Curtis alum Duke Riley prior to wearing McKnight's No. 4 in his final collegiate game less than a month after the death of his mentor. "Honestly, I wanted to be a baseball player and then I saw what he could do with a football and how he could change the view of kids my age with a football in his hand. I know football meant everything to him. It was his life and he made football my life."
"I still watch his games, like he's watching it here with me," said Jennifer McKnight. "That's the Joe I knew, he could see the field, he knew what the coach wanted him to do. I just saw him playing good football like it was supposed to be played."
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