Paul Hoolahan Quotations

We still think it's doable. But it's obvious we are faced with some formidable challenges. We're not able to use the Superdome and we have to determine what options are available to us.

We're fortunate and appreciative of the fact that the leaders in Atlanta have communicated a willingness to assist the Sugar Bowl in a time of need. Even more so, they have done so with sensitivity to the fact that we're stinging about having to leave Louisiana even if it is for one year.

We want to see if we can coexist. These are questions that no one can effectively answer at this point.

I can't say with any level of confidence today that it won't be played in Baton Rouge.

I give them a tremendous amount of credit. They put the bowl above their own personal problems and made it something special. Everyone from top to bottom was impressed with the job we did. It gave us a feeling that if we could handle this, we can handle just about anything.

We lost some possessions, but they can be replaced. The important thing ? our family ? is OK.

I think it's obvious, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we are faced with some formidable challenges. It's difficult to go forward when you are ejected from your home venue. ... First and foremost in our thinking is that we want - in every way possible - to conduct our event in the state of Louisiana.

I wonder what kind of shape the offices inside the Louisiana Superdome are in after Hurricane Katrina? The valuable things like jewelry, watches, rings, anything they thought they could pawn, all the food and drink, were gone.

We plan to move back eventually. As soon as I get the Sugar Bowl wrapped up, I'll go home and start renovating.

We want to be able to go to the legislators, the mayor and the governor knowing that we did everything humanly possible to make it happen in the state of the Louisiana.

We don't want to hamper the recovery operation in any way. However, we want to see if there is room where we can coexist.

To say that we agonized over this decision would be an understatement. We clearly wanted to play the game in Louisiana and look at every possible alternative.

We've got to figure out what the marketplace will bear. But there is more than a little bit of concern.

The president said he would dedicate the resources necessary to restoring New Orleans. We would like to think the Superdome could become the economic engine of the recovery.

First and foremost in our thinking is that we want in every way possible to try to conduct our event in the state of Louisiana. We would ask LSU if we could use the facility to stage the game - Tiger Stadium obviously. Baton Rouge can handle the game easily.

This was pre-Katrina, absolutely. This was basically involving negotiations with Fox, which is taking over the broadcast.

We are going to continue to talk with city and state officials, everybody who will need to be involved in this process. This is totally about New Orleans.

The Sugar Bowl cup, the original cup, believe it or not, was still there. We quickly left with that.

The Southeastern Conference (which furnishes the host team for the bowl) wanted it played within the (geographic) footprint of the league, and it was only appropriate that it should be.

Actually what we went through last year is going to help us. When we went to Atlanta, we learned how to get a lot done in a relatively short amount of time. We have come so far from where we were. We'll be able to do this.

A lot of people would be ducking to go up on that stage with some of the issues that local people are having with their own insurance companies. These folks are willing to come up and basically take a stand, go up on the podium and say, 'We're here to help, and we want to be a part of the recovery.' ... And that to me takes guts and courage and I think it's a good sign.

There's a lot of uncharted water we'll be trying to navigate. Just creating a new logo that incorporates our new title sponsor is very time-consuming. We're about a month behind, but sometimes it feels like more. In a lot of areas, we're starting from scratch.

It's just a daunting task and we've basically got about 90 days to pull it off. We're going to need a lot of help.

It's a similar situation to many homes in New Orleans. They've got to gut everything inside. They've got to repair the roof. There's a lot of issues.

It was a natural. The city has a lot of experience hosting major sports events, and the Georgia Dome holds the annual SEC Championship Game. Atlanta knows how to get things done logistically.

It will be a high-profile firm. What Fox is seeking for the naming rights is substantial.

It's been a great relationship. Twelve years is a long run and it worked to both of our benefits. You couldn't ask for a better sponsor.

It's being decontaminated right now. Then the engineers can go in and assess the structural issues.

They went on a rampage. They broke down the doors and stole just about everything we had. Interestingly, they didn't take a lot of irreplaceable Sugar Bowl memorabilia. But the place was a mess; before I could enter my office I had to take shots and put on a hazardous-waste suit.

There's way too much equity built into our game to even consider it. That has been understood from the start.