A three-sport Blue Jay, All-State football player, Tulane letterman, and longtime leader in the New Orleans community, John P. “Jack” Laborde ’67 has been named Jesuit’s 2026 Legend of the Game. Laborde will be recognized as part of a series of alumni honors surrounding this year’s Jesuit-Holy Cross Rivalry Game, a tradition that holds a special place among his memories of Carrollton & Banks.

“What a sensational thrill to be the 2026 Jesuit Legend for the Holy Cross-Jesuit Rivalry football game,” Laborde said. “To represent the Fighting Blue Jays will be a great honor, and I am excited to be listed with the previous Jesuit Legends, truly outstanding athletes and accomplished community leaders.”

For Laborde, the honor brings him back to a rivalry he experienced firsthand as a student-athlete and to the traditions, teammates, and friendships that helped shape his life well beyond the playing field.

A Blue Jay on the Field

Laborde distinguished himself as a multi-sport athlete during his years at Carrollton & Banks, lettering three years in football, two years in baseball, and two years in track. As captain of the football team, he earned All-State recognition and concluded his senior year as the recipient of the Larry Gilbert Jr. Memorial Award for Best All-Around Athlete and the Coach Edwin W. Torabio Memorial Award, presented to the graduate who best combined scholarship and athletics. He also received the American Legion Award for outstanding leadership.

His contributions extended beyond athletics. Laborde served in Student Council, Cabinet, Sodality, and as a student prefect while holding several class leadership positions, including class president during his senior year. For Laborde, those years are remembered as much for the people as the accomplishments.

“Best of times, best of friends, and great memories,” he said. “I am a Blue Jay and couldn’t be prouder.”

The Rivalry

During Laborde’s playing years, Holy Cross presented a formidable challenge. He remembers the Tigers as talented, physical, and well coached, with an additional wrinkle that made the matchup even more compelling. Jesuit head coach Ken Tarzetti and Holy Cross head coach John Kalbacher were brothers-in-law, two prominent figures in New Orleans high school football whose family connection added another dimension to the rivalry.

Laborde’s Blue Jays never defeated Holy Cross during his playing years, but one game in particular remains vivid more than half a century later. During his senior season, Jesuit faced a Holy Cross team that entered the matchup undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the state, and had yet to allow a point.

“In pregame warm-ups, the Holy Cross players looked big, fast, and strong,” Laborde recalled. “Actually, they were, but the Jays hung in there.”

Jesuit managed something no opponent had accomplished to that point by finding the end zone against the Tigers. The result may not have gone the Blue Jays’ way, but Laborde remembers the game as a lesson in what can happen when teammates compete for one another.

“Special things happen when you play as a family,” he said.

His introduction to Holy Cross competition had actually come years earlier and in another sport. Laborde still remembers the nerves of boarding the school bus as a pre-freshman to play baseball at Holy Cross. The game turned out fine, he joked, but he learned that day “baseball could be a contact sport.”

“Our whole team grew up a notch that day,” he said.

For Laborde, those experiences capture what has allowed the rivalry to endure across generations. “Rivalries and traditions built Jesuit football,” he said, “and we are the true winners at the end of the day.”

From Jesuit to Tulane

Following graduation in 1967, Laborde continued his football career at Tulane University on scholarship. He became a three-year letterman for the Green Wave while earning a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in 1971 and later an M.B.A. in 1973. One of the highlights of his collegiate career came during the 1970 Liberty Bowl, when Tulane defeated Colorado in the program’s first bowl appearance since the 1940 Sugar Bowl.

His connection to Tulane continued long after his playing days. Laborde has served on the Tulane University School of Science & Engineering Board of Advisors and as a past president of Tulane Athletic Alumni. In 2016, the School of Science & Engineering recognized him as its Alumnus of the Year.

Leadership Beyond the Game

The leadership Laborde displayed as a Blue Jay and collegiate athlete carried into a career in the energy industry and decades of service to the New Orleans community. After beginning his professional career with Exxon Co. USA, he held engineering, drilling, production, marketing, planning, and executive positions with several companies before becoming president of All Aboard Development Corporation in 1996.

Laborde has also served numerous civic, educational, athletic, and professional organizations. Among them, he served as president of the Sugar Bowl Committee in 2013 and later as chairman of its executive committee. His service has included leadership with the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Tulane, the New Orleans Country Club, LSU Health Sciences Center Foundation, and numerous other community and professional organizations.

His contributions have earned recognition well beyond the playing field. The Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame presented Laborde with its Distinguished American Award in 2015, and Jesuit named him Alumnus of the Year in 2017. He also reigned as Rex, King of Carnival, in 2014.

Through it all, Laborde has remained connected to Carrollton & Banks, including service on Jesuit’s Athletic Advisory Committee and class and reunion committees.

A Tradition That Lasts

For Laborde, the accomplishments that followed graduation only reinforced the lessons first established during his Blue Jay years. He credits Jesuit with preparing its students to recognize and make the most of opportunities in school, business, and life while instilling an appreciation for family, friendship, teammates, community service, and education.

“I have always been proud to be a graduate of Jesuit and to relate that I attended Jesuit whenever asked,” Laborde said. “The richness of the school’s traditions is well known, and so many of its accomplished graduates live in and contribute to our great city and region. The Jesuit training we received guides us for the rest of our lives.”

Nearly 60 years after he suited up for the Blue Jays, Laborde will once again represent Jesuit in a rivalry that helped shape some of his most lasting memories at Carrollton & Banks. Laborde will be honored as the 2026 Legend of the Game during the Jesuit-Holy Cross Rivalry Game on Friday, October 2, at Tad Gormley Stadium.