‘Was there anyone else?’ John Schlarman is the 2020 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.
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2020 Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year
Click here to read all of our stories and watch our video unveiling the winner of the Lexington Herald-Leader’s 40th annual Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award.
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In a year when a cruel pandemic disrupted daily life and American political discourse was coarse and divisive, people turned to sports seeking uplift.
John Schlarman’s determination in the face of adversity provided that.
The University of Kentucky football assistant built an offensive line that was one of the best in college football in 2020. Off the field, Schlarman battled with unrelenting grit against a cancer that would ultimately take his life.
For those reasons, John Schlarman has been voted the 2020 Lexington Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year by media members, current and retired, from across the commonwealth.
“In a year that cried for somebody of courage, persistence and character, John Schlarman taught us unforgettable life lessons,” wrote Rick Bozich of WDRB.com in Louisville.
Added Louisville Cardinals radio play-by-play announcer Paul Rogers: “(Schlarman’s) dedication to his players and his school were what coaching is (or should be) all about.”
In becoming the 40th Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year, Schlarman was a decisive victor. Out of 153 ballots submitted, Schlarman received 76 first-place votes.
His 435-point margin over the runner-up in voting, UK women’s basketball star Rhyne Howard, was the largest in the past four years.
Howard, the nation’s second-leading scorer (23.4 points per game) and the 2019-20 SEC Player of the Year, was seeking to become the first women’s basketball player to win the Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award. Instead, she joined former UK star Valerie Still (1982) and ex-Louisville All-American Angel McCoughtry (2009) in finishing second.
Of Howard, retired Lexington sports media executive Jim Host wrote “(she is) probably the greatest player in UK women’s basketball history.”
Rounding out the top five in the voting were Los Angeles Lakers big man and former Kentucky star Anthony Davis; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and former Henry Clay High School star Walker Buehler; and retiring Trinity High School football coach Bob Beatty.
Schlarman was the top vote-getter among participating media members in Lexington, Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky. He finished second among Louisville voters.
Beatty, who led Trinity to 15 state championships in his 21 years as Shamrocks coach, was the votes leader among Louisville media members.
The ex-Trinity head man is “one of the greatest football coaches this state has ever seen,” wrote the Courier Journal’s Dominique Yates. “Fifteen state titles in 21 years is something we may never see again.”
In the summer of 2018, Schlarman was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the bile ducts. Rather than concede an inch to the potentially fatal disease, Schlarman — with the approval of Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops and the UK administration — chose to continue living his regular life.
For the following three football seasons, through cancer treatments and mounting physical challenges, Schlarman coached his guys.
During UK’s 2018 season, “The Big Blue Wall” opened holes for Benny Snell as he became Kentucky’s all-time leading rusher and the Wildcats won 10 games.
In 2019, the Kentucky offensive line blocked for Lynn Bowden as the wide receiver-turned-quarterback led the SEC in rushing.
This past season, as the Wildcats earned their third straight bowl victory, UK offensive linemen Drake Jackson, Darian Kinnard and Landon Young each received All-SEC honors. Kinnard was named Third-Team All-America by The Associated Press.
For the third time in five years, Schlarman’s line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, signifying the best offensive line in the country.
“There used to be a widely held opinion that Kentucky football could never succeed in the SEC by running the football,” wrote Jeff Drummond of CatsIllustrated.com. “The skeptics suggested the Cats could never recruit and develop the type of linemen needed to consistently play smash-mouth football. John Schlarman helped shatter that myth and establish a new identity for the program built on tough, physical offensive line play.”
Writes Conor Revell of The Louisville Catholic Sports Network: “Without Schlarman, does Benny Snell happen? Does Lynn Bowden happen?”
Midway through the 2020 season, Schlarman’s condition became dire. His last game with the Kentucky team was Oct. 17, UK’s 34-7 beatdown of Tennessee in Knoxville.
On Nov. 12, Schlarman — a married father of four — died.
The Fort Thomas Highlands product was 45.
Two days later, in Kentucky’s ensuing game against Vanderbilt, the Wildcats began the contest with a missing man at left guard — Schlarman’s position as a UK player from 1994-97.
“Greatest moment of the year was seeing UK line up without a left guard,” wrote Princeton sportswriter Todd Griffin of YourSportsEdge.com. “An incredible moment.”
For the on-field success of the players he coached and the off-field determination he showed while battling for his life, Schlarman became the first assistant coach from any sport to win Sports Figure of the Year honors.
“A no-brainer,” wrote Camille Gear of Hazard’s WYMT-TV.
Adds Maggie Davis of WLEX-TV: “Was there anyone else?”
John Schlarman is the 2020 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 9:11 AM.
