The Top 10: It came down to a battle between Lynn Bowden, Lamar Jackson and Ja Morant
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2019 Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year
Click here to read all of our stories and watch all of our videos unveiling the winner of the Lexington Herald-Leader’s 39th annual Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award.
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The top 10 finishers in voting for the 2019 Lexington Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award:
Did you know? The wide receiver whose shift to quarterback saved the 2019 Kentucky Wildcats football season finished the year with an SEC-leading 1,468 rushing yards. Even though Bowden spent the first five games of the season as a slot receiver, he ran for more yards in 2019 than eight FBS teams did, including Stanford (1,266), Purdue (999), Washington State (885) and West Virginia (879).
What the voters said:
1. “(With Bowden), we were all witness to one of the greatest individual efforts in the history of Southeastern Conference football. Not just UK football — the SEC.” — Dick Gabriel, WLAP-AM 630, WKYT-TV, Lexington
2. “(Bowden) had to save a football season not only by making the midseason move from receiver to quarterback, but he had to also become the emotional leader of a team in distress. For him to lead the SEC in rushing despite every opposing team knowing UK was going to run the ball is one of the more amazing feats I’ve seen in my 45 years covering sports.” — Larry Vaught, Vaughtsviews.com, Danville
Making Sports Figure history: The 91 first-place votes (out of 169 voters) Bowden received is the third-highest total in the 39-year history of the award. Only 2015 winner American Pharoah (141 out of 163) and 2016 winner Lamar Jackson (114 out of 157) have gotten more first-place votes.
Did you know? In the 2019 NFL season — for which the former Louisville Cardinals quarterback is expected to become the first Baltimore Ravens player ever to win the league MVP award — Jackson personally accounted for 43 touchdowns. He threw for an NFL-best 36 TDs, while running for seven scores. Seventeen NFL teams scored fewer TDs in 2019 than Jackson accounted for individually.
What the voters said:
1. “The freakishly talented Jackson is about as far as you can get from Johnny Unitas, but if he puts together more seasons like this, he’ll join his fellow former U of L quarterback in (the NFL Hall of Fame in) Canton.” — Mark Sonka, The Blood Horse, Lexington
2. “Come on, University of Louisville: (Jackson is) a Heisman Trophy winner who is now the hottest talent in the NFL. Order that Cardinal Stadium statue today.” — Terry Meiners, WHAS-AM 840, Louisville
Making Sports Figure history: The second-place finish for Jackson, a Pompano Beach, Fla., product, equaled the highest ever for a professional athlete who did not grow up in Kentucky. Ex-UK basketball player Tayshaun Prince, a Compton, Calif., product, also finished second in 2004 behind winner Stefan LeFors, then the University of Louisville quarterback.
Did you know? When the electrifying Murray State sophomore — an AP First Team All-American and winner of the Bob Cousy Award signifying the nation’s best point guard — produced a triple-double (17 points, 16 assists, 11 rebounds) in the Racers’ NCAA Tournament upset of Marquette, it was the first such performance in the Big Dance since Michigan State’s Draymond Green (24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists) against LIU Brooklyn in 2012.
What the voters said:
1. “Ja is probably the most exciting college basketball player I’ve ever watched in person.” Josh Moore, Lexington Herald-Leader
2. “(Morant) went from WHO? to a national phenom in the blink of an eye thanks to constant SportsCenter highlight plays. Devastating court vision and can hit another level at crunch time like no player I’ve seen.” — Neal Bradley, Murray State Racers radio play-by-play announcer
Making Sports Figure history: Morant is the first Murray State men’s basketball player ever to finish in the Top 10. Ex-Racers star Popeye Jones was 11th three straight years in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Did you know? By allowing only one run in two starts, Buehler showed during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2019 National League playoffs appearance that he has become the L.A. pitching ace. The Henry Clay High School product made hometown history in 2019, too. When Buehler (14-4, 3.26 ERA, 215 strikeouts) was chosen for the All-Star Game, he became the first player both born in Lexington and who finished his high school years here to earn that distinction.
What the voters said:
1. “A historically brilliant regular and postseason performance — and it’s only his second year. Cy Young awaits the former Blue Devil.” — Mary Jo Perino, WLEX-TV, Lexington
2. “With an all-Kentucky battery (catcher Will Smith is from Louisville), Buehler was the ace for baseball’s best team.” — Kent Taylor, WAVE-TV, Louisville
Making Sports Figure history: Buehler’s fourth-place finish is the highest for a major league baseball player since ex-UK pitcher and Franklin-Simpson product Joe Blanton was sixth in 2008.
Did you know? The second-leading all-time scorer in Louisville Cardinals women’s basketball history (2,485 career points) and winner of both the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (nation’s top shooting guard) and the Dawn Staley Award (outstanding collegiate guard) in 2019, Durr made more three-point baskets (374) in her career than any other ACC women’s hoops player.
What the voters said:
1. “(Durr had) an incredible career at U of L, innumerable accomplishments and (is) a great ambassador for women’s basketball.” — Mark Blankenbaker, The Crunch Zone, WHBE-AM 680, Louisville
2. “(Durr) hit a school-record 11 three-pointers en route to matching her own school record, 47 points, in a Senior Night win over North Carolina State. It was the most impressive individual effort on a basketball court I’ve seen in person.” — Nick Curran, Louisville Bats, U of L women’s basketball radio play-by-play announcer
Making Sports Figure history: Also fifth in the voting for 2018, Durr is the first women’s college basketball player to finish in the top five twice.
Did you know? After inheriting a 2-10 team and producing an 8-5 season that concluded with a 38-28 win over Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl, first-year Louisville football coach Satterfield presided over the third-greatest one-year improvement in FBS football in 2019. Only Navy (plus-8 after going from 3-10 to 11-2) and Central Michigan (plus-7 after going from 1-11 to 8-6) had more dramatic turnarounds than U of L’s plus-6.
What the voters said:
1. “It wasn’t perfect, but the turnaround (in Louisville football) didn’t take nearly as long as anyone expected.” — Jody Demling, CardinalAuthority.com, WHAS-AM 840, Louisville
2. (Satterfield) might have done the best coaching job in college football this year.” — Dominique Yates, Courier Journal, Louisville
Making Sports Figure history: Satterfield is the third U of L football coach to crack the top 10 in voting after his first season, following Ron Cooper (10th in 1995) and John L. Smith (fourth in 1998).
Did you know? Cheek’s banner 2019 did not end with the Kentucky Wildcats softball star (.436 batting average, 20 home runs, 53 RBI) being named the National Player of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association. In her first professional season last summer, Cheek hit .378 for the Chicago Bandits to lead National Pro Fastpitch in hitting and earn Rookie of the Year honors.
What the voters said:
1. “(Cheek) is the best ever to play softball at UK, which is a major achievement in what has turned into an elite program.” — T.J. Walker, WXVW-AM 1450, Louisville/Jeffersonville, Ind.
2. “Abbey Cheek was a dominant and enjoyable-to-watch player for Kentucky softball over the years. She left her mark on the program with multiple records broken.” — Chris Leach, The Anderson News, Lawrenceburg
Making Sports Figure history: Cheek is the first college softball player ever to finish in the top 10 in voting.
Did you know? When Kentucky rallied past Virginia Tech to win the Belk Bowl 37-30 and complete an 8-5 season, it made Stoops 44-44 overall as UK head coach. Stoops now needs three wins to pass Fran Curci (46-52-2) for second on the all-time Kentucky football coaching wins list and 17 victories to move past Bear Bryant (60-23-5) as the winningest coach in school history.
What the voters said:
1. “Despite key departures and injuries, Mark Stoops was able to lead Kentucky to its fourth straight winning season, all while redshirting every single player in the freshman class. That’s a sign of a program — not just a team — on the rise.” — Tyler Thompson, KentuckySportsRadio.com
2. “(Stoops) is showing how good a head coach he is by continuing to develop talent while also being willing to make difficult decisions — like going with a wide receiver at quarterback.” — Keith Farmer, WLEX-TV, Lexington
Making Sports Figure history: Fourth in 2018, Stoops is the first UK football coach to make the top 10 in back-to-back years since Rich Brooks in 2006 (sixth) and 2007 (seventh).
Did you know? In addition to sweeping every major national Freshman of the Year award after a stellar first season (16.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 assists) for Kentucky, Howard was also the leading scorer (13 ppg) for the gold medal-winning Team USA in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
What the voters said:
1. “Rhyne Howard is on the road to being the top player in women’s college basketball.” — Mike Cameron, WLXG-AM 1300, Lexington
2. “(Howard) was the best freshman in women’s college basketball and, possibly, the best basketball player on UK’s campus.” — Roman West, Winchester Sun
Making Sports Figure history: Howard is the first women’s college basketball player ever to crack the top 10 in voting for their freshman season.
10. LEAH EDMOND
Did you know? In addition to being named SEC Player of the Year for a second straight season, the Kentucky Wildcats volleyball star (4.42 kills, 2.23 digs a set as an outside hitter) was named First Team All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Also a First Team AVCA All-America choice in 2017, Edmond is the first UK player to be a two-time, First Team All-American.
What the voters said:
1. “The outstanding outside hitter is the best to ever play her position at the University of Kentucky.” — Nick Roush, KentuckySportsRadio.com
2. “Maybe the most dominant UK athlete to fly under the radar in the state, thanks to playing in the shadow of the basketball and football programs. People will appreciate what (Edmond) did years down the road and kick themselves for not paying more attention when it happened.” — Scott Brown, WKDZ-FM 106.5, Cadiz
Making Sports Figure history: Edmond is the first college volleyball player ever to make the top 10 in voting.
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 9:12 AM.
