James E. Sullivan Award
American amateur athletics award
AAU James E. Sullivan Award Awarded for The most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the U.S. who demonstrates qualities of leadership, citizenship, character and sportsmanship on and off the field. Country United States Presented by Amateur Athletic Union First awarded 1930 Currently held by Caitlin Clark Website aausullivan .org
The AAU James E. Sullivan Award , presented by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), is awarded annually to "the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the United States".[ 1] [ a]
The award was established in 1930 in honor of the organization's founder and past president, James Edward Sullivan . Based on the qualities of leadership, character, and sportsmanship, the AAU Sullivan Award "goes far beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character".[ 1] Finalists are selected from public nominations following a review by the AAU Sullivan Award Executive Committee.[ 2] Approximately 10 semi-finalists are chosen,[ 2] and the eventual winner is determined by votes from various members of the nationwide news media, former winners and AAU personnel.[ 3] [ 4] More recently, a portion of the winner's vote has been determined by the general public.[ 5] [ 6] Recipients are eligible for subsequent awards, and in 2023, Caitlin Clark became the first repeat winner.[ 2] [ 7] In 1999, 2015, 2019, and 2020, the award was shared between two co-recipients.
The inaugural winner of the award was golfer Bobby Jones , winner of 13 majors between 1923 and 1930.[ 8] [ 9] The first female recipient, in 1944, was swimmer Ann Curtis , who won more national AAU championships than any other woman.[ 10] 34 track and field athletes have won the AAU Sullivan Award—the most by any sport.
Winners
Notes
References
^ a b "The Sullivan Award – Overview" . Amateur Athletic Union . Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b c "Guidelines for nomination of an amateur athlete" . Amateur Athletic Union . Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2010 .
^ a b "John Naber wins Sullivan Award" . Tri-City Herald . February 7, 1978. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b "Pat McCormick Named Sullivan Award Winner" . St. Petersburg Times . January 15, 1957. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Scott, Roxanna (April 8, 2009). "Beijing Olympians highlight Sullivan ballot" . USA Today . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2010 .
^ a b c d "Redick beats out Young, Bush for Sullivan Award" . ESPN. April 13, 2006. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b "Iowa's Caitlin Clark first 2-time winner of Sullivan Award" . ESPN . April 24, 2024. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024 .
^ "Robert T. Jones" . Amateur Athletic Union . Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "The History of the AAC" . BBC Sport. August 10, 2001. Archived from the original on July 12, 2004. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Ann Curtis" . Amateur Athletic Union . Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b c d Freeman, Rick (April 13, 2004). "Phelps joins prestigious Sullivan list" . USA Today . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Bernard Ernst Berlinger" . University of Pennsylvania Archives. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "James Bausch" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Glenn Cunningham" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Edward Seldon Sears (2001). Running Through The Ages . McFarland & Company. p. 205. ISBN 0-7864-0971-1 .
^ "USGA Acquires Sullivan Award From Family Of Champ Lawson Little Jr" . United States Golf Association . May 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Glenn Morris" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Schwartz, Larry. "In big matches, he wouldn't budge" . ESPN. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Don Lash" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on August 25, 2005. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Former Penn Rower Joe Burk Passes Away" . University of Pennsylvania Athletics. January 14, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2010 .
^ a b c "Wrestler locks up Sullivan" . St. Petersburg Times . March 12, 1991. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .[permanent dead link ]
^ "Leslie MacMitchell, 85; First Undergrad to Win Sullivan Award" . Los Angeles Times . March 31, 2006. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Cornelius (Dutch) Warmerdam" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ McGowen, Roscoe (December 30, 1943). "Dodds Takes Sullivan Trophy in Poll of Sports Leaders by A.A.U." The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "The International Swimming Hall of Fame's Timeline of Women's Swimming History" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "USOC seeks nominations for Jack Kelly Fair Play Award" . Beijing Olympics 2008. May 25, 2007. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Bob Mathias" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b Freeman, Rick (March 18, 2003). "Hughes skates to Sullivan honor" . USA Today . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2010 .
^ "On the Button" . BBC Sport. January 11, 2002. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Fred Wilt" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "The 50 Greatest Illinois Sports Figures" . Sports Illustrated . December 27, 1999. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Horace Ashenfelter" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Dr. Sammy Lee (USA) – 1968 Honor Diver" . International Swimming Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Mal (Marvelous Mal) Whitfield" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Harrison Dillard" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Bobby Morrow" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Glenn Davis" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "William (Parry) O'Brien" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Rafer Johnson" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Wilma Rudolph" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Jim Beatty" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Thomas Jr., Robert McG. (September 29, 1993). "John Pennel, First Pole-Vaulter To Clear 17 Feet, Is Dead at 53" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Mason, Emily (November 2005). "Still Kicking" . Swimming World Magazine . Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Jim Ryun" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Randy Matson" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Kirshenbaum, Jerry (August 31, 1970). "Now Look Who's An Old Lady" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Reed, William F. (September 12, 1971). "The Ineligible Married Man" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Field, Mike (September 10, 1979). "Channeling His Energy" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Frank Shorter" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Putnam, Pat (February 16, 1976). "Wohlhuter's Better Half" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Cazeneuve, Brian (December 8, 2003). "Tim Shaw, Olympic Swimmer" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Buzz Bissinger (June 1, 2015). "Introducing Caitlyn Jenner" . Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2015 .
^ "Jenner named to USATF Foundation Board of Directors" . USA Track & Field. June 12, 2007. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Tracy Caulkins Super Scholarship" . University of Florida Foundation. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b c Hanashiro, Robert (April 16, 2009). "Gymnast, TV dancer Shawn Johnson wins Sullivan Award" . USA Today . Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Eric Heiden wins Sullivan Award" . Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . February 3, 1981. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Sullivan award to Carl Lewis" . The New York Times . February 16, 1982. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Mary Slaney (Decker)" . USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (July 30, 1984). "The Man Who Never Loses" . Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Flatter, Ron. "Louganis never lost drive to dive" . ESPN. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Benoit-Samuelson Is Named Winner of Sullivan Award" . Los Angeles Times . February 25, 1986. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b "Sports people: Track and field; Griffith Joyner Gets Sullivan Award" . The New York Times . March 7, 1989. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Pulliam, Kent (March 8, 1988). "Jim Abbott shocked after winning Sullivan" . The Miami News . Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Munoz, Theresa (March 3, 1992). "Powell Wins the Sullivan Award" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ a b "Plus: Amateur sports – Sullivan Award; Holdsclaw Gains Top Honor" . The New York Times . February 19, 1999. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Speedskater Dan Jansen Wins Sullivan Award" . Los Angeles Times . February 28, 1995. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Baumgartner wins Sullivan Award" . The New York Times . March 5, 1996. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Johnson is top amateur" . The New York Times . March 15, 1997. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Brill, Lauren. "Sisters First, Opponents Second for Miller Twins" . Women's National Basketball Association . Archived from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Gardner Wins Sullivan Award" . Los Angeles Times . April 17, 2001. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ Doogan, Brian (May 6, 2007). "America's finest" . The Times . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Heisman winner Tebow named winner of 78th Sullivan Award" . ESPN. April 2, 2008. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010 .
^ "Amy Palmiero-Winters wins Sullivan Award" . USA Today . April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 19, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010 .
^ "Evan Lysacek wins Sullivan Award for top amateur athlete" . USA Today . March 15, 2011. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011 .
^ "Andrew Rodriguez Wins Sullivan Award" . US Military Academy . March 20, 2012. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012 .
^ "Missy Franklin" . Amateur Athletic Union . Retrieved June 10, 2013 .[permanent dead link ]
^ "John Urschel" . aausports.org. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014 .
^ Lesmerises, Doug (April 19, 2015). "Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott wins Sullivan Award as top amateur athlete" . cleveland.com . Plain Dealer . Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015 .
^ "Keenan Reynolds Named Co-Winner of 2016 Sullivan Award" . www.navysports.com . Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016 .
^ "Carlini wins Sullivan Award" . www.uwbadgers.com . April 11, 2017. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017 .
^ "Ohio State wrestling champion Kyle Snyder wins Sullivan Award" . ESPN . April 19, 2018. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018 .
^ "Stanford's Kathryn Plummer wins Sullivan Award as top amateur athlete in US" . San Francisco Chronicle . April 16, 2019. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019 .
^ "Sabrina Ionescu & Spencer Lee Crowned 90th AAU James E. Sullivan Award Co-Winners Presented by Eastbay" (Press release). Amateur Athletic Union. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020 .
^ Rieder, David (October 22, 2021). "Caeleb Dressel Announced as Recipient of James E. Sullivan Award" . Swimming World . Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2021 .
^ "Olympic Gold Medalist Carissa Moore Wins the 92nd AAU James E. Sullivan Award" (Press release). Amateur Athletic Union. December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022 .
^ "Iowa Basketball Star Caitlin Clark Wins 93rd AAU James E. Sullivan Award" (Press release). Amateur Athletic Union. September 19, 2023. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2023 .
External links