LSU freshman running back Leonard Fournette was named the winner of the 2013-2014 James J. Corbett Award last Wednesday, becoming the first high school athlete to win the honor.
The Corbett Award is awarded to the top male and female athletes in the state of Louisiana. The recipients of the award are selected by current and former media members of the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee.
During his senior campaign, Fournette rushed for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns. He led St. Augustine High School in New Orleans to a 9-2 record and a semifinal appearance in the Louisiana High School State Football Playoffs. He finished his high school career with 7,619 rushing yards and 88 touchdowns. His prep efforts contributed to him becoming the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect according to ESPN.com.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette softball pitcher Christina Hamilton was named the female recipient of this year’s award. Finishing last season with a 29-4 record, Hamilton was an integral piece of the 49-10-1 Ragin’ Cajuns, who earned a No. 6 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Corbett Award was established in 1967 in honor of the late James J. Corbett, a former Athletic Director at LSU who made numerous contributions to collegiate athletics, most notably toward College Football’s Sugar Bowl. Since its inception, LSU greats Pete Maravich (1968-1969), Bert Jones (1972), Charles Alexander (1978), Chris Jackson (1989) and Shaquille O’Neal (1991-1992) have received the award.
Both Fournette and Hamilton will be recognized at the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Banquet this Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.