RSS
Home
2009 ESPY Award recipients
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps accetps ESPY Award (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
LOS ANGELES-The 17th annual ESPY Awards took place in Los Angeles tonight to honor the best star athletes and memorable moments in sports from the past year.
Hosted by actor Samuel L. Jackson, the awards ceremony took place at L.A. LIVE's Nokia Theatre.
This year, Olympic champion Michael Phelps ended Tiger Woods' 5-year reign as Best Male Athlete by swimming away with the 2009 title — in addition to Best Record-Breaking Performance, Best Championship Performance, and Best Male Olympian.
Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow won the 2009 Best College Athlete Award to become the only two-time winner in the category (he also won in 2008). Other winners named this year include Lebron James as Best NBA Player, Jimmie Johnson as Best Driver, and Larry Fitzgerald as Best NFL Player.
Cable sports channel ESPN started the ESPY Awards in 1993 by allowing sports fans worldwide to join in an online vote for their favorites in such categories as Best Male Athlete, Best Female Athlete, Best Coach/Manager, and Team of the Year. Unlike most awards shows, the ESPYs are probably most noted for its contribution to charity, as a portion of the proceeds is donated to The V Foundation, named for its founder, Jim Valvano.
The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is another ESPY highlight, honoring an individual for their personal courage or charitable works outside the sports arena, with past winners including such trailblazers as Muhammad Ali and tennis star Billie Jean King.
The ESPY Awards will air on ESPN on Sunday July 19 at 9PM. Click here for complete list of the 2009 ESPY Award recipients.
Related Articles:
Comments
