The Bowerman Award

THE BOWERMAN TROPHY In its first iteration, weighing over 35 pounds and standing at 20 inches tall and 20 inches wide, the body of the trophy is milled from a solid block of aluminum and plated with 18-karat gold. An acrylic fin is attached at the top portion of the trophy embossed with a three-dimensional image of Bowerman. One of the most unique, and telling, characteristics of the trophy is its use of a rubber, waffleshaped outsole for its bottom layer, a tribute to Bowerman’s invention of the waffle-shaped shoe sole.

The Bowerman trophy is a stunning, one-of-a-kind figure that embodies the spirit of Bill Bowerman, combining aspects of speed, shape and asymmetry to forge a symbol of excellence in track and field.

Bowerman THE

AWARD

WHAT IS THE BOWERMAN?

Now in its sixth year of existence, The Bowerman is collegiate track and field’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in college football and is presented annually by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association to the top athlete at the collegiate level on the men’s and women’s sides. It is presented annually as part of the USTFCCCA National Convention.

The USTFCCCA publishes a “watch list” of 10 men and 10 women under consideration for The Bowerman during the collegiate season each year. The Bowerman Advisory Board then finalizes a list of 10 semifinalists for both genders following the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships before announcing three finalists during the summer.

The Bowerman voters consist of national and regional media personnel, track and field statisticians, NCAA collegiate administrators and presidents of affiliated organizations. In addition, USTFCCCA members collectively receive one (1) vote and fans collectively receive one (1) vote in voting for The Bowerman each year. WHO IS BILL BOWERMAN?

Bill Bowerman’s legacy in track and field is undeniable. He served as the University of Oregon’s head track and field coach from 1949-72 and remained active at the University and in the coaching world even as the shoe company he founded, Nike, grew into a global sports giant.

A University of Oregon graduate, Bowerman returned to his alma mater as its head track and field and cross country coach in 1948. Over the next 23 years, the Ducks experienced new levels of success, winning four national championships and twice finishing as the national runner-up. Bowerman’s athletes were equally as successful as he coached 24 NCAA individual champions, 33 Olympians and 64 AllAmericans, and athletes who have achieved 13 world records and 23 American records.

Bowerman’s contributions extend far beyond the University of Oregon. Bowerman served as the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association’s (NCTCA) vice president in 1958-59 and took the helm as its president in 1959-60. The NCTCA is one of several predecessor organizations that now form the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Bowerman also served as the head track and field coach for the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and played a leading role in Eugene’s successful bids to host the 1972, 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Although Bowerman’s tenure at Oregon is long over, his impact on the University, on track and field and on the global sports arena continues to be felt. For his numerous contributions to the sport of track and field and to the coaching profession, Bowerman was an inaugural inductee into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 1995.

Note: This information has been compiled from the official website of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association at www.ustfccca.org.

LSU AND THE BOWERMAN WATCH LIST 2011 Semoy Hackett 2011 Walter Henning 2016 Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake 2017 Aleia Hobbs 2018 Mikiah Brisco 2019 Kortnei Johnson 2020 Tonea Marshall 2020 JuVaughn Harrison

LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan made history in 2012 as she became the first SEC athlete in the The Bowerman’s existence to win the award honoring the premier athlete in collegiate track and field. She also made history as the first two-time finalist in the history of the award after being honored among the nation’s elite for the first time in 2011.

Duncan was announced as the women’s recipient of The Bowerman following the 2012 season as she was joined by two other finalists in Arizona high jumper Brigetta Barrett and Oregon heptathlete Brianne Theisen. Distance runner Cam Levins of Southern Utah was honored as the men’s recipient of The Bowerman as a highlight of the 2012 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Convention held at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida.

LSU’s Sha’Carri Richardson became the first freshman in The Bowerman’s 11-year history to win the award in 2019 at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida. Richardson was announced as the winner of The Bowerman over Florida’s Yanis David and Arkansas’ Janeek Brown. Richardson is the third female athlete from the SEC to win The Bowerman joining the likes of LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan (2012) and Georgia’s Keturah Orji (2018).

Richardson cemented her status as one of the all-time greats in collegiate track and field with her performance at the 2019 NCAA Championships in June at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. She scored a total of 20 points for LSU to earn High Point Scorer of the Meet honors and lead LSU to a third-place team finish all while setting a plethora of records.

She ran a 10.75, let us repeat that, a 10.75 in the 100 meter finals to win her first NCAA title and set the collegiate record. Only eight women in world history have run faster than 10.75 and Richardson did that as a freshman. The three fastest runners in NCAA history over 100 meters belong to LSU with Richardson’s 10.75, Dawn Sowell’s 10.78 in 1989, and Aleia Hobbs’ 10.85 in 2017.

Winners of The Bowerman also include Oregon’s Galen Rupp (2009) and Ashton Eaton (2010), Florida State’s Ngoni Makusha (2011), Levins (2012), Indiana’s Derek Drouin (2013), Texas A&M’s Deon Lendore (2014), Florida’s Marquis Dendy (2015), Arkansas’ Jarrion Lawson (2016), Tennessee’s Christian Coleman (2017), USC’s Michael Norman (2018), and Grant Holloway (Florida) in 2019 on the men’s side; and Prandini (2015), Texas’ Courtney Okolo (2016), Oregon’s Raevyn Rogers (2017), and Georgia’s Keturah Orji in 2018 on the women’s side. SEMIFINALISTS 2010 2013 2015 2018 2019

Walter Henning Kimberlyn Duncan Vernon Norwood Aleia Hobbs JuVaughn Harrison FINALISTS 2011 2012 2019 2019 Kimberlyn Duncan Kimberlyn Duncan* Sha’Carri Richardson * - Denotes winner of The Bowerman

Colorado’s Jenny Barringer (2009), Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison (2010), Beard Duncan was joined on stage by LSU head coach Dennis Shaver following The Bowerman (2011), Clemson’s Brianna Rollins (2013), Oregon’s Laura Roesler (2014) and Jenna Ceremony at the 2012 USTFCCCA National Convention. Mondo Duplantis 2021 TRACK & FIELD RECORD BOOK 5