(LSU/Steve Franz)
MALE ATHLETE OF THE
YEAR
JaMarcus Russell
Football
If there ever was a no-brainer,
this is definitely it. JaMarcus Russell’s performance in the 2006 LSU football
season was nothing short of amazing.
Everyone knew his potential when he
arrived, but Russell delivered in a big way in 2006. Leading the SEC passing
efficiency, Russell completed 232 of 342 passes (67.8-percent) for 3,129 yards,
28 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Starting all 13 games for the
Tigers, Russell registered an eye-popping 167.03 quarterback rating on the
season.
Throughout his career at LSU,
Russell had a knack for rallying the Tigers when they were down. Russell
engineered eight fourth quarter or overtime comeback victories with the Tigers,
including six times when LSU put points on the board with less than two minutes
left to either win the game or extend the contest to overtime.
Russell capped his career ranked
No. 2 in school history in passing touchdowns with 52 and completion percentage
(61.9). He also ranks No. 3 in LSU history in completions (493), passing yards
(6,625) and total offense (6,704) and he’s fourth in attempts (797).
Russell’s crowing achievement was a
21 of 34 performance against Notre Dame in the 2007 Sugar Bowl. Russell passed
for a career-high 332 yards and overshadowed the Fighting Irish’s Brady Quinn,
the player many thought would be the NFL’s top prospect.
Russell became the fifth LSU
athlete to be selected with the top overall pick in a professional draft joining
Billy Cannon, Shaquille O’Neal, Ben McDonald and Seimone Augustus. The Oakland Raiders selected Russell No. 1 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Runners Up:
LaRon Landry (Football) – One of a few
players ever to start all four seasons for the Tigers, Landry was named an
all-American following the 2007 Sugar Bowl and was the sixth pick in the NFL Draft by the
Redskins.
Trindon Holliday (Track/Football) –
Responsible for the “play of the year” on the football field with a brilliant
kickoff return at Arkansas. However, he was probably more
impressive on the track.
Glenn Dorsey (Football) – Pretty sure
Dorsey gets the nod next year as top male athlete. Listed on everyone’s
all-American list, a stress fracture kept Dorsey out of the NFL Draft. Could be
a top five pick next year's draft.
Ken Skupski (Tennis) - Skupski’s exploits on the tennis courts
are well-documented. The three-time all-American will go down as one of LSU’s
best-ever.