10 Are Sullivan Award Finalists

Charlie Ward, the Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State, is a finalist for an award he knows almost nothing about.

Ward quarterbacked the Seminoles to the 1993 national championship and is one of 10 finalists for the Amateur Athletic Union’s Sullivan Award, presented annually since 1930 to the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete.

The winner will be announced Monday night at the Indiana Convention Center.

The only football players who won the Sullivan, dominated historically by track and field athletes and swimmers, were Army teammates Doc Blanchard in 1945 and Arnold Tucker in 1946.

“I’m very honored, just like with everything,” said Ward, who admitted he never heard of the Sullivan Award until recently.

“I don’t really know the history and background,” he said. “I guess it would be right up there with it (the Heisman). But I’m not a guy who worries about awards. I’m more to winning national championships than individual awards.”

Ward, also the Walter Camp player of the year, passed for more than 3,000 yards and 27 touchdowns and led the Seminoles to their first championship with an 18-16 victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

The other finalists for the Sullivan are Bruce Baumgartner in wrestling; Brian Boitano, figure skating; Gail Devers, track and field; Bobby Hurley, basketball; Dan Jansen, speedskating; Shannon Miller, gymnastics; Dan O’Brien, track and field; Sheryl Swoopes, basketball; and Jenny Thompson, swimming.

Baumgartner, 33, the oldest of the 10, also was a finalist in 1986 and 1992 and won his fourth world championship last summer.

All of the finalists except Boitano and O’Brien are expected to attend the award dinner. Last year’s winner, speedskater Bonnie Blair, will present the trophy.

The voting by more than 2,000 people, including members of the AAU, the U.S. Olympic Committee, past Sullivan winners and selected news media, was for accomplishments in 1993 and was completed before Jansen’s Olympic gold medal at Lillehammer.

“It’s just good to be with all the people who are finalists. You can’t beat that,” Ward said. “The Lord blessed me, and I’m honored to be a part of this. This is a national amateur award. It would be good if I win, but if I don’t, I’m not going to worry about it. . . . I’m not going to feel like I’m not a winner if I don’t win it.”

Ward, also a guard for the Florida State basketball team, said he hasn’t decided which sport he will try to play professionally.

“Hopefully I’ll be drafted (by an NFL team), if the Lord’s willing,” he said. “But I’ve always enjoyed playing basketball as much as football. That’s nothing new. It’s something I’ve always loved to to.”

The first Sullivan Award winner was golfer Bobby Jones. Other winners in recent years included Carl Lewis, Mary Decker, Edwin Moses, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith Joyner and Mike Powell in track and field; Greg Louganis in diving; Jim Abbott in baseball; Janet Evans in swimming; and John Smith in wrestling.

Track and field has had 36 Sullivan winners and swimming 12. No other sport has provided more than two winners.