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Celebrating Minnesota Sports

The second annual Minnesota Sports Awards gala event took place last week. It was a fantastic night celebrating the accomplishments of athletes, coaches and sports figures from around the state of Minnesota.

In all, Sports Minneapolis hosted more than 500 people at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 24th. As was the case last year, this year’s Minnesota Sports Awards show was emceed by Vikings legend Ahmad Rashad, alongside FOX Sports North’s Anthony LaPanta and Lea B. Olsen. The event was streamed live by FOX Sports North (watch here), and viewers can tune in on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. to watch a replay of the awards show.

The event was successful on several fronts. Below are just a few of the highlights:

  • There were 20,000+ live stream viewers through FOX Sports North
  • We raised the profile of Sports Minneapolis and Meet Minneapolis in the local community
  • We supported The Sanneh Foundation, a non-profit organization with goals that align with those of Sports Minneapolis
  • We featured some of the best sports stories from the past year in Minnesota, with a specific focus on community involvement in addition to athletic achievement
  • We attracted event attendees who do not regularly interact with Sports Minneapolis

Our honorees for the evening are below:

High School Athlete of the Year
Loli Fidler, Edina High School
Owen King, Caledonia High School

Collegiate Athlete of the Year
Sidney Peters, University of Minnesota
Obsa Ali, University of Minnesota

Professional Athlete of the Year
Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Lynx

Coach of the Year
Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings

Sports Moment of the Year
Cretin-Derham Hall Buzzer Beater Dunk

Courage Award
Collin Martin, Minnesota UFC

Star Tribune’s Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame
Sid Hartman, Star Tribune


In addition to celebrating the rich sports traditions we cherish in Minnesota, a portion of the proceeds of the Minnesota Sports Awards help to fuel our future sports marketing efforts. Recruiting sports events is becoming more and more competitive, and Sports Minneapolis requires the resources to be successful.

We hope you’ll join us next year for our annual Minnesota Sports Awards, and please stay tuned for more news on Sports Minneapolis’ expanded board and new resources development initiatives.