Minneapolis (Dec. 4, 2017) - Today, Sports Minneapolis, Powered by Meet Minneapolis, announced that Minnesota Twins legend and National Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew will be honored with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Minnesota Sports Awards. The first-ever gala event will take place from 5-9 p.m. at Target Center on Dec. 13. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be one of six awards presented, as part of a celebration of the best of sports in Minnesota.

“Rod Carew is the epitome of a Minnesota sports legend. He’s a seven-time American League batting champion with a lifetime .328 batting average, more than 3,000 hits and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame,” said Melvin Tennant, executive director, Sports Minneapolis and president and CEO, Meet Minneapolis. “He is also beloved by baseball fans and is generous with his time and talents – particularly with the Heart of 29 Campaign, which helps to raise money and awareness for the prevention of heart disease. We are thrilled Rod will be the first recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Fans from across Minnesota were invited to nominate athletes in designated categories to help shine a spotlight on the impact of sports in the state. In addition to the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Minnesota Sports Awards, presented by Sports Minneapolis, will honor Minnesota athletes in the following categories:

· High School Athlete of the Year

· Collegiate Athlete of the Year

· Professional Athlete of the Year

· Courage Award

· Minnesota Sports Moment of the Year Award

The event will also feature well-known, local sports figures such as former Vikings defensive tackle, and Pro Football Hall of Famer, John Randle – who will serve as one of the evening’s emcees alongside Minnesota Wild television play-by-play announcer Anthony LaPanta. Other sports celebrities scheduled* to attend include:

Joe Mauer – Current Twins first baseman and former American League MVP
Justin Morneau – Former American League MVP and former Twins first baseman
Kyndra de St. Aubin – Minnesota United television analyst
Lindsay Whalen – WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx point guard
Manny Lagos – Minnesota United Sporting Director and former Major League Soccer midfielder
Paul Krause – Former Vikings safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer
Ryan Saunders – Timberwolves assistant coach
Tom Reid – Former Minnesota North Stars defenseman and current Minnesota Wild radio analyst
Tony Oliva – Twins legend and former outfielder
Plus current Vikings and Wild players

The Minnesota Sports Awards will include a silent auction, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Positive Coaching Alliance – a nonprofit organization helping people involved in youth and high school sports to “create a positive, character-building youth sports culture.”

FOX Sports North will carry the Minnesota Sports Awards live across multiple digital platforms and debut an hour show with highlights from the event on Thursday, Dec. 28. The regional sports network reaches more than 2.1 million homes throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota.

Individuals interested in attending the Minnesota Sports Awards can purchase tickets starting at $195. Full tables may also be purchased. For more details, visit: www.sportsminneapolis.org/minnesota-sports-awards/ticket-information.

* Appearances by professional athletes may be subject to change.

ABOUT SPORTS MINNEAPOLIS

Sports Minneapolis is focused on recruiting, enhancing and producing sporting events in the Minneapolis area for the benefit of our community. In addition to generating significant estimated economic impact, amateur and professional sports events can help connect the community through sport, fostering health and wellness.

Minneapolis is on a winning streak in securing upcoming major sports events over the last several years, including the Super Bowl LII in 2018, the X Games 2018, 2018 WNBA All-Star Game and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2019, among others. Sports Minneapolis has played a major role in bringing these events to Minneapolis, along with events like Northern Lights Junior Volleyball Qualifier, USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships and many other professional, collegiate and amateur sporting events.

For more information, visit www.sportsminneapolis.org.

ABOUT MEET MINNEAPOLIS

Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based association. It actively promotes and sells the Minneapolis area as a destination for conventions and meetings, works to maximize the visitor experience and markets the city as a desirable tourist destination to maximize the economic benefit to the greater Minneapolis area.

Meet Minneapolis is accredited by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) of the Destinations International.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Kristen Montag, Meet Minneapolis Senior PR and Communications Manager, 612-767-8038, KristenM@minneapolis.org, @Minneapolis_PR on Twitter
Kathy Gerhardt McCarthy, Meet Minneapolis Director of PR and Communications, 612-767-8048, KathyM@minneapolis.org