Washington’s Biggest Night Out for Sports
Watch the 89th Annual Sports Star of the Year Awards Show presented by Microsoft
Saturday, March 9 at 7:00pm
Sunday, March 10 at 8:30pm on KONG
Saturday, March 23 at 3:30pm on KING 5 / KING 5+
Sunday, March 24 at 3:00pm on KONG
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Created by legendary sports editor, Royal Brougham, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1935, the Sports Star of the Year Awards Show (Sports Star) has celebrated the achievements of Washington sports for nine decades.
Featuring a pre-show reception and live awards show, Sports Star has historically filled the ballrooms of Seattle’s finest hotels and theaters. Showcasing the athletes, coaches, and community members behind the most memorable sports stories, Sports Star is Washington's biggest night out for sports. Previous winners and special guests include Sue Bird, Gary Payton, Steve Largent, Doris Brown Heritage, Ken Griffey Jr., Apolo Ohno, Paul G. Allen, Kelsey Plum, Stefan Frei, and more.
For the 89th iteration, athletic achievements of 2023 will be emphasized in the Sports Star and Sports Story Awards, as will milestones that catapulted Washington sports into global headlines.
“It was an incredible year to be a sports fan in Seattle,” said Seattle Sports Commission President and CEO Beth Knox. “From MLB All-Star Week and NCAA Women’s Basketball Super Regionals to the culmination of Megan Rapinoe’s career with the Reign, we plan to draw the energy and atmosphere into one giant sports party for our community.”
Several championship teams were featured in this year’s event, including the Seahawks 2014 Super Bowl win, 20 years of Starfire, 25 years of Seattle Storm, and Seattle Sounders FC entering its 50th season.
What You Missed at Sports Star
If you missed the Sports Star of the Year Awards Show on February 15, here are some of the details you won’t see in the broadcast.
Get to Know the Sports Star History
For nearly nine decades, the Sports Star of the Year Awards has celebrated Washington’s vibrant sports community.
Upcoming Events
With the help of our partners and the sports community, the Greater Seattle Region will be hosting a variety of exciting sports events, including:
2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, June 20-23 | Sahalee Country Club
2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds, March 2025 | Climate Pledge Arena
FIFA World Cup 26™, Summer 2026 | Lumen Field
Learn about Rise Above
This year’s recipient of the Sports Equity and Inclusion Award presented by Bank of America uses the power of sports to empower youth.
Join the Sports Star Interest List
Never miss an update! From Honoree announcements to event details, be among the first to know as we start planning for the 90th Annual Sports Star.
Congratulations to this year’s winners!
![Michael Penix Jr. wins Sports Star of the Year, Men's Sports Award presented by Snoqualmie Casino [photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/71586bba-efd5-406d-9ea0-ac8ac8cd739e/24SSC_SSY-010.jpg)
Michael Penix Jr. wins Sports Star of the Year, Men's Sports Award presented by Snoqualmie Casino [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![Jewell Loyd wins Sports Star of the Year, Women's Sports Award presented by T-Mobile
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/ff625666-b038-4ccc-a308-95bd420a64fb/24SSC_SSY-004.jpg)
Jewell Loyd wins Sports Star of the Year, Women's Sports Award presented by T-Mobile [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![Seattle Reign FC Head Coach Laura Harvey wins Sports Leader of the Year Award presented by SSC Foundation
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/90ba1433-0f4c-462d-996a-f5a2ab201365/24SSC_SSY-001.jpg)
Seattle Reign FC Head Coach Laura Harvey wins Sports Leader of the Year Award presented by SSC Foundation [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![UW Football wins Sports Story of the Year Award presented by MTRWestern
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/8d362367-9c65-4557-a7c7-eb625fbc5e20/24SSC_SSY-011.jpg)
UW Football wins Sports Story of the Year Award presented by MTRWestern [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![Doug Baldwin Jr., Dennis Erickson, Chip Lydum, Steve Pelluer, Jim Whitesel named The Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 presented by Swire Coca-Cola
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/4e370c0c-2138-4dc1-8ec5-58231549c0b2/24SSC_SSY-009.jpg)
Doug Baldwin Jr., Dennis Erickson, Chip Lydum, Steve Pelluer, Jim Whitesel named The Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 presented by Swire Coca-Cola [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![In partnership with King County Play Equity Coalition, the Sports Equity and Inclusion Award presented by Bank of America was awarded to Rise Above
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/0d0477d8-8ed0-4171-bcc7-ef2e16e8cd45/24SSC_SSY-002.jpg)
In partnership with King County Play Equity Coalition, the Sports Equity and Inclusion Award presented by Bank of America was awarded to Rise Above [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![Larry Stone wins Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by BizX
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/27d9961d-d7f3-4144-9ee5-f7c0b5147d92/24SSC_SSY-003.jpg)
Larry Stone wins Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by BizX [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![Jim Caple wins Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by BizX - accepted on behalf of the late Jim Caple by his wife Vicki and nephew Christian.
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/d9335b65-09cc-4411-81fa-fb739eabb7ec/24SSC_SSY-005.jpg)
Jim Caple wins Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by BizX - accepted on behalf of the late Jim Caple by his wife Vicki and nephew Christian. [photo: Alabastro Photography]
Guyle Fielder wins Royal Brougham Sports Legend Award presented by Alaska Airlines
![Olivia Vitello wins Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award presented by Seattle Children's
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/89d40041-3a32-490a-aa54-55b261f7d532/24SSC_SSY-008.jpg)
Olivia Vitello wins Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award presented by Seattle Children's [photo: Alabastro Photography]
![Megan Rapinoe wins Paul G. Allen Humanitarian Award presented by Microsoft
[photo: Alabastro Photography]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f6d2717c8b47850b3a3bc04/28a21b69-4308-40d8-9bfe-1388c9d8f7b7/24SSC_SSY-012.jpg)
Megan Rapinoe wins Paul G. Allen Humanitarian Award presented by Microsoft [photo: Alabastro Photography]
Nominees and Honoree Announcements
Sports Leader of the Year Nominees
Coach Kamie Ethridge, WSU Women’s Basketball
Coach Kamie was named National Coach of the Year by The Athletic in 2022-23, the first WSU women’s basketball head coach to receive such an honor. She led Washington State to its first Pac-12 title in any women’s team sport by winning the 2023 Pac-12 tournament.
Coach Pete Fewing, Seattle U Men’s Soccer
Coach Fewing retired in 2023 after 29 seasons as one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history. His teams won two national championships. Fewing was named National Coach of the Year twice, Regional Coach of the Year six times and Conference Coach of the Year six times.
Coach Dave Hakstol, Seattle Kraken
Coach Hakstol made history en route to the Kraken reaching the conference semifinals in his and the team’s second season. They were the first team ever to win their first playoff series by beating the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Coach Harvey is a three-time Coach of the Year in the National Women’s Soccer League. She was first in the NWSL to coach 200 regular-season games and holds the record for most regular-season wins. Her Reign teams have won three NWSL Shields.
Coach Laura Harvey, Seattle Reign FC
Coach Heather Tarr, UW Softball
Coach Tarr has won more games than any other Husky coach. During her 19 seasons, she has led her teams to the Women’s College World Series eight times including 2009 when UW won the national championship. Her Huskies also have won two conference titles.
Sports Leader Nominees, PNW Football Hall of Fame, and teaser roster of Presenters announced.
Voting is now closed. Thank you for helping choose the Sports Stars and Stories of 2023. Winners will be announced at the 89th Annual Sports Star on February 15.
Megan Rapinoe, K.J. Wright Join Sports Star Line-Up
Seahawks Legend K.J. Wright to Host Sports Star Awards Show
Photo courtesy Converge Media
Paul G. Allen Humanitarian Award presented by Microsoft
Megan Rapinoe
An international sensation on the soccer pitch, Rapinoe played the entirety of her professional career in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) with the OL Reign. And, as decorated as the forward is: Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, and Ballon d’Or winner (the ultimate honor in soccer) among the stack; it is Rapinoe’s unapologetic attacking power for sports equity and human rights that has cemented her as a change agent for this generation.
A 2022 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rapinoe wields her influence as a platform for LGBTQ+ rights, pay equity, and racial justice. Rapinoe played a pivotal role in the fight for wage parity, which resulted in the first-of-its-kind collective bargaining agreement for US Soccer. She is a cofounder with Sue Bird of A Touch More production company that tells the stories of revolutionaries and underrepresented communities. Locally, Rapinoe has partnered with Seattle-area Boys and Girls Club and supports the Intentionalist, a nonprofit that encourages people to “spend like it matters” by patronizing BIPOC-owned businesses across Washington.
Rapinoe hung up her cleats at the end of the 2023 season, but her notoriety will continue its meteoric rise as she brings everyone along on the journey to a better world.
Sports Star Honorees Announced
Royal Brougham Sports Legend Award presented by Alaska Airlines
Guyle Fielder
Guyle Fielder is one of ice hockey’s greats. The former center holds career records in minor league hockey, where he logged most of his 1,597 games, 1,574 assists, 463 goals, and 2,037 points playing in the Western Hockey League from 1952 to 1973. As the first and only American professional hockey player to score over 2,000 points and the fourth-most leading scorer in pro ice hockey, Fielder resides with Gretzky, Jágr, and Howe in contention for the greatest of all time.
Fielder learned to play hockey in the farmlands of Saskatchewan with a 25-cent stick and frozen horse manure for a puck. A scout picked him out in 1952, and after a stint with the Red Wings during the 1953 Stanley Cup playoffs, fate realigned him to Seattle and the Western Hockey League. A six-time WHL MVP, three-time most gentlemanly player, and nine-time WHL leading scorer, “Golden Guyle” was beloved by fans and teammates alike. Of his 22 years in professional hockey, 15 were in Seattle, helping the Seattle Totems to five WHL finals and championships in 1959, 1967, and 1968.
In 2022, the Seattle Kraken created the Guyle Fielder Award as the first-ever player award for the franchise, which recognizes a player for outstanding sportsmanship and leadership.
Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by BizX
Jim Caple
Jim Caple was a well-respected and nationally recognized sportswriter who got his start at the University of Washington’s “The Daily” in the 1980s. Known for his creative storytelling, quirky nature, and friendly spirit, Jim quickly made his mark in Washington sports, but shared his talents beyond the Pacific Northwest.
Caple covered a variety of sports, including several Olympics and 20 World Series for ESPN, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and The Athletic. Spending 17 years at ESPN, he naturally became one of the most popular columnists for ESPN.com's Page 2, where he took a lighter look at sports and injected his passion for baseball at every opportunity.
That love for baseball spun into a book, "The Devil Wears Pinstripes,” and Caple added two other books to his stack; co-writing "Best Boston Sports Arguments" with fellow sportswriter Steve Buckley, and "The Navigator," which was based in part on his World War II veteran father.
In October of 2023, Caple passed after succumbing to a long-term illness. He leaves behind a legacy of laughs, full hearts, and an inspired generation of sports fans.
Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by BizX
Larry Stone
For nearly 50 years, Larry Stone has been one of the most trusted voices in sports, with the deserved familiarity and respect of his peers, readers, and the very sports teams he has covered in his 27 years at the Seattle Times. Stone began his post-college newspaper career with the Yakima Herald-Republic in 1979 and expanded his reach across the West Coast before landing at The Times in 1996. Just one year later, his love of baseball positioned him as a must-read across the league.
Look no further than Stone’s bio as a sportswriter offering insight, wisdom, opinion, analysis - and hopefully some humor - regarding the wide world of sports, for the snapshot of his influence on Washington sports culture.
While Stone has covered and helped dole out countless sports awards, he has also been a recipient – with a multitude of Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards and was thrice named Washington’s Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
Setting his pen (and laptop) down following his 2023 retirement announcement, the many friends Stone beget during his tenure will surely miss that wit and wisdom in the press box.
Sports Equity & Inclusion Award presented by Bank of America
Rise Above
Founded in 2015 by Native hoops legend Jaci McCormack, Rise Above uses basketball as the draw to engage Native youth in building the skills and resilience to overcome their circumstances and write their own futures.
Rise Above offers a variety of programs including sports, education, financial literacy, prevention skills and mentorship, designed to spark change in people’s lives. With the help of partners including over 30 tribes, investors, prevention advocates, sports legends, and Hollywood stars, Rise Above has served over 10,000 kids in the past 8 years in the Pacific Northwest.
As the CEO of Rise Above, Jaci leads the organization in its mission to empower youth. In 2022, Jaci presented at the White House Conference on Hunger Nutrition, and Health, and was recently appointed by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to serve on Seattle's first Indigenous Advisory Council.
Jaci fell in love with basketball growing up on the Nez Perce Reservation, where she earned a scholarship and sunk the buzzer-beating shot to help her alma mater win the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Her story of hard work and hope is the subject of an upcoming film, and her drive to give back through the sport that gave so much to her is the ultimate success story. From its inception, Rise Above has helped others to take pride in their stories by highlighting those who have come before.
Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award presented by Seattle Children’s
Olivia Vitello
When Olivia Vitello went in for her six-year wellness visit in 2018, her pediatrician was concerned that she was falling off the growth chart. She recommended Olivia see a neurologist at Seattle Children’s.
After many referrals and tests, doctors determined a diagnosis: a rare genetic disorder called Morquio. Olivia’s condition requires a lifelong treatment plan of weekly enzyme infusions, which are four hours long and come with considerable out-of-pocket costs. Olivia had to make a plan to overcome her severe needle phobia each week in order to receive her medicine, and that's how she and her mom came up with the mantra: "I can. And I will."
Despite the hurdles that come with an incurable disease, Olivia is an active 7th grader with a heart to pay it forward and the spirit of an impassioned sports fanatic. Her love of softball, particularly of the UW Husky variety, sustained her through eight surgeries and more than 200 infusions to-date. But it’s Olivia and her mom’s life mantra that has inspired her family to create the annual I Can And I Will Run fundraiser that helps them, and others, put one foot in front of the other.
Honorees and Award recipients are selected by the Sports Star Nominations Committee, composed of local sports historians, media, and industry colleagues.
Sports Star of the Year, Men’s Sports presented by Snoqualmie Casino
Ken Griffey Jr. Apolo Ohno. Kasey Keller.
Washington athletes have been honored from a variety of sports over the last nine decades. The wonderful thing about Sports Star is the celebration of other key people in athletics, with the inaugural award going to referee Bobby Morris.
Sports Star of the Year, Women’s Sports presented by T-Mobile
Sue Bird. Hope Solo. Courtney Thompson.
Since the introduction of the category, Sports Star of the Year has worked to acknowledge and celebrate the vast array of powerful athletes throughout women's sports.
Sports Story of the Year presented by MTRWestern
Sounders FC. Seattle Storm. UW Rowing.
From the highest highs to the devastating losses, we feel each moment together as sports fans. This award celebrates the victories of our teams and the accolades of our athletes.
Royal Brougham Sports Legend Award presented by Alaska Airlines
Named for the creator of Sports Star, this award is given to one honoree each year, selected by committee as someone who has excelled in their sport and exemplifies the spirit of our state. Named after the Sports Star creator and Sports Editor of the Seattle P-I, Royal Brougham determined to create a permanent home and celebration of those legendary moments that make Washington sports what it is.
Keith Jackson Media Excellence Award presented by BizX
Some of the most recognizable voices in Washington sports have received this award for excellence in communicating the sports stories of our state. The award pays homage to Keith Jackson, a WSU alum and beloved sports commentator. From hydroplane races to minor league baseball, Keith Jackson covered locally and as a celebrated national broadcaster for ABC Sports and ABC Radio.
Paul G. Allen Humanitarian Award presented by Microsoft
The recipient of this award is someone who has made an impact on the greater Seattle community through their philanthropic contributions or dedication to community. The award was given the moniker for lifelong sports fan and philanthropist, Paul G. Allen, who helped keep the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle when he bought the team, built our stadium and helped launch 2-time MLS Cup Champion Seattle Sounders FC.
Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Youth Award presented by Seattle Children’s
Young athletes are the foundation of a vibrant sports community. Honorees in this category have overcome major obstacles to continue playing the sport they love. Named for Wayne Gittinger, a former UW athlete and avid UW fan. He and his wife endowed numerous student-athlete scholarships, mentored many young athletes, and were loyal champions of those young athletes that strive to persevere over adversity.
Sports Equity and Inclusion Award presented by Bank of America
Presented in partnership with King County Play Equity Coalition, the recipient is an individual or organization that has served the region by designing and implementing system level change to engage youth and families historically marginalized from sports. New in 2021!
Sports Leader of the Year Award presented by SSC Foundation
Returning for 87SSY, this honor is awarded to members of the sports community whose efforts have made direct and significant impact to the sports landscape, either through the building of a successful sports franchise, securing an impactful partnership, launching a new arena or other means.
