Report: LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow Named Corbett Award Winner as Louisiana's Top Male Amateur Athlete
In his two seasons in Baton Rouge, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow established himself not only as one of the program's great quarterbacks but became a Louisiana state legend in the process. On Friday, he was acknowledged for his historic season with the Tigers, winning the Corbett Award, according to a report from the Advocate.
The Corbett award goes to the top male and female athlete in the state each year. Tonea Marshall of LSU's Track and Field team was the female winner of the award. Past winners from LSU football are Devin White, Leonard Fournette, Morris Claiborne and Patrick Peterson.
“I still can’t believe how everything came together for me at LSU,” Burrow told the Advocate. “I had the opportunity to join an amazing team and together we reached and surpassed all of our goals. The state of Louisiana embraced me along the way and became a second home to me. To be recognized as the top athlete in the state is a tremendous honor and I want to thank my teammates and coaches as well as everyone who supported me.”
He became the first Heisman trophy winner from LSU since 1958 after a 5,671-yard season that also saw him set an NCAA record of 60 passing touchdowns in 2019. Burrow also finished just shy of the completion percentage record, completing 76.3% of his passes.
Back in April, Burrow joined an elite club of college football players, becoming the second player to win a national championship, win the Heisman and be drafted No. 1 overall in the same season, the other being Cam Newton.
Among the other male finalists for the award was Burrow’s teammate Ja’Marr Chase, who broke the SEC record for yards (1,780) and touchdowns (20) in a single-season. After the Tigers completed their 15-0 season with a 42-25 win over Clemson, coach Ed Orgeron tried to put into words what Burrow meant to the state of Louisiana.
“Joe means the world," Orgeron said. "He's one of the greatest players in LSU history. He's done so much for the state of Louisiana and LSU. We are so grateful for Joe Burrow."
During his Heisman speech, Burrow made sure to thank the entire state of Louisiana for accepting him and letting him be their quarterback.
“I’d like to thank Louisiana, the entire state. Like I said earlier, just a kid from Ohio coming down and chasing a dream,” Burrow said. “And the entire state has welcomed me and my family with open arms and invited us in to be native Louisianans.”
