Horton a Finalist for Sullivan Award

March 20, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma senior gymnast Jonathan Horton has been named one of five finalists for the 78th James E. Sullivan Memorial Award presented by the Amateur Athletic Union. The five finalists will be honored at a banquet at the famed New York Athletic Club on April 1.

Horton is the eighth OU student-athlete to be up for the award and the first finalist since 2000 Heisman Trophy runner-up and current Sooner quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel in 2001.

"Being a Sullivan Award finalist is a really cool thing," Horton said. "It's a very prestigious award and it's a big honor to be a part of it. I'm really looking forward to going to New York and having the opportunity to be around all these other great athletes."

Joining Horton in New York will be Florida quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, Michigan State ice hockey goalie Jeff Lerg, Virginia Tech softball pitcher Angela Tincher, and 61-year-old track and field athlete Philippa Raschker of Marietta, Ga.

Horton Career Highlights | Horton Bio | Sullivan Award Finalists

Winner of individual national titles on floor exercise and high bar at the 2007 NCAA Championships, Horton broke two-time Olympic gold-medalist Bart Conner's program record for career NCAA titles with five. Horton also earned All-America honors on five events in 2007, bringing his career total to 15 and surpassing another of Conner's OU marks.

An emerging star on the international gymnastics scene, Horton won his second consecutive Tyson American Cup title in 2007, defeating Japan's Nakase Takuya with an all-around score of 92.750. The victory made Horton the first male gymnast to win back-to-back Tyson American Cup titles since the USA's Blaine Wilson won three straight from 1997-99.

Horton's biggest highlight of 2007 came at the World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. A year after missing out on the all-around finals and watching the American squad finish a disappointing 13th, Horton capped off a brilliant performance with a fourth-place finish in the all-around finals, missing out on a bronze medal by just 0.2 points. Horton's performance throughout the competition helped the U.S. to a fourth-place team finish and a guaranteed berth in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Known as the "Oscar" of sports awards, and older than the Heisman, the Sullivan Award honors the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. It has been presented annually since 1930 as a salute to founder and past president of the AAU, James E. Sullivan. Based on the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism, the AAU Sullivan Award goes beyond athletic accomplishments and honors those who have shown strong moral character.

Horton is the second OU gymnast to be a finalist for the award. Conner was one of 10 finalists for the 1985 Sullivan Award, a field which included 10 Olympic medal-winners.

Other Sooners selected as either semifinalists or finalists include Jason White (2004), Roy Williams (2002), Heupel (2001), Mark Schultz (1988), Wayne Wells (1970, 1972) and Billy Vessels (1953).

No OU student-athlete has ever won the Sullivan Award.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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