Celebration and Happy New Year

During this time of year, many people look back and celebrate their accomplishments before turning the page to a new year. Last week, we held a terrific celebration – our third annual Minnesota Sports Awards presented by Sports Minneapolis.

This event was created to shine a spotlight on the impact sports and sports figures (of all ages) have throughout our state. We invite fans from across Minnesota to nominate athletes and coaches who have demonstrated excellence in their sports and leadership within the community. A committee of sports journalists and sports executives from around the state select the finalists and winners for each of the awards.

On the evening of Dec. 11:

  • We welcomed more than 500 attendees to the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot.
  • Our charitable partner for the evening, United Heroes League (UHL), received a portion of the proceeds from our event. Thanks to the generosity of our attendees, we increased our silent auction revenue by 20%, which means more children of military families will benefit from the work of UHL.
  • Plus, we celebrated 10 different Sports Minneapolis award winners. They ranged from high school athletes to professionals, and we presented our first-ever Trailblazer Award to former Minnesota Vikings Chief Operating Officer and incoming Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. To learn more about the finalists and winners, please go here.
  • We also partnered with the Star Tribune to help induct six, new members of the Star Tribune Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. In the pictures below, you’ll likely recognize quite a few of those Hall of Famers.

If you missed this year’s Minnesota Sports Awards, you can watch a recording of the live stream program here. The television debut of the 2019 Minnesota Sports Awards will be Thursday, Dec. 26 at 7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports North.

More importantly, this event is truly a team effort and would not be possible without the tireless efforts of our entire organization. In addition, we can’t deliver a major awards show without the support of our partners. From the videos created by FOX Sports North and the stage production by metroConnections to this year’s venue – the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot – and the Star Tribune, we thank you for helping us elevate this event.

We are especially grateful for the continued support from our “Founding Partners”:

  • Minnesota Twins
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • Minnesota Lynx
  • Minnesota Wild
  • Minnesota United FC
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • University of Minnesota

We would also like to acknowledge many other partners who played a role in this year’s Minnesota Sports Awards including award sponsors Mall of America and TRIA, as well as: Benziger, ClearChannel Outdoor, Engage Print, Event Lab, GenerationNOW, Gray Duck, Lakes & Legends, Soderberg's and Time Into Pixels.

Finally, as we close out 2019, I want to thank you, and all of our partners and stakeholders, for your continued support of Meet Minneapolis and Sports Minneapolis.

I hope you have a blessed holiday season and are preparing for a spectacular New Year.