Schlarman named 2020 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year
Former Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlarman was announced as the runaway winner of the 2020 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award, the Lexington Herald-Leader announced on Tuesday.
Schlarman received 76 first-place votes from 163 current and former media members across the Commonwealth. He finished with a 435-point margin over the runner-up, UK women's basketball standout Rhyne Howard, the largest gap for the award winner in the last four years.
“The Great American was a warrior and we really miss him,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said via social media. “Everything he did was FOR THE TEAM. There’s no better candidate for Sports Figure of the Year than John Schlarman.”
The Cats' O-Line coach was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2018 but overcame numerous treatments and their debilitating side effects to remain active in practice and games. Schlarman did not miss a game until Oct. 24, 2020, at Missouri. He passed away three weeks later on Nov. 12.
His final game was a memorable one, helping lead the Cats to UK's first win at Tennessee since 1984.
Under Schlarman's direction, Kentucky developed one of the best offensive line units in the country. The Cats were semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award in three of the last four years, earning the nickname "The Big Blue Wall."
During the last five seasons, all culminating in bowl appearances, Kentucky broke numerous school records. They included: single-season records for most rushing yards, most rushing touchdowns, and most rushing yards per attempt.
Individually, guards Logan Stenberg and Bunchy Stallings, tackle Darian Kinnard and center Drake Jackson earned All-America honors under Schlarman. Stenberg, Stallings, center Jon Toth, and tackle Landon Young received All-Southeastern Conference accolades.
The linemen helped pave the way for a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the 2016-19 seasons, Stanley “Boom” Williams, Benny Snell Jr. and Lynn Bowden Jr. Snell reached the 1,000-yard mark three times and left UK as the school’s all-time leading rusher.
In 2020, playing a 10-game schedule of SEC opponents plus the Gator Bowl, the Wildcats ranked third in the league in rushing at 196.2 yards per game and Kentucky’s offensive line paved the way for top rusher, Chris Rodriguez Jr., to average 6.6 yards per carry which led the SEC and ranked 17th nationally. Playing in just nine games, he totaled 785 rushing yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns.
Schlarman is the third straight Sports Figure of the Year from UK Football. Defensive end Josh Allen was named the winner in 2018 and Bowden, a quarterback/wide receiver/punt returner, earned the award in 2019.
Schlarman also was honored by the Broyles Award, which recognizes the top assistant coach in college football. Schlarman was given a Lifetime Achievement Award “for his dedication to inspiring excellence in athletics through coaching.”