PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC forward Alex Morgan was awarded the Harry Glickman Award for Female Professional Athlete of the Year and Thorns FC earned the George Pasero Award as one of Oregon’s Teams of the Year as part of the Oregon Sports Awards, it was announced Sunday evening at the Oregon Sports Awards show held in Beaverton, Ore.
The Female Professional Athlete of the Year, an award named after legendary Oregon sports promoter, executive and one of the founders of the Portland Trail Blazers, Harry Glickman, is given to an outstanding male and female professional athlete with an Oregon background or who played for an Oregon-based team during the calendar year.
Morgan, 24, helped guide Thorns FC to the inaugural National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Championship, finishing as the team’s scoring leader with eight goals and five assists during the regular season. A standout for the United States Women’s National Team, Morgan was named to the NWSL Best XI Second Team after leading the league in both shots (82) and shots on goal (44), while finishing among league leaders in points (21).
Morgan becomes the fourth soccer-related professional athlete to earn the award since a women’s category was added in 2001. The others are legendary University of Portland player and current Thorns FC forward Christine Sinclair (2006), U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder Megan Rapinoe (2011, 2012) and former University of Portland forward and Oregon native Tiffeny Milbrett (2001).
The Teams of the Year awards are bestowed on a number of recipients each year, honoring Oregon’s championship-winning teams. Named after longtime Oregon sportswriter, George Paseros, the award goes to a team from Oregon, regardless of the level of competition, which has won a national championship or achieved national recognition during the calendar year.
Thorns FC capped a remarkable inaugural season in the NWSL with a 2-0 win over top-seeded Western New York in the NWSL Championship Game on Aug. 31, 2013. Paced by goals from midfielder Tobin Heath and forward Christine Sinclair, the victory marked Portland’s first professional sports championship since the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers captured the NBA title. Averaging more than 13,000 fans per game at Providence Park, Thorns FC tied for the league lead with 11 wins during the regular season, finishing in a three-way tie for first place with 38 points. Portland ranked among league leaders with 32 goals, while 13 different players contributed a point for the team during the season.
Harry Glickman Award/Female Professional Athlete of the Year Winners:
2013: Alex Morgan – soccer
2012: Megan Rapinoe – soccer
2011: Megan Rapinoe – soccer
2010: Mariel Zagunis – fencing
2009: Mariel Zagunis – fencing
2008: Kara Goucher – track and field
2007: Kara Goucher – track and field
2006: Christine Sinclair – soccer
2004: Inge de Bruijn – swimming
2003: Maria Mutola – track and field
2002: Marla Runyan – track and field
2001: Tiffeny Milbrett – soccer
George Paseros Award/Teams of the Year Winners:
2013: Portland Thorns FC
2012: Oregon Institute of Technology, men's basketball; Blue Mountain Community College, volleyball; University of Oregon, acrobatics and tumbling; University of Oregon, women's indoor track and field; University of Oregon, women's cross country
2011: Clackamas Community College, wrestling; Concordia University, women's outdoor track and field; Linfield College, softball | Oregon Institute of Technology, softball; University of Oregon, acrobatics and tumbling; University of Oregon, women's indoor track and field; University of Oregon, football
2010: University of Oregon, football; Southern Oregon University, men's cross country; Oregon NW Juniors 18 Air Max girls volleyball; Eastside United FC-Liverpool, boys soccer
2009: George Fox, women's basketball; Northwest Blaze, ASA Girls 16U Softball; University of Oregon,men's indoor track
2008: Northwest Star Academy Senior Babe Ruth baseball; Oregon Institute of Technology, men's basketball; University of Oregon men's cross country
2007: Linfield College, softball; Oregon State University, baseball; University of Oregon, men's cross country
2006: Oregon State University, baseball
2005 University of Portland, women’s soccer; Oregon State University, baseball
2004: Aloha Knights, baseball; George Fox University, baseball; Linfield College, football; Oregon Institute of Technology, men’s basketball
2003: Linfield College, football
2002: University of Portland, women’s soccer; University of Oregon, men’s basketball
2001: University of Oregon, football
1996: Oregon City High School, girls basketball; Western Oregon State College, women’s basketball
1995: Western Oregon College of Education, women’s basketball; Oregon City High School, girls basketball; University of Portland, soccer
1994: University of Oregon, football
1993: Willamette University, men’s basketball
1992: Portland State University, volleyball
1991: Chemeketa Community College, men’s basketball
1990: Portland State University, wrestling; Portland Trail Blazers
1989: University of Oregon, women’s basketball; Medford 13-15 Babe Ruth; Forest Grove 16-18 Babe Ruth; Central Oregon Community College, nordic skiing
1988: Portland State University, volleyball; Tigard Senior Little League, softball
1987: University of Oregon, women’s cross-country
1986: Linfield College, football
1985: Portland State University, volleyball; University of Portland, women’s cross country; University of Oregon, women’s track and field
1984: Linfield College, football; Portland State University, volleyball
1983: Portland Winter Hawks
1982: Linfield College, football
1981: Oregon State University, men’s basketball
1980: Oregon State University, men’s basketball
1977: Portland Trail Blazers
1961: Portland Buckaroos
About the Oregon Sports Awards
Originally the Hayward Banquet of Champions, the Oregon Sports Awards began in 1948 to honor Oregon’s outstanding professional and amateur athletes, teams, coaches and administrators from many levels and a wide range of sports. In 2001, Nike, the Portland Tribune and Oregon-based sports marketing and entertainment agency SportsOne revived the event under its current name to include a stage-show, additional award categories and a new venue—the state-of-the-art, 770-seat Stanford Theatre at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.
