The Seattle Sports Commission has named Fred couples as this year’s recipient of the Royal Brougham Sports Legend Award, which is given to an individual for a lifetime of achievement in sports and who exemplifies the spirit of sports in Washington state. Previous recipients of this award include Guyle Fielder, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Whittaker, Lou Piniella, Johnny O’Brien, Sue Bird, Doris Brown Heritage, Gary Payton, Warren Moon, Elgin Baylor, Bobo Brayton, Edgar Martinez, Bob Houbregs, Don James, and Marv Harshman. The SSC is proud to now include Fred Couples in this distinguished list.
Couples will be honored at the 90th Annual Sports Star of the Year presented by Microsoft on Thursday, February 27, at the Seattle Convention Center Summit building.
Couples honed his game as a Seattle teenager at O’Dea High School and Jefferson Park Municipal. He won numerous local titles while still an amateur, including both the Washington Men’s Amateur and Washington Open in 1978.
He was a two-time college All-American before turning pro in 1980. He was named the PGA TOUR’s Player of the Year in 1984 and 1996. His crowning achievements were winning the 1992 Masters and the Players Championship in 1984 and 1996. With over 600 PGA events in his career and counting, Couples continues to play on the Champions Tour, including stops at the Club at Snoqualmie Ridge where he is a crowd favorite. In 2013, Couples was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Commonly referred to as “Washington’s ESPYs,” the annual awards show and gala has expanded from a newspaper byline determining the 1935 Man of the Year to a broadcast-quality awards show and red-carpet gala. The event will have a Hollywood-esque Media Row presented by BizX buzzing with live interviews, a Champions Gallery of trophies and memorabilia to catch the eye of any sports fan, and a fully-produced awards show that brings the best of Washington sports’ past and present together.
Adding to the excitement of the evening, the brand new Summit building, part of the Seattle Convention Center family, has been selected as the venue for the February 27 event, providing expansive space for new activations including a silent auction, and showcasing quintessential Seattle as a LEED Platinum building ready to host a guest list that will include a slew of past Sports Star recipients going back nine decades.
We invite you to buy a ticket, be one of the “who’s who” in the room, and not to miss the 90th edition of Washington’s biggest night out for sports! This is a moment to pay tribute to the greats of our past as we look to the future of Washington sports, all at an event created for the sports community by the sports community.
Get a group together and invest in Seattle’s vibrant sports landscape by purchasing a table! A nonprofit organization, all proceeds benefit the Sports Commission’s efforts to increase sports equity, promote positive social and economic impact, and showcase Seattle as a world-class sports destination.
Event information and ticket/table purchase can be found at the 90SSY website.
View brief video teaser of Sports Star.
Vote for the Sports Stars of the Year!
The Seattle Sports Commission has officially released the nominees for the 90th Annual Sports Star of the Year Awards, and invites the public to help select the winners. The window to cast your vote is January 15-29, with voting closing at 11:59pm PT on January 29.
View the nominees and cast your vote at seattlesports.org.
