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The ESPY Awards also included the presentation of the Courage Fans Decided All 2004 ESPY Award Award. This year, the recipient was Liberian soccer star and UNICEF ambassador , who has, at great risk, worked tirelessly to help his war-torn country. Winners ESPN Release OTHER ESPY AWARDS TIDBITS: · UConn Sweeps College Categories: UConn stars Emeka Okafor and Diana

Taurasi, who each led their teams to NCAA titles, were selected Best Male and For the first time in the 12-year history of the ESPY Awards, fans will determine Best Female College , respectively. the winners in all categories, it was announced today by Ron Semiao, senior vice · Pistons Lead The Way: The Pistons’ Best Team award marked only the second president, ESPN Original Entertainment. The move to complete fan voting, which time an NBA team has won that trophy (Lakers – 2002). coincides with ESPN25's "The of the Fan" initiative, represents the second · No ESPY In Team: Since 2000, a total of 10 Best Male/Best Female Athlete tro- significant enhancement planned for the 2004 ESPY Awards. phies have been awarded. Diana Taruasi’s selection this year marked only the Actor/comedian will return to host the 12th annual ESPY Awards, second time in that span that a team sport star won either honor (Mia Hamm -- which will gather top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the 2000). past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable · No Tiger: This was the first year since 1999 that has not received an moments and saluting the leading performers and performances. ESPY Award. His record ESPY Award total of 15 is not in jeopardy, however. Of Last year, fan voting was introduced on a limited basis for the first time. Specifi- the 2004 winners, and Annika Sorenstam, who each now have six, cally, winners in the 17 individual sport categories were determined by on-line voting. are closest to Tiger. More than five million votes were registered during a 17-day period prior to the · Gail Force: Gail Devers took the trophy for Best Female Track and Field Athlete ESPY Awards. The cross-cutter winners in 2003 were voted by the ESPY Academy, for the second straight year, after had won the award the previous an industry-wide panel consisting of legendary and coaches as well as na- five. tionally recognized print and broadcast journalists. For the Best Play category, fan · Lights, Camera, Action: The Best Action Sports Athlete honors each went to first- voting took place throughout the day of the show and continued during the telecast. time winners and gold medalists: Bike Stunt star Ryan Nyquist (Male) "Turning the ESPY Awards over to the fans is completely in line with ESPN's Sea- and Wakeboarder Dallas Friday (Female). son of the Fan celebration," Semiao said. "The tremendous response to last year's · Four Straight Williams Years: The Best Female Player award went to a limited on-line voting plus the potential to develop a more direct connection between member of the Williams family for the fourth straight year: (Venus – 2001 and athletes and fans led us to this exciting next step. It will create an even more mean- 2002; Serena – 2003 and 2004). ingful and distinctive evening for award winners and viewers alike." · Annika, Annika: Golfing star Annika Sorenstam has now won the Best Female There is one minor change to the categories for 2004; Best Action Sports Athlete Golfer three consecutive years. She’s been recognized six times overall, begin- has been divided to create Best Female Action Sports Athlete and Best Male Action ning in 1996. Sports Athlete. The complete list follows: · Amazing Athlete and Story: High school star wrestler Kyle Maynard, born with

congenital amputation (no elbows or knees) was selected Best Athlete With A Disability. Armstrong Repeats As Best Male · The Great Outdoors: Log rolling champion Tina Bosworth became the first athlete other than an angler to win the Best Outdoors Sports Athlete in the three-year Athlete At ESPY Awards history of the category. Taurasi Named Best Female Athlete; Pistons Best Team & Upset; Brown Best Coach More Than 10.5 Million Fans Voted To Determine Winners in All A complete 2004 ESPY Awards winners list follows: Categories Pass winner 2003 Walter Ray Williams Jr. and winner for 2002 was 2004 ESPY AWARDS -- WINNERS Pete Weber ALL VOTED BY FANS

Lance Armstrong, currently on a quest for his sixth straight Tour de France crown, CROSS-CUTTER CATEGORY WINNERS th was voted by fans as Best Male Athlete at the 12 annual ESPY Awards at Holly- BEST FEMALE ATHLETE: , Connecticut wood’s Kodak Theatre Wednesday. It was Armstrong’s second consecutive honor in BEST MALE ATHLETE: , Cycling that category. Former UConn basketball star and current Phoenix Mercury player BEST TEAM: Pistons Diana Taurasi captured Best Female Athlete and Best Female College Athlete, the BEST COACH/MANAGER: , latter a repeat performance from 2003. BEST COMEBACK: Bethany Hamilton, Surfing For the first time, fans determined the winners in all 36 ESPY Awards categories, BEST UPSET: Detroit Pistons including the 19 cross-cutter honors that pit athletes from different sports against BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE: LeBron James, Cavaliers each other. More than 10.5 million votes were cast from June 21 through July 9. BEST GAME: Super Bowl: Patriots-Panthers Armstrong took the honors over other Best Male Athlete nominees Tom Brady, Barry BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE: Eric Gagne, L.A. Dodgers – 55 Bonds, and , while Taurasi edged out Best Female Straight Saves In One Season finalists Justine Henin-Hardenne and Annika Sorenstam. BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE: Phil Mickelson - Masters The Detroit Pistons, fresh off their NBA title victory over the Lakers, had a strong BEST PLAY: Saints’ Last-Play Laterals Result in TD night. They won Best Team over the , UConn Men’s and BEST SPORTS MOVIE: Miracle Women’s Basketball, the Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Lightning, while they also BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE: Diana Taurasi, Connecticut Basketball took the trophy in the new Best Upset category. Pistons coach Larry Brown edged BEST MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE: Emeka Okafor, Connecticut Basketball out , Bill Belichick, Bob Ladouceur and Jack McKeon in Best Coach/ BEST MOMENT: , Packers – 399 Yards, 4 TDs A Day After Father’s Death Manager. BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE: Dallas Friday, Wakeboarding In other key cross-cutter categories, LeBron James was named Best Break- BEST MALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE: Ryan Nyquist, Bike Stunt through Athlete, the Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl Best Game, Miracle Best Movie BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY: Kyle Maynard, Wrestling and teenage surfer and shark attack victim Bethany Hamilton Best Comeback. Also, BEST OUTDOORS SPORTS ATHLETE: Tina Bosworth, Log Rolling Masters winner Phil Mickelson won Best Championship Performance, Eric Gagne’s INDIVIDUAL SPORT CATEGORY WINNERS ( Dodgers) 55 Straight Saves In One Season captured Best Record- BEST MLB PLAYER: Barry Bonds, Breaking Performance and Brett Favre’s () amazing game (399 BEST NBA PLAYER: Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves Yards, four ) one day after his father’s death was selected Best Moment. BEST WNBA PLAYER: Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm The ’ laterals for a won the Best Play trophy. BEST BOWLER: Pete Weber Of the 17 sport-specific categories, only four were repeat winners from 2003: BEST BOXER: Antonio Tarver Barry Bonds (Best MLB Player), Annika Sorenstam (Best Female Golfer), Serena (Continued on page 21) Williams (Best Female Tennis Player) and Gail Devers (Best Female Track and Field Athlete). 6 www.bowlingworld.com – AUGUST 2004