LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase named Top Male Amateur Athlete in New Orleans
Ja’Marr Chase, the star wide receiver for the national champion LSU football team, has been selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Male Amateur Athlete of the Year. The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, selects annual award winners in a variety of categories; it also selects Amateur Athletes of the Month and each year’s Hall of Fame class. Overall, 24 individuals and four teams will be honored for their 2019-20 achievements. Honorees are being announced over a period of 24 days, wrapping up with the Corbett Awards for the top male and female amateur athletes in the state on June 10 and 11.
A sophomore for the undefeated Tigers, Chase had a record-breaking 2019, setting the school record for single-season touchdown receptions with a national-best 20, shattering the previous record of 12 and also setting the SEC record. The Archbishop Rummel grad finished the year with 84 catches for an LSU and SEC-record 1,780 yards. He had nine 100-yard receiving games, including a 221-yard, 9-catch, 2-TD performance in the CFP National Championship win over Clemson and a 10-catch, 4-TD, 229-yard effort against Vanderbilt. For the season, he has 70 receptions for 1,457 yards (second in the nation), the second-most in school history. He was recognized with the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in the nation and was also a unanimous first-team All-American and All-SEC selection.
“It’s a dream come true,” Chase said after winning the national championship in the Superdome. “I had all my goals written down on my mirror. I accomplished every goal I wrote down. I got to come up with new goals now. This season has been ridiculous, man, that's all I can say."
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee has presented annual awards to amateur athletes in the region since 1958 – Chase is the fourth LSU football player in the last 40 years to be recognized, joining Corey Webster (2003), Tyrann Mathieu (2012) and Leonard Fournette (2016).