MARIETTA, Ga., Dec. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
35th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Arik
Gilbert of Marietta High School in
Marietta, Ga. is the 2019-20
Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. Gilbert won the
prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the field,
joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Football
Player of the Year winners who combined for six NFL MVP awards, 30
Pro Bowl appearances and six NFL first round draft picks.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt
Ryan surprised Gilbert with the award in front of family,
friends, teammates and coaches at his school. Check out a video of
the announcement here.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic
excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and
exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field distinguishes
Gilbert as the nation's best high school football player. A
national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and
sports journalists helped select Gilbert from more than a million
high school football players nationwide.
Competition for the national award is fierce. Gilbert topped the
list of 51 state winners in football who have an incredible list of
accomplishments, including 9 All-American Bowl Game participants,
27 All-State players, 7 SEC school committees and nearly all
volunteering with at least two organizations.
Gilbert is now a finalist for the most prestigious award in high
school sports, the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year
award, which is announced at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY
Awards in July.
"Gilbert is probably the most complete prep tight end I've
scouted," says Director of Sports Illustrated All-American
John Garcia, Jr. "His physical
profile alone would warrant offers, but it's his polish that makes
him a can't-miss prospect. He's already a great route runner with
very good ball skills, which pairs almost unfairly with his
athletic ability. He's big, fast, physical, and competitive on top
of it. He's probably the most dominant offensive weapon in the
country, and he's doing it against elite competition in the
Atlanta area, where he led his
team to its first state title since 1967."
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound senior tight end led the Blue Devils to
a 13-2 record and the Class 7A State Championship. Gilbert caught
102 passes for 1,735 yards and 14 touchdowns through 15 games. A
two-time All-State honoree, he was also named Region 3 Offensive
Player of the Year as a junior and has been selected to play in the
2020 All-American Bowl. Gilbert is ranked as the nation's No. 1
tight end prospect in the Class of 2020 by ESPN and Rivals, and No.
11 in the country regardless of position by
Rivals.
The founder of a campus-wide initiative called "Whisper," which
urges students to have device-free conversations and supports
diversity and inclusion efforts, Gilbert has also volunteered on
behalf of the East Atlanta Kids Club, Habitat for Humanity and
March of Dimes. A parishioner at the Life Revolution Church,
Gilbert has also donated more than 50 hours to Marietta elementary
schools and the Marietta Youth Football program. "Arik Gilbert is one of the best players I've
ever coached against," said John
Reid, head coach at Rome High School. "He's huge, fast and
has great hands. He's the best player on the field at any position
he lines up."
Gilbert has maintained a 3.14 GPA in the classroom. He has
verbally committed to play football on scholarship at Louisiana State University next fall.
Through Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward,"
Gilbert has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports
organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to submit an
essay to win one of twelve $10,000
spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be
announced throughout the year.
Each year a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent in the District of Columbia
and all 50 states, choosing national winners in 12 different
sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country,
boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls
soccer, and boys and girls track and field. From the 12
national winners, one male and one female athlete are each named
Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year.
Since the program's inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the
Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college
championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their
communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.
Previous winners include a distinguished list of athletes, such as
Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derek Jeter and many other sports icons. To
learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out
past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit
www.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/Gatorade.
About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), meets
the needs of consumers who participate in Sports and Fitness,
through brands that include Gatorade, Propel, Muscle Milk and
Bolt24. The solutions they provide are driven by a deep
understanding of the unique needs and occasions of different types
of sports and fitness. Gatorade, their marquee brand, is
underpinned by more than 50-year history of studying the best
athletes in the world and sports-nutrition research by the Gatorade
Sport Science Institute, allowing it to provide
scientifically-formulated products that meet athletes' needs both
on and off the field. For more information and a full list of
products, please visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion
times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the
world. PepsiCo generated more than $64
billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary
food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio
includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including
22 brands that generate more than $1
billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our
fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably
linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe
that continuously improving the products we sell, operating
responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the
world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that
creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2018-19
|
Jake Smith
|
Scottsdale,
AZ
|
University of
Texas
|
2017-18
|
JT Daniels
|
Santa Ana,
CA
|
University of
Southern California
|
2016-17
|
Tate
Martell
|
Las Vegas,
NV
|
University of
Miami
|
2015-16
|
Jacob
Eason
|
Lake Stevens,
WA
|
University of
Washington
|
2014-15
|
Kyler
Murray
|
Allen, TX
|
Arizona
Cardinals
|
2013-14
|
Andrew
Brown
|
Chesapeake,
VA
|
Cincinnati
Bengals
|
2012-13
|
Max Browne
|
Sammamish,
WA
|
Played for Pittsburgh
Panthers
|
2011-12
|
Johnathan
Gray
|
Aledo, TX
|
Played for University
of Texas, Austin
|
2010-11
|
Justin
Worley
|
Rock Hill,
SC
|
Retired from Chicago
Bears
|
2009-10
|
Malcolm
Jones
|
Westlake Village,
CA
|
NFL Free
Agent
|
2008-09
|
Garrett
Gilbert
|
Austin, TX
|
Cleveland
Browns
|
2007-08
|
Matt
Barkley
|
Santa Ana,
CA
|
Buffalo
Bills
|
2006-07
|
John
Brantley
|
Ocala, FL
|
Retired from
Baltimore Ravens
|
2005-06
|
Mitch
Mustain
|
Springdale,
AR
|
Retired from San
Antonio Talons (AFL)
|
2004-05
|
Greg
Paulus
|
Syracuse,
NY
|
Played for Syracuse
University
|
2003-04
|
Jeff Byers
|
Loveland,
CO
|
Retired from Carolina
Panthers
|
2002-03
|
Kyle
Wright
|
Danville,
CA
|
Retired from San
Francisco 49ers
|
2001-02
|
Lorenzo
Booker
|
Ventura,
CA
|
Retired from Chicago
Bears
|
2000-01
|
Joe Mauer
|
St. Paul,
MN
|
Retired from
Minnesota Twins
|
1999-00
|
Brock
Berlin
|
Shreveport,
LA
|
Retired from Detroit
Lions
|
1998-99
|
Chris
Lewis
|
Long Beach,
CA
|
Played for Stanford
University
|
1997-98
|
Ronald
Curry
|
Hampton,
VA
|
Retired from St.
Louis Rams
|
1996-97
|
Travis
Minor
|
Baton Rouge,
LA
|
Retired from St.
Louis Rams
|
1995-96
|
Tim Couch
|
Hyden, KY
|
Retired from
Cleveland Browns
|
1994-95
|
Brock
Huard
|
Puyallup,
WA
|
Retired from Seattle
Seahawks
|
1993-94
|
Peyton
Manning
|
New Orleans,
LA
|
Retired from Denver
Broncos
|
1992-93
|
Ron Powlus
|
Berwick,
PA
|
Retired from
Philadelphia Eagles
|
1991-92
|
Chris
Walsh
|
St. Paul,
MN
|
Retired from
Minnesota Vikings
|
1990-91
|
Marquette
Smith
|
Lake Howell,
FL
|
Retired from Carolina
Panthers
|
1989-90
|
Robert
Smith
|
Euclid, OH
|
Retired from
Minnesota Vikings
|
1988-89
|
Terry
Kirby
|
Tabb, VA
|
Retired from Oakland
Raiders
|
1987-88
|
Curtis
Bray
|
Monroeville,
PA
|
Deceased
|
1986-87
|
Emmitt
Smith
|
Pensacola,
FL
|
Retired from Arizona
Cardinals
|
1985-86
|
Jeff
George
|
Indianapolis,
IN
|
Retired from Oakland
Raiders
|
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company