Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/11/2025

The NBA Playoffs first round was somewhat predictable, but the second round has been pure chaos of upsets.  The Minnesota Timberwolves got a tough draw with the 3x World Champion Golden State Warriors having disposed of the second seed Houston Rockets and out for more blood.  But our Sportsman of the Week has taken control.  Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is exerting his teams will and looks to point the Wolves to the Conference Finals.  After stumbling in Game 1, Edwards helped Minnesota recover, Stephan Curry injury withstanding, push his team to a 2-1 lead after 3 with home court in hand.  Edwards 36 points in Game 3 in a close win, to go with an average of 27 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds.  And team leadership.  The Timberwolves seem to be poised to win their first title and if they do, it will be because of Anthony Edwards, the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 12/29/2024

For the final Sportsman of the Week Blog of 2024, we stick to the gridiron but shift to the pros.  The biggest game in Week 17 in the NFL was the red-hot Green Bay Packers at the somehow still under-the-radar Minnesota Vikings.  The Vikings expectation was low after moving on from Kirk Cousins and starting journeyman Sam Darnold at quarterback when their rookie draft pick was injured.  They've since lost just two games.  Darnold was at his best against NFC North Rival Packers registering a season high passing yards at 377.  Three touchdowns.  The totals pushed him over 4000 yards for the season.  In a game that looked like the Vikings were coasting to victory, Darnold was clutch on the final drive registering two first downs to run out the clock.  The 14 wins on the season are a record for a first-year quarterback on a team.  The Vikings will go for the top seed in the NFC next week, but either way are expected to make a deep playoff run.  Sam Darnold is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Note: This is the 13th Anniversary of the Sportsman of the Week feature, having started January 1, 2012 with Keith Price of the Washington Huskies.  There have been approximately 676 weekly honorees representing 579 individuals removing repeat winners.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/28/2024

The NBA and NHL (a.k.a. Stanley Cup) Playoffs are in full swing and, as usual, heroes are emerging. The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the teams that people are watching whether they can emerge and make a run at an elusive NBA Championship.  They entered what some thought would be a precarious series against a veteran, talented Phoenix Suns team but took no time to establish dominance.  And 22-year-old Anthony Edwards is showing why he was a great selection in the top spot of the 2022 draft.  Edwards torched the Suns, with Games 3 and 4 with 36 and 40 points respectively.  He also filled the stat sheet with 9 rebounds each game, 5.5 assists a game and a couple of blocked shots.  8 of 18 from deep, 18 of 21 from the line, he did it all.  Edwards is a big reason that we may see a Finals team not named the Nuggets and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/14/2018

The NFL Playoffs Division Round typically separates the contenders from the pretenders.  The men from the boys.  Teams coming off a week of rest in their own stadium just two wins from the Super Bowl.  The most thrilling game over the weekend was the late game Sunday and it ended in historical fashion.  With ten seconds left on their side of the field and no time outs, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs did the impossible.  Simply hoping for a sideline throw, to set up a field goal try Vikings QB Case Keenum threw a perfect pass (go back and look at the location, it was perfect) to Diggs on the sideline who performed a Houdini act to avoid two defenders and streak down the sideline and score.  Game over, Vikings defeat the New Orleans Saints 29-24.  Diggs was already Keenum's highest yardage yielding target of the day prior to the miracle finish, but the 61 yard strike enabled Diggs to finish with 6 catches, 137 yards, and the 61 yard TD.  In one play, Stefon Diggs rewrote the NFL history books, and certainly earned the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/27/2017

The baseball pennant race continues to dominate the sports headlines, and our Sportsman of the Week has leapt from potential to reality in a week, or at least this month.  Former number 2 overall pick Byron Buxton (taken one spot after Houston Astros 2015 Rookie of the Year and 2017 All Star Carlos Correa) is meeting his potential.  And in the process, has the underdog Minnesota Twins in a position for their first playoff berth since 2010.  Over eight road games, Buxton went 11-33 (.333) with 5 HR, 11 R, 10 RBI.  He also chipped in two steals and made one of the defensive plays of the year (link).  Buxton may finally be ripening into one of the greats like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, or Aaron Judge.  But he for sure is our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/6/2017

Age is just a number. But in Bartolo Colon's case, it's kind of big. Like an entire Olympiad past 40. But for one night, he pitched like a hurler 20 years younger. Colon sipped on the fountain of youth for one night, pitching a complete game in an 8-4 Twins victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday. He becomes the oldest pitcher since Nolan Ryan to complete a game after age 44. He was efficient using only 106 pitches, scattering nine hits, including five for extra bases. Already released once this year and not necessarily the portrait of fitness, Colon knows he's probably done after this year. But for one night, he was brilliant, and our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 12/16/2012

This week's Sportsman of the Week is probably the front runner for NFL MVP among other sure-to-come honors.  Adrian Peterson hit his eight straight week of 100 yards (six of those over 150 yards) in running for 212 yards on 24 carries (8.8 YPC).  His 82-yard TD scamper was his second of that distance in three weeks. But most importantly, the Vikings, won a virtual Wild Card elimination game on the road against the St. Louis Rams 36-22, putting him in position to wreak havoc for defenses in the playoffs should the Vikings claim the Wild Card spot.  Tough schedule down the stretch at Houston and vs. Green Bay, but for this week, AP is a deserving Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!