Tag Archives: Player of the Year

Fernando Mendoza Becomes First Heisman Trophy Winner of Cuban Descent

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Fernando Mendoza is celebrating a historic win…

The 22-year-old Cuban American college football player, the quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers was announced as the 91st winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy during ABC’s 2025 Heisman Trophy on Saturday, December 13,

Fernando Mendoza

Mendoza, who received 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes, becomes the first college football player of Cuban descent to claim the Heisman and only the third Latino winner in the award’s history.

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia, who is of Spanish and Mexican descent, finished second with 1,435 points and 189 first-place votes.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love was third with 719 points and 46 first-place votes and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was fourth with 432 points and eight first-place votes.

Mendoza, a redshirt junior, is Indiana’s first Heisman winner. Indiana’s previous highest finisher was 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder from Miami, Fla., is the 2025 Big Ten Offensive Player and Quarterback of the Year and an All-Big Ten first-team quarterback who led Indiana to a 2025 Big Ten Championship victory over Ohio State and a No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Mendoza, in his first year at Indiana after transferring from California, led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record and the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking.

He completed 226-of-316 passes for 2,980 yards and a nation-leading 33 TD passes while rushing for 240 yards and another six scores.

He is second nationally in total touchdowns accounted for (39) and in quarterback rating (181.39) and is sixth in completion percentage (71.5). Mendoza’s 33 TD passes are a school season record as are his five games this season with four or more scoring passes.

He threw for a season-high 332 yards and four scores in a win over Michigan State. He completed better than 85% of his passes four times this year and threw at least one TD pass in each game outside of the season-opener.

Mendoza was named the AP Player of the Year earlier this week and also won the Maxwell, Walter Camp and Davey O’Brien Awards.

Mendoza, whose passer rating of 181.39 is 10th-best among Heisman winners, is the seventh player in the last nine years to win the award after transferring and the fourth in a row. He is the sixth Heisman winner to hail from Florida and the second in a row. He is the first winner from a current Big Ten team since USC’s Caleb Williams in 2022.

Mendoza, who earned his undergraduate business degree in Berkeley last year and is pursuing a Master’s at Indiana, is the 39th quarterback to win the award. He is only the second Heisman winner to wear No. 15, following Tim Tebow (2007).

Pavia is Vanderbilt’s highest finisher ever. The next highest came in the third year of the award when Commodore All-American center Carl Hinkle finished seventh in 1937.

Love is Notre Dame’s highest finisher in the Heisman voting since Manti Te’o was the 2012 runner-up. Sayin is Ohio State’s highest finisher since 2023 when Marvin Harrison Jr. was fourth.

The 2025 Heisman Trophy ballots went out to 930 electors, which includes 870 members of the media, 59 living Heisman winners and one overall fan vote. All ballots were submitted electronically to the independent accountants at Deloitte.

Rounding out the top 10 finishers were fifth-place Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, sixth-place Ohio State sophomore wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, seventh-place Georgia junior quarterback Gunner Stockton, eighth-place Mississippi senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, ninth-place Ohio State junior safety Caleb Downs and 10th-place Georgia Tech senior quarterback Haynes King.

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso to Miss Upcoming Games to Join Brazilian National Team for Olympics Qualifying Event

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Kamilla Cardoso will be missing several South Carolina Gamecocks games… for good reason.

The 22-year-old Brazilian college basketball player, the top scorer and rebounder for NCAA Women’s Basketball’s South Carolina is leaving the team to join the Brazilian national team for its Olympic qualifying event this week.

Kamilla CardosoShe’ll miss the Gamecocks’ next two games at home, against Missouri on Thursday night and No. 11 UConn on February 11.

“We want the best players on our team,” Staley said. “But sometimes the best players are the best players that represent another country. When we recruited her, we said if there’s an opportunity to go with your national team, go with your national team.”

Brazil is hosting one of the four-team tournaments that serve as Olympic qualifiers. The Brazilians have a tough pool with Germany, Serbia and Australia in the group. The top three teams qualify for the 2024 Paris Games this summer.

“It only makes us feel good,” said Staley, who was the U.S. Olympic coach for the 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021.

Cardoso, at 6-foot-7, has been the best player on the Gamecocks and a top candidate for Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, averaging 13.7 points and 10 rebounds this season.

Her value was apparent in an 85-56 win over Ole Miss on Sunday. Cardoso picked up two quick fouls and had to sit much of the first two quarters as the Rebels got within 32-31 right before halftime.

When Cardoso returned to the court, she fueled a 16-2 run as South Carolina (21-0, 9-0 SEC) took control.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said Cardoso will be missed. But her time on the bench in the first half gave South Carolina forwards like Ashlyn Watkins, Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin more necessary minutes as they prepare to make up for Cardoso’s points, rebounds and blocks.

“No one has a rim protector like her,” Mississippi coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said.

South Carolina will find that out for itself over the next two games.

Ronald Acuña Jr. Named MLB’s Player of the Year by Major League Baseball Players Association

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Ronald Acuña Jr. is this year’s Major League Baseball all-star, according to his peers…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder and Atlanta Braves right fielder has been voted player of the year and the National League‘s outstanding player by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Ronald Acuña Jr.,Los Angeles Angels designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani was voted the American League‘s outstanding player, the union said Thursday.

Acuña became the first player with 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season, hitting .337 with 41 homers, 106 RBIs and 73 stolen bases. No player previously had 40 homers and 50 steals in a season.

Ohtani hit .304 with 44 homers, 95 RBIs and 20 stolen bases and went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. His pitching season ended August 23 because of a torn elbow ligament, an injury that will keep him from the mound until 2025. His hitting season ended September 3 due to an oblique strain.

Ohtani is expected to be the top player on the free agent market.

Marcus Semien, the second baseman of the World Series champion Texas Rangers, won his second Marvin Miller man of the year award, given to a player whose leadership inspires others. Semien, who also received the award in 2021, is a member of the union’s eight-man executive subcommittee.

Former outfielder Phil Bradley was awarded the Curt Flood Award for advancement of players’ rights and devotion to the union. Bradley is a union special assistant for international and domestic special events.

The New York Yankees‘ Gerrit Cole was selected as the AL outstanding pitcher and San Diego‘s Blake Snell the NL outstanding pitcher.

Comeback players were Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger in the NL and Chicago White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks in the AL.

Outstanding rookies were Arizona outfielder Corbin Carroll in the NL and Baltimore infielder Gunnar Henderson in the AL.

Wander Franco, the MLB’s Top Prospect, Added to Tampa Bay Ray’s 60-Man Player Pool

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There’s a ray(s) of sunshine for Wander Franco…

The 19-year-old Dominican professional baseball player’s named has been added tothe Tampa Bay Rays ‘60-man player pool.

wander-franco

Sunday was the deadline for teams to submit player pools, although additions can be made later. Many teams announced pools well below the 60-player limit.

Franco, who plays shortstop, is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. He spent last season at Class A, so it would be quite a jump for him to contribute in the majors in the immediate future, but putting him in the player pool makes him an option for the Rays — and could help his development in a year when the coronavirus shut down the minor leagues.

Pitcher Brendan McKay and infielder Vidal Brujan, two other top Tampa Bay prospects, also made the pool.

“They are some of our more advanced prospects,” says Rays general manager Erik Neander. “Certainly on the position player side that’s where things went and why Wander was a leading candidate for a spot.”

Franco signed with the Rays in July 2017. He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Princeton Rays. In 2018, at only 17 years old, Franco was named the 2018 Appalachian League Player of the Year after hitting .374/.445/.636 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs over 245 plate appearances for Princeton .

Prior to the 2019 season, Franco was ranked as the fourth best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. He began the season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. He was promoted to the Charlotte Stone Crabs on June 25. He was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game.

Lionel Messi: The World’s Highest Paid Latino Celebrity

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Lionel Messi isn’t just making goals… He’s makin’ some serious bank…

Forbes magazine has released its list of the world’s highest-paid celebrities, with the 32-year-old Argentine professional footballer coming in at No. 5 with $104 million, making his the highest-paid Latino celebrity in the world.

Lionel Messi

Messi has been awarded both FIFA‘s Player of the Year and the European Golden Shoe for top scorer on the continent a record six times. His 438 goals, including 36 hat tricks for Barcelona, is a club and La Liga record.

Neymarcomes in at No. 7…

The 28-year-old Brazilian professional footballer, who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team, had reported earnings of $95.5 million.

Jennifer Lopez is the highest-paid Latina celebrity on Forbes’ list.

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar,one of the more popular celebrities when it comes to endorsements, had earnings of $47.5 million. She has deals with Versace, DSW, Quay sunglasses and her own fragrances.

The multi-hyphenate also produced and starred in the 2019 film Hustlers.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has made Forbes’ list for the first time…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican Broadway star had reported earnings of $45.5 million.

The Hamilton creator and star added to his haul from the Broadway hit in February when Walt Disney paid $75 million for the rights to air the filmed version of his Founding Father musical. 

Other Latino/a celebrities making the list include Howie Dorough (along with his fellow Backstreet Boys), Sofia Vergara, Robert Trujillo (along with his fellow Metallica band mates), Rafael Nadal and Canelo Alvarez.

Here’s a look at the Latino/as making this year’s list:

No. 5 Lionel Messi, $104 million
No. 7 Neymar, $95.5 million
No. 56 Jennifer Lopez, $47.5 million 
No. 62 Lin-Manuel Miranda, $45.5 million
No. 64 Backstreet Boys, $45 million
No. 71 Sofia Vergara, $43 million
No. 78 Metallica, $40.5 million
No. 80 Rafael Nadal, $40 million
No. 91 Canelo Alvarez, $37 million

Rafael Nadal Named the International Tennis Federation’s Player of the Year

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The 2017 tennis season may be over, but Rafael Nadal is still winning…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star has won the International Tennis Federation‘s male Player of the Year award.

Rafael Nadal

At 31, Nadal becomes the oldest ITF men’s world champion after a season in which he won a 10th French Open and a third US Open.

Nadal also became the oldest player to finish the year at No. 1 since the ATP rankings began in 1973.

But Nadal isn’t the only Latino award winner…

Garbine Muguruza was named the International Tennis Federation’s female Player of the Year.

The Spanish-Venezuelan professional tennis player and former world No. 1 dropped only one set en route to her first Wimbledon title and finished the year at No. 2 behind Simona Halep.

“Becoming ITF world champion in such a competitive year is amazing for me,” said Muguruza, who is also Spanish. “(Nadal) is a great role model for all of us, so it is a great moment for tennis in Spain.”

Garbine Muguruza Named WTA Player of the Year

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Garbine Muguruza is capping off the year with a special honor…

The 24-year-old Spanish-Venezuelan player, this year’s Wimbledon champion, has been named the WTA Player of the Year.

Garbine Muguruza

The women’s tennis tour announced the annual honors Friday. The awards are voted on by members of the media.

Muguruza beat Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final in July for her second Grand Slam title, then moved up to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time in September.

US Open champion Sloane Stephens is the Comeback Player of the Year.

Other award recipients include French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko as Most Improved Player, CiCi Bellis as Newcomer of the Year, and Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan as Doubles Team of the Year.