ABC Sports Award of the Year

ABC Sports Award of the Year was one of the premier sports awards in Australia. From 1951 to 1983, it was called the ABC Sportsman of the Year Award.[1]

The award was originally voted for by Australian Broadcasting Corporation sports supervisors and the sports editors of major Australian newspapers. After 1983, members of the Australian Sportswriters' Association also voted.[2] The awards were first presented on television in 1957.[3]

Swimmer Dawn Fraser was voted as the best Australian sportsman of the 25 years in 1975 as part of the award silver jubilee celebrations.[2]

In 1993, there was a merger of the Sport Australia Awards and the ABC Sports Award of the Year with the new award known as ABC Sport Australia Awards.[4] After 1994, the new award removed the ABC from its title.[5] The award was later known as the Australian Sport Awards and ceased in 2006. The main national annual awards are Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards and the Australian Institute of Sport Awards.

Individual award winners

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Year Athlete Sport
1951 Frank Sedgman Tennis
1952 Marjorie Jackson Athletics
1953 Jimmy Carruthers Boxing
1954 John Landy Athletics
1955 Peter Thomson Golf
1956 Betty Cuthbert Athletics
1957 Stuart Mackenzie Rowing
1958 Herb Elliott Athletics
1959 Jack Brabham Motor racing
1960 Herb Elliott Athletics
1961 Richie Benaud Cricket
1962 Dawn Fraser Swimming
1963 Margaret Smith Tennis
1964 Dawn Fraser Swimming
1965 Ron Clarke Athletics
1966 Jack Brabham Motor racing
1967 Heather McKay Squash
1968 Lionel Rose Boxing
1969 Rod Laver Tennis
1970 Margaret Court Tennis
1971 Shane Gould Swimming
1972 Shane Gould Swimming
1973 Stephen Holland Swimming
1974 Raelene Boyle Athletics
1975 Bart Cummings Horse racing
1976 Greg Chappell Cricket
1977 Graham Marsh Golf
1978 Tracey Wickham Swimming
1979 David Graham Golf
1980 Alan Jones Motor racing
1981 Geoff Hunt Squash
1982 Robert de Castella Athletics
1983 Robert de Castella Athletics
1984 Jon Sieben Swimming
1985 Jeff Fenech Boxing
1986 Greg Norman Golf
1987 Wayne Gardner Motorcycle racing
1988 Debbie Flintoff-King Athletics
1989 Kerry Saxby Athletics
1990 Hayley Lewis Swimming
1991 Ian Baker-Finch Golf
1992 Kieren Perkins Swimming
1993 Greg Norman Golf
1994 Kieren Perkins Swimming

[2][6][5]

Most Outstanding Team Award Winners

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Team award was introduced in 1987.

Year Team Sport
1987 Australian cricket team Cricket
1988 Australia women's national field hockey team (Hockeyroos) Field hockey
1989 Australian cricket team Cricket
1990 Australian men's rowing coxless four crew (Oarsome Foursome) Rowing
1991 Australia national rugby union team (Wallabies) Rugby union
1992 Australian men's rowing coxless four crew (Oarsome Foursome) Rowing
1993 Australian cricket team (joint winner) Cricket
1993 Australian Men's Team Pursuit Team (joint winner) Cycling

[2][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sporting heroes to walk over water at awards". Canberra Times. 14 January 1990. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Ampol Australian Sporting Records (8th rev. ed.). Sydney: Bantam. 1988.
  3. ^ "ABC TV firsts". ABC website. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Inaugural ABC Sport Awards". Sport Report. 13 (4): 3. 1993–1994.
  5. ^ a b Miller's Guide 2002. Melbourne: Herald and Weekly Times. 2002. p. 638.
  6. ^ a b Oxford Companion to Australian sport (2nd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 471.