Fresno State Athletics
Carr, Southern Voted Athletes of the Year
 |  After a sensational senior season which saw him throw for 4,839 yards and a nation-high 46 touchdowns, David Carr was voted Fresno State Male Athlete of the Year. |
- Past Athletes of the Year
June 12, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Senior quarterback David Carr and freshman softball pitcher Jamie Southern have been named the 2001-02 Fresno State Athletes of the Year by a vote of Fresno-area media members.
"Both David and Jamie truly exemplified excellence during the last year," Athletics Director Scott Johnson said. "They worked tremendously hard and led their teams into the national spotlight. As both athletes and students, they displayed what Bulldog athletics are all about."
Carr won the Johnny Unitas Award as the nation's top senior quarterback and led the Bulldogs to unprecedented heights in 2001. He finished the season with 4,839 passing yards and a nation's best 46 touchdowns, becoming the sixth player in NCAA history to surpass 4,000 yards and 40 TD passes. The Bakersfield, Calif., native finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, highest ever for a Fresno State player, and led the Bulldogs to a program-high national ranking of No. 8 after a 6-0 start and victories over national powers Colorado, Oregon State and Wisconsin. He also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News.
With Carr calling the signals, the Bulldogs' offense was in stride all season, establishing program records for points (560) and points per game (40.0). He also led Fresno State to the Silicon Valley Football Classic, a game in which he threw for 531 yards and four touchdowns. His 2001 performance garnered him a bushelful of postseason honors, including WAC Offensive Player of the Year, Football News Offensive Player of the Year, the Sammy Baugh Award as the nation's top passer and CNN/SI honorable mention All-America status.
After the season, Carr once again jumped to the national headlines when he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the National Football League Draft by the expansion Houston Texans. He becomes the first football player since Trent Dilfer in 1994 to win the Male Athlete of the Year award.
Jamie Southern became the first freshman ever to win Fresno State Female Athlete of the Year honors.
Southern helped lead the Bulldogs to a 50-20 record, a fifth consecutive Western Athletic Conference title and a 25th postseason bid in the 25 years of the program. She was a first-team All-American and became the first player in WAC history to earn conference Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors in the same season. She led the nation in innings pitched with 351.2, a total that ranks 17th in NCAA history. Southern is the first freshman ever to win the Female Athlete of the Year award.
In finishing with 418 strikeouts, the Clovis, Calif., native became just the third freshman ever to tally 400 or more in a season. Her season-long efforts made her a finalist for the 2002 Honda Award and the inaugural USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. She was also an NFCA and WAC Scholar-Athlete and is a two-time member of the Dean's List.
Southern is the 17th softball player in history and third in a row to earn Female Athlete of the Year honors. She is also the 12th member of the Fresno State softball team in the past 13 years to receive the accolade.