The Atlanta Sports Council announced the winners of the 2018 Atlanta Sports Awards honoring the area’s best athletes, coaches, teams and community contributors Thursday at The Fairmont in West Midtown.
Former Atlanta Braves general manager and National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee John Schuerholz was honored as the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. During his legendary 17 years of service as general manager, the Braves made history by finishing first in their division for 14 consecutive seasons (1991-2005), securing five National League pennants and winning the 1995 World Series. Schuerholz then led the Braves for another decade as president before becoming the team’s vice chairman in 2016.
During its inaugural season, Atlanta United FC swept the awards ceremony with a total of three honors, including Team of the Year. Atlanta United FC head coach Gerardo Martino was named Coach of the Year and midfielder Miguel Almiron was awarded Professional Athlete of the Year.
For the Moment of the Year Award, the winner was selected by the audience during the live text-to-vote portion of the show. The winning moment was the College Football Playoff national championship game between Georgia and Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith was recognized as Collegiate Athlete of the Year. In the 2017 season, Smith led his team in total stops (137) and was the first Georgia player to win the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
Former Cartersville football star Trevor Lawrence, now a quarterback at Clemson University, took home High School Athlete of the Year. Lawrence, a 5-star quarterback, broke the Georgia state records for passing yards and passing touchdowns during his senior year in 2017.
2018 Atlanta Sports Award winners:
Coach of the Year Presented by The Home Depot
- Gerardo Martino, Atlanta United FC
Collegiate Athlete of the Year Presented by Enterprise Holdings
- Roquan Smith, University of Georgia Football
High School Athlete of the Year Presented by 680 The Fan
- Trevor Lawrence, Cartersville High School Football
Professional Athlete of the Year Presented by SunTrust
- Miguel Almiron, Atlanta United FC
Team of the Year Presented by PrimeSport
- Atlanta United FC
Moment of the Year Presented by Mercedes-Benz USA
- College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Georgia vs. Alabama
Lifetime Achievement Award Presented by Coca-Cola
- John Schuerholz, Atlanta Braves
Community Spirit Award Presented by Georgia Power, A Southern Company
- Ben Garland, Atlanta Falcons
