Sugar Bowl

Southern University Track & Field

Rodney Milburn, a slim, 21-year-old Southern University of Baton Rouge athlete and world record-holder in the 120-yard high hurdles, was the recipient of the fifth annual James J. Corbett Memorial Award.

James J. Corbett Awards

Chosen as the winner of the 1971 award by a committee of sports writers and sportscasters, Milburn was honored with the presentation of a handsome plaque in ceremonies held at a reception on Sunday, May 14th, at the Jung Hotel.
 
The New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association is the sponsoring organization for this award, which is in memory of the late Jim Corbett, who served as athletic director of Louisiana State University at the time of his death in 1967 and was the National Collegiate Athletic Association representative on the Sugar Bowl board.
 
The award goes annually to the outstanding individual participating in collegiate athletics in Louisiana.
 
The occasion also served as the premiere showing of the New Year’s Day 1972 Oklahoma-Auburn game film.
 
Milburn became the first black athlete to win the award in its five years of existence. Previous winners were LSU quarterback Nelson Stokley in 1967, basketball scoring ace Pete Maravich of LSU (1968 and 1969), and Tulane linebacker Rick Kingrea in 1970.
 
In May of last year, Milburn did what no other hurdler had ever accomplished when he turned in a 13-second clocking in the 120-yard high hurdles.
 
This would easily be equivalent to a sub-four-minute mile or a nine-second clocking in the 100-yard dash.
 
Milburn received five first-place votes and had a total of 29 points on the balloting. Dwight Lamar of the University of Southwestern Louisiana was the runner-up and LSU football star Ronnie Estay was third.
 
The Opelousas native, prepping for the Munich Olympics, turned in the 13-second time in qualifying heats for the NAIA championships, but the mark was disallowed because of a slight trailing wind.
 
But he came back three weeks later at Eugene, Ore., with a 13-1 effort that was good enough to become the world mark for the event.
 
Ed Tunstall, New Orleans bureau manager of the Associated Press, served as chairman of the Corbett memorial selection committee this past year.
 
[Reprinted from the 1972 Sugar Bowl History Book]