LSU Football
May 6, 2004 – The Nokia Sugar Bowl’s New Orleans Sports Awards Committee chose Louisiana State University’s Chad Lavalais and Seimone Augustus as its 2003 James J. Corbett Memorial Award winners and honored the two at a banquet and ceremony on Wednesday, May 12, in the Louisiana Superdome.
Lavalais was the anchor of an LSU defense that led the nation in scoring and ranked second nationally in total defense. He was selected first-team All- America, Southeastern Conference and Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for both the Outland and Nagurski awards given to college football’s top defensive players. He totaled 61 tackles, 16 for losses and had a team-leading seven sacks on the year and helped lead the Fighting Tigers to a 13-1 record and a national championship win at the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl.
The Corbett Award was created in 1967, named in honor of the late James J. Corbett and commemorates his many contributions to intercollegiate athletics and specifically to the Sugar Bowl. At the time of his death, Mr. Corbett was the Athletic Director at Louisiana State University. These awards are presented annually to the most outstanding male and female collegiate athletes in the State of Louisiana.
The Corbett recipients are selected each year by members of the N.O. Sports Hall of Fame Committee, based on nominations submitted by the state’s sports writers, sportscasters and sports information directors.
