The 2020 Milward Simpson Award Announcement [VIDEO]

Considered the most prestigious award a prep athlete can earn in their high school career, it’s time to announce the winners of the 2020 Milward Simpson Award.

The honor is bestowed upon one outstanding female and male senior athlete. It started in 1976 and has been given out every year since. This year marks the 45th year of the award.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s award ceremony was canceled. In keeping with the tradition, the Simpson brothers, Pete and Senator Al sat down for a video presentation from Cody, WY. They talk more in-depth about the background of this award, which is named after their father, who was one of the greatest athletes in state history. The brothers then read through this year’s finalists and announce the 2020 winners.

A special thank you goes out to Tashiya Mathuin, a student from Cody High School, who filmed this year's award presentation.

Milward Simpson was a team captain and three-sport team varsity letter winner at the University of Wyoming, where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. He was an administrator and politician, who served as the President of the UW Board of Trustees and later was Governor of Wyoming and a U.S. Senator.

Three times in the history of the award, the honor has been given to a female and male from the same high school. That occurred in 1988 (Riverton), 1992 (Sheridan), and again in 2007 (Cheyenne Central). Throughout the previous 44 years, there have been 24 different schools represented by the female winner. Riverton has the most with five. On the male side, 26 schools have been represented with a winner. Cheyenne Central has the most with six.

Here are the bios of the 2020 finalists:

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