Pensacola Sports Association honors athletes

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - With its 59th annual banquet, the Pensacola Sports Association honored professional, college and high school athletes at the Hilton on Pensacola Beach Thursday night. Two of those honorees, National Football League running backs, recently took the league by storm.

No matter which side you lie in the Iron Bowl rivalry, you probably know the face of former Alabama star Trent Richardson. 

Trent is back in his hometown receiving a PSA Special Achievement Award, humble as usual.

“I’m just happy to be here man," Richardson said.  "I’m happy to be home, and happy to be in a room with Justin Gatlin and Alfred Morris.”

Gatlin, a sprinter, is an Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter with a personal best of 9.79 seconds.  He took home Olympic Athlete of the Year.

Morris of the Washington Redskins rushed for more than 16-hundred yards in his first season, and was honored as the Professional Athlete of the Year.

Morris is a Pensacola native who played his high school ball at Pine Forest.

"To have a city proud of you like that, it's an amazing feeling just to do what I did.  No one really expected it, but it makes it all worth while when people are proud of you," Morris said .

Richardson set the bar high in his rookie campaign, finishing with just under 1,000 yards.  FOX10 News asked him what he has in store for us next year.

“At least 1,500 [yards]," Richardson said. "That’s what I’m fighting for, and with the offensive line, that what we’re fighting for next year.”

A fitting number, since Alabama just won its 15 ^th national title. 

Trent impressed in his first year in burnt orange with the Cleveland Browns.  He says the NFL isn’t much different than the brutal SEC, just a little faster.

“In the NFL, it’s more business," Richardson said.  "College is more you fighting and trying to get there and you’re not going to stop until you win.  Because you can lose one game, two games in college and be out of the national championship.  You can lose about eight in the NFL and still be in it, but other than that it’s the same stuff.  It’s football; you strap up your pads, I’m strapping up mine.  You just have to go out there and play.”

Chelsea Palmer, who just led UWF women's soccer to a Division-2 National Championship, went home with Amateur Athlete of the Year.

The surprise Sportsman of the Year was none other than Milton native and Masters Champion Bubba Watson.