Wan'Dale Robinson named 2021 Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year

Kentucky Football’s star receiver had the best sports year of anyone in the state. The Herald-Leader just announced that Wan’Dale Robinson has been voted the 2021 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year by a panel of media members. The Frankfort native beat out Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin, his head coach Mark Stoops, and Kentucky Volleyball star Madison Lilley for the honor. He edged McLaughlin, one of the faces of the Tokyo Olympics, out by 74 votes, the closest margin since Kenneth Faried beat out John Calipari by nine points in 2011.

This is the fourth straight season a member of the Kentucky Football program has won the honor. In 2018, Josh Allen won it, followed by Lynn Bowden in 2019. Last year, the award went to the late, great John Schlarman.

After two seasons at Nebraska, Robinson, a one-time Kentucky commit, came home to the Bluegrass and quickly made up for lost time. The former Western Hills star caught a team-high 104 passes and had 1,334 receiving yards, setting new UK single-season records. Although Robinson played only one season at UK, he ranks 17^th in school history in receiving yardage. In the Citrus Bowl, he set Kentucky bowl records with 10 receptions for 170 yards and led the Cats to a comeback 20-17 victory over No. 15 Iowa, a storybook ending to his career as a Wildcat. A few days later, he declared for the NFL Draft.

The Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year Top 10

It was an incredibly deep field this year. Here are the top ten vote-getters:

1. Wan’Dale Robinson (Football)
2. Sydney McLaughlin (Track & Field)
3. Mark Stoops (Football)
4. Madison Lilley (Volleyball)
5. Lee Kiefer (Fencing)
6. Craig Skinner (Volleyball)
7. Desmond Ridder (Football)
8. Jim Matney (High School Football)
9. Bailey Zappe (Football)
10. Adam Duvall (Baseball)

The KSR staff will share our ballots with you in just a bit. Until then, enjoy some of Wan’Dale’s highlights.