COLUMBUS - The Columbus Crew announced the winners of its team awards tonight at its annual Crew Team Awards Ceremony, presented by adidas, held at the Southern Theatre.
The winners are as follows: Honda Most Valuable Player, Simon Elliott; Crew Defender of the Year, Jonny Walker; Budweiser Golden Boot, Edson Buddle; Huntington Man of the Year, Robin Fraser; Crew Coaches Award, Chris Henderson; Crew Newcomer of the Year, Jonny Walker; Sierra Mist Goals of the Year, Eric Vasquez and Jamal Sutton; OhioHealth Comeback Player of the Year, Jonny Walker; U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year, Jon Busch; Crew Chiefs Hardest Working Man of the Year, Chris Henderson; and Crew Fan of the Year, Jane Scott. Below is a summary of each winner.
SIMON ELLIOTT - Crew Honda Most Valuable Player
In recognition of his outstanding play this season, American Honda Motor Company and your local Honda dealers are pleased to present the 2005 Crew Honda Most Valuable Player Award to Simon Elliott, the player who most exemplifies reliability, dependability and exceptional performance; qualities held in high esteem by American Honda. Elliott scored one goal and led the team in assists with 11, which ranked tied for third in Major League Soccer. A team co-captain for the second consecutive year, Elliott started all 32 games and became the first player in club history to play every minute of every game in a season. Three of his assists were also game-winners. For his career, the seven-year MLS veteran has 54 assists, including 18 game-winning assists, to go along with 11 career goals.
JONNY WALKER - Crew Defender of the Year
The Crew is proud to present its 2005 Defender of the Year award to Jonny Walker. Walker joined The Crew via trade from the MetroStars on July 1 and proceeded to anchor the Crew defense for the next 16 games. He posted six wins on the year, including shutouts in five of those victories. Walker also finished the year tied for the second-best goals against average in Major League Soccer at 1.13. Some of his top performances included seven games with five or more saves, including a 10-save outing at Real Salt Lake in a 2-1 win.
EDSON BUDDLE - Crew Budweiser Golden Boot
Budweiser is proud to present the 2005 Budweiser Golden Boot Award to the player who, over the course of the regular season, scored the most goals for his team. For the second consecutive season, the award goes to forward Edson Buddle. Buddle led the Crew with nine goals, and was tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals. Buddle also had two assists on the year while appearing in 23 games, with 21 starts. For his career, Buddle sits fourth on The Crew's career goal-scoring list with 42.
ROBIN FRASER - Huntington Man of the Year
Huntington is proud to present the 2005 Huntington Man of the Year award to Robin Fraser. The Huntington Man of the Year award is presented to the player who embodies an exceptional sense of leadership, civic pride, family values and community service. Fraser is in his second season with The Crew, and is also in his second season as a co-captain for the Black & Gold. The 10-year MLS veteran has once again been a solid, steadying influence on The Crew back line and in the locker room. The defending MLS Defender of the Year started 30 games on the year, playing the third most minutes on the team, and has now appeared in 260 games in his career, fifth most in MLS history.
CHRIS HENDERSON - Crew Coaches Award
The Crew is proud to present its 2005 Coaches Award to Chris Henderson. Selected by the Crew coaching staff, the award is presented to the player they considered to be the most coachable and to possess all of the characteristics of a true team player, including attitude and work ethic. The 10-year MLS veteran didn't disappoint as he finished the year with three goals and eight assists in 29 games with the Crew and Colorado. The flank midfielder was acquired by The Crew via a trade from the Rapids on May 25 and he made his presence felt immediately. His eight assists were tied for second on the team and tied for 11th in MLS. He also continued an impressive decade-long run in MLS, as he ranks first all-time in MLS history in games played with 285 and seventh in assists with 79.
JONNY WALKER - Crew Newcomer of the Year
The Crew is proud to present its Newcomer of the Year award to goalkeeper Jonny Walker. After spending parts of three seasons with the MetroStars, Walker was a welcome addition to an injury-depleted Crew goalkeeping unit when he was acquired from the MetroStars in a trade midway through this season. He then started 16 straight games for the Black & Gold and notched six wins on the year with five shutouts and a 1.13 goals against average. For his career, Walker has 20 wins and 14 shutouts.
ERIC VASQUEZ AND JAMAL SUTTON - Crew Sierra Mist Goals of the Year
Sierra Mist is proud to present its Crew Goals of the Year award to Eric Vasquez and Jamal Sutton. Within a span of just five days, Vasquez and Sutton scored the club's top goals of the season. The first was on July 16 in Chicago by Vasquez, as the rookie midfielder was making his first career appearance and start. The day would only get better as he scored his first career goal with a blistering one-timer past Zach Thornton on his first career shot. It helped The Crew to a 1-1 tie in Robert Warzycha's first game as interim head coach. While Vasquez's goal was a spectacular one-time rocket, Sutton's goal was the definition of timely and dramatic. With the clock in stoppage time of a 0-0 affair at home vs. the MetroStars on July 20, rookie forward Knox Cameron gathered a ball near midfield. He played the ball over the top of the Metros defense to a streaking Marcus Storey. Storey beat two defenders to the ball but was unable to get the shot off past a drawn out Tony Meola. Instead Storey laid off a great ball to Sutton who one-timed a left-footed shot past Meola in the second minute of stoppage time to give The Crew a 1-0 win.
JONNY WALKER - OhioHealth Comeback Player of the Year
OhioHealth is proud to present its Comeback Player of the Year award to goalkeeper Jonny Walker. After offseason rotator cuff surgery and an early season calf injury, Walker was unable to regain his starting goalkeeping job with the MetroStars and was acquired in a trade by The Crew on July 1. After the trade, a healthy Walker started 16 consecutive games, posting six wins and ending the season tied for second in MLS with a 1.13 goals against average.
JON BUSCH - Crew U.S. Soccer Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
The U.S. Soccer Foundation is proud to present its Crew Humanitarian of the Year Award to goalkeeper Jon Busch. Busch has been a visible community ambassador for The Crew and MLS, giving freely of his time to make public appearances and lending his name and image to support worthy causes, throughout his four seasons in Columbus. In addition to remaining one of the club's most outgoing, positive and reliable representatives, Busch volunteered this year to serve as the Honorary Spokesperson for the Central Ohio Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Pennies for Patients fund-raising program. In that role, he appeared on program posters and calendars and made multiple personal appearances - conducting clinics and participating in assemblies - to recognize and congratulate the top-producing schools. Busch also volunteered his vocal talent, along with teammate Kyle Martino, to cut a radio spot for the Buckeye Ranch and will be serving as Honorary Chair of the Arthritis Foundation's Jingle Bell Run and Walk.
CHRIS HENDERSON - Crew Chiefs Hardest Working Man of the Year
The Crew Chiefs supporters sponsor the Hardest Working Man of the Year Award and they have selected, in consultation with the Crew front office and coaching staff, midfielder Chris Henderson. The 10-year MLS veteran has exemplified everything that the award's name implies, playing gritty, hard-nosed minutes while doing non-stop work as a wide midfielder. After joining The Crew via trade in May, Henderson finished the year with three goals and eights assists, while starting 29 games and playing the fourth most minutes on the team. He is the league's all-time leader for games played with 285.
JANE SCOTT - Crew Fan of the Year
A season ticket holder since the inaugural 1996 season and current center circle club seat holder, Jane Scott has been selected as the 2005 Columbus Crew Fan of the Year. For 10 years Scott has cheered The Crew on the field and supported it off the field. As a businesswoman and executive director of the Columbus Metropolitan Club, she has been a consistent, outspoken voice in the community on the club's behalf. She has been involved in the planning of numerous Crew Week events over the years and she and her husband, Chris, host an annual team and staff picnic at their Wyandotte Winery residence every summer. The outgoing Scott recently sold the Graystone Winery that she founded in 1990, giving her more time to enjoy life and Crew games. Jane Scott, the 2005 Columbus Crew Fan of the Year.
