ESPY 2013 Winners: Complete Breakdown of the Biggest Moments of Memorable Night

What an incredible night in the world of sports.

Each year, ESPN brings together the biggest names in the industry for an award ceremony to recognize the best there is and the moments that captivate the nation. The 2013 ESPYS lived up to the hype, as it showcased not only the players we watch on TV each day, but also the athletes and icons who change lives.

There were plenty of moving moments throughout the night, but here are the three that stood out the most.

Complete List of Winners

Category	Winner
Best Male Athlete	LeBron James
Best Female Athlete	Serena Williams
Best Team	Miami Heat
Best Coach/Manager	Rick Pitino
Best Breakthrough Athlete	Colin Kaepernick
Best Game	Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs, NBA Finals Game 6
Best Record-Breaking Performance	Michael Phelps
Best Championship Performance	LeBron James
Best Play	Jadeveon Clowney
Best Moment	Jack Hoffman
Best Upset	Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown
Best Comeback	Adrian Peterson
Best Male College Athlete	Johnny Manziel
Best Female College Athlete	Brittney Griner
Male Action Sport Athlete	Nyjah Huston
Female Action Sport Athlete	Stephanie Gilmore
Best MLB Player	Miguel Cabrera
Best NBA Player	LeBron James
Best WNBA Player	Candace Parker
Best NFL Player	Adrian Peterson
Best NHL Player	Sidney Crosby
Best MLS Player	Thierry Henry
Best Bowler	Pete Weber
Best Driver	Ryan Hunter-Reay
Best Fighter	Floyd Mayweather
Best Male Golfer	Tiger Woods
Best Female Golfer	Stacey Lewis
Best Jockey	Joel Rosario
Best Male Tennis Player	Novak Djokovic
Best Female Tennis Player	Serena Williams
Best International Athlete	Usian Bolt
Best Male Olympian	Michael Phelps
Best Female Olympian	Missy Franklin
Best Male Athlete with a Disability	Jeremy Campbell
Best Female Athlete with a Disability	Jessica Long
Best College Athletic Program	North Carolina Athletics (W) and UCLA Athletics (M)
Arthur Ashe Courage Award	Robin Roberts
Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance	Dick and Rick Hoyt

Jack Hoffman Wins Best Moment

Jack Hoffman is one of the most inspiring kids of all time.

The seven-year-old has been battling pediatric brain cancer, but the disease never kept him from loving the Cornhuskers. Nebraska invited Hoffman to come to the program’s spring game back in April, and he even saw a bit of playing time. He took the field in the fourth quarter and ran 69 yards for a touchdown, per USA Today.

The video of Hoffman’s touchdown run was put on YouTube and started to get thousands and thousands of views. The video, which can be seen below, now has more than eight million views.

Hoffman’s story grabbed the attention of those throughout the country, and he was one of four nominees for the “Best Moment” award on Wednesday night. The other three candidates were Alex Morgan’s game-winning goal, Andy Murray winning at Wimbledon and the Olympics and Chuck Pagano’s return to the Colts.

While Murray and Morgan definitely had great moments, there’s no question that Hoffman and Pagano had the more touching stories.

In the end, it was Hoffman who took home the award.

Jimmy V Perseverance Award Given to Dick and Rick Hoyt

This time each year, we all take the time to reflect on the historic speech given by former college basketball head coach Jim Valvano at the 1993 ESPYS. His speech was about living life to the fullest and to never give up. Each year, the ESPYS present an award in his honor for perseverance.

This year, the award was presented to Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father-son combo that has participated in 31 Boston Marathons together. With such a great story, and considering the events that occurred at the Boston Marathon earlier this year, Team Hoyt is absolutely deserving of the award.

Here’s what Dick Hoyt said after winning the award, per Matt Pepin of The Boston Globe:

"

I don’t think you could find two guys more proud to represent the city of Boston. Next time you see someone in a wheelchair, or who can’t talk, or walk, or they may talk or walk a little bit different, they are people too, and deserve to be able to live, learn, work, and play. Rick and I want to thank you all.

"

These two men represent exactly what Jimmy V talked about in 1993.

Robin Roberts Takes Home Arthur Ashe Award

While there were plenty of great moments throughout the awards ceremony, the night definitely belonged to Robin Roberts, an accomplished newscaster who has battled breast cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in recent years. On Wednesday, she was presented with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.

Roberts delivered an emotional speech after receiving the award, and of her many words of wisdom, the one below, per the official Twitter account of the ESPYS, will forever be remembered:

Many had strong thoughts on Roberts, including Darren Rovell of ESPN:

Fox Sports reporter Erin Andrews was blown away:

Congrats, Robin. You deserve it.