And the ESPY Award goes to. . . Not Byron Leftwich

Perhaps the worst mo-ment of the Marshall football season last year was on Nov. 2 at Akron, when Byron Leftwich went down after a hit to the shin and hobbled off the field into an ambulance for x-rays.

Then the Marshall faithful witnessed one of the most courageous moments in college football when the Heisman candidate limped back onto the field in the third quarter and almost led the Herd back to victory.

Players and fans had tears in their eyes when Leftwich returned and displayed how much heart he had play after play despite the pain.

In that game after long pass completions, Left-wich was picked up and carried downfield by his offensive linemen.

An image that will be stuck in college football lore and Marshall history for some time. The image was so powerful that it constantly showed up on ESPN in highlights from the 2002 college football season.

The image and his heart earned him a nomination for ESPN's ESPY Awards Wednesday night in the category of "Best Moment."

Up against Paul Kariya, Serena Williams and Pete Sampras, Leftwich didn't win, but it will forever be remembered at Marshall University as a heroic performance by one of the Herd's greatest leaders of all time.

Leftwich came back and played in the game on a stress fractured left tibia and he played the rest of the season, only missing one game.

He guided the Herd to the Mid-American Conference title and a GMAC Bowl victory on its way into the top 25.

Leftwich finished sixth in the Heisman voting and was selected as the seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sampras won this year's ESPY for the best moment for his victory in the U.S. Open.