Alabama junior tight end O.J. Howard was voted the United States Sports Academy’s Male Athlete of the Month for January following his record-breaking performance against Clemson, the Academy announced Wednesday afternoon.

Howard, from Prattville, Ala., was instrumental in the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff National Championship victory over Clemson on Jan. 11, 2016. He was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player after recording a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns on just five catches. Howard’s receiving yardage was a national championship game record and the most by a tight end in Alabama history. The junior also broke the school record for receiving yards in a bowl game and yards per catch with 41.6.

World Cup record-holding women’s ski racer Lindsey Vonn was voted the Female Athlete of the Month for January after winning her 37th World Cup gold medal in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, on Jan. 23, 2016. The runner up in the men’s balloting was tennis champion Novak Djokovic and third place went to golfer Jordan Spieth.

Based in Daphne, Ala., the United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, regionally accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research, and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. Each month, the public is invited to participate by nominating and voting for the Male and Female Athletes of the Month on the Academy’s website at www.ussa.edu. Monthly winners become eligible for the prestigious Athlete of the Year honor, which is selected at year end by an online public balloting.

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