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Alex Current of Muskego selected to receive Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch Award

11/24/2020, 10:00am CST
By Travis Wilson

Wisconsin Sports Network and WisSports.net are happy to announce Alex Current as the 2020 recipient of the Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch Award as the most outstanding senior running back in Wisconsin, part of the WSN Senior Football Awards. Current was a unanimous choice by the voting panel.

In a 38-0 shutout win over Arrowhead in a Level 1 postseason game, Muskego senior running back Alex Current carried the ball 12 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 14.8 yards per carry. Amazingly, it actually lowered his rushing average to 16.5 yards per attempt.

In the team's Wing-T offense, the recent Bemidji State recruit is a lethal threat on sweeps and counters despite only being needed a few times per game. He has only carried the ball 66 times in nine games, for 973 yards and 16 touchdowns. The 5'11", 186-pound athlete ended his senior year averaging 14.7 yards per carry and 108 yards per game.

Current put up almost identical numbers in 2018 and 2019. Both years he finished with 115 carries in 14 games, rushing for 1,542 yards and 23 touchdowns as a sophomore and 1,540 yards with 22 touchdowns as a junior.

He finished his career with 4,055 rushing yards and 61 scores, averaging 110 yards per game and 13.7 yards per carry. Current is also an accomplished receiver, with 32 receptions for 621 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career, including three receiving scores this season.

Finalists for the award were Current, Kraig Armstrong of Mauston, Kyle Brewster of Edgar, Eden Jacobson of Spencer/Columbus Catholic, and Tanner Marsh of Mondovi.

Past winners of the award include Appleton North's Steve Lichtfuss (2009), Kenosha Bradford's Melvin Gordon (2010), Waunakee's Leo Musso (2011), Big Foot's Mason Dixon (2012), Saint Mary's Springs' Ike Floyd (2013), Waunakee's Troy Laufenberg (2014), Kimberly's Blair Mulholland (2015), Darlington's Hunter Johnson (2016), Waukesha West's Peter MacCudden (2017), Iola-Scandinavia's Bryce Huettner (2018), and Racine Lutheran's Tyler Tenner (2019).

The award is named after "Crazylegs" Hirsch, a legendary athlete from Wausau High School who later starred at both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan. Hirsch spent 12 seasons in professional football, including nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams who moved him to end. His 1951 season is one of the greatest receiving years in NFL history. He caught 66 passes for a record 1495 yards and 17 touchdowns. The yardage mark wasn’t broken for 19 years while his 17 touchdowns tied the record and wasn’t broken until 1984. He later served as the Wisconsin athletic director from 1969 to 1987, overseeing a revival of UW athletics. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Hirsch passed away in 2004. 

The voting panel for the WSN Senior Football Awards consisted of:  Travis Wilson, WSN General Manager and Head Football Writer;  Norbert Durst, WSN Content Manager; Dennis Semrau, ESPN Madison; B.J. DeGroot, WSCO The Score 95.3 in Appleton; Curt Hogg, NOW Newspapers; Dan Barwick, WSN Contributor; Colton Wilson, WSN Content Producer; Fan Vote

About the Author

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson  Senior FB Awards