Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award information
National Football League award
Walter Payton Man of the Year
Logo of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award
Awarded for
Excellence off the field regarding an NFL player's charity work
Presented by
National Football League
History
First award
Johnny Unitas QB, 1970
Most recent
Cameron Heyward DT, 2023
Website
www.nfl.com/manoftheyear/
Walter Payton rushing the ball against the New Orleans Saints on October 7, 1984, the day he broke Jim Brown's record for both 100-yard games and overall rushing yardage
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented annually by the National Football League (NFL) honoring a player's commitment to philanthropy and community impact, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award. Shortly after Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton died (having been the 1977 recipient himself), the award was renamed to honor his legacy as a humanitarian.[1]
The NFL Man of the Year trophy was created in 1969 by artist Daniel Bennett Schwartz, depicting a nondescript caped lineman standing alone on the sidelines, outside of game action. The trophy has never been intended to specifically resemble anybody, symbolizing that the award is intended to recognize any player, including one who may perform in a lower-profile playing position outside of the spotlight, whose humanitarian contributions and efforts are worthy.[1]
Each year, a winner is selected from 32 nominees from the 32 different teams. A panel of judges, which includes the Commissioner of the NFL, the previous year's winner, and a number of former players select the winner of the award. The Man of the Year winner receives a $250,000 donation in his name to a charity of his choice. The other 31 finalists also receive donations in their name of $50,000 each to charities of their choice. The Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears have had more winners of the award than any other teams, with five winners each.[2][3]
Since 2017, previous winners who are currently active in the league wear a patch depicting the trophy on their uniforms for the rest of their NFL careers. The current active winners (in chronological order) are Calais Campbell, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, and Cameron Heyward. Once the 32 nominees are announced, each of them is given a small helmet decal depicting the trophy to wear for the remainder of that season.[4] Recent[when?] winners have also been acknowledged during the Super Bowl pre-game ceremony before "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner".[citation needed]
The NFL describes the award as its "most prestigious accolade" and recipients of the award sometimes place it among their most cherished.[5][6]
^ abCallahan, Sean (February 1, 2013). "The Model for a Tribute to Model Players". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
^"NFL Man Of The Year". National Football League. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
^Rubio, Fidel (February 13, 2023). "NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award: Full list of winners". Diario AS. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
^"NFL reveals nominees for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award". NFL.com. December 7, 2017.
^"Seahawks QB Russell Wilson named 2020 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year". NFL.com. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
^Kendle, Jon (April 10, 2022). "NFL stars count Walter Payton Man of the Year award among game's biggest honors". Canton Repository. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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