Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award
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| Awarded for | Excellence off the field regarding an NFL player's charity work. |
|---|---|
| Location | Varies |
| Presented by | National Football League |
| History | |
| First award | 1970 to Johnny Unitas |
| Most recent | J.J. Watt |
| Website | www |
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented annually by the National Football League (NFL) honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, 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. 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, Connie Payton (widow of Walter Payton), 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 $50,000 donation in his name to a charity of his choice. The other 31 finalists also receive donations in their name of $5,000 each to charities of their choice. The Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs have had more winners of the award than any other team, with 5 winners each.
Each winner who is currently active in the league, beginning in Week 14 of the 2017 season, has a patch on their uniforms. The currently active winners are: Drew Brees, Thomas Davis, Larry Fitzgerald, Eli Manning, and J.J. Watt. The nominees of each team are given a helmet decal to wear for the remainder of the season.[1]
Winners
See also
- Walter Camp Man of the Year
- Walter Camp Distinguished American Award
- Walter Camp Alumni of the Year
- Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
- National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award
- National Football Foundation Gold Medal Winners
- Theodore Roosevelt Award
- "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award
- Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award
- Laureus Sport for Good Award
References
- General
- "Previous Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winners" (PDF). National Football League. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- Specific
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/manoftheyear
- ^ "Johnny Unitas NFL & AFL Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ "John Hadl NFL & AFL Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ "Warner named Payton award winner". United Press International. February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ "Brian Waters named NFL Man of the Year". United Press International. February 7, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ Gardner, Tim (February 6, 2011). "Vikings' Madieu Williams named Walter Payton Man of the Year". USA Today. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ Hagemann, Andie (February 6, 2016). "Anquan Boldin named Walter Payton Man of the Year". NFL.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ^ a b "Fitzgerald, Eli both named Walter Payton Man of Year". NFL.com. February 4, 2017.