The Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award is given annually to an American football player in the National Football League (NFL) who "best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community". The award is presented by Athletes in Action (AIA), a sports ministry associated with Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ). It is awarded to the winner each year at the Super Bowl Breakfast, an NFL-sanctioned event that occurs the day before the Super Bowl. The nominee list is compiled by a group of individuals made-up of the Public Relations Directors of every NFL team, past award winners and AIA staff. The list is trimmed to 10 players, with the award winner chosen by AIA leadership and past award winners. However, some past awardees have been chosen by fellow NFL players after the initial list is trimmed down to 10. The award was first given at the second Super Bowl Breakfast in 1989. Bart Starr, the Hall of Fame former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, partnered with AIA to present the award that bears his name. Starr was selected by AIA because he was an "individual of impeccable character who has served his family and community faithfully through the years and is a role model for athletes and business people alike". Starr presented every award until 2015, when a stroke prevented him from attending the Super Bowl Breakfast anymore. Since 2015, former NFL coach Tony Dungy and Starr's son have presented the award in his honor.
Steve Largent, the Hall of Fame former wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, was the winner of the inaugural award in 1989. Since then, 37 NFL players have received the award. This includes Eugene Robinson, a safety for the Atlanta Falcons, who returned the award after being arrested the night he received it for soliciting sex from an undercover police officer. Historically, the award has only been given to one player a year, however in 1998, Irving Fryar and Brent Jones shared the award. The award has been given to one set of brothers (Peyton and Eli Manning in 2015 and 2019 respectively) and one father and son (Jackie and Matthew Slater in 1996 and 2017 respectively). The most recent awardee was Christian McCaffrey, running back for the San Francisco 49ers, in 2026.
Award winners
+ YearImagePlayer Position Team 1989 Wide receiver Seattle Seahawks 1990 Offensive tackle Cincinnati Bengals 1991 Linebacker Chicago Bears 1992 Defensive end Philadelphia Eagles 1993 Cornerback San Diego Chargers 1994 Quarterback Houston Oilers 1995 Wide receiver Minnesota Vikings 1996 Offensive tackle St. Louis Rams 1997 Cornerback Washington Redskins 1998 Wide receiver Philadelphia Eagles Tight end San Francisco 49ers 1999 Safety Atlanta Falcons 2000 Cornerback Arizona Cardinals 2001 Offensive tackle Tennessee Titans 2002 Safety Dallas Cowboys 2003 Quarterback Seattle Seahawks 2004 Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2005 Cornerback Buffalo Bills 2006 Running back New York Jets 2007 Safety Denver Broncos 2008 Running back San Diego Chargers 2009 Running back Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Quarterback Arizona Cardinals 2011 Quarterback New Orleans Saints 2012 Linebacker Washington Redskins 2013 Tight end Dallas Cowboys 2014 Quarterback Green Bay Packers 2015 Quarterback Denver Broncos 2016 Linebacker Carolina Panthers 2017 Wide receiver New England Patriots 2018 Tight end Baltimore Ravens 2019 Defensive end Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 Quarterback New York Giants 2021 Linebacker New Orleans Saints 2022 Quarterback Seattle Seahawks 2023 Quarterback Minnesota Vikings 2024 Safety Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 Cameron Jordan Defensive end New Orleans Saints 2026 Christian McCaffrey Running back San Francisco 49ers
Notes Winners are listed by the year the award was given, not by the season the player had just completed. Atlanta Falcons safety Eugene Robinson won the award for the 1998 NFL season, but was arrested the evening he received the award in Miami, Florida, for soliciting a female undercover police officer who was posing as a prostitute. This occurred on the eve of the Falcons' game against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII. Robinson later agreed to return the award. He is no longer listed on the AIA's list of award winners.
See also List of NFL awards Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Alan Page Community Award Art Rooney Award
References