Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year is an award 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 in 1999 (having been the 1977 recipient himself), the award was renamed to honor his legacy as a humanitarian.
The NFL Man of the Year trophy was created in 1969 by artist Daniel Bennett Schwartz, depicting an undistinguished caped lineman standing alone on the sidelines, outside of game action. While offensive lineman Steve Wright was used as a model for the sculpture, the trophy has never been intended to specifically resemble anybody, symbolizing that the award is meant to recognize any player. This includes players who may perform in a lower-profile playing position outside the spotlight, and whose humanitarian contributions and efforts are worthy.
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.
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, Dak Prescott, Cameron Heyward, Arik Armstead and Bobby Wagner. 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. Recent winners have also been acknowledged during the Super Bowl pre-game ceremony before "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner".
The NFL describes the award as its "most prestigious accolade" and recipients of the award sometimes place it among their most cherished.
Winners
+ List of Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year winners Year Player Position TeamRef 1970Johnny Unitas Quarterback Baltimore Colts 1971 Quarterback San Diego Chargers 1972 Linebacker Kansas City Chiefs 1973 Quarterback Kansas City Chiefs 1974 Quarterback Oakland Raiders 1975 Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals 1976 Running back Pittsburgh Steelers 1977 Running back Chicago Bears 1978 Quarterback Dallas Cowboys 1979 Defensive tackle Pittsburgh Steelers 1980 Wide receiver Philadelphia Eagles 1981 Wide receiver Pittsburgh Steelers 1982 Quarterback Washington Redskins 1983 Kicker San Diego Chargers 1984 Defensive tackle New York Jets 1985 Center Miami Dolphins 1986 Linebacker Cincinnati Bengals 1987 Safety Chicago Bears 1988 Wide receiver Seattle Seahawks 1989 Quarterback Houston Oilers 1990 Linebacker Chicago Bears 1991 Offensive tackle Cincinnati Bengals 1992 Quarterback Denver Broncos 1993 Linebacker Kansas City Chiefs 1994 Linebacker San Diego Chargers 1995 Quarterback New York Jets 1996 Cornerback Washington Redskins 1997 Quarterback Dallas Cowboys 1998 Quarterback Miami Dolphins 1999 Wide receiver Minnesota Vikings 2000 Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive tackle Chicago Bears 2001 Running back Pittsburgh Steelers 2002 Cornerback Philadelphia Eagles 2003 Offensive guard Kansas City Chiefs 2004 Running back Atlanta Falcons 2005 Quarterback Indianapolis Colts 2006 Quarterback New Orleans Saints Running back San Diego Chargers 2007 Defensive end Miami Dolphins 2008 Quarterback Arizona Cardinals 2009 Offensive guard Kansas City Chiefs 2010 Safety Minnesota Vikings 2011 Center Baltimore Ravens 2012 Tight end Dallas Cowboys 2013 Cornerback Chicago Bears 2014 Linebacker Carolina Panthers 2015 Wide receiver San Francisco 49ers 2016 Wide receiver Arizona Cardinals Quarterback New York Giants 2017 Defensive end Houston Texans 2018 Defensive end Philadelphia Eagles 2019 Defensive end Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 Quarterback Seattle Seahawks 2021 Offensive tackle Los Angeles Rams 2022 Quarterback Dallas Cowboys 2023 Defensive tackle Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 Defensive end Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 Linebacker Washington Commanders
See also Alan Page Community Award 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 Bart Starr Award Laureus Sport for Good Award List of NFL awards
References