The Walter Payton Award is one of the most prestigious awards a Player can receive. It is bestowed annually to the nation’s most outstanding offensive player. But the question still arises: Why is it called the Walter Payton Award?
Let’s dig into the history of “sweetness” and know what makes him so special to have an annual, honorable award named after him?
Why is it called the Walter Payton Award?
The award was known as the Gladiator before the demise of Walter Payton. Since Walter Payton was a notable and influential personality on the field, the National Football League wanted to pay their regards to Payton.
The annual Man of the Year award was changed to the Walter Payton Award to honor Payton’s life and efforts in the football world.
This gesture was made to ensure that Payton’s name is always prominent in the football world.
So, why is it called the Walter Payton Award? It is such an honor to continue the legacy of the football legend Walter Payton.
Why Walter Payton? The perfect fit for the award:
Why is the annual award, the Man of the Year award, named after Walter Payton? How is Walter Payton the right fit for this award? These are a few of the many questions that fans have about this yearly award. To answer the question of how Walter Payton is a right fit for this reward, let’s look into some of these facts.
The Walter Payton Award is given to Offensive players who were prominent throughout the year, similar to Payton himself, who was an offensive player.
This award does not just look at the player’s accolades throughout the years; instead, it focuses on,
- Excellence
- Teamwork
- Brilliance
- Leadership qualities
- Team management
- Benefit community/ giving back
Walter Payton was famous for these qualities. He was an offensive weapon and not just a leading rusher; he was brilliant, strategic, and had great leadership qualities.
Moreover, this award also considers how the player is giving back to their community, which was one of Walter Payton’s specialties. He gave back to his community with an open heart.
Achievements and philanthropic work of Walter Payton:
Naming an award on a person’s name is considered a huge deal, especially in the football world. So what did Payton do in his lifetime that he got an award named after him? What efforts did he put into having fans ask why it is called the Walter Payton Award?
Surely, he must have done something right to get this honor even after he passed away.
Payton’s achievements are a song heard by the entire world.
Wlater Payton was one of the best all-time leading rushers. He played offensively and showed great teamwork, leadership, and loyalty to his team. Payton played for the Chicago Bears his entire career, even when he got offers worth twice what he was getting paid.
It shows how true to his core and values Payton was.
Apart from his perfect accolades, Payton always found a way to give back to his community. Whether it was through charity, donations, or creating awareness, he was always one step ahead in improving society.
“I think when you have a chance to give back, you do it. You do whatever you can do.” – Walter Payton.
Payton had multiple organizations to help children get education, had health organizations to pay for medical bills as well as created awareness about the importance of donors.
List of players who got the Walter Payton Award:
The Walter Payton Award was called the Gladiators before. It started in 1969, and the first Gladiator Award was given to Bart Starr – who played for the Green Bay Packers.
It was renamed in 1999, after Walter Payton’s demise, to pay tribute to the outstanding offensive player he was. After 1999, the award was known as the Walter Payton Award.
Some of the famous people who were bestowed this award are as follows:
| Players | Importannt Info |
| Cameron Heyward | Steelers Defense tackler 2023 man of the year – Walter Payton award. |
| Dak Prescott | Dallas CowboysQuarterback 2022 man of the year- Walter Payton Award. |
| Andrew Whitworth | Los Angeles rams Tackler 2021 man of the year- Walter Payton award. |
| Russell Willson | Seattle Seahawks quarterback2020 man of the year – Walter Payton award |
| Calais Campbell | Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive tackle 2019 man of the year -Walter Payton award |
| Chris Long | Philadelphia EaglesDefensive tackler2018 man of the year – Walter Payton award |
However, two notable players secured the award twice in their eras.
In 2009, Armanti Edwards, from the Appalachian state, was the first to win from his institution.
Later, Jeremiah Briscoe, who was from Sam Houston, followed in the footsteps of Edwards in 2017 and received 2 NFL Man of the Year awards.
How do you qualify to get the Walter Payton Award:
Walter Payton Award is a yearly award that is given based on the overall performance of the player and how much he has given back to his community to keep the spirit of Walter Payton alive throughout the year.
Each team nominates a player based on these achievements. Out of 32 nominees, one player is selected, who is then given the Walter Payton Award.
The winner of this award received a $250,000 donation from the National Football League to transfer to the charity of their choice; all 32 runners-up received $55,000 to donate to cover all costs covered by the National Football League.
This is one way to encourage the community’s rising stars to aim for philanthropic work in the future—to give back to the community that made them stars today.
What is the impact of the Walter Payton Award?
Now that we have established why it is called the Walter Payton Award let’s examine its impact on the players, the community, and the legend himself, Walter Payton.
The Walter Payton Award is not just a trophy; it’s a symbol of hard work and excellence and a place among the football community’s notable and prestigious players. It is a symbol of excellence that motivates the players to achieve better.
The award impacts the football community in three major ways:
- Motivates future players
The award motivates future stars to strive for success and highlights what they can achieve if they put effort and passion into their work.
- Inspiration beyond football
It goes beyond the playground, as the players who excel at it give back to the community by either shining light on their communities or doing good for them, or sometimes both, following the footsteps of the legendary Walter Payton.
- A constant reminder
This award is a constant reminder of Walter Payton and how his games and efforts would never be forgotten in the playground.
Conclusion: Why is it called the Walter Payton Award?
Walter Payton Award – a name that represents greatness.
The Walter Payton Award is not just a trophy to hand to exceptional players; it is a pride that they wear throughout their lives.
It’s a symbol of excellence, leadership, and community spirit – values that perfectly embody the legacy of “Sweetness” himself.
Giving it to future “sweetnesses” is an award to ensure that the impact that Payton made on the football community and the essentials he taught before leaving the world stay there.
FAQS:
The award is presented by the Davey O’Brien Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on college quarterbacks.
The inaugural Walter Payton Award was given in 1987, just one year after Payton’s retirement.
Past winners include college football legends like Barry Sanders, Ty Detmer, and Tim Tebow.
A panel of sports journalists and former college football players vote on the award recipient.