# Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

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.
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.
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, 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. 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

* † Player is still active in the NFL
| Year | Player | Position | Team |
| 1970 | Johnny Unitas | Quarterback | Baltimore Colts |
| 1971 | John Hadl | Quarterback | San Diego Chargers |
| 1972 | Willie Lanier | Linebacker | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1973 | Len Dawson | Quarterback | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1974 | George Blanda | Quarterback | Oakland Raiders |
| 1975 | Ken Anderson | Quarterback | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1976 | Franco Harris | Running back | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1977 | Walter Payton | Running back | Chicago Bears |
| 1978 | Roger Staubach | Quarterback | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1979 | Joe Greene | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1980 | Harold Carmichael | Wide receiver | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1981 | Lynn Swann | Wide receiver | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1982 | Joe Theismann | Quarterback | Washington Redskins |
| 1983 | Rolf Benirschke | Kicker | San Diego Chargers |
| 1984 | Marty Lyons | Defensive tackle | New York Jets |
| 1985 | Dwight Stephenson | Center | Miami Dolphins |
| 1986 | Reggie Williams | Linebacker | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1987 | Dave Duerson | Safety | Chicago Bears |
| 1988 | Steve Largent | Wide receiver | Seattle Seahawks |
| 1989 | Warren Moon | Quarterback | Houston Oilers |
| 1990 | Mike Singletary | Linebacker | Chicago Bears |
| 1991 | Anthony Muñoz | Offensive tackle | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1992 | John Elway | Quarterback | Denver Broncos |
| 1993 | Derrick Thomas | Linebacker | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1994 | Junior Seau | Linebacker | San Diego Chargers |
| 1995 | Boomer Esiason | Quarterback | New York Jets |
| 1996 | Darrell Green | Cornerback | Washington Redskins |
| 1997 | Troy Aikman | Quarterback | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1998 | Dan Marino | Quarterback | Miami Dolphins |
| 1999 | Cris Carter | Wide receiver | Minnesota Vikings |
| 2000 | Derrick Brooks | Linebacker | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2000 | Jim Flanigan | Defensive tackle | Chicago Bears |
| 2001 | Jerome Bettis | Running back | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2002 | Troy Vincent | Cornerback | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2003 | Will Shields | Offensive guard | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2004 | Warrick Dunn | Running back | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2005 | Peyton Manning | Quarterback | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2006 | Drew Brees | Quarterback | New Orleans Saints |
| 2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson | Running back | San Diego Chargers |
| 2007 | Jason Taylor | Defensive end | Miami Dolphins |
| 2008 | Kurt Warner | Quarterback | Arizona Cardinals |
| 2009 | Brian Waters | Offensive guard | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2010 | Madieu Williams | Safety | Minnesota Vikings |
| 2011 | Matt Birk | Center | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2012 | Jason Witten | Tight end | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2013 | Charles Tillman | Cornerback | Chicago Bears |
| 2014 | Thomas Davis Sr. | Linebacker | Carolina Panthers |
| 2015 | Anquan Boldin | Wide receiver | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2016 | Larry Fitzgerald | Wide receiver | Arizona Cardinals |
| 2016 | Eli Manning | Quarterback | New York Giants |
| 2017 | J. J. Watt | Defensive end | Houston Texans |
| 2018 | Chris Long | Defensive end | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2019 | Calais Campbell$^†$ | Defensive end | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 2020 | Russell Wilson$^†$ | Quarterback | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2021 | Andrew Whitworth | Offensive tackle | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2022 | Dak Prescott$^†$ | Quarterback | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2023 | Cameron Heyward$^†$ | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2024 | Arik Armstead$^†$ | Defensive end | Jacksonville Jaguars |