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".[1] 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.[2] However, some past awardees have been chosen by fellow NFL players after the initial list is trimmed down to 10.[3][4] 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".[2] 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.[2]

Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award
Full body photo of Bart Starr in his uniform tossing a football towards the camera
Bart Starr, former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers and namesake of the award
LeagueNational Football League
Awarded forOutstanding character and leadership
NicknameBart Starr Award
Sponsored byAthletes in Action
History
First awardSteve Largent, WRTooltip Wide receiver, 1989
Most recentMinkah Fitzpatrick, STooltip Safety (gridiron football position), 2024
Websitesuperbowlbreakfast.com/winners/

Steve Largent, the Hall of Fame former wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, was the winner of the inaugural award in 1989.[5] 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.[6] Historically, the award has only been given to one player a year, however in 1998, Irving Fryar and Brent Jones shared the award.[7] The award has been given to one set of brothers (Peyton and Eli Manning in 2015 and 2019 respectively)[3] and one father and son (Jackie and Matthew Slater in 1996 and 2017 respectively).[8] The most recent awardee was Minkah Fitzpatrick, safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, in 2024.[9]

Award winners

edit
Bart Starr Award winners
Year[a] Image Player Position Team Refs
1989   Steve Largent Wide receiver Seattle Seahawks [5]
1990   Anthony Muñoz Offensive tackle Cincinnati Bengals [10]
1991   Mike Singletary Linebacker Chicago Bears [11]
1992   Reggie White Defensive end Philadelphia Eagles [12]
1993   Gill Byrd Cornerback San Diego Chargers [13]
1994   Warren Moon Quarterback Houston Oilers [14]
1995   Cris Carter Wide receiver Minnesota Vikings [15]
1996 Jackie Slater Offensive tackle St. Louis Rams [16]
1997   Darrell Green Cornerback Washington Redskins [17]
1998   Irving Fryar Wide receiver Philadelphia Eagles [7]
Brent Jones Tight end San Francisco 49ers
1999 Eugene Robinson[b] Safety Atlanta Falcons [6]
2000   Aeneas Williams Cornerback Arizona Cardinals [18]
2001   Bruce Matthews Offensive tackle Tennessee Titans [19]
2002   Darren Woodson Safety Dallas Cowboys [20]
2003   Trent Dilfer Quarterback Seattle Seahawks [21]
2004   Derrick Brooks Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers [22]
2005   Troy Vincent Cornerback Buffalo Bills [23]
2006   Curtis Martin Running back New York Jets [24]
2007   John Lynch Safety Denver Broncos [25]
2008   LaDainian Tomlinson Running back San Diego Chargers [26]
2009   Warrick Dunn Running back Tampa Bay Buccaneers [27]
2010   Kurt Warner Quarterback Arizona Cardinals [28]
2011   Drew Brees Quarterback New Orleans Saints [29]
2012   London Fletcher Linebacker Washington Redskins [30]
2013   Jason Witten Tight end Dallas Cowboys [31]
2014   Aaron Rodgers Quarterback Green Bay Packers [32]
2015   Peyton Manning Quarterback Denver Broncos [33]
2016   Thomas Davis Sr. Linebacker Carolina Panthers [34]
2017   Matthew Slater Wide receiver New England Patriots [8]
2018   Benjamin Watson Tight end Baltimore Ravens [35]
2019   Calais Campbell Defensive end Jacksonville Jaguars [36]
2020   Eli Manning Quarterback New York Giants [3]
2021   Demario Davis Linebacker New Orleans Saints [4]
2022   Russell Wilson Quarterback Seattle Seahawks [37]
2023   Kirk Cousins Quarterback Minnesota Vikings [1]
2024   Minkah Fitzpatrick Safety Pittsburgh Steelers [9]

Notes

edit
  • a Winners are listed by the year the award was given, not by the season the player had just completed.
  • b 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.[6] He is no longer listed on the AIA's list of award winners.[2]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins selected for 2023 Bart Starr Award". CBS News. December 28, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Bart Starr Award". SuperBowlBreakfast.com. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Eli Manning wins 2020 Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award". ESPN. Associated Press. January 13, 2020. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "New Orleans Saints' Demario Davis named Bart Starr Award winner". Yahoo! Sports. January 4, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Largent to receive Bart Starr Trophy". The Miami Herald (clipping). January 19, 1989. p. 4D. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c Nidetz, Stephen (February 6, 1999). "Falcon's Robinson to Return Award for Good Character". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Murphy, Tom (January 25, 1998). "Ex-Packers stars reaping benefits". Green Bay Press-Gazette (clipping). p. C-3. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Reiss, Mike (January 4, 2017). "Matthew Slater, Jackie Slater first father-son combo to win Bart Starr Award". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Fittipaldo, Ray (January 5, 2024). "Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick honored with 2024 Bart Starr Award". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  10. ^ "Munoz wins Starr Award". The Californian (clipping). Associated Press. January 24, 1990. p. B-3. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Singletary wins Bart Starr Award". The Palm Beach Post (clipping). January 22, 1991. p. 7C. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Brennan, John (January 25, 1992). "A feast of pregame programming". The Record (clipping). p. B-2. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Gill Byrd - 1993". SuperBowlBreakfast.com. August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  14. ^ "Warren Moon - 1994". SuperBowlBreakfast.com. August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  15. ^ Phillips, Mike (January 27, 1995). "C. Carter gets gift for giving". The Miami Herald (clipping). p. 2SB. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Maybe they should call it the MFL". The Naples Daily News (clipping). Associated Press. January 23, 1996. p. 2C. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ George, Thomas (May 18, 1997). "Man of the year: Green has earned it with Skins". News & Record (clipping). N.Y. Times News Service. p. C10. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Williams helps Hall of Fame cover history". Pro Football Hall of Fame. July 2014. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  19. ^ Thomas, Jim (January 28, 2001). "Matthews is honored". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (clipping). p. D11. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Whitt, Richie (August 4, 2002). "Woodson chases a record of his own". Austin American-Statesman (clipping). p. C11. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Trent Dilfer - 2003". SuperBowlBreakfast.com. August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  22. ^ Cobb, Mike (January 31, 2004). "Brooks Wins Starr Award For Leadership Abilities". The Ledger. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  23. ^ Gaughan, Mark (February 6, 2005). "Mark". The Buffalo News (clipping). p. D6. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Fennelly, Martin (February 5, 2006). "Dungy Still Can Count His Blessings". The Tampa Tribune (clipping). p. 14. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Williamson, Bill (February 3, 2007). "Lynch receives Starr-ing role with top honor". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  26. ^ "'Spygate' takes Super twist for New England". The News Tribune (clipping). News Tribune news service. February 3, 2008. p. C5. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Velde, Jessica Vander (February 1, 2009). "Dunn Awarded for His Work Within Community". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  28. ^ Reynolds, Tim (February 8, 2010). "Auction aids relief efforts". The Times-Tribune (clipping). Associated Press. p. B7. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "Drew Brees wins Starr Award". ESPN. Associated Press. January 20, 2011. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  30. ^ "Redskins linebacker Fletcher wins Bart Starr Award". National Football League. January 11, 2012. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  31. ^ "Cowboys TE Witten wins Bart Starr Award". Chicago Tribune. January 25, 2013. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  32. ^ "Aaron Rodgers to be honored with 2014 Bart Starr Award". Fox6Now.com. January 15, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  33. ^ "Peyton Manning is 2015 Bart Starr Award winner". Sports Illustrated. January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  34. ^ "Thomas Davis named Bart Starr Award winner". WCNC. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  35. ^ Moini, Nina (February 3, 2018). "Super Bowl breakfast ceremony highlights more than football". MPR News. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  36. ^ DiRocco, Michael (January 8, 2019). "Calais Campbell first Jaguar to win Bart Starr Award: 'a true honor'". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  37. ^ "Russell Wilson receives 2022 Bart Starr Award". Associated Press. February 12, 2022. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2023.