What Is The Walter Payton Man Award
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented annually by the National Football League honoring a player’s volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award.
The Man of the Year trophy was created in 1969 by artist Daniel Bennett Schwartz, depicting a caped lineman modeled after offensive tackle Steve Wright, who had played for the Green Bay Packers during their Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II championships.
Despite the award being renamed in 1999, the trophy has never been modified to depict Payton instead of Wright.
Winners Since The Inception of The Award
| 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 | Placekicker | 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 | |
| Jim Flanigan | Defensive tackle | Chicago Bears | ||
| 2001 | Jerome Bettis | Running back | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| 2002 | Troy Vincent | Cornerback | Philadelphia Eagles | |
| 2003 | Will Shields | Guard | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| 2004 | Warrick Dunn | Running back | Atlanta Falcons | |
| 2005 | Peyton Manning | Quarterback | Indianapolis Colts | |
| 2006 | Drew Brees | Quarterback | New Orleans Saints | |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | Running back | San Diego Chargers | ||
| 2007 | Jason Taylor | Defensive end | Miami Dolphins | |
| 2008 | Kurt Warner | Quarterback | Arizona Cardinals | |
| 2009 | Brian Waters | 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 | |
| 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 |
Left Tackle | Los Angeles Rams |
Who is the Walter Payton Man of the Year 2022?
Andrew Whitworth won the award at the NFL Honors show on Thursday night, being recognized as the player who exemplifies community impact and philanthropy.
He joins an elite group of great men who have helped out in the community throughout their NFL careers, a well-deserved honor for the 40-year-old left tackle.
