George Halas Award

For the defensive award which presented the George Halas Trophy, see Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
George Halas Award
SportAmerican football
LeagueNational Football League
Awarded forAn NFL player, coach or staff member overcoming adversity
Presented byPro Football Writers of America
History
First awardJoe Namath, 1969
Most recentJohn Metchie III, 2024
Websitewww.profootballwriters.org/off-field-awards/pfwa-george-halas-award/

The George Halas Award is given by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) to a National Football League (NFL) player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.

The award is named for George Halas, a charter member (1963) of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who was associated with the Chicago Bears and NFL from their inception in 1920 until his death in 1983 as an owner, manager, player and promoter.

Halas represented the Bears, then known as the Decatur Staleys, at the Sept. 17, 1920 organizational meeting of the American Football Association in Canton, Ohio. One year later, the AFA became known as the National Football League.

Halas’ teams won six NFL titles in his 40 seasons as the Bears’ coach. His 318 regular-season wins and 324 total victories were long-standing NFL records until broken by Don Shula in 1993.[1]

In 1970, the George Halas Award went to Gale Sayers for his comeback from knee surgery to lead the NFL in rushing in 1969.[2] Sayers gave an emotional speech that was memorialized in the film Brian's Song. Said Sayers, "You flatter me by giving me this award, but I’ll tell you here and now that I accept it for Brian Piccolo. Brian Piccolo is the man of courage who should receive the George S. Halas Award. I accept it tonight, but I’ll present it to Brian tomorrow. I love Brian Piccolo. And I’d like all of you to love him, too. And tonight, when you hit your knees, ask God to love him, too."[3][4]

Other notable winners of the George Halas Award include Joe Namath,[5] Steeler running back Rocky Bleier, Hall of Fame cornerback Jimmy Johnson,[6] New York Giant cancer survivor Karl Nelson,[7] Hall of Famers Dan Hampton and Joe Montana,[8] Denver Broncos guard Mark Schlereth,[9] former N.Y. Giant Kerry Collins,[10] San Francisco 49ers Garrison Hearst[11] and Bryant Young,[12] coach and former linebacker Sam Mills,[13] Dolphins running back Robert Edwards,[14] linebacker Mark Fields,[15] former head coach Tony Dungy,[16] former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees,[17] New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft,[18] and former Saints safety and ALS advocate Steve Gleason.[19]

  1. ^ "George Halas Award | PFWA". Retrieved 2017-12-24.
  2. ^ Vecsey, George (23 September 2020). "Gale Sayers Dies; Elusive Hall of Fame Running Back Was 77". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  3. ^ Michael E. Eidenmuller. "Movie Speech from Brian's Song - Gale Sayers Accepts George Halas Trophy for Courage". American Rhetoric. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  4. ^ "ESPN Classic - Courageous Piccolo never lost hope". Espn.go.com. 2003-11-19. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  5. ^ "History". Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
  6. ^ "Professional Football Researchers Association- Pro Football History". Archived from the original on October 24, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
  7. ^ Joseph McDonald (2006-05-03). "The Bookends Interview: Karl Nelson :: NY Sports Day - Independent New York Giants Coverage". NY Sports Day. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  8. ^ "Vic Carucci and Football". Livingprimetime.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2004. Retrieved 2015-10-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ [permanent dead link‍] [1][dead link‍]
  10. ^ "PLUS - PRO FOOTBALL - Halas Award Goes To Giants' Collins - NYTimes.com". Select.nytimes.com. 2001-06-19. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  11. ^ "49ers Champ's Incredible Fan Paradise Paradise Press". 49ersparadise.com. 2002-06-20. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  12. ^ "49ers' Bryant Young Honored by PFWA - AP Online - HighBeam Research". Archived from the original on October 4, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
  13. ^ "Panthers 20, Rams 7 - NFL - Yahoo Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. 2004-12-12. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  14. ^ "Dolphins' Robert Edwards Named Halas Award Winner - FinHeaven Forums". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
  15. ^ Cafardo, Nick (2005-07-24). "McGinest tackles some topics - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  16. ^ [2] Archived October 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ [3] Archived May 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Robert Kraft selected as PFWA's 2012 George Halas Award winner | New England Patriots". Patriots.com. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  19. ^ "Steve Gleason selected as PFWA’s 2015 George Halas award winner" Archived 2017-08-06 at the Wayback Machine, New Orleans Saints, June 15, 2015.