Bart Starr Award

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/

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]

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]

  1. ^ "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 "The Bart Starr Award". SuperBowlBreakfast.com. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "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. ^ "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. ^ "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. ^ 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. ^ 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. ^ 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. ^ Cite error: The named reference FITZ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).