We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.
Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential. In basketball, the team sport with the least number of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher. In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.
Last time, we looked at the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award of the NBA. This time we look at its Football counterpart, the Walter Payton Man of the Year.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award originated in 1970, and is given to the player honoring a player’s volunteer and charity work. It was originally named the Man of the Year, and it was renamed in the honor of former winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Walter Payton, after he died in 1999.
While this is generally given to star players, we will not dissect the season in question as the award is not meant to be defined by stat lines and on field accomplishments.
So how many Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winners have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Let’s find out!
The following are the past players who have won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award who are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and have been enshrined.
Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts 1970
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
Willie Lanier, Kansas City Chiefs 1972
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.
Len Dawson, Kansas City Chiefs 1973
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.
George Blanda, Oakland Raiders 1974
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981.
Franco Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers 1976
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.
Walter Payton, Chicago Bears 1977
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys 1978
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
Joe Greene, Pittsburgh Steelers 1979
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Harold Carmichael, Philadelphia Eagles 1980
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh Steelers 1980
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
Dwight Stephenson, Miami Dolphins 1985
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.
Steve Largent, Seattle Seahawks 1988
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
Warren Moon, Houston Oilers 1989
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.
Mike Singletary, Chicago Bears 1990
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.
Anthony Munoz, Cincinnati Bengals 1991
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.
John Elway, Denver Broncos 1992
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
Derrick Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs 1993
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.
Junior Seau, San Diego Chargers 1994
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
Darrell Green, Washington Redskins 1996
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.
Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys 1997
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins 1998
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
Cris Carter, Minnesota Vikings 1999
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2000 (co-winner)
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.
Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh Steelers 2001
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts 2005
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers 2007
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins 2008
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals 2009
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
The following are the players who have won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award who are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and have not been selected:
John Hadl, San Diego Chargers 1971
Eligible Since 1983. Ranked #103 on Notinhalloffame.com
Ken Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals 1975
Eligible Since 1992. Ranked #10 on Notinhalloffame.com
Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins 1982
Eligible Since 1991. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Rolf Benirschke, San Diego Chargers 1983
Eligible Since 1991. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Marty Lyons, New York Jets 1984
Eligible Since 1995. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Reggie Williams, Cincinnati Bengals 1986
Eligible Since 1995. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Dave Duerson, Chicago Bears 1987
Eligible Since 1997. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Bengals 1995
Eligible Since 2003. Ranked #82 on Notinhalloffame.com
Jim Flanigan, Chicago Bears 2000 (co-winner)
Eligible Since 2009. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Troy Vincent, Philadelphia Eagles 2002
Eligible Since 2012. Ranked #275 on Notinhalloffame.com
Warrick Dunn, Atlanta Falcons 2004
Eligible Since 2014. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Brian Waters, Kansas City Chiefs 2009
Eligible Since 2014. Ranked #156 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Madieu Williams, Minnesota Vikings 2010
Eligible Since 2014. Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.
Matt Birk, Baltimore Ravens 2011
Eligible Since 2014. Ranked #74 on Notinhalloffame.com.
Let’s update our tally, shall we?
|
Award in Question |
Percentage of recipients who have entered the HOF |
Percentage of recipients by year who have entered the HOF. |
|
NBA MVP |
100% |
100% |
|
NHL Art Ross |
100% |
100% |
|
NBA Finals MVP |
91.3% |
94.9% |
|
NHL Norris |
90.5% |
96.4% |
|
NBA All-Star Game MVP |
89.5% |
91.7% |
|
NHL Conn Smythe |
74.2% |
85.4% |
|
NFL Bert Bell Award |
73.7% |
71.4% |
|
NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year |
73.1% |
79.4% |
|
NFL AP MVP |
68.3% |
74.0% |
|
NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year |
66.7% |
66.7% |
|
NHL Lady Byng |
63.8% |
76.0% |
|
NFL Defensive Player of the Year |
60.8% |
71.1% |
|
NFL Super Bowl MVP |
60.6% |
64.9% |
|
NBA Defensive Player of the Year |
58.3% |
56.5% |
|
NHL Vezina |
57.1% |
66.3% |
|
NBA Rookie of the Year |
56.5% |
56.5% |
|
MLB MVP |
55.0% |
60.2% |
|
NFL Pro Bowl MVP |
52.3% |
54.8% |
|
MLB Lou Gehrig Award |
51.9% |
51.9% |
|
MLB Roberto Clemente Award |
47.4% |
47.4% |
|
NBA J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award |
46.0% |
46.0% |
|
MLB/NL/AL Cy Young Award |
44.4% |
55.4% |
|
MLB Babe Ruth Award |
37.0% |
39.3% |
|
NHL Frank J. Selke Trophy |
33.3% |
36.7% |
|
MLB World Series MVP |
33.3% |
36.8% |
|
MLB Hutch Award |
33.1% |
33.1% |
|
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year |
28.6% |
28.6% |
|
NHL Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy |
27.9% |
27.9% |
|
MLB Edgar Martinez Award |
26.7% |
17.2% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Designated Hitter) |
25.0% |
30.8% |
|
MLB Comeback Player of the Year |
25.0% |
25.0% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Shortstop) |
23.5% |
52.6% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove |
21.7% |
36.8% |
|
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year |
20.6% |
20.6% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Catcher) |
20.0% |
22.5% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Second Base) |
18.8% |
39.8% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Shortstop) |
18.2% |
35.1% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Pitcher) |
18.2% |
20.1% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Second Base) |
16.7% |
32.7% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Outfield) |
16.7% |
30.1% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Outfield) |
15.7% |
25.2% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Third Base) |
14.3% |
14.3% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (Third Base) |
13.6% |
14.3% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Silver Slugger (First Base) |
13.6% |
13.3% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Rookie of the Year |
13.3% |
13.3% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (Catcher) |
10.3% |
15.2% |
|
NBA Most Improved Player of the Year |
5.3% |
3.2% |
|
MLB (NL/AL) Gold Glove (First Base) |
3.8% |
3.2% |
|
NFL AP Comeback Player of the Year |
0.0% |
0.0% |
So, who is up next?
The following are the players who have won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in the NFL who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify for the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Charles Tillman, Chicago Bears 2013
Eligible in 2021.
Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers 2015
Eligible in 2022.
Eli Manning, New York Giants 2016 co-winner
Eligible in 2025.
Chris Long, Philadelphia Eagles 2018
Eligible in 2024.
The following are the players who have won the Walter Payton Man of the Year who are still active.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints 2006
41 Years Old,Playing for the New Orleans Saints.
Jason Witten, New Orleans Saints 2013
38 Years Old,Playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers 2014
37 Years Old,Playing for the Washington Football Team.
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals 2016 co-winner
37 Years Old,Playing for the Arizona Cardinals.
J.J. Watt, Houston Texans 2017
31 Years Old,Playing for the Houston Texans.
Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars 2019
34 Years Old,Playing for the Baltimore Ravens.
This is an award based more on character, and will likely continue to yield winners all over the ability spectrum, but let’s be honest; it is a lot easier to be philanthropic when you are a star name!
…and yes we know Peyton is not inducted yet, but come on!
So, what is up next?
We return to the NHL with a similar award to this one, the King Clancy Memorial Award.
As always, we thank you for your support, and look for that soon.
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