The National Football League (NFL) is an American football league which recognizes outstanding character and leadership not only on the football field but off it as well. Therefore, the NFL has put in place various awards that value player contributions both on and off the turf. The Bart Starr Award also known as the Athletes in Action Award is an annual award bestowed by the league upon a player who demonstrates exemplary character and leadership at home, on the field, and in the community.
This award is presented by Athletes in Action (AIA) and is named after the former quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Bart Starr. The Hall of Famer was selected by the AIA sports ministry due to his excellent character. He treated his family and community with the utmost respect and became a role model for the society. The award is presented each year at the Super Bowl Breakfast (an NFL-sanctioned event) which takes place one day before the big game.
How the winner is selected
To determine the winner of this prestigious award, the first step is the creation of a nomination list. This list is created by a group of individuals consisting of Public Relations Directors of every NFL team, the former winners of the award as well as the AIA staff. After the nomination list is ready, it is then shortlisted to contain only 10 candidates. In the end, the winner is selected by the leadership team of the AIA and the past award winners.
The first Bart Starr Award was given out in 1989 to former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent. The legendary former quarterback Starr was present and handed over every award from 1989 till 2015 which is when he could no longer continue as he suffered a stroke. Since then, the award has been presented by his son and former player and coach Tony Dungy.
List of Bart Starr Award winners
| Year | Player | Position | Team |
| 1989 | Steve Largent | Wide receiver | Seattle Seahawks |
| 1990 | Anthony Muñoz | Offensive tackle | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1991 | Mike Singletary | Linebacker | Chicago Bears |
| 1992 | Reggie White | Defensive end | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1993 | Gill Byrd | Cornerback | San Diego Chargers |
| 1994 | Warren Moon | Quarterback | Houston Oilers |
| 1995 | Cris Carter | Wide receiver | Minnesota Vikings |
| 1996 | Jackie Slater | Offensive tackle | St. Louis Rams |
| 1997 | Darrell Green | Cornerback | Washington Redskins |
| 1998 | Irving Fryar | Wide receiver | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Brent Jones | Tight end | San Francisco 49ers | |
| 1999 | Eugene Robinson | Safety | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2000 | Aeneas Williams | Cornerback | Arizona Cardinals |
| 2001 | Bruce Matthews | Offensive tackle | Tennessee Titans |
| 2002 | Darren Woodson | Safety | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2003 | Trent Dilfer | Quarterback | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2004 | Derrick Brooks | Linebacker | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2005 | Troy Vincent | Cornerback | Buffalo Bills |
| 2006 | Curtis Martin | Running back | New York Jets |
| 2007 | John Lynch | Safety | Denver Broncos |
| 2008 | LaDainian Tomlinson | Running back | San Diego Chargers |
| 2009 | Warrick Dunn | Running back | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2010 | Kurt Warner | Quarterback | Arizona Cardinals |
| 2011 | Drew Brees | Quarterback | New Orleans Saints |
| 2012 | London Fletcher | Linebacker | Washington Redskins |
| 2013 | Jason Witten | Tight end | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2014 | Aaron Rodgers | Quarterback | Green Bay Packers |
| 2015 | Peyton Manning | Quarterback | Denver Broncos |
| 2016 | Thomas Davis | Linebacker | Carolina Panthers |
| 2017 | Matthew Slater | Wide receiver | New England Patriots |
| 2018 | Benjamin Watson | Tight end | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2019 | Calais Campbell | Defensive end | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 2020 | Eli Manning | Quarterback | New York Giants |
| 2021 | Demario Davis | Linebacker | New Orleans Saints |
| 2022 | Russell Wilson | Quarterback | Seattle Seahawks |
| 2023 | Kirk Cousins | Quarterback | Minnesota Vikings |
FAQs
A. The Bart Starr Award is an annual award of the NFL which is given to a player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership at home, on the field, and in the community as well.
A. The first winner of the Bart Starr Award was Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent.
A. Kirk Cousins, the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings won the 2023 Bart Starr Award.
A. Until now nobody has won the Bart Starr Award more than once.
A. The Bart Starr Award is given to only one player each year with the exception of 1998 when Irving Fryar and Brent Jones each received the award.
