As part of Veterans Day in the month of November, the NFL and USAA announced nominees from each NFL team for the annual Salute to Service Award.
Nominated by the Arizona Cardinals organization is running back and kickoff returner DeeJay Dallas.
The award recognizes players, coaches, staff and alumni who make exceptional efforts to honor and support military and veteran communities.
“USAA and the NFL founded the Salute to Service Award to celebrate the impactful military appreciation efforts throughout the league and to inspire fans to do the same,” said Major General (Ret.) John Richardson, USAA senior vice president and head of military affairs. “It’s our mission to bring greater awareness to the commitment and sacrifice embodied by the military community, and each Salute to Service nominee sets an example of how we can all show our appreciation in return.”
Three finalists will be selected by a vote of the fans with one vote per day per person allowed until voting closes on Nov. 30. The finalists will be announced in January and the winner revealed during NFL Honors three days prior to Super Bowl LIX. The nominees, along with what earned them the noimination, can be accessed at nfl.com/SaluteFanVote.
Dallas spends time honoring the sacrifices made by homeless veterans at MANA House in Phoenix. He also founded the DeeJay Dallas Foundation that connects the community with homeless veterans and their families and partnered with the USO and NFL players to host a virtual fundraiser that raised $100,000 to empower service members’ families that are impacted by the deployment of loved ones supporting U.S. military operations in Europe.
He supports veteran activations in Maricopa County and served as an ambassador for the NFL by working with the city of Springfield, Ill., to build a Purple Heart Museum, which will create a lasting legacy for the league and our nation’s veterans and service members.
Dallas said being a nominee “really means everything to me, me being a military kid myself, my brother being in the Army now. I just really appreciate the sacrifice and the hard work that those men and women put in. We sleep well at night knowing that they’re ready to do work for us and protect us. I appreciate them and I appreciate being a nominee.”
His brother, Amauri Mountain, is private first class, 11 Charlie, in the 82nd at Fort Bragg, Calif, and now in his second year. When asked if there are any otherfamily members with military backgrounds, he laughed and said, “It’s a long list.”
Dallas went on a USO trip with tight end Trey McBride shortly after signing with the Cardinals last March and also was involved in Seattle when he was with the Seahawks doing some things with Gold Star families.
He said, “I look for any way to give back to family members of service members and service members themselves because I know the sacrifice that families and service members make. So I try to sacrifice a little bit of my time to acknowledge them, and make them feel appreciated.”
In addition to Dallas, there are 14 other players, 12 team staff members, two former players and coaches, and one late owner who are this year’s nominees:
Atlanta: Chris Millman, senior vice president of sports philanthropy and community engagement
Baltimore: Steve Clagett Jr., director of learning and development
Buffalo: Matthew Smiley, special teams coordinator
Carolina: Austin Corbett, center
Chicago: Travis Homer, running back
Cincinnati: Bryan Wilburn, stadium service technician
Cleveland: Shaun Huls, director of high performance
Dallas: Zack Martin, guard
Denver: Keith Bishop, former player, vice president of security
Detroit: Carl Jones II, photographer
Green Bay: Lukas Van Ness, defensive end
Houston: Marc Lewis, director of applied sports science
Indianapolis: Trey Mock, mascot
Jacksonville: Travon Walker, defensive end
Kansas City: Mitch Holthus, radio play-by-play
Las Vegas: Robert Spillane, linebacker
L.A. Chargers: Morgan Fox, defensive end
L.A. Rams: Matthew Stafford, quarterback
Miami: Blake Ferguson, long snapper
Minnesota: Aaron Jones Sr., running back
New England: David Andrews, center
New Orleans: Nate Degen, fan engagement coordinator
N.Y. Giants: Wellington Mara, late owner
New York Jets: Tony Richardson, former player
Philadelphia: Lane Johnson, tackle
Pittsburgh: Rocky Bleier, former player
San Francisco: George Kittle, tight end
Seattle: Mike Macdonald, head coach
Tampa Bay: Brian Ford, chief operating officer
Tennessee: Alyssa Gallegos, campaign planning coordinator
Washington: Jeremy Reaves, safety
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