Tag: Bart Starr

Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick given Bart Starr Award for character and leadership

Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the true leaders in the NFL.

No player in the NFL epitomizes professionalism and leadership like Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. This mentality was awarded on Saturday at the annual Super Bowl breakfast when Fitzpatrick was given the Bart Starr Award.

Here is how the award was described by co-chairman of the Breakfast and former NFL head coach Tony Dungy.

“The award is given every year to an NFL player, and that player is selected by his peers, by the rest of the players in the NFL. And it’s not for accolades on the field, it’s the best representation of character and leadership, first in the home, then on the field and in the community.”

Fitzpatrick, forever showing humility was honored to win the award.

‘I’m honored to win this award,” Fitzpatrick said. “It surprised me that I won this award because there was a lot that I learned about myself, that I need to continue to grow, continue to develop.”

During the 2023 season, when things were unraveling on the team, Fitzpatrick was the voice we heard the loudest saying all the right things and doing his best to keep the team focused and on track. Fitzpatrick’s 2023 season not up to his standards due to circumstances out of his control but he is the last player you will ever hear complain.

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Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick wins 2024 Bart Starr Award

Minkah Fitzpatrick is a true leader for the Steelers.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced safety Minkah Fitzpatrick had won the 2024 Bart Starr Award for displaying outstanding character, integrity and leadership on and off the field.

“It’s a huge honor,” said Fitzpatrick. “I am grateful for you guys to select me. I appreciate it very much.”

“That my peers selected me means a lot. I say all the time the better man you are, the better ball player you will be. I feel like that’s a phrase not a lot of people really believe in across the league.”

“The fact that people see a good man in me means a lot. I am always trying to be a better man, better brother, better son. The fact that people recognize that is a huge honor.”

Fitzpatrick has quickly developed into the best all-around safety in the NFL. But it has been his leadership that stood out this season when he called out his own team for playing flat and getting beat. This season hasn’t gone according to play for Fitzpatrick thanks to injuries but he remains an integral part of the team.

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The oldest NFL quarterbacks to ever win a Super Bowl

NFL teams have won a Super Bowl with a quarterback 35 or older nine times. Russell Wilson, now 35, will aim to become the 10th.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson turns 35 years old today (Nov. 29, 2023).

But there’s no reason to fret, Broncos fans. If the veteran quarterback has his way, Wilson still has another decade of football on deck.

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel last year, Wilson said he wants to play until he’s 45 years old (he’s under contract with Denver through his age-40 season).

“It’s a lifestyle,” Wilson said when Kimmel asked the QB about the time and resources it takes to stay in top physical condition. “When you’re trying to play as long as I’m trying to play — I’m trying to play until 45 — the mentality, the focus level, everything you do has to be surrounded around that. It’s been an amazing journey for me so far.”

Tom Brady, who retired at age 45, was the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, so that’s likely the blueprint Wilson is aiming to follow.

Wilson will hope that Brady was not an outlier. Having previously won a Super Bowl at age 25 in 2013, Wilson will now hope to join the list of above-35-year-old quarterbacks who have won an NFL championship.

Here’s a quick look at the oldest quarterbacks in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.

The top high school QBs of all time: Southeast region

Iconic slingers from the Southeast.

USA TODAY High School Sports has kicked off its look at some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, breaking them up into five different regions.

First up was the best of the best from the East region.

For this next batch of all-time high school QBs, we’re shifting our focus to the Southeast, which includes the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Included are some of the most-decorated college football players in history and one of the greatest winners at the pro level of all time. Here are the top five all-time HS QBs from the Southeast.

Who is the greatest Green Bay Packer of all time?

Aaron Rodgers says he is debatably the greatest Packer of all time. You get to weigh in with this poll.

Aaron Rodgers said he is debatably the greatest Green Bay Packer of all time on Wednesday while guesting on the “Pat McAfee Show.”

“I would say this is debatable, but I’m debatably the best player in franchise history,” Rodgers said on the show. “I’m in the conversation for sure.

“What’s not debatable is I’m the longest-tenured Packer in history. You can debate the first part, obviously, Bart (Starr), Brett (Favre), a number of names have been incredible. But you can’t debate that anybody has been there longer than I have. And nobody has bled green and gold like me.”

  • Rodgers is 147-75-1 as a starter. He has thrown for 59,055 yards with 475 touchdowns against 105 interceptions.
  • Favre was 160-93-0 with Green Bay. He threw for 61,655 yards with 442 TDs and 286 interceptions.
  • Starr was 94-57-6 with 24,718 passing yards, 152 TDs, and 138 interceptions.

Starr won two Super Bowls — first two — with Green Bay. Rodgers and Favre each won one.

Of course, we aren’t going to ignore the greatest coach in franchise history, Vince Lombardi. He won a pair of Super Bowls and 5 NFL championships.

Lombardi was 89-29-4 as Packers coach and won 9 of 10 playoff games.

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Kirk Cousins named 2023 winner of the Bart Starr Award

Cousins is the third Minnesota Viking to win the award

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Wednesday that quarterback Kirk Cousins was named the winner of the Athletes in Action/Bart Starr award. Founded in 1989, the award is meant to honor the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.

Kirk Cousins will be the third Viking to receive this award since its inception. Quarterback Warren Moon and wide receiver Cris Carter also won the award.

Cousins briefly touched on the award in his weekly press conference, where he went on to talk about getting the opportunity to meet Bart Starr.

Cousins will receive the award at the Super Bowl breakfast in Phoenix, Arizona on February 11th and hopefully, the Vikings will also be preparing to play in the Super Bowl that weekend.

Washington Super Bowl Coach stands alone

As Sean McVay and Zac Taylor look to win their first Super Bowl Sunday, we shall never forget Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

How is it that one coach stands out in contrast to all Super Bowl champion coaches?

Vince Lombardi won the first two Super Bowls with Bart Starr as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback. Don Shula and Miami won two with Bob Griese. Tom Landry steered Dallas to two Super Bowl trophies with Roger Staubach at the helm. Chuck Noll and the Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s with Terry Bradshaw behind center.

Tom Flores and the Raiders won two with Jim Plunkett as the leader of the offense. Bill Walsh was the head coach with Joe Montana the field general for three Super Bowl crowns for the 49ers. The 49ers won two more with head coach George Seifert coaching and Montana and Steve Young as signal-callers.

Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer both coached the Cowboys to Super Bowl rings with Troy Aikman taking the snaps from center. Denver’s Mike Shanahan as head coach and John Elway in the pocket for the Broncos won it all twice.

Tom Coughlin’s NY Giants took the crown twice with Eli Manning the on-field general. Last but certainly not least, New England’s Bill Belichick won six rings with Tom Brady as the quarterback.

Seifert is the only one above to win a second Super Bowl with a second quarterback (Montana and Young).

There is also Marv Levy and the Bills who went to multiple Super Bowls with Jim Kelly under center — and lost. Likewise, Dan Reeves led Elway and the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances — they also lost all three.

Yet, there is one other coach to win more than multiple Super Bowls with more than one quarterback, Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs not only won more than one Super Bowl with more than one quarterback, he accomplished the feat three times!

Gibbs led Washington to Super Bowl trophies with Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien winning Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI.

Starr, Griese, Staubach, Bradshaw, Montana, Young, Aikman and Elway are already in the Hall of Fame. Without question Brady will be in the HOF and Eli Manning a 2-time SB MVP is likely to be elected to the HOF. Only Jim Plunkett is likely to not make the HOF.

By contrast, Theismann was only an All-Pro once (1983), and Williams and Rypien were never All-Pro. Rypien had a great year only in 1991. Williams though never even a pro-bowler, was a veteran leader and had huge moments like the playoff win at Chicago (1987) and a nearly perfect 2nd quarter in Super Bowl XXII, earning the MVP.

Joe Gibbs is distinctive among Super Bowl coaches with multiple wins, doing so with three non-Hall of Fame quarterbacks.  Hats off to Coach Joe, who is remarkably now age 81. The Washington franchise and fans were certainly blessed to have enjoyed Joe Jackson Gibbs as head coach.