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Calais Campbell, defense end and team captain for the Jacksonville Jaguars has won the Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award, which is given to the NFL player who best exemplifies character and leadership both on and off of the field.
The award is of course named after Hall of Fame NFL quarterback and Former Green Bay Packer Bart Starr. Campbell received a call from Bart’s wife, Cherry, who notified him of the honor. You can watch that exchange below:
NFL players voted and this years' Bart Starr Award winner is @Campbell93.
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) January 8, 2019
See the moment when he found out with a phone call from Cherry Starr. pic.twitter.com/H7JddBVXkD
This award is exclusively voted on by NFL players. Campbell was one of 10 finalists for the honor, and was selected by his peers. Campbell is a fan favorite, true leader and veteran presence in a locker room that seems to be short on those kinds of guys.
In addition to his prominence on the field as a pass rusher and run stopper, Campbell is highly active in the community. He runs the CRC Foundation (named after his late father, Charles Richard Campbell). The foundation teaches youth critical life skills through a variety of mediums such as sports, vocational platforms, financial training, health and nutrition education and more.
The Bart Starr Award was first given in 1989 to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent. Recent winners of the award include Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Benjamin Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Thomas Davis and Jason Witten.
Campbell will receive the award on Saturday, Feb. 2 in Atlanta at the 32nd annual Super Bowl Breakfast, which is one day before Super Bowl LIII. Former NFL head coaches Tony Dungy and Dan Reeves, and former player Anthony Munoz, will also be featured at the event.
Campbell is the first Jaguar to win the Bart Starr Award. He is also Jacksonville’s nominee for the 2018 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, and is one of eight finalist for that award, which is given to the player that most exemplifies outstanding sportsmanship on the field. The winner will be announced Super Bowl weekend.
The Jaguars recently announced that Campbell will return to the team in 2019.