The NFL Alumni Association is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

nonprofit organization that is composed of former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL) players, coaches, team staff members and associate members who work voluntarily to raise funds for youth-oriented causes and engage in hands-on service to foster the development of "youth through sports and sports through youth". It was founded in 1967. The NFL Alumni headquarters is in

Mount Laurel, New Jersey Mount Laurel is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and part of the South Jersey region. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 41,864, reflecting an increase of 1 ...

with an additional 35 chapters across the country. The NFL Alumni is a dues-paying membership association. Anyone who ever played professional football qualifies to join as a Player member while team personnel are Professional Members. Individuals who did not play in the NFL may enroll in a limited category as Associate Members. The cornerstone of the NFL Alumni's fundraising efforts is its Charity Golf Classic Tour which began in 1979. Among its programs for former players is the Dire Need Trust that provides financial assistance for former NFL players in need. Another program is the Pro Legends Speakers Bureau, which books former NFL players for personal appearances around the country. Since 1982 the NFL Alumni has held the Player of the Year Awards Dinner honoring the top 10 players and coach from the previous NFL season. The players are honored by a voting process in which former players cast ballots for their modern counterparts. Former pros vote only for the positions they once played themselves.

2011 NFL Alumni Player of the Year winners

*Quarterback – Matthew Stafford (Lions) *Running Back – Maurice Jones-Drew, (Jaguars) *Wide Receiver – Hakeem Nicks, (Giants) *Lineman - Chris Long, (Rams) *Linebacker – Aldon Smith, (49ers) *Defensive Back –

Brent Grimes Brent Omar Grimes (born July 19, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Shippensburg University and signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Grimes was allocated to the Hamburg ...

, (Falcons) *Player of the Year - Maurice Jones-Drew, (Jaguars) *Lifetime Achievement -

Randall Cunningham Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also known ...

2010 Player of the Year winners

Offense *Quarterback – Philip Rivers, (Chargers) *Running Back – Maurice Jones-Drew, (Jaguars) *Wide Receiver –

Roddy White Sharod Lamor "Roddy" White (born November 2, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver who played his entire professional career with the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at UAB, and was drafted by the Falcons in the first r ...

, (Falcons) *Tight End – Jason Witten, (Cowboys) *Offensive Lineman –

Josh Sitton Josh James Sitton ( ; born June 16, 1986) is a former American football guard. He played college football at the University of Central Florida and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He made four Pro ...

, (Packers) Defense *Defensive Lineman – Ndamukong Suh, (Lions) *Linebacker –

Patrick Willis Patrick L. Willis (born January 25, 1985) is an American former football middle linebacker who played his entire eight-year career with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the 49ers in the first roun ...

, (49ers) *Defensive Back – Aqib Talib, (Buccaneers) Special teams *Special Teams Player – Devin Hester, (Bears) Overall *Player of the Year - Troy Polamalu, (Steelers) Coach *Coach – Todd Haley, (Chiefs) :Source:

2009 Player of the Year winners

Offense *Quarterback – Drew Brees, (Saints) *Running Back – Chris Johnson, (Titans) *Wide Receiver – Andre Johnson, (Texans) *Tight End – Dallas Clark, (Colts) *Offensive Lineman – Steve Hutchinson, (Vikings) Defense *Defensive Lineman – Jared Allen, (Vikings) *Pass Rusher – Elvis Dumervil, (Broncos) *Linebacker –

, (49ers) *Defensive Back – Charles Woodson, (Packers) Special teams *Special Teams Player –

Joshua Cribbs Joshua Cribbs (born June 9, 1983) is an American former football return specialist and wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Kent State University, and was signed by the Cleveland Browns ...

, (Browns) Coach *Coach – Sean Payton, (Saints)

2008 Player of the Year Awards

Offense * Quarterback —

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with ...

(Indianapolis Colts) * Running Back — Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) * Wide Receiver — Andre Johnson(Houston Texans) * Tight End — Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys) * Offensive Lineman —

Alan Faneca Alan Joseph Faneca (; born December 7, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU), and earne ...

(New York Jets) Defense * Defensive Lineman —

Albert Haynesworth Albert George Haynesworth III (born June 17, 1981) is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and was selected by th ...

(Tennessee Titans) * Pass Rusher —

DeMarcus Ware DeMarcus Omar Ware (born July 31, 1982) is an American former football outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Troy University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th overall pick in th ...

(Dallas Cowboys) * Linebacker — James Harrison (Pittsburgh Steelers) *Defensive Back — Ed Reed (Baltimore Ravens) Special teams * Special Teams Player — Leon Washington (New York Jets) Coach * Coach —

Tony Sparano Anthony Joseph Sparano III (October 7, 1961 – July 22, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have ...

(Miami Dolphins)

2007 Player of the Year winners

Offense * Quarterback — Tom Brady (

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

) * Running Back —

Brian Westbrook Brian Collins Westbrook (born September 2, 1979) is a former American football running back who played for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft ...

(

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

) * Wide Receiver —

Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennesse ...

(New England Patriots) * Tight End — Jason Witten (

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

) * Offensive Linemen — Jeff Saturday (Indianapolis Colts) Defense * Defensive Lineman — Mario Williams ( Houston Texans) * Pass Rusher — Jared Allen (

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

) * Linebacker —

(

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

) * Defensive Back —

Antonio Cromartie Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is a former American football cornerback and current cornerback coach for the Texas A&M Aggies football team. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted in the first round by the San Dieg ...

( San Diego Chargers) Special teams * Special Teams Player — Devin Hester (Chicago Bears) Coach * Coach — Mike McCarthy (Green Bay Packers)

2006 Player of the Year winners

Offense * Quarterback — Drew Brees (

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

) * Running Back — LaDainian Tomlinson ( San Diego Chargers) * Wide Receiver — Andre Johnson ( Houston Texans) * Tight End —

Todd Heap Todd Benjamin Heap (born March 16, 1980) is a former American football tight end who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in ...

(

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

) * Offensive Lineman — Steve Hutchinson (

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

) Defense * Defensive Lineman — Jason Taylor (

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

) * Pass Rusher — Aaron Kampman (

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

) * Linebacker —

Zach Thomas Zachary Michael Thomas (born September 1, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a middle linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Texas Tech University, and wa ...

(

) * Defensive Back — Champ Bailey (

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

) Special teams * Special Teams Player — Devin Hester (

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

) Coach * Coach — Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints) In addition to the Player of the Year Awards, the NFL Alumni also honors past or current players with its Spirit Award for youth-oriented community service, Order of the Leather Helmet Award for individuals who "have made significant contributions to the game of professional football" and the Career Achievement Award given to those "whose accomplishments on and off the field demonstrate the higher values promoted by the organization." The winner of the 2010 Spirit Award was Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones.

NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet

Awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the game of professional football. 1978 * Pete Rozelle *

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chi ...

* Art Rooney 1979 * Paul Brown * Red Grange * Bronko Nagurski 1980 *

Don Shula Donald Francis Shula (January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American football defensive back and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. The head coach of the Miami Dolphins for most of his ca ...

* Wellington Mara *

Dominic Olejniczak Dominic John Olejniczak (August 18, 1908 – April 16, 1989) was a real estate broker, politician, and American football executive. Olejniczak served as an alderman of Green Bay, Wisconsin, from 1936 to 1944. He was then elected mayor, serving ...

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

1981 * Lamar Hunt *

Tom Landry Thomas Wade Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football player and coach. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. Dur ...

1982 * Bill Bidwill *

Alex Wojciechowicz Alexander Francis "Wojie" Wojciechowicz (; August 12, 1915 – July 13, 1992) was an American football player from 1935 to 1950. He was a two-way player who played at center on offense and at linebacker on defense. He has been inducted into both ...

* Bud Grant 1983 * F. William Harder * LeRoy Neiman 1985 * George Preston Marshall * Weeb Ewbank 1986 * Howard Cosell * Vince Lombardi * Vic Maitland 1987 * Ray Scott *

Steve Sabol Stephen Douglas Sabol (October 2, 1942September 18, 2012) was an American filmmaker. He was the president and one of the founders of NFL Films, along with his father Ed. He was also a widely exhibited visual artist. Sabol was born in Moores ...

Ed Sabol Edwin Milton Sabol (September 11, 1916 – February 9, 2015) was an American filmmaker and the founder (with his son Steve Sabol, among others) of NFL Films. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 as a contributor due to his wor ...

Bert Bell De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was the National Football League (NFL) commissioner from 1946 until his death in 1959. As commissioner, he introduced competitive parity into the NFL to improve the league's comm ...

1988 * Raymond Berry 1989 *

Tex Schramm Texas Earnest Schramm Jr. (June 2, 1920 – July 15, 2003) was an American football executive who was the original president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys franchise of the National Football League (NFL). Schramm, usually referred to ...

1990 * Bill Dudley * Ollie Matson * Steve Van Buren 1991 * Hugh McElhenny 1992 *

Chuck Bednarik Charles Philip Bednarik (May 1, 1925 – March 21, 2015), nicknamed "Concrete Charlie", was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). He has been ranked one of the hardest hitting tacklers in NFL history a ...

* Art Modell 1993 *

Elroy Hirsch Elroy Leon "Crazylegs" Hirsch (June 17, 1923 – January 28, 2004) was an American professional football player, sport executive and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 197 ...

* Marion Motley 1994 * Sid Luckman * Sammy Baugh 1995 * Otto Graham * Chuck Noll 1996 * Johnny Unitas * Curt Gowdy 1997 *

Pat Summerall George Allen "Pat" Summerall (May 10, 1930 – April 16, 2013) was an American football player and television sportscaster who worked for CBS, Fox, and ESPN. In addition to football, he announced major golf and tennis events. Summerall ann ...

* Ralph Wilson 1998 *

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...

* Al Davis 1999 *

Bobby Mitchell Robert Cornelius Mitchell (June 6, 1935 – April 5, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and flanker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Mitchell becam ...

* Paul Tagliabue 2000 * Len Dawson * Deacon Jones 2001 * Mike McCormack * Mel Renfro 2002 * Mel Blount *

Jim Otto James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938) is an American former professional football player who played as a center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He played colle ...

* Jim Tunney 2003 * Tom Flores * Willie Davis 2004 *

Dick Vermeil Richard Albert Vermeil (; born October 30, 1936) is a former American football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons, the St. L ...

* Val Pinchbeck * Don Weiss 2005 * Larry Wilson * Joe Greene 2007 * Sonny Jurgensen * Jack Youngblood 2008 * Eric Dickerson *

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pl ...

Alex Spanos Alexander Gus Spanos (September 28, 1923 – October 9, 2018) was an American billionaire real estate developer, founder of the A. G. Spanos Companies, and the majority owner of the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football Le ...

NFL Alumni Career Achievement Award

Awarded to individuals whose accomplishments on and off the field demonstrate the higher values promoted by the organization. 1981 * Rocky Bleier * Roger Staubach 1982 * Merlin Olsen * O. J. Simpson 1983 *

George Blanda George Frederick Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football placekicker and quarterback who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons ...

* Earl Morrall 1985 *

Frank Gifford Francis Newton Gifford (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American football player, actor, and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback and flanker for the New York Giants of the National Foo ...

* Jack Kemp 1986 * Dan Fortmann *

Ray Nitschke Raymond Ernest Nitschke (December 29, 1936 – March 8, 1998) was a professional American football middle linebacker who spent his entire 15-year National Football League (NFL) career with the in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in , he was the ...

1987 * Willie Davis * Don Hutson 1988 * Art Donovan 1989 * Bart Starr 1990 * Nick Buoniconti 1992 *

Ken Farragut Kenneth David Farragut, Jr. (December 23, 1928 – February 16, 2014) was an American football center. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles. High school years Born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, ...

1993 * Gino Marchetti 1994 *

Byron White Byron "Whizzer" Raymond White (June 8, 1917 April 15, 2002) was an American professional football player and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1962 until his retirement in 1993. Born and raised in Colo ...

1995 * Alan Page 1996 * Mike Reid 1997 *

Jerry Richardson Jerome Johnson Richardson Sr. (born July 18, 1936) is an American businessman, former NFL player and former owner in the National Football League (NFL). He established the Carolina Panthers franchise, which he owned for 23 years. Early life and ...

1998 * Dr.

Robert Khayat Robert Conrad Khayat (born April 18, 1938) was the 15th Chancellor of the University of Mississippi. He also played American football as a placekicker, guard, and center for Ole Miss and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington ...

1999 * Dr.

Ed Sutton Edward Wike Sutton (March 16, 1935 – September 20, 2008) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants. He played ...

2000 *

Paul Salata Paul Thomas Salata (October 17, 1926 – October 16, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and Western Interprovincial Football ...

2001 * Terry Bradshaw 2002 * Steve Largent 2003 * Fred Dryer 2004 *

Bob Griese Robert Allen Griese (pronounced ; born February 3, 1945) is a former American football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins. Gri ...

2005 * Drew Pearson 2007 * Mike Haynes

References

External links

* {{NFL National Football League trophies and awards Sports professional associations based in the United States Alumni associations 501(c)(3) organizations Non-profit organizations based in New Jersey Companies based in Newark, New Jersey Sports in Newark, New Jersey Sports organizations established in 1967