Current Award Winner

Kevin Mawae

 

 

Kevin James Mawae (/məˈwaɪ/; born January 23, 1971) is an American football coach and former professional player. He played as a center in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, most notably with the New York Jets. Mawae played college football for the LSU Tigers, earning first-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. After joining the Jets in 1998, he received six consecutive Pro Bowl selections and five-first All-Pro honors during his eight seasons with the team. Mawae spent his final four seasons as a member of the Tennessee Titans, extending his Pro Bowl selections to eight and his first-team All-Pro honors to seven. Near the end of his career, he also served two terms as NFLPA president from 2008 to 2012.

Following his retirement, Mawae pursued a coaching career and was hired by the Colts in 2021 as their assistant offensive line coach. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

During the 2008 offseason, Mawae and his family spent two weeks in Africa with Children's Cup International Relief, a missions organization that the Mawae family has helped support financially. They traveled primarily in Swaziland, Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania.  He was Eddie Towne's favorite player in ESPN's hit show TILT. He created the First and Goal Challenge, a unique program to benefit Winthrop-University Hospital's outstanding Child Life Program and Pediatric Services.