CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tight end Greg Olsen is the Carolina Panthers Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Nominee, the team announced Wednesday. As the Panthers nominee, Olsen is one of 32 players, one from each NFL team, eligible to be selected for the only NFL award that recognizes a player for his community service activities as well as his excellence on the field. This is the first nomination for Olsen.
On the field, Olsen has been one of Carolina's best receivers since arriving to the team in 2011 following a trade with the Chicago Bears. A team-captain, Olsen is Carolina's all-time leader in receptions (324) and receiving yards (3,995) by a tight end. Olsen earned his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2014 after totaling 1,008 receiving yards and 84 receptions. He is the only active NFL tight end with five or more touchdowns in every season since 2008.
A first-round draft choice by Chicago in 2007, Olsen has been a consistent presence on the field since he entered the NFL, playing in 137 consecutive regular season games, the second-longest streak among active tight ends behind Dallas' Jason Witten (198).
Off the field, Greg is dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a "second chance at life" through his foundation, Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation.
The foundation's HEARTest Yard Fund is a family service program administered in conjunction with Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, N.C. The cutting-edge program provides families of babies affected by congenital heart disease with a multitude of services including in-home, private nursing care, physical therapy and speech therapy. The fund was created in honor of Olsen's son, TJ, who battled a rare heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a congenital defect marked by an underdeveloped left ventricle and aorta.
The initiative also assists families as they settle into their new lives as parents of children with congenital heart disease. The HEARTest Yard Fund provides this care at no charge to all families with a child born with a congenital heart disease, while incurring no additional expense to the hospital. The goal is to establish a full-scale nursing program that will improve the inter-stage mortality rate, increase life expectancy and long term prognosis while also helping patients and families maintain a high quality of life.
"Greg has an incredible heart. I love the guy," said Olsen teammate and 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient Thomas Davis. "After everything he faced with his son's surgeries, he never turned his back on his team, and never walked away from serving the community. He is an outstanding friend, father and teammate, and someone I truly admire."
Greg and his wife Kara host a variety of fundraisers throughout the year to benefit the HEARTest Yard Fund – all of which are planned and executed by Greg. The Fund's annual charity concert draws thousands of fans in attendance, while his golf tournament raises hundreds of dollars in funding and sells out annually. The largest fundraiser for the HEARTest Yard – the Weekend with the 88's – is a partnership effort with NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. and The Dale Jr. Foundation. The concept, which was created and initiated by Olsen, raises thousands of dollars annually for Levine Children's Hospital.
In February 2013, Olsen traveled to Raleigh, N.C., to lobby the House of Representatives for legislation that would require mandatory heart disease screening for newborns. The bill went in to effect in July 2014.
"Greg's service is completely driven by love," said Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera and a former teammate of Walter Payton. "Love for his family, for his community, and all those around him. He is fully committed to all that he does – both on and off the field. He is a leader in the locker room, devoted husband and father, and selfless servant to the community."
In addition to his work with the HEARTest Yard Fund, the foundation's Receiving Hope program focuses on cancer research, support and education programming. The program distributes thousands of dollars annually, with funding generated by events chaired, planned, and executed entirely by Olsen. The program's most notable and largest fundraiser, Kicks for a Cure, has raised over $750,000 in its seven year history. The event is held annually in Chicago and has supported a wide variety of projects including a complete room renovation at the nation's largest Ronald McDonald House (also located in Chicago).
In 2014, Greg founded and co-chaired Levine Children's Hospital's inaugural fundraiser, which raised over $500,000 to support hospital programming. Shocked that the hospital did not have a signature fundraiser, Greg pitched the idea of the gala to the hospital, hand-selected the committee members, and was hands-on throughout the entire planning process – even selecting table linens. Committee meetings were scheduled for Tuesdays so Greg could attend.
"Greg Olsen is a guy that puts his heart and soul in his foundation," said Charles Tillman, the 2013 Walter Payton Man of the Year. "He's been like that since we were teammates in Chicago. Coming to Carolina in April as a free agent, Greg was one of the first guys to welcome me to the team. After talking to him upon my arrival, I could tell he hasn't changed a bit. He's a pillar in the community and the NFL needs more stand up guys like Greg."
The 2015 Walter Payton Man of the Year will be announced during the 5th Annual NFL Honors awards show, a two-hour primetime special airing nationally on Feb. 6, the night before Super Bowl 50, on CBS. An elite panel of judges including Commissioner Roger Goodell, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Sports Illustrated writer Peter King, Connie Payton, Anthony Muñoz, LaDainian Tomlinson and the 2014 award recipient, Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis, will select the overall winner.
Each of the 32 team nominees receive a $5,000 donation to the charity of their choice. The two runner-ups will receive an additional $6,000 donation, and the winner will receive an additional $50,000 donation in his name. Donations will be courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.
To further celebrate and promote the 32 nominees, Nationwide, the presenting sponsor of the award, will execute an inaugural Charity Challenge. Team nominees will each have a unique hashtag and fans will be encouraged to tweet using player hashtags. The player hashtag that generates the most mentions will win a $20,000 donation to a charity of choice from Nationwide.
