Buckeyes Now

Ohio State Legend Cam Heyward Wins Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end and longtime NFL stalwart Cam Heyward won the NFL Man of the Year Award on Thursday night.

Matt Galatzan

In this story:

The Ohio State Buckeyes were well represented at the NFL Honors on Thursday night, with C.J. Stroud being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and defensive tackle Randy Gradishar being inducted into the Hall of Fame - becoming the 11th Buckeye to be enshrined. 

However, perhaps the biggest winner of the night was Buckeyes legend and Pittsburgh Steelers great, Cam Heyward, who was named the NFL Man of the Year. 

Cameron Heyward

The award is highly considered to be one of the NFL's most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recognizes a player for their outstanding service in the community, activities in helping others, and overall excellence on the field.

Every nominee, regardless of whether or not they're named the official Walter Payton Man of the Year, will receive a donation of up to $40,000 that will go toward the charity of their choice. 

By winning the award, Heyward will receive a $250,000 donation for the charity of his choice.

C.J. Stroud Wins NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

For the Buckeyes, Heyward was a dominant force, being named First Team All-Big Ten in 2010, and helping to guide his team to the BCS National Championship game in 2007. 

He had 163 tackles 37.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in his college career. 

He was then picked in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Steelers, where he would make six Pro Bowls from 2017-2022, be named First Team All-Pro three separate times in 2017, 2019 and 2021, and earn Second Team All-Pro Honors in 2020.

Published
Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

Home/News