Trey McBride called his mom after practice on Wednesday to inform her that he was named the Cardinals nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. His mom, who isn't a football savant, was unaware of the award or who Walter Payton was.
An hour later, she called her son back.
"She was bawling her eyes out, super excited, so she must have done a little research," McBride said. "This award means so much to me and to my family. To be a nominee of this is very special."
The Walter Payton Man of The Year award is presented to a player that excels on the field and goes above and beyond to share their dedication to community service. Courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide, McBride will receive a $55,000 donation to a charity of his choice.
The league's winner of the award will be announced at NFL Honors Super Bowl week.
Nationwide is also hosting a Charity Challenge between Dec. 5 and Jan. 6 where fans can vote on X/Twitter by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with Trey McBride's name or X handle, or by voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The player that receives the most collective hashtag mentions will win $35,000 for his charity.
While McBride has proved himself to be one of the league's best tight ends, he has also been as dedicated to community service.
"You're on such a platform as an NFL player to give back to people and to help other people out," McBride said. "I'm very grateful that people are recognizing that I do that, and I plan on continuing to do that. This is just the first step."
During the offseason, McBride took part in the NFL's USO program, traveling abroad to Poland to visit United States service members. He's helped run girls flag football clinics, even attended the first high school girls flag football game to be produced and aired on TV. McBride has frequently visited schools throughout the Valley, and earlier in the week, he was one of the Cardinals players to host a holiday shopping spree with underprivileged kids.
As a kid in Colorado, giving back was a part of McBride's upbringing. When he was young, his parents would take McBride and his brothers to community service events. His brothers, who McBride shares a very close relationship with and were the first people he called after being nominated, also participated in Special Olympics.
"It's been around my life the whole time," McBride said. "To have so many kids look up to me, the least I can do is give back to the kids and give back to the community that's done so much for me."
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill was the one to share the news that McBride would represent the team for the NFL's most prestigious individual award. The two recently served Thanksgiving meals together at Phoenix Rescue Mission for the team's 22nd annual "Feed the Hungry" event.
"So many of our players go above and beyond in terms of giving back and making a positive impact on our communities," Bidwill said. "Singling out one is always challenging but the work Trey has done in his three years as a Cardinal has been exceptional."
McBride's success off the field lines up with his emergence on the gridiron. After bursting on the scene in his sophomore season, McBride's third year finds him as the focal point in the offense. In 11 games, McBride has 73 receptions for 781.
And now he'll wear the Walter Payton Man of the Year decal on his helmet for the rest of the season as the Cardinals make a push for the playoffs.
"This (award) is one of the ones that fills your cup the most," McBride said. "I've been a great football player, but this is bigger than it all."
