EAGAN, Minn. — Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been selected as the 2023 winner of the Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award.
Cousins is scheduled to receive the award at the Super Bowl Breakfast, set for Feb. 11, 2023, at the Desert Ridge Marriott Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Super Bowl Breakfast was created in 1988, and the presentation of the Bart Starr Award was initiated the following year to honor the MVP of Super Bowls I and II.
Inspired by Starr's impeccable character and faith-filled service to family and community, the award was created "to honor the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community."
Cousins will be the third player who has worn a Vikings uniform to win the award, joining quarterback Warren Moon and receiver Cris Carter.
He shared an anecdote with media members Wednesday about the first time he met Starr back in Week 2 of the 2013 season while visiting Lambeau Field with Washington.
"We took the field as the visiting team, and he was standing by the Packers tunnel, waiting for their team to take the field," Cousins recalled. "We were just standing around, waiting, so I said, 'You know, I may never get to meet Bart Starr again,' so I ran down toward their tunnel and just tapped him on the shoulder, shook his hand, introduced myself and told him, basically, 'Well done.' Well done on the life he's lived and not only what he did on the football field but who he was as a man and person and just the example he set and the foundation he built for our league.
"To win an award that has his name on it is a great honor, and then what the award stands for and what Bart stands for really means a great deal to me," Cousins added.
Nominees are evaluated annually based on criteria for the award and narrowed to a group of 10 that is then voted on by a group of past Bart Starr Award winners and Athletes in Action leadership.
View photos of QB Kirk Cousins as he hosts a surprise Holiday party for more than 100 individuals from People Serving People at Omni Viking Lakes Hotel.
Cousins and his wife launched the Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation in October 2018 in order to build on their faith through impactful philanthropy. The Julie & Kirk Cousins Foundation has provided support to numerous outlets including Bethany Christian Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Compassionate Heart Ministries, Discovery Church, Holland Christian Schools and International Justice Mission.
He has established meaningful relationships in the Minnesota community through visits to Boys & Girls Clubs and by hosting multiple events with People Serving People.
View photos as Vikings QB Kirk Cousins surprises Matt Olson with a brand-new, all-terrain Action Trackchair.
Starr and his wife, Cherry, presented the award every year from 1989 to 2014.
Since 2015, it has been presented by Bart Starr, Jr., and Tony Dungy.
Bart Starr Award Winners
1989 Steve Largent
1990 Anthony Munoz
1991 Mike Singletary
1992 Reggie White
1993 Gill Byrd
1994 Warren Moon
1995 Cris Carter
1996 Jackie Slater
1997 Darrell Green
1998 Irving Fryar and Brent Jones
2000 Aeneas Williams
2001 Bruce Matthews
2002 Darren Woodson
2003 Trent Dilfer
2004 Derrick Brooks
2005 Troy Vincent
2006 Curtis Martin
2007 John Lynch
2008 LaDainian Tomlinson
2009 Warrick Dunn
2010 Kurt Warner
2011 Drew Brees
2012 London Fletcher
2013 Jason Witten
2014 Aaron Rodgers
2015 Peyton Manning
2016 Thomas Davis
2017 Matthew Slater
2018 Benjamin Watson
2019 Calais Campbell
2020 Eli Manning
2021 Demario Davis
2022 Russell Wilson
2023 Kirk Cousins
