By: Lindsey Young

Each year, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. Initially launched in 1970, the award was renamed in 1999 after late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community. For the Vikings this year, fullback C.J. Ham has been voted by his teammates as Minnesota's selection.

All 32 nominees will receive a donation for charity. The winner will be announced at "NFL Honors" on Feb. 6, 2025. Fans can vote for Ham in the annual Charity Challenge by posting #WPMOYChallenge along with his last name on X or directly at NFL.com/ManOfTheYear. The player with the most votes will receive an additional $35,000 for charity.

Truth be told, Carllisha first assumed the call was a prank. Someone making a video for YouTube or something, she says, laughing about it now.

She was told she'd been selected to receive a special Christmas experience from Vikings fullback C.J. Ham and his family. Remaining skeptical, she wondered if anything would come of it. But she heard shortly thereafter from Southside Girls & Boys Club Branch Director Mark Graves.

"He told us, 'This is the date, this is the time, you'll get picked up – just be ready,' " Carllisha recalled. "I was so emotional. I was like, 'They're giving to us? They don't even know us! What can we give to them in return?' "

Carllisha and her three youngest children got to work making custom T-shirts. On the front they read, WE APPRECIATE YOU in purple lettering. On the back, C.J.'s jersey No. 30.

December 21 came around, and a limousine picked the family up from their home and transported them to the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel, where they were immediately greeted by Santa Claus himself.

"I was just like, 'Wow.' This is truly amazing! I mean, Santa Claus didn't have to be there,'" Carllisha said, smiling.

She'll forever remember the smiling faces of Stephanie Ham, the Hams' daughters Skylar and Stella and son Trip. Due to a last-minute change in NFL regulations around an uptick in COVID-19 cases, C.J. was unable to attend in person but joined the interactions via FaceTime call.

Carllisha and the children were ushered into the hotel, where they found a towering, sparkling Christmas tree, cozy fireplace and holiday dinner spread. Then, the mountain of gifts individually wrapped and labeled for each member of the family.

"I was whispering, 'Are you sure this is for us? Are you sure you've got the right family?' " Carllisha said.

In preparation for the evening, Mark had asked her to create a personal wish list as well as one for each of the children, ranging in ages from 2 to 15. She put two items on each list – in most cases, new socks and a pair of pants.

"They asked me, 'Are you sure?' And I told them, 'Yeah, it's good.' But they said, 'Well, just put down a few more things they'd like,' " Carllisha noted. "I couldn't believe it. The gifts – I'm talking about iPads, toys, everything they wanted. Bikes. My kids even got bikes."

She paused for a moment before adding, emotion cracking her voice,

"It was probably the first time we'd ever felt such unconditional love. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

It just comes naturally for C.J. Ham, the 2024 Vikings Community Man of the Year and team nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

It's how he was raised.

Born in Chicago but relocating with his family to Duluth, Minnesota, at a young age, C.J.'s childhood memories are filled with house guests moving in and out over the years.

"My mom and dad were the first ones to take in anyone," he laughed. "The majority of our family from the Chicago area moved to Minnesota at some point in their lives, and I can't tell you how many times I had aunts, uncles and cousins living in my home growing up.

"That was my parents' mindset: be the people who will take in anyone who needs help," C.J. added.

Cortez Ham, Sr., and his wife Tina both worked multiple jobs to ensure a comfortable and secure upbringing for C.J. and his older sister Markeeta. Because Cortez and Tina often put in long hours, C.J. spent many mornings eating breakfast at the local Boys & Girls Club, then would return there after school until his parents clocked out.

He's forever thankful for the guidance of his parents, as well as then-club director Tim Stratioti, who mentored C.J. especially during a handful of challenging middle school years.

"I was a super passionate kid, super competitive. Some would say I kind of had a short temper," C.J. said. "So, I found myself getting into a little bit of trouble sometimes, you know, over a basketball game or something like that. Tim would always bring me into his office and have these real conversations with me … letting me express myself but also giving me wisdom. That's something I will never take for granted."

C.J.'s taken the lessons from Stratioti, as well as the guidance and examples from his parents, throughout his life. It's something Steph noticed early on during their time attending Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

"C.J. was always the guy to hold the door open – and then keep it open for all 12 people coming through," she laughed. "Or we'd walk out of the grocery store, and he was always quick to jog over and help someone put their groceries in their trunk if they needed it.

"When we were in college, we'd always go to one of our family's homes for Thanksgiving," Steph continued. "The Hams didn't have a ton of money, but Tina would cook from, like, 5 a.m. the day before until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. We'd be there all day, and people would come in with four or five kids, take a plate, sit and eat and then leave. I think a part of C.J.'s servant heart definitely stems from Tina."

Some have asked C.J. and Steph why they don't have a foundation of their own.

Maybe they will, someday. But for now, they've chosen to keep their options – and hearts – open for whatever and wherever they're needed.

C.J. has focused heavily on the Boys & Girls Clubs since joining the Vikings, but he's also added causes deeply important to him along the way.

When Tina was diagnosed in early 2020 with pancreatic cancer, C.J. increased his involvement with the American Cancer Society and sought ways he could impact families facing similar difficult challenges. When Tina passed away in 2021 after a valiant fight, living months past doctors' initial projections, C.J. and Steph started Pamper Her Purple, an annual event focused entirely on women who have battled or are currently battling cancer.

"You guys may be fans of the Vikings, but I am truly fans of you – and everything you all have done," Ham said told this year's guests after treating them to a full day of spa treatments at Omni Viking Lakes Hotel.

During the time C.J. witnessed Tina's fight, he also saw countless suffer the effects of a global pandemic. He watched a nation devastated by not only illness and financial hardship but then racially driven violence and increased unrest, Minneapolis becoming an epicenter of social justice turmoil following the murder of George Floyd.

Again, C.J. responded.

"How tragic it was for the whole world, but especially for George Floyd's family and the Minnesota community," he reflected now. "We were hurt. I was hurt. My wife was hurt. And we just kept thinking, 'What can we do?'"

It was through those questions the Ham Family Scholarship Fund was born.

For years, C.J. has hosted a youth football camp in his hometown and donated proceeds of the camp to a charity of his family's choosing. In the wake of Floyd's death, he and Steph decided to dedicate all future camp profits to academic scholarships for Duluth students of color.

"In a hurting world, in a hurting season of our life, that was something we could cling onto, to try to make an impact for anyone else who was [experiencing similar hurt]," C.J. said. "And we wanted to truly give back to the community that pours so much into me.

"I was able to receive an [academic] scholarship myself from the Boys & Girls Clubs when I was growing up, and that was tremendous support for all four years [of college]," he continued. "So to have the opportunity to be able to do that for students who look like me, who may experience some of the same things that I experienced growing up, it was a complete no-brainer."

Perhaps that's what makes C.J.'s generosity of time, energy and finances so impactful: he doesn't hesitate.

Anyone who's spent time around the Vikings fullback will have likely heard the saying once or twice, "We're blessed to be a blessing."

"That's something my folks taught me a long time ago," C.J. said. "We're blessed to be a blessing – no matter what. If I wasn't playing football, I would still have that same mindset. Even back in college, going to volunteer at the Boys & Girls Clubs, taking time to talk to kids with special needs … that's always been my M.O.

"But I'm blessed to be able to play football and have the resources – and the platform – to be able to do things in an even bigger way," he added.

C.J. is thankful to his parents not only for demonstrating lessons of giving but also for introducing him to the Christian faith he holds so deeply now.

"At the end of the day, our faith is what really can get us through. You can try to lean on other things, but it doesn't work. It's just superficial. It falls apart quickly," he said. "You find yourself in these dark places sometimes, but having a faith to know that things happen, everything happens for a reason, and that God has a plan … that gives hope.

"I try to resemble Jesus," he added simply, pointing to that faith as his greatest motivator. "My mom's love was the closest that I had to Jesus' love. And I don't think I can love in quite the same way Mom did … but I'm sure going to try."

For nine seasons, C.J. has done exactly that.

He's loved on community members at the Boys & Girls Clubs, through his scholarships and through multiple efforts alongside the American Cancer Society. He's volunteered his time to contribute to faith-based entities, including leading a small group of high school men at his church during the offseason. He's led the running backs in a "reverse trick-or-treat" event at Children's Minnesota the past two years, and he's donated "grief bags" – containing a stuffed animal and age-appropriate book about grief – to a Twin Cities elementary school for students experiencing a significant loss. C.J. has spoken to multiple youth football teams and last spring hosted the 2024 UNRL Celebrity Softball Game, benefiting the Thielen Foundation and the Ham Family Scholarship Fund.

He's honored U.S. Armed Forces veterans and twice joined Minneapolis high school students on the "Project Success" trip to Washington, D.C., to tour the National Museum of African American History and Culture. C.J. is a regular participant in the Vikings "Community Tuesday" give-back efforts, from hanging drywall with Habitat for Humanity to helping outfit youngsters for new sneakers with Tradehome Shoes.

When running back Aaron Jones, Sr., signed with the Vikings this spring, he'd been familiar with Ham after overlapping in the NFC North division for years but hadn't truly gotten to know him.

"As soon as I got here, coaches were like, 'Hey, you're gonna have C.J. Ham in your room; he's a great human being. That's the first thing they said," Jones said.

Playing behind a successful fullback like C.J. always will be appreciated by Jones. But he noted it's his off-field friendship with the team captain he's most grateful for.

"Just watching him, how he operates on a daily basis, how he treats other people, how he truly cares for everybody," Jones said. "He's always welcoming people: 'Hey, do you want to try this restaurant? Do you want to come to Bible study?' He's always extending the invite and open with everybody.

"He's an exceptional human. I love how involved he is with everything. He got me involved into the social justice community here in Minnesota, things like that, that have helped me become more well-rounded myself, have a better understanding of the community," Jones continued. "Anytime there's an opportunity to give back, I always see C.J.'s name up there. That's just who he is. Everything is bigger than him. It's never about him; it's about everybody else, how can he impact them?"

Jones couldn't be happier for his teammate to be Minnesota's nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

The same can be said for Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, who asked the team to vote (anonymously) for this year's selection. Just as he wasn't surprised when C.J. was voted a team captain, O'Connell also wasn't surprised when he received the highest number of votes for Man of the Year.

"C.J. is one of my all-time favorite players I've been around," O'Connell said. "The way he works every single day, the way he is a true captain from a standpoint of everything you want as a head coach to know that your players are cared for. … He never leaves a man behind, and he always has every guy's best interest at heart with every step he takes in this building.

"He truly is Minnesota's favorite, and rightly so – and he doesn't take that for granted, either. He loves the Twin Cities," O'Connell added. "Him having such a dynamic impact on our community, and his kids and his family being right there with him. I think they're great representatives of what we want our organization be as a whole. I think that's why it's perfect that he's our nominee."

In most areas of life, C.J. is all about intentionality and showing up.

Earlier this season, the Vikings returned from a physical game at Lambeau Field just in time for C.J. to jump into his SUV and drive straight to Bloomington for Skylar's gymnastics meet.

"He's an amazing dad. He's always present," Steph said. "He's so hands-on and so inclusive, and the kids just look up to him. To them, he's just dad. They love him.

"He's obviously the favorite parent of the household," she quipped with a grin. "He's the fun one."

C.J.'s emphasis on relationships is exactly why he and Steph decided several years ago to annually focus their holiday efforts on one family in need.

"We wanted to truly pour into them, invest in them," he explained. "You know, it's great to host Christmas events and broader things, but Steph and I thought it was the right time to home in on one family and check off everything from their Christmas list, just make it a really intimate experience with them.

"See them on a 1-on-1 level," he added. "Sit with them, break bread with them and just really get to know them."

Three years after being surprised by the Hams for the holidays, Carllisha and her children – who recently reconnected with the Hams at the Boys & Girls Club – continue to feel blessed by the experience.

They of course are thankful for the clothing, tablets and toys they received that December. But Carllisha emphasized it goes so much beyond that.

"It was genuine. We didn't feel like a family who didn't have anything, and these people picked us because they had it all," she said. "They made us feel like family. They made us feel like home.

"We felt like we were with our family and just took a getaway out of town," Carllisha continued. "That was big for me. They didn't have to bring Santa Claus. They didn't have to wrap the gifts … A lot of places will just say, 'Come pick up the toys,' and then we wrap them ourselves. These gifts were wrapped. These gifts had my kids' names on them. The Ham family actually cared for us."

Carllisha noted that for a few hours, her anxiety and OCD tendencies dissipated, and she felt truly comfortable away from home for the first time in months.

"It took my worries away. And I don't even mean just the material things. It was the energy in the room," she said. "My family was so happy. The material things were a plus. But I want C.J. to know it was bigger than that. He didn't have to do any of it. But when C.J. gives, it's really from his heart and soul."

To learn more about the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and view other teams' nominees, click here.