Two Walter Payton Awards?

[TexasTerror]

I'm not sure about you guys, but I am not a fan of any other award in the Football Championship Subdivision being named after the same person as another award that is handed out - whether it the Payton, Robinson, etc...

Same thing if it were an FBS award. Would not want our top player getting the Heisman annually. Let it be noted, that I am fine with countless awards being named after Walter Payton in the world, but not a second one for a player in the FCS.


About the Walter Payton Achievement Award

The Walter Payton Achievement Award was first presented in 2008. The honor is given annually to a player from each school participating in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney. Like Payton, who starred at Jackson State from 1971 to '74 and earned his bachelor's degree in communications, the recipients must be high achievers in the classroom and on the football field. Nominees are selected by a committee consisting of academic advisers and coaches and the winners are determined by online fan voting. The inaugural award recipients were Jackson State University linebacker Marcus Smith and Hampton University wide receiver Kevin Teel.

http://www.swac.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/073009aab.html

[Saint3333]

Why not the Jerry Rice award?

[FormerPokeCenter]

Payton played in the SWAC. I think the SWAC can do whatever they want to in regard to honoring Payton. I don't think FCS, in general, has a right to pick a great player to name an award after, who comes from a HBCU, and then tell the HBCUs that they can't use that name to honor that player in a manner they see fit.

I'm not a big fan of the separate and unequeal scheduling that the SWAC sometimes engages in, but c'mon, let's be real...their heroic players are theirs...

[phoenix3]

Why not the Terrell Owens Award? xrolleyesx

['neers80]

Why not the Terrell Owens Award?
There are a million reasons not to name it after him ...

[phoenix3]

There are a million reasons not to name it after him ...

Fixed it for ya.

[Mr. Tiger]

Payton played in the SWAC. I think the SWAC can do whatever they want to in regard to honoring Payton. I don't think FCS, in general, has a right to pick a great player to name an award after, who comes from a HBCU, and then tell the HBCUs that they can't use that name to honor that player in a manner they see fit.

I'm not a big fan of the separate and unequeal scheduling that the SWAC sometimes engages in, but c'mon, let's be real...their heroic players are theirs...

xthumbsupx Well said.

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

It wreaks of elitism and weakens the prestige of the award for both.

I mean, really, it took the SWAC THAT LONG to honor Payton in such a way? I don't buy it. Go back to the drawing board geniuses and come up with something original, PLEASE!

[Head Cat]

The Sports Network has sponsored its Walter Payton and Eddie Robinson awards for 23 years. Walter Payton and Eddie Robinson both had given their blessings to the use of their names for the awards and were very involved in the yearly awards banquets during their lifetimes. The SWAC wasn't using good judgement when it decided to name another award after Payton. The Football Writers Association of America did something similar to the SWAC by naming an award given to its coach of the year at the FBS level the Eddie Robinson Award back around 1995 or so. What makes that award even worse is that is going to a coach at schools that would not have even played Robinson's Grambling teams back in the day.

When someone has given an award as long as The Sports Network has, it seems foolish to name another award for the same people. Wouldn't it be silly for someone else to start handing out a John Heisman Award?

[TexasTerror]

What makes that award even worse is that is going to a coach at schools that would not have even played Robinson's Grambling teams back in the day.

Great point!


When someone has given an award as long as The Sports Network has, it seems foolish to name another award for the same people. Wouldn't it be silly for someone else to start handing out a John Heisman Award?

Exactly! And as you said, it hurts the credibility of both awards! xthumbsupx

[Saint3333]

Payton played in the SWAC. I think the SWAC can do whatever they want to in regard to honoring Payton. I don't think FCS, in general, has a right to pick a great player to name an award after, who comes from a HBCU, and then tell the HBCUs that they can't use that name to honor that player in a manner they see fit.

I'm not a big fan of the separate and unequeal scheduling that the SWAC sometimes engages in, but c'mon, let's be real...their heroic players are theirs...

Is the SWAC not part of the FCS? How is Payton "theirs"?

[OhioHen]

Walter Payton = great player = FCS player of the year award

Walter Payton = great student-athlete = SWAC achievement award

Both make sense to me.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Meanwhile, Jerry Rice and Steve McNair have no award honoring them.

[I-AA Fan]

I don't know. No insult intended, but I honestly think more of the MEAC award than the Sports Network Award. I mean it has only been as of recent that any attention was even paid to the TSN award. It was almost as if they enshrined themselves by virtue of other media's lack of attention to I-AA. However, if this is what we settle on, then I agree it should have some exclusivity.

[I-AA Fan]

Meanwhile, Jerry Rice and Steve McNair have no award honoring them.

McNair? What the Psycho Infidelity award for the married player with the most psychotic lover? Rice, most definitely. McNair not even close.

[jstate83]

Payton played in the SWAC. I think the SWAC can do whatever they want to in regard to honoring Payton. I don't think FCS, in general, has a right to pick a great player to name an award after, who comes from a HBCU, and then tell the HBCUs that they can't use that name to honor that player in a manner they see fit.

I'm not a big fan of the separate and unequeal scheduling that the SWAC sometimes engages in, but c'mon, let's be real...their heroic players are theirs...

That would be the same as FCS trying to tell JSU we can't use his name.
FCS may as well get over it but Walter Payton's name will be used in any way that JSU/The Payton Family/ and HBCU sport's see fit.

No need of even discussing it.xthumbsupx

[jstate83]

McNair? What the Psycho Infidelity award for the married player with the most psychotic lover? Rice, most definitely. McNair not even close.

Thank you Mr. GOD.xrolleyesx

A few ome of the posters here need to concentrate on their own life being lived behind closed doors.
Wish I could follow you around and put your 24/7 life out for everybody to judge.
Bet what you call normal could be picked apart in less than a day and have you bout to jump off a bridge or something.
All this fake anger and morality all the time get's old fast. xsmhx

[jstate83]

Meanwhile, Jerry Rice and Steve McNair have no award honoring them.

Don't worry.
I'll gurantee you McNair will have one in a few years.
Rice has been shy about stuff like this.

It's just not RICE to have stuff named after him.
He didn't even have his name put on Valley's Football stadium.
Valley's football stadium is named after his buddy Willie Totten.

[I-AA Fan]

Thank you Mr. GOD.xrolleyesx

A few ome of the posters here need to concentrate on their own life being lived behind closed doors.
Wish I could follow you around and put your 24/7 life out for everybody to judge.
Bet what you call normal could be picked apart in less than a day and have you bout to jump off a bridge or something.
All this fake anger and morality all the time get's old fast. xsmhx

Sorry, but it does matter ...it has to. Do you have any children? Is that the example you want to set for them? Take a look at Babe Ruth. The man redefined the game of baseball, but public personal issues destroyed his accomplishments ...and even forced the first major trade. What about Archie Griffin? Perhaps the greatest collegiate running back ever. Blew an NFL career over drugs. I am not God ...I just follow the rules. Is it too much that I expect my sports hero's to do the same.

[grizband]

Don't worry.
I'll gurantee you McNair will have one in a few years.
Rice has been shy about stuff like this.

It's just not RICE to have stuff named after him.
He didn't even have his name put on Valley's Football stadium.
Valley's football stadium is named after his buddy Willie Totten.
Would love to see Rice with an award named after him, but I agree. I just can't see him openly campaigning something like this.

[wideright82]

Sorry, but it does matter ...it has to. Do you have any children? Is that the example you want to set for them? Take a look at Babe Ruth. The man redefined the game of baseball, but public personal issues destroyed his accomplishments ...and even forced the first major trade. What about Archie Griffin? Perhaps the greatest collegiate running back ever. Blew an NFL career over drugs. I am not God ...I just follow the rules. Is it too much that I expect my sports hero's to do the same.


Back that up for a second. Babe Ruth's accomplishments destroyed?



Surely you can come up with a better example than the babe xlolxxlolxxlolx


I wanna be like Mike - those 5 words should expel any notion you have about role models

[mtgrizfan4life]

Why not the Jerry Rice award?

You stole my thunder. I was going to post that.

[Head Cat]

I don't know. No insult intended, but I honestly think more of the MEAC award than the Sports Network Award. I mean it has only been as of recent that any attention was even paid to the TSN award. It was almost as if they enshrined themselves by virtue of other media's lack of attention to I-AA. However, if this is what we settle on, then I agree it should have some exclusivity.

You obviously don't realize that media like ESPN and USA Today were doing plenty of coverage of the Payton and Robinson awards from day one. I've seen lots of USA Today articles about the awards all the way back into the 1980s and remember seeing ESPN showing an interview with Kenny Gamble of Colgate after he won the very first Payton Award. TSN used to hold their awards ceremony in New York City with a large contingent of media at the event. At one time, the awards were actually held at the Downtown Athletic Club, which was the home of the Heisman Trophy.

[3rd Coast Tiger]

I'm sorry but can anyone point out to me how much the Payton family receives in annual royalty fees when the award is handed out? Maybe the non-compete contract? xconfusedx

[I-AA Fan]

Back that up for a second. Babe Ruth's accomplishments destroyed?



Surely you can come up with a better example than the babe xlolxxlolxxlolx


I wanna be like Mike - those 5 words should expel any notion you have about role models

Outside of the record books ...yes in the eyes of most fans. Talk to your grandfather (or great grandfather depending on your age) about that one & he will agree. I was posting in terms of Ruth's era. He had a very bad reputation, that plagued him for the rest of his life. I would say it was not until the 1970's that people began to not think in those terms ...mainly due to fan attrition. You and I see his number, but there was a lot more to the game back then ...as it should still be today.