Since joining the Pittsburgh Steelers via trade early in the 2019 season, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has added quite a few accolades to his resume.
From Pro Bowls and All-Pro selections, his own individual trophy case is filling up. He can now add the 2024 Bart Starr Award to it.
Fitzpatrick was named the winner of the Bart Starr Award Friday morning. The award honors a player, as selected by his peers, for his outstanding character, integrity and leadership on and off the field. Fitzpatrick is the first Steeler to ever win the award.
Fitzpatrick will be presented the award during the 36th annual Super Bowl breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 10 in Las Vegas.
Fitzpatrick, who was recently named to his fourth Pro Bowl as a member of the Steelers, learned of the honor Friday morning from Starr’s wife, Cherry Starr, according to Steelers.com.
“It’s a huge honor,” Fitzpatrick said, according to Steelers.com. “I am grateful for you guys to select me. I appreciate it very much. That my peers selected me means a lot. I say all the time the better man you are, the better ball player you will be. I feel like that’s a phrase not a lot of people really believe in across the league.
“The fact that people see a good man in me means a lot. I am always trying to be a better man, better brother, better son. The fact that people recognize that is a huge honor.”
Though he’s made his name as a play-making safety for the Steelers, becoming one of the very best at his position in the NFL, his impact off the field in the Pittsburgh community is equally as great as his play on the field.
Fitzpatrick is a member of the Steelers Social Justice Committee, which reaches out to youth and organizations in the Pittsburgh area to open up lines of communication, according to a press release announcing Fitzpatrick as the Bart Starr Award winner. The veteran safety also launched a campaign through his faith-based Unshackled Foundation to benefit foster children in Allegheny County.
He has raised money each season through donations of $39, matching his jersey number, for every tackle and turnover he makes. Fitzpatrick also works closely with a local foundation, Dreambuilders Foundation, which gives bikes to foster kids in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
