RM Kansas City Chiefs Nominate Travis Kelce for NFL’s Top Off-Field Honor — Potentially His Final Chance
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has once again been selected as the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the league’s most distinguished recognition for community service and leadership. Each NFL team puts forward one player, making Kelce one of 32 finalists for the national honor.
This award celebrates players who excel both on the field and in their communities, highlighting their positive impact beyond football. All club nominees will be honored during the week leading up to Super Bowl LX, with the official winner announced at the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 5. Each player’s chosen charity will receive a $40,000 donation, while the national winner’s selected nonprofit will receive $250,000.
Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt praised Kelce’s lasting influence in Kansas City, noting his decade-plus of service since joining the team in 2013.
“Travis has been a cornerstone of the Kansas City community for 13 years,” Hunt said in a press release. “He’s a true leader who has broken franchise records, earned ten straight Pro Bowl selections, and made a real difference in people’s lives. Through his Eighty-Seven & Running Foundation, and his involvement with Operation Breakthrough and the Ignition Lab, he continues to lift up the next generation across Chiefs Kingdom.”
Kelce’s community work began early in his career. He launched Eighty-Seven & Running in 2015, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting underserved youth in Kansas City through educational, athletic, artistic, business, and STEM programs. The foundation also collaborates closely with Operation Breakthrough, an organization providing after-school educational opportunities to local children.
In 2021, Eighty-Seven & Running and Operation Breakthrough converted an abandoned muffler shop in the North Hyde Park area into the Ignition Lab, a hands-on space where high school students can learn practical skills such as culinary arts, automotive technology, and graphic design. Students earn wages for their work and are required to take financial literacy courses. They also mentor younger students, collectively contributing over 25,000 hours of service.
The Ignition Lab also offers pathways to multiple industry certifications, including:
- Food Safety & Health
- OSHA
- On Shape CAD
- MIG Welding
During the 2024–25 school year, students earned 96 certifications, and several have already used their training to launch businesses—ranging from a food truck and hydroponic farm to a digital media studio and an upcoming tech repair shop. In total, more than 400 real-world client projects have been completed through the program.
Kelce expressed deep gratitude for being selected again.
“Being named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year is such an incredible honor,” he said. “Kansas City and the Chiefs organization mean the world to me. Supporting kids through Eighty-Seven & Running, Operation Breakthrough, and the Ignition Lab has been life-changing. Growing up in Cleveland Heights taught me how important it is to have people who believe in you. Giving back to Kansas City and my hometown is something I’ll never take for granted.”
At 36 years old, with ongoing questions about how long he will continue playing, this nomination could represent one of Kelce’s final opportunities to earn the award. It is his second straight nomination, and no Chiefs player has won since Brian Waters in 2009.
Beginning in Week 14 against the Houston Texans, Kelce will wear the Walter Payton Man of the Year helmet decal for the remainder of the season in recognition of his contributions.
How Fans Can Support Kelce in Nationwide’s Charity Challenge
Fans can help Kelce secure additional charitable funding by voting in Nationwide’s annual Charity Challenge. Votes can be cast in two ways:
- Posting #WPMOYChallenge along with Kelce’s last name or handle (@tkelce) on X/Twitter
- Voting directly on NFL.com/ManOfTheYear
The player with the highest combined total of hashtags and online votes will earn an extra $35,000 for their chosen charity. Second place receives $10,000, and third place earns $5,000. Voting is open from Thursday, Dec. 4 through Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
