{"id":2443186,"date":"2025-06-05T08:39:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T12:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-nfl-player-steve-wright-model-for-figure-atop-leagues-most-prestigious-award-dead-at-82\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T08:40:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T12:40:52","slug":"former-nfl-player-steve-wright-model-for-figure-atop-leagues-most-prestigious-award-dead-at-82","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-nfl-player-steve-wright-model-for-figure-atop-leagues-most-prestigious-award-dead-at-82\/","title":{"rendered":"Former NFL Player Steve Wright, Model for Figure Atop League&#8217;s Most Prestigious Award, Dead at 82"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-nfl-player-steve-wright-model-for-figure-atop-leagues-most-prestigious-award-dead-at-82%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2443186&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Steve Wright, the model for the NFL&#8217;s annual &#8220;Man of the Year&#8221; trophy, has passed away at the age of 82. He died in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-will-use-semi-permanent-soft-sided-structures-to-house-migrant-children-trump-was-blasted-for-tent-cities\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Will Use \u2018Semi-Per...ent, Soft-Sided\u2019 Structures To House Migrant Children. Trump Was Blasted For \u2018Tent Cities.\u2019\">care facility<\/a> in Georgia, as confirmed by the Green Bay packers, the team he played for from 1964 to 1967. Wright was part of the Vince Lombardi-era Packers,known as the first NFL dynasty,and while he may not have been a standout player,he remembered Lombardi fondly for his tough coaching style.<\/p>\n<p>in 1969, he was chosen to model for a sculpture titled &#8220;The Gladiator,&#8221; which later evolved into the &#8220;Man of the Year&#8221; award, eventually renamed to honor Walter Payton in 1999. This award recognizes NFL players not just for their performance on the field but also for their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/obama-appointed-judge-delays-sentencing-for-kevin-clinesmith-until-after-inauguration-day\/\" title=\"Obama-Appointed Judge Delays Sentencing For Kevin Clinesmith Until After Inauguration Day\">community service<\/a>, making it one of the league&#8217;s highest honors. Past winners include legendary players like Johnny Unitas and Joe Greene. The most recent recipient is Arik Armstead of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Throughout the changes to the award, Wright&#8217;s likeness has remained a symbol of its significance.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The NFL&rsquo;s ideal physical representation of a &ldquo;Man of the Year&rdquo; has passed away at the age of 82.<\/p>\n<p>Steve Wright, whose likeness is forever immortalized atop the trophy of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/easy-usa-gold-medal-nfl-makes-major-decision-olympics-flag-football\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NFL&rsquo;s<\/a> annual &ldquo;Man of the Year&rdquo; award, died Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>He was staying at a care facility in Georgia when he passed, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.packers.com\/news\/lombardi-era-offensive-lineman-steve-wright-dies-at-82\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to the Green Bay Packers, for whom Wright played from 1964 to 1967.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Remembering Steve Wright &ndash; former Packers tackle and the original model for the Walter Payton Man of the Year trophy.<\/p>\n<p>A quiet legacy, cast in bronze.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Green Bay Packers (@packers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/packers\/status\/1929983928145981573?\">June 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Wright, a relatively nondescript tackle for Green Bay, was a member of the Vince Lombardi-era Packers, arguably the first &ldquo;dynasty&rdquo; in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>While he may not have been a mainstay on the offensive line, Wright had nothing but glowing things to say about Coach Lombardi relatively recently.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Coach Lombardi was tough and wanted perfection, but unfortunately I wasn&rsquo;t perfect,&rdquo; Wright said in a 2015 interview.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;d chew me up and down one minute and 15 minutes later tell me to do what I tell you to do and you&rsquo;ll be OK,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Lombardi would eventually trade Wright to the New York Giants.<\/p>\n<p>(Wright would also play for the then-Washington <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-former-nfl-coach-stuns-espn-host-live-air-pushes-commanders-change-back-redskins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Redskins<\/a>, the Chicago Bears, and the then-St. Louis Cardinals to finish out his career.)<\/p>\n<p>In 1969, New York would volunteer Wright to be the model of a sculpture being worked on for the NFL, titled &ldquo;The Gladiator.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While it might seem today like Wright was an unlikely choice, he certainly looked the part, cutting an imposing figure with his long legs, bird-cage facemask and old<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >-time weathered cape draped<\/a> over his shoulders,&rdquo; the Packers wrote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Former Packers OL Steve Wright, model used for Walter Payton Man of Year trophy, dies at 82<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zoe5IkRIXL\">https:\/\/t.co\/zoe5IkRIXL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DOqBf60DYi\">pic.twitter.com\/DOqBf60DYi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AroundTheNFL\/status\/1930012868168310845?\">June 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/former-packers-ol-steve-wright-model-used-for-walter-payton-man-of-year-trophy-dies-at-82\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According<\/a> to the NFL, &ldquo;The Gladiator Award&rdquo; debuted in 1969 and was won by Packers quarterback Bart Starr.<\/p>\n<p>That short-lived award gave way to the &ldquo;Man of the Year&rdquo; award in 1970, before having Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton added to the title in 1999.<\/p>\n<p>Through all of those changes, Wright&rsquo;s image remained atop the trophy.<\/p>\n<p>The &ldquo;Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award&rdquo; places a heavy emphasis on off-field work compared to any on-field accomplishments.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Regarded as the NFL&rsquo;s highest honor, the NFL Man of the Year recognizes an NFL player for his exemplary community service along with his distinction on the field of play,&rdquo; the NFL said.<\/p>\n<p>Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead is the most recent winner of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/emmy-award-stripped-from-cuomo\/\" title=\"Emmy ... Stripped From Cuomo\">prestigious award<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/honors\/man-of-the-year\/winners\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Past winners<\/a> include some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-jordan-returning-to-nba-as-contributor-a-legendary-addition\/\" title=\"Michael Jordan Returning to NBA as Contributor: \u2018A Legendary Addition\u2019\">legendary names<\/a>, such as Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle &ldquo;Mean&rdquo; Joe Greene, legendary Denver Broncos quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nfl-legend-john-elway-leads-way-among-republican-celebrity-donations-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Elway<\/a>, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback-turned-ESPN announcer Troy Aikman.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NFL&#8217;s quintessential embodiment of a &#8220;Man of the Year&#8221; has died at 82. Steve Wright, whose image is permanently featured on the NFL&#8217;s annual &#8220;Man of the Year&#8221; trophy, passed away on Sunday while residing in a care facility in Georgia, as reported by the Green Bay Packers, where he played from 1964 to 1967<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2443187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Man-of-the-Year.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9497,7215,37913,56579,9122],"class_list":["post-2443186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-awards","tag-nfl","tag-sports-history","tag-steve-wright","tag-tribute"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Man-of-the-Year.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2443186"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2443190,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443186\/revisions\/2443190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2443187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2443186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2443186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2443186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}