For efforts on/off field, Chiefs’ Travis Kelce nominated for NFL prestigious honor
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Travis Kelce named Walter Payton finalist, recognizing on-field play and community work
- Kelce’s 87 and Running Foundation funds education, STEM, arts and job training programs
- Chiefs benefit potential: club charity gets $40K; national winner’s charity gets $250K
Travis Kelce is a finalist for one of the NFL’s most prestigious honors, the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
He’ll bid to become the sixth Chiefs player to win the award that honors a player’s commitment to humanity and community impact as well as performance on the field.
Kelce is joined by the 31 other team winners from each of the NFL’s franchises. The award will be presented at the Super Bowl.
Kelce has made an impact on and off the field in his Chiefs career that started in 2013, when he was selected in the third round from Cincinnati. In 2015 he founded the 87 & Running Foundation, a nonprofit organization that empowers disadvantaged youth by providing resources and community support for education, business, athletics, STEM and the arts.
Kelce’s foundation has collaborated with Operation Breakthrough, an after-school educational environment providing support and extracurricular opportunities for inner-city kids.
In 2021, Kelce collaborated with Operation Breakthrough to open the Ignition Lab, which has helped more than 1,000 high school students pursue careers in the culinary arts, automotive technology, graphic design and more.
The charitable beneficiary of each team’s Walter Payton award-winner will receive $40,000, and the nonprofit chosen by the overall winner will receive $250,000 from the NFL Foundation and Nationwide Foundation.
Kelce is the Chiefs’ leading receiver this season, with 59 catches for 719 yards and five touchdowns. He’s caught a pass in 186 straight games, the NFL’s longest current streak. And this season he became the franchise’s career touchdowns leader, passing former KC running back Priest Holmes.
With 12,870 career receiving yards, Kelce ranks third on the NFL’s career list for tight ends
Past Chiefs players to win the Walter Payton Man of the Year’s league-wide award include Willie Lanier (1972), Len Dawson (1973), Derrick Thomas (1993), Will Shields (2003) and Brian Waters (2009). The Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears have the most all-time Walter Payton Man of the Year winners — five each.
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 12:06 PM.