Awards season is upon us for College Football and the NFL alike. On Wednesday, Miami alum Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Olsen, a 2003 alum of the University of Miami, is one of the best Tight Ends in the NFL. He is a 4-time team captain and 2-time Pro Bowler, and has had consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons. While that is fantastic and worthy of praise, this award is more about his charitable works than his stellar on-field performance.

In 2009, Olsen founded Receptions for Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation. This foundation helps fund cancer research, with the goal to “give everyone a second chance at life”, like Olsen’s mother, who battled and beat breast cancer in the years leading up to the 2009 founding of this foundation.

Olsen is one of 32 nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Whether he wins the award or not, Greg is to be congratulated for his outstanding and impactful charity work.

Congratulations on the nomination Greg. Well deserved.