Vikings' Kyle Rudolph earns 3rd straight Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination
Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph hosted his annual Holiday Huddle at M-Health Fairview University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. (FOX 9)
EAGAN - Kyle Rudolph has been dedicated to community service in the Twin Cities since the day the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in 2011.
The Vikings tight end was nominated Thursday for the third straight year by the team as their pledge for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The award recognizes athletes for community service off the field. All 32 NFL teams have a nominee, and the winner will be recognized during Super Bowl week in February.
"It’s a great honor. We were at the hospital on Tuesday and I spoke upon the fact that there are so many guys in the locker room that are deserving of that nomination. We have so many guys that are doing great work, both here in the Twin Cities community and back home where they went to school. To be able to represent this team for the third year in a row is really special," Rudolph said. "My wife and I are extremely humbled and honored by that opportunity."
Kyle and his wife, Jordan, opened Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital in December of 2017. It was put together as a getaway for kids and families going through treatments and allows for kids at the hospital to play games and experience a sense of normalcy in a therapeutic manner.
The area includes a basketball hoop, a space for TV and video games, a digital sports simulator, a kitchen and lounge area, a wall for patients with autism and a quiet space for family. Rudolph hosted a Christmas Holiday Huddle earlier this week at the hospital, where kids got to do holiday-themed activities. He also hosted a Thanksgiving Huddle last month.
Rudolph also was recently a co-host for the Kids Press Conference at the Masonic Childlren’s Hospital, which included fellow teammate Adam Thielen as well as Minnesota athletes Jason Zucker of the Wild, Corey Koskie of the Twins, Ike Opara of the Minnesota United and Gophers football coach PJ Fleck. Kids at the hospital got about an hour to ask their favorite sports figure questions, sports-related and not.
Rudolph, now in his ninth NFL season, is the longest-tenured Viking on the roster. He’ll wear a Walter Payton Man of the Year decal on his helmet the rest of the season, and will get up to $50,000 to donate to a charity of his choice.
"Just being associated with this award, being associated with Walter Payton’s legacy, all of the past winners and past nominees, all the great work that they do, that’s what’s most important," Rudolph said.