Bryan “Bart” Starr was more than just a quarterback in college and the National Football League.
He represented the model family man, husband, and hero of his community.
Starr was a winner in every since of the word, and the NFL’s Bart Starr Award goes to a player that carries the same traits on and off the field.
Starr played quarterback at the University of Alabama from 1952 to 1955, so it is only fitting that a Crimson Tide football alum earned the Bart Starr Award for this season.
Minkah Fitzpatrick, a former first-round pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, became the first Tide alum to win the honor. A New Jersey native, Fitzpatrick represents greatness on the field, at home, and in the Pittsburgh Steelers community.
He becomes the first Steeler to receive the award in a season where he has 64 tackles and three pass breakups.
Fitzpatrick has been a defensive leader for Pittsburgh since arriving from Miami in 2019 via trade.
He posted a career-high 124 total tackles in 2021, but Fitzpatrick wants to push the Steelers into the playoffs.
Pittsburgh is 9-7 on the season with an opportunity at an AFC Wild Card spot.
Fitzpatrick came to the Crimson Tide as a five-star prospect in the 2015 signing class.
He guided Alabama’s defense to two College Football Playoff National Championships in 2015 and 2017 while becoming a Unanimous All-American, Jim Thorpe Award winner, Chuck Bednarik Award winner, and first-team All-SEC selection in 2017.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
