NEW YORK—CHARLES ‘Peanut’ TILLMAN of the Bears was named the 2013 WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR, it was announced today.  The award recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence.Tillman is the fifth Bears player to be honored with the award joining Payton (1977), Dave Duerson (1987), Mike Singletary (1990) and Jim Flanigan (2000).JARRETT and BRITTNEY PAYTON, the late Walter Payton’s children, will honor Tillman on-field tomorrow before kickoff of Super Bowl XLVIII.
“I’m grateful to be the recipient of such a prestigious award,” said Tillman. “Walter Payton’s legacy continues to be a beacon of service and giving, and I’m just trying to do my small part. I don’t think any of the finalists do what they do to get recognition, but we do it because we are passionate about helping others.”
Tillman has distinguished himself as one of the NFL’s top defensive backs during his outstanding 11-year career with the Bears. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Tillman ranks third in Bears franchise history with 36 interceptions, and is the franchise leader in defensive return touchdowns, interception return touchdowns and interception return yards. Tillman is just as passionate and successful off the field as he is on game day, and his career has been characterized by a sincere and genuine interest in giving back to the community.Tillman continues to have an impact on millions of people in the Chicago area through his Cornerstone Foundation and its many programs.  Charles’ Locker provides pediatric hospital patients with access to tablets, laptops, gaming systems and other kinds of entertainment to help pass the time during their hospital stays and annually reaches more than 370,000 children.  The Tiana Fund has distributed more than $1 million to 300 families who have been identified by local organizations as at-risk or in-need.  The support is provided to families and individuals to strengthen their ability to care for themselves, enhance their stability and security, and improve their quality of life. Tillman and his wife, Jackie, also contribute their time and resources to local, national and international organizations outside of the Cornerstone Foundation.  The Tillmans have helped build a school in Cambodia, sponsored children through the Urban Promise program in Camden, New Jersey, and have purchased and donated over 700 tickets to Bears home games since 2008 through the Bears Home Team Hand-Off program.  Tillman is also an avid supporter of our military, and has participated in a USO tour to Iraq, volunteered with the USO of Illinois on Thanksgiving to serve meals to local troops, and provided soldiers with tickets to games at Soldier Field during the 2013 season.  He was the recipient of the 2012 Salute to Service Award presented by USAA. The award was created to acknowledge the exceptional efforts by members of the NFL community to honor and support U.S. service members and veterans.Tillman joins an esteemed list of winners of the annual award, including 17 Pro Football Hall of Famers.  Recent winners of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award include JASON WITTEN of the Dallas Cowboys (2012), MATT BIRK, then of the Baltimore Ravens (2011), MADIEU WILLIAMS, then of the Minnesota Vikings (2010). (A complete list of previous winners is below).
All 32 team nominees for the award receive a $1,000 donation from NFL Foundation to the charity of their choice.  The three Man of the Year finalists received an additional $5,000 donation in their name. The selection panel is comprised of NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL, former NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE, CONNIE PAYTON, Pro Football Hall of Fame members FRANK GIFFORD and ANTHONY MUÑOZ, 2012 winner JASON WITTEN, and Sports Illustrated football writer Peter King.
The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award will receive the Gladiator statue, an original art creation by the noted sculptor, DANIEL SCHWARTZ.  In addition, the player’s favorite charity will receive a $20,000 donation in his name.

WALTER PAYTON NFL MAN OF THE YEAR WINNERS

YEAR, PLAYER, POSITION,TEAM

2013 Charles Tillman, Cornerback BEARS

2012 Jason Witten, Tight End Dallas Cowboys

2011 Matt Birk,  Center Baltimore Ravens

2010 Madieu Williams, Safety Minnesota Vikings

2009 Brian Waters, Guard Kansas City Chiefs

2008 Kurt Warner, Quarterback Arizona Cardinals

2007 Jason Taylor, Defensive End Miami Dolphins

2006 Drew Brees, QB (N.O.) and LaDainian Tomlinson, RB (S.D.)

2005 Peyton Manning, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts

2004 Warrick Dunn, Running Back Atlanta Falcons

2003 Will Shields, Guard Kansas City Chiefs

2002 Troy Vincent, Defensive Back Philadelphia Eagles

2001 Jerome Bettis, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers

2000 Jim Flanigan(BEARS) and Derrick Brooks (Tampa)

1999 Cris Carter, Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings

1998 Dan Marino, Quarterback Miami Dolphins

1997 Troy Aikman, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys

1996 Darrell Green, Cornerback Washington Redskins

1995 Boomer Esiason, Quarterback New York Jets

1994 Junior Seau, Linebacker San Diego Chargers

1993 Derrick Thomas, Linebacker Kansas City Chiefs

1992 John Elway, Quarterback Denver Broncos

1991 Anthony Munoz, Tackle Cincinnati Bengals

1990 Mike Singletary, Linebacker BEARS

1989 Warren Moon, Quarterback Houston Oilers

1988 Steve Largent, Wide Receiver Seattle Seahawks

1987 Dave Duerson, Safety BEARS

1986 Reggie Williams, Linebacker Cincinnati Bengals

1985 Dwight Stephenson, Center Miami Dolphins

1984 Marty Lyons, Tackle New York Jets

1983 Rolf Benirschke, Kicker San Diego Chargers

1982 Joe Theismann, Quarterback Washington Redskins

1981Lynn Swann, Wide Receiver Pittsburgh Steelers

1980 Harold Carmichael, Wide Receiver Philadelphia Eagles

1979 Joe Greene, Defensive Lineman Pittsburgh Steelers

1978 Roger Staubach, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys

1977 Walter Payton, Running Back BEARS

1976 Franco Harris, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers

1975 Ken Anderson, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals

1974 George Blanda, Quarterback Oakland Raiders

1973 Len Dawson, Quarterback Kansas City Chiefs

1972 Willie Lanier, Linebacker Kansas City Chiefs

1971 John Hadl, Quarterback San Diego Chargers

1970 Johnny Unitas, Quarterback Baltimore Colts

LaVonte Dority scored a career-high 33 points to lead Valparaiso to a 70-46 win over UIC on Saturday.Dority was a one-man show, nearly outscoring the rest of the Crusaders (14-10, 6-3 Horizon) combined, finishing 10 of 15 from the field, 8 of 10 from the line and sinking 5 of 6 from 3-point range. Lexus Williams added nine points.Dority scored 22 points in the first half alone, hitting from inside the paint, from the line and from 3-point range to help put Valparaiso up 36-23 at the break. Early in the second, Dority and Bobby Capobianco combined for three 3-pointers in under two minutes for a 47-30 Crusaders lead.Valparaiso held on to a double-digit advantage for the remainder of the game.Jake Wiegand, Marc Brown and Kelsey Barlow each scored eight points for the Roadrunners (5-18, 0-9). UIC remains winless in the Horizon League and has lost 12 game in a row overall.

NORMAL—Reggie Lynch opened the second half with a dunk as Illinois State emphatically pulled away from cold-shooting Drake after halftime for a 75-57 win on Saturday.Bobby Hunter topped the Redbirds (12-10, 5-5 Missouri Valley Conference) with 19 points and no turnovers. Nick Zeisloft added 15 points, all from deep (5-for-7 on 3-pointers). Lynch finished with 10.Drake, trailing 43-35 at the half, didn’t score until Trevor Berkeley hit a pair of free throws with 14:39 to play. The Bulldogs (12-10, 3-7) didn’t make a field goal for nearly 10 minutes. By then, Illinois State led 57-40 before Berkeley scored with 10:26 to play, breaking a string of 10 misses by Drake.Berkeley finished with a career-high 13 points.ISU was out-rebounded 41-27 but Drake was hampered by 34.5 percent shooting and 14 turnovers. The Redbirds shot 51.1 percent from the field, including 12 of 23 3-pointers.

CARBONDALE—Jalen Pendleton had a steal and made two free throws with 6 seconds left in overtime to secure an 81-76 win for Southern Illinois against Loyola on Saturday.Anthony Beane’s jumper with 23 seconds left broke a tie at 76 before Pendleton’s critical steal. Desmar Jackson added a free throw with 1 second left.The Salukis reached OT when freshman Tyler Smithpeters made two free throws, with a Loyola timeout in-between, with 1 second left to force overtime.Beane finished with a career-high 27 points for SIU (8-15, 4-6 Missouri Valley) and Desmar Jackson had 20, five assists and six steals. Bola Olaniyan had a career-high 14 rebounds.Milton Doyle had 27 for the Ramblers (8-14, 3-7), with Jeff White adding 16 and Christian Thomas 15.SIU went 21 of 29 from the line in the second half; Loyola was just 13 of 20 for the game.

MINNEAPOLIS—Drew Crawford scored 17 points and JerShon Cobb pitched in 15 points to help Northwestern win its third game in a row on the road, 55-54 over Minnesota on Saturday.The last time NU won three straight road games was in 1960! Tre Demps had 11 points for the Wildcats (12-11, 5-5 Big Ten), who moved into fourth place in the conference with their fifth victory in their last seven games.The Gophers (15-7, 4-5) had the ball at the end, but DeAndre Mathieu’s layup was short and Mo Walker’s putback was off, too, before the final buzzer went off. Walker scored 14 points and Austin Hollins had 13 points, six rebounds and three steals, but the Gophers went 3 for 14 from 3-point range, 5 for 9 from the free-throw line and missed multiple short shots down the stretch.Hollins, the senior swingman who has been quiet in Big Ten play, gave the Gophers a big lift in the second half. His 3-pointer from the corner tied the game at 40, after they missed nine of their first 10 behind-the-arc attempts, and his dunk made it 50-all.Demps coolly swished a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 55 seconds left, but Mathieu answered with a layup to pull Minnesota within one point. Demps airballed a jump shot on the next possession, setting the Gophers up for the win. But they fell for the second straight game, coming off an 82-78 loss at Nebraska last Sunday.Northwestern’s last three-game Big Ten road winning streak, according to the Big Ten Network, was 54 years ago. After losing six nonconference contests — no other team in the league dropped more than four this season — the Wildcats have come to life under first-year head coach Chris Collins.Facing Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa was a brutal way to start Big Ten play, but they soon found their niche and surged up the standings. Despite entering the weekend last in the conference in scoring, shooting and rebounding margin, the Wildcats have already beaten Illinois and Wisconsin, both ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 at the time, and at Indiana’s intimidating Assembly Hall.The Cats limited their lasts six opponents to a cumulative 32.5 shooting percentage from the floor, including a 26.3 mark for Wisconsin in Madison earlier this week.Crawford, the Big Ten’s active leading scorer, has been the catalyst, of course, with 67 points over the last three games. He had two of the five 3-pointers the Wildcats made in their first eight attempts of the first half, a big reason they were able to build a lead and maintain a 32-29 edge at the break.The Gophers used an 18-4 run to get right back in the game, though, and Walker was their go-to guy in the post again. They had a 36-14 advantage in points in the paint, despite the key misses from close range in the second half.But Minnesota was certainly feeling the absence of leading scorer Andre Hollins again. Their junior shooting guard sat out for essentially the third straight game, and after dominating Wisconsin here without him they had trouble defending the perimeter at Nebraska and with creating their own shots against NU.After matching his career high with 29 points on 8-for-12 shooting from 3-point range against Nebraska, Malik Smith went 1 for 9 from behind the arc to finish with seven points in this game. The Gophers, who lead the Big Ten in free-throw shooting, were only 16 for 25 from the line at Nebraska as well.Minnesota has lost five of the last eight games against Northwestern, averaging just over 55 points in those defeats.

ROSEMONT—Bryce Cotton scored 28 points to lead Providence to a 77-72 win over DePaul on Saturday afternoon.R.J. Curington led DePaul (10-12, 2-7 Big East) with a career-high 22 points.LaDontae Henton added 19 points and Tyler Harris had 18 for Providence (16-6, 6-3), which led by as many as 16 points in the first half before DePaul tied it with 7 minutes left in the second half.Providence has won six of its last seven games.The Blue Demons never led in the game and have lost four straight and seven of their last nine.DePaul was once again without three key players. Leading scorer Cleveland Melvin missed his second straight game due to a suspension. Melvin was seventh in the Big East in scoring at 16.7 points per game entering Saturday. Point guard Billy Garrett Jr. (illness) and guard Charles McKinney (sprained ankle) also were out for the second straight game.DePaul tied it at 62 on Edwind McGhee’s jumper with 7:01 remaining.The Blue Demons had trailed for all but the first 15 seconds of the game. Providence regained the lead on Henton’s layup with 6:30 left, and Cotton hit a 3-pointer with 5:40 remaining.The Blue Demons got to within three on Tommy Hamilton IV’s layup with 2:22 left. Henton and Cotton combined for three free throws for a 72-66 lead before Brandon Young’s layup cut the lead to 72-68 with 33.3 seconds left. Cotton extended Providence’s lead to 76-68 with two more free throws and a dunk with 14.4 seconds remaining.Cotton scored 17 of his points after halftime. He is second in the Big East in scoring at 20.5 points per game.Hamilton added 13 points and Young had 12 for DePaul.Providence shot 53.2 percent to DePaul’s 41.8 percent. The Blue Demons went 8 for 20 from 3-point range.DePaul pulled to within one on Curington’s layup with 18:08 remaining.Cotton responded with five straight points to give Providence a 47-41 lead. The Friars extended the lead to 57-46.Providence led 42-37 at halftime after shooting 60.7 percent from the field compared to DePaul’s 41.4 percent. Both teams were 4 for 9 from 3-point range. The Blue Demons kept in the game by shooting 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. DePaul’s bench outscored Providence’s reserves 22-0.DePaul went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 32-24 with 3:34 before halftime.Forrest Robinson hit a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds before the break to pull DePaul to within 42-37. The Blue Demons intercepted the inbounds pass, but Hamilton’s dunk attempt arrived after the buzzer.The Friars improved to 23-8 all-time against DePaul, who beat Providence 83-73 in their previous meeting.