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Broncos Dawkins Wins Prestigious NFL Award

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Apr 16, 2009 7:28 pm US/Mountain

Broncos Dawkins Wins Prestigious NFL Award

WASHINGTON (AP/CBS4) ― New Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins has won the 43rd annual Byron "Whizzer" White award honoring the 13-year veteran's community work while with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dawkins won the award Thursday night at the NFL Players Association gala in Washington, D.C.

Dawkins received the award as the NFL player who best served his team, community and country in the spirit of White, who was a Supreme Court justice, pro football player and humanitarian.

"This is an absolute blessing," said Dawkins, whose wife, Connie, accepted the award on his behalf.

Dawkins, who joined the Broncos this spring as a free agent, served as regional spokesman for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation while in Philadelphia. He also worked with the Burn Prevention Foundation, hosting an annual golf tournament to raise awareness and money for its programs. 

About Byron 'Whizzer' White

Former Supreme Court Justice Byron White was born in Fort Collins in 1917.

White grew up in Wellington and attended the University of Colorado, where he acquired the nickname "Whizzer" for his skills on the football field. (It was a nickname he depised.) He set records both at CU and in the NFL, including leading the league in rushing, before leaving to join the Navy during World War II.

White graduated first in his class from CU and went on to Yale Law School.

President John F. Kennedy appointed White to the High Court in 1962 at the age of 44. As justice, White was a hard-liner on law-and-order who often spoke for the court in decisions which enhanced police authority.

He dissented in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling which legalized abortion. White retired from the court in 1993 and returned to Colorado in 2001. He died in Denver in 2002 from complications of pneumonia.

More than 700 people attended his funeral in Denver.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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