Mississippi State football legend Dak Prescott named 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

Former Mississippi State football quarterback Dak Prescott won the 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award during the league's annual award show on Thursday. The award, considered the NFL's highest honor, aims to acknowledge endeavors and community service off the field.

The Faith Fight Finish (FFF) Foundation made Prescott an obvious candidate.

Prescott created FFF with a focus on colon cancer research, mental health awareness and suicide prevention. It also aims to bridge gaps between law enforcement and communities.

The name of the foundation stems from the lasting word's Dak Prescott's mother Peggy Prescott left behind. She died in 2013, while Dak was attending MSU, after a fight with colon cancer. The foundation gained added meaning in 2020 after Dak's brother Jace Prescott died by suicide.

Dak Prescott, a native of Sulpher, Louisiana, spent four seasons at Mississippi State before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He just completed his seventh seasons with the Cowboys which featured his fourth postseason trip.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award holds ties to the Magnolia State beyond Prescott. The namesake of the award is a former Chicago Bears and Jackson State legend.

Payton, a native of Columbia, Mississippi, won the NFL Man of the Year Award in 1977. Following his death 22 years later, it was renamed in his honor.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott named 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year