Knox wins Piccolo Award
4/22/2010 2:15:24 PM | Football
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Former ACU wide receiver Johnny Knox was recognized Tuesday by the Chicago Bears as one of two recipients of the team's 2009 Brian Piccolo Award during a ceremony at Halas Hall.
The honor has been given to a Bears rookie since 1970 and was expanded in 1992 to include a veteran. Bears players vote for teammates who best exemplify the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humor of the late Brian Piccolo, a Bears running back who died from embryonal cell carcinoma on June 16, 1970 at age 26.
Veteran center Olin Kreutz was voted the other winner of the award. Kreutz won the award for a record fourth time.
Knox enjoyed a breakout rookie season after joining the Bears as a fifth-round draft pick from ACU. He was selected to the Pro Bowl as a return specialist after ranking second in the NFL in kickoff returns with a 29.0-yard average.
“Many people credit Johnny's speed for his great rookie numbers, but it takes a lot more than just speed to be a talented NFL player,” said special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who presented the award to Knox. “It takes dedication, trust in your teammates and, most importantly, courage. No player on the field knows that better than a returner, who has 11 players on the opposing team bearing down on him.”
Knox became the first Bears rookie since Hall of Famer Walter Payton in 1975 to score a touchdown in four straight games, and his 102-yard kickoff return score against the Lions was the second longest in Bears history.
Knox's 45 receptions tied for third most by a Bears rookie and tied for the most by a rookie wide receiver in team history. His 527 yards were the fifth most by a Bears rookie receiver.
“Johnny didn't play like a rookie,” Kreutz said. “He had all the qualities that go along with the Piccolo Award. So him winning that award was no shock.”
Toub described Knox as having an infectious personality and being humble and polite—with a sense of humor to match. The special teams coordinator recalled an early-season game when Knox, while waiting for a kickoff, introduced himself to an official and then challenged him to a race.
“I've never come across Johnny on the field or in the hallway at Halas Hall where he doesn't have a smile on his face,” Toub said.
Piccolo joined the Bears in 1965 as an undrafted free agent after leading the nation with 111 points and 1,044 yards rushing as a senior at Wake Forest.
He was in his fourth NFL season when a chest x-ray revealed a malignancy. Piccolo died several months later. His courageous battle was later portrayed in the classic movie "Brian's Song."
When Piccolo died, the disease was 100 percent fatal, but the cure rate today is more than 50 percent.
Proceeds from the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund benefit breast cancer research at Rush University Medical Center and the Clearbrook Center for the developmentally disabled in Arlington Heights. The fund has raised more than $8 million since 1991.
