Matt Millen Named Walter Camp Man of the Year

NEW HAVEN, CT – Former Walter Camp All-American and four-time Super Bowl champion and current ESPN college football analyst Matt Millen is the recipient of the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s 2013 “Man of the Year” award.

WCFF Man of the Year-Millen 2013

The Walter Camp “Man of the Year” award honors an individual who has been closely associated with the game of football as a player, coach or close attendant to the game. He must have attained a measure of success and been a leader in his chosen profession. He must have contributed to the public service for the benefit of his community, country and his fellow man. He must have an impeccable reputation for integrity and must be dedicated to our American Heritage and the philosophy of Walter Camp.

Millen joins a distinguished list of former “Man of the Year” winners, including Roger Staubach (Navy), Gale Sayers (Kansas), Dick Butkus (Illinois), John Elway (Stanford) and last year’s recipient Herm Edwards (San Diego State).

“Matt Millen has a passion for the sport of football, as a player and executive and now as an analyst. This devotion makes him a worthy recipient of the Man of the Year Award,” said Foundation president James Monico.

A native of Whitehall, Pa., Millen graduated from Penn State in 1980 with a degree in business.  During his collegiate career, Millen helped the Nittany Lions to 30 victories and three bowl games, including back-to-back 11-1 seasons in 1977 and 1978.  He earned Walter Camp All-America honors (at defensive tackle) in 1978.

Drafted in the second round (pick 43) in the 1980 NFL Draft, Millen spent 12 years in the NFL with four teams – Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1980-1988), San Francisco 49ers (1989-1990) and the Washington Redskins (1991).   He won a Super Bowl with each of those teams, including two with the Raiders.  During his career, he earned All-Pro honors twice (1984 and 1985) and was selected to play in one Pro Bowl (1988).

Following his playing career, Millen began television work, working NFL games for CBS and later Fox Sports.  He left broadcasting in 2001 and became team president for the Detroit Lions where he worked eight years.   He returned to television and joined ESPN as an NFL and college football analyst where he works college football games and as a studio analyst for Monday Night Countdown and SportsCenter.  Millen also serves as a game analyst for the NFL Network’s eight-game late season package.

Matt and his wife Pat reside in Pennsylvania and have three children.  The Millen Family has been extremely active in local charities that focus on spiritual and youth development.

Millen as well as all of the major award winners and members of the 2013 Walter Camp All-America team will be honored at the organization’s 47th annual national awards banquet on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.  The Foundation is offering a “Holiday Ticket Promotion” for the National Awards Dinner. Buy two tickets for $450 (you save $150). Please call (203) 288-CAMP (288-2267) for more information.

Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation (www.waltercamp.org) – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.