Ryan Shazier, James Conner nominated for George Halas Award
Two Pittsburgh Steelers players are nominees for this year’s George Halas Award.
Running back James Conner and linebacker Ryan Shazier are among the five finalists for the award, which is given to the NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.
The award is presented by the Pro Football Writers of America.
Balloting runs through May 31, with the winner being announced June 3.
Other nominees are New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, retired Houston Texans safety Andre Hal and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
Conner, who famously overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma while at Pitt, led the Steelers in rushing last season and was named to the Pro Bowl. Shazier continues to recover from a spinal cord injury in December 2017 that left him temporarily paralyzed and put his football career on hold. The latest improvement for Shazier came recently when he danced at his wedding.
Gettleman was diagnosed with lymphoma last year. Hal also had Hodgkin’s lymphoma and returned to football last season when he started two games and had three interceptions. He retired after the season.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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