Steelers' Ryan Shazier Wins 2010 PFWA George Halas Award for Elimination of Adversity

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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier continues to defend himself from serious spinal injuries during the 2017 regular season and the former first-round selection of the Ohio State State has since overcame many hurdles for his rehab . On Monday, Shazier was rewarded for his efforts to overcome adversity so far as he was elected winner of the George Halas 2019 award by the Association of Professional Football Writers.

The PFWA George Halas Award is awarded annually to a player, coach or NFL team member who has overcome the most difficulty. The award is named after Halas, a founding member (1963) of the Professional Football Hall of Fame, associated with the Chicago Bears and NFL since their inception in 1920 until his death in 1983 as owner, manager , player and promoter.

A few weeks ago, PFWA announced that Shazier was one of five finalists for this year's George Halas Award. Steelers back James Conner, who fought and defeated Hodgkin's lymphoma while still at university in Pittsburgh, was also a finalist in 2019.

Here is a summary of the PFWA explaining why Shazier was elected one of this year's George Halas Prize finalists:

"A head-to-head attacker in 2017 left Shazier paralyzed from the waist up. He underwent spinal surgery, but refused to give up play. He was absent from the 2018 season, but stayed with the team, assisting with screening and training. He was able to run, lift heavy weights and even dance to his wedding. "

Shazier's wedding took place in early May and the Steelers' linebacker made the headlines when a video of him dancing at the reception then surfaced on social media.

At the end of April, Shazier was placed on the Steelers Reserve / PUP list for a second consecutive season. It is expected that he will not play at all this year. In the meantime, however, Shazier continues to serve the Steelers as a near-coach and mentor to the younger players on the list.

Shazier is the third Steelers player to win the PFWA's George Halas Trophy as a wide receiver. John Stallworth and run Rocky Bleier also won the award in 1985 and 1975 respectively.

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