Jack Sanborn and David Montgomery are Brian Piccolo Award Winners
The Brian Piccolo Award is voted on by Chicago Bears players who choose the teammate who best exemplifies things such as courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication, and a sense of humor.
In other words, the things that made Bears legend Brian Piccolo who he was to his teammates.
Every year, the Bears announce a rookie and veteran winner of the Piccolo award. And this year’s recipients were rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn and (now former Bears) running back David Montgomery.
I’m going to gloss over the potential awkwardness of the Piccolo award going to an ex-Bear and will instead tip my cap to Montgomery. The things that the Piccolo award stands for are part of what made Montgomery Bears stand out. No wonder Montgomery is a multi-time recipient of the award (he also got it in 2019 after his rookie season).
Montgomery wasn’t at Halas Hall to accept the award (he’s with the Lions now, so him going back to Halas Hall probably wouldn’t fly), but I appreciate Bears RBs Coach David Walker providing this perspective:
Montgomery was a solid back and a strong leader. That combination had me wanting the Bears to keep him around as they transition into the future. It wasn’t meant to be, but it doesn’t take away from what he did while he was here.
As for Sanborn, he seems to understand why this is such an honor:
Last summer, the Bears honored Piccolo’s legacy by wearing his jersey number at practice. As in every player wore Piccolo’s No. 41 during a practice in June that marked the 52nd anniversary of his passing. I hope they do it again this year (and each one after that moving forward). It’s just a nice touch and a subtle reminder that some things are bigger than football.
