Curtis Martin of the New York Jets was the recipient of the 2006 Bart Starr Award. The Jets’ 1999 MVP and 5-time Pro Bowler, Martin has established himself as one of the elite running backs in the NFL. After playing for the New England Patriots for 5 years, he joined the New York Jets in 1998. In 2004 he won the NFL rushing title and the NFL all-time rushing list with 13,366 years. He was the recipient of the Dennis Byrd Award in 2001 and 2002, given to the most inspirational player, as voted by his teammates and he won the AIA Call to Courage Award in 2004.
Martin started the Job Foundation, an organization he completely funds to help those who are less fortunate. He also started support groups in New York and Los Angeles for high profile people who do not have the opportunity to make friends or go to church and talk about their emotions because of their celebrity. Martin has helped thousands of people around the world from single mothers to those addicted to drugs.