NFL Man of the Year Nominees | 49ers | NFL.com

Curtis Robinson

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

EXCELLENCE ON THE FIELD

The 49ers signed Robinson as a free agent during the 2021 season after he spent 11 weeks with Denver. Over his four-year career, Robinson has solidified himself as a true team player, willing to step up whenever the team calls upon him. He has graciously stepped into a special teams and backup linebacker role while continually encouraging his teammates and staying ready for when his number is called. Since joining the league, Robinson has appeared in 15 games, registering six tackles and four special teams tackles. This year, Robinson made the 53-man roster outright for the first time and saw action in each of the first three games before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in practice. Even after this injury, Robinson continues to show up for the team and the community, spending the majority of his free time at the facility, lending support to his teammates and attending all team-led community events.

DEMONSTRATES POSITIVE CHARACTER & MODELS A LIFESTYLE OF GIVING BACK

Curtis Robinson is synonymous with giving back. Outside of his weekly volunteerism efforts, Robinson has been recognized for his character, on and off the field, with numerous accolades. In high school, he was a finalist for the Glenn Davis Award given annually to the player who best exemplifies the U.S. Army's values of community service, education, and athletic excellence. In college, his coaches selected him as the recipient of the Al Masters Award, given to the athlete attaining the highest standard of athletic performance, leadership, and academic achievement. This year, Robinson was selected by his teammates as the Unity Award winner, presented to the 49er who exhibits an exceptional commitment to promoting unity in the locker room and their community. As part of this recognition, Robinson selected City Year to receive $10,000 towards providing equitable resources to students, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic background. Robinson joined City Year students and educators at their annual gala, highlighting the importance of the nonprofit's mission as a featured speaker. Despite injury, Robinson continues to be a staple in the community, currently the veteran with the greatest number of hours spent volunteering. He was recognized for his outstanding commitment as the 49ers 2023 Veteran Player Community Award winner for the most community service hours, earned by a comfortable margin among a team that prioritizes community. While the accolades are representations of his efforts, Robinson's reason for giving back is personal. "My parents instilled in me to be involved, give back to the community. I witnessed the sacrifices they made to ensure I had access to resources I needed to pursue my dreams as a kid. I thought that's what was normal. They set the standard for me to use my platform to pay it forward and bridge the gap for others."

DEDICATION & COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY EFFORTS

THIS YEAR

While Robinson's platform is dedicated to raising awareness for all cause areas, education is a consistent theme in his community efforts. Inspired by his mother's dedicated career as a college professor, Robinson understands the importance of equal access to quality education, no matter your socioeconomic background. He stressed the importance of furthering education to nearly 100 high school female student-athletes during an empowerment conference, shopped with and outfitted fourteen teachers from Oakland with new clothes for the school year, and dedicated three days to the 49ers Foundation's Golden Getaway, helping raise $2.5M. Robinson is an advocate for the 49ers Foundation's mission to empower and educate youth, regularly attending their daily programming. Throughout the year, you can find him in the 49ers EDU stadium classroom, encouraging students from Title I schools as they learn about STEAM concepts through football. Robinson's support extends to educators, personally donating $5,000 to cover school supplies for African American Female Excellence and Urban Ed Academy teachers, programs that ensure every school has a Black teacher, so students see themselves reflected in their leaders. Understanding education is a pillar of social justice. Robinson is one of five players on the 49ers Social Justice Player Committee, volunteering his time to listen to nonprofit grant proposals, directing $1M+ of team funding to community organizations. Connecting selection to experience, he later mentored 50 youth from those social justice partners. Furthering the NFL's Inspire Change initiative, Robinson read to 80 elementary school kids, distributing books that stress the importance of diversity and inclusion to 1,000 students through the team's Read for Justice initiative. His mom is a lifelong educator, and his father is a lifelong coach, enabling him to personally witness their commitment to quality teaching. He's coached over 300 youth participating in a Flag Football Jamboree and another 100 youth in the Boys & Girls Club program in the stadium's backyard. Just four days after a devastating season-ending injury, Robinson was at the local children's hospital uplifting patients' spirits. Just two weeks after a grueling 8-hour surgery, he was reading to local elementary school students. Always the first to sign up for a 49ers Community Tuesday, he currently leads overall player volunteerism hours for the second consecutive season. Whether it's education, coaching young athletes, animal therapy with the Humane Society, or encouraging cancer survivors during Crucial Catch, Robinson has continued to build on his community impact this year.

IN YEARS PAST

When asked to reflect on his lifetime of service, it's challenging for Robinson to recall how it began. Whether it was coaching youth football every summer in high school, volunteering at the same children's hospital as a student-athlete at Stanford that he volunteers at as an NFL player, or emphasizing the importance of literacy during Read Across America, it is all second nature to him. He attributes it to his upbringing. He said, "Watching my parents work hard so me and my sister could be afforded the resources we were, I've always wanted to pay it forward and bridge the gap for others." Since entering the league in 2021, Robinson has led efforts with his fellow linebackers to purchase holiday gifts for nearly 200 people. Robinson concentrates their efforts on supporting families from one of San Francisco's toughest neighborhoods, building a personal relationship with nonprofit Mobilize Love to select the participants each year, with plans to continue this season. Throughout his career, Robinson has been a community pillar, signing up for weekly 49ers volunteerism events, no matter the cause, asking "what more can I do?" Robinson has supported cancer survivors and military members through the NFL's Crucial Catch and Salute to Service initiatives, raised awareness for animal rescues through visits at the Humane Society and participated in the annual Puppy Bowl as a player ambassador. Understanding the socioeconomic disparities leading to food insecurity and homelessness in the Bay Area, Robinson puts particular emphasis on supporting under resourced families to ensure all have the support to succeed. He's distributed food, clothing, and resources to over 50 nonprofits throughout the holiday season and visits the local Boys & Girls Club often to empower the youth from the local Title I school. With "bridging the gap for others" serving as his personal mission statement, social justice is a platform that Robinson gravitates toward. He's helped distribute over 3,100 books highlighting DE&I through the 49ers Read for Justice initiative, promoted minority owned small businesses while sharing the Bay Area's connections to the civil rights movement during a cultural tour for youth, mentored over 100 minority students representing several social justice grant partners, and visited with incarcerated individuals at San Quentin Prison, shining a light on the human side of the justice system. While every cause area is a worthy one to Robinson, the constant thread is to pay it forward to those who need it most.