New York Giants kicker Graham Gano is the team’s nominee for the 2023 annual Salute to Service Award presented by USAA.
“The Salute to Service Award recognizes NFL players, coaches, staff and alumni with proven commitment to honoring and supporting military and veteran communities, as nominated by NFL clubs,” the NFL said in a statement.
“The finalists of the award will be announced in January, and the recipient will be recognized at NFL Honors, a primetime awards special to air nationally in February during the week of Super Bowl LVIII.”
What exactly has Gano done to get himself nominated for the honor? Here are a few of the many things, per the league release.
Graham Gano honors the sacrifices made by military personnel and veterans, as his family is steeped in military tradition. His father served in the Navy for 30 years as a Master Chief Petty Officer, his three brothers were Marines and his grandfather was a World War II veteran. Growing up in a military family taught him discipline, perspective and motivation. In fact, you’ll often find him standing at attention instead of his usual warm up during pregame when military personnel are around.
It’s the same level of respect that guided him to use his resources to empower service members through a nonprofit called Puppies Behind Bars which provides service dogs for wounded veterans. When a rookie player asked for Gano’s jersey number (5) in 2022, he agreed, with one stipulation — that the rookie make a contribution to this organization to help 5 veterans get 5 service dogs. That $50,000 donation changed 5 lives for the better.
His community work didn’t stop there, his desire to connect with service members and their families was evident when he hosted a free 2-day football camp at Fort Bragg in 2022. Open to boys and girls who were dependents of active duty, retirees, and DoD civilian employees, 150 youth were treated to a day of football, fun and food for the families.
Gano has been the Giants’ kicker since 2020 and was inked to a three-year, $16.5 million contract extension in September.
Like many Giants, Gano has been dedicated to helping the lives of others in any possible.
