ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento region has always recognized how charitable former Pleasant Grove High School football player and NFL Player Arik Armstead is. 

Now, the NFL has recognized it, too. 

Armstead, an Elk Grove native, was named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year at the league’s Honors Awards in New Orleans last week. 

Armstead, who currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars after a nine-year stint with the 49ers, was honored for his nonprofit, the Armstead Academic Project, which focuses on improving literacy rates through his reading initiative, “Storytime with Arik Armstead,” in Jacksonville, San Francisco and his hometown Sacramento region. 

In a statement, Armstead said winning the award was an “incredible honor” that “goes beyond football.”

“Through the Armstead Academic Project, my mission has always been to provide students with the resources they need to succeed,” Armstead said in a statement. “This recognition is a testament to that work, but there’s still so much more to do. I’m committed to using my platform to create real change — because the work doesn’t stop here.” 

Armstead graduated in 2012 as a standout athlete logging 126 tackles and 7.5 sacks on the gridiron for Pleasant Grove High School, where he also played basketball. He would head to the University of Oregon as a four-star football recruit in football before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers as the 17th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. 

Earlier in the month, Joe Cattolico, who coached Armstead at Pleasant Grove, told KCRA3 that while he considered Armstead to be the “best football player” he ever coached, he was an even better person.

“He just does so much to support others and help make the world around him a better place,” Cattolico said.

The award is given to a player who exudes humanitarian service and influence on his local community level. Each team nominates one player for the award per season to highlight his work. Armstead has been nominated five times in the past.

As part of Armstead’s recognition, he will receive a $265,000 donation to the charity of his choice via the NFL Foundation and Nationwide Foundation.

Armstead has been a consistent face in Sacramento charitable circles, having launched a free football camp in Elk Grove in 2016, bringing fellow 49ers at the time to help teach local youth. That camp later morphed into the Armstead Academic Project in 2019.

Armstead has also been the recipient of the Perry/Yonamine Unity Award, the CBS Bay Area Jefferson Award, the Yours Humanly 2023 Leading with Heart Award and the Boost Collaborative Conference’s Excellence in Leadership Award. 

In addition, Armstead and his wife, Mindy Harwood Armstead, have donated $50,000 to the Department of Sound to create the first “Sound Mind” production workshop series for people over 60 to explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) education and social emotional wellness. 

According to a news release, Armstead has impacted over 516,500 youth and contributed more than $2 million. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell highlighted Armstead’s charitable demeanor in a statement. 

“Arik’s leadership, dedication to his team, and commitment to his community truly embody Walter Payton’s enduring legacy of excellence on the field and compassion off it,” Goodell said.