Hall of Fame, USA Today, Payton Productions announce third ‘Awards of Character’ recipient
“We need more community. … The answer to veteran suicide is more Mayberry than Mayo Clinic.”
Tim Kirk, a military veteran who is addressing the challenges fellow veterans face in finding and utilizing support services, has been recognized for his wide-ranging work in southern Arizona as the third Pro Football Hall of Fame Awards of Character recipient of 2026.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame, in partnership with USA TODAY and Payton Productions, launched the national Pro Football Hall of Fame Awards of Character program this year to applaud “everyday Hall of Famers” who embody the Hall’s core values of commitment, integrity, courage, respect and honesty.
Kirk received his award with a surprise visit at the Warrior Healing Center he operates with his wife, Cathie Goodman, in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Pro Football Hall of Famer ROGER WEHRLI, a former standout with the Cardinals and a member of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2007, delivered the news in a recent visit to the center along with Brittney Payton, the daughter of Hall of Famer WALTER PAYTON.
Kirk’s work at the Warrior Healing Center “has created an oasis for veterans in crisis by streamlining support, restoring purpose and helping turn the tide in an epidemic that has taken far too many lives,” USA TODAY wrote in an article it posted Thursday. (Full story here.)
Navigating benefits, finding health care and utilizing support systems can be overwhelming for veterans, Kirk said. He describes many official government-based programs as difficult to access or slow to respond. The Warrior Healing Center fills those gaps, in part by bringing about 50 veteran-focused partners under one roof.
“We looked at how the system was failing,” said Kirk, a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force. “And we said, ‘Let’s build a parallel system that’s community-based.’ ”
The goal: help veterans avoid isolation, despair and the epidemic of deaths by suicide by restoring connection and purpose. It’s not an isolated issue, even in Sierra Vista, a city of about 45,000 residents near the border with Mexico.
“One out of four adults in Sierra Vista is a veteran,” Goodman said. “If you’re not a veteran, you’re married to one. Your neighbor is one. Your coworker is one.”
Kirk said the Warrior Healing Center offers a different solution to veterans’ struggles with mental health issues.
“We don’t need more mental health facilities,” he said. “We need more community. … The answer to veteran suicide is more Mayberry than Mayo Clinic.”
Learn more about the Warrior Healing Center here.
USA TODAY, the national publication in the Gannett | USA TODAY Network portfolio, assists in administering the program and publicizing the monthly winners. A feature story about Kirk published online today and will appear in USA TODAY-affiliated publications across the country.
Payton Productions, the media company led by the Payton Family, will capture the moments when the honorees learn of their selection and, in partnership with USA TODAY, will share the award-winners’ inspiring stories of character in action nationally.
Additional honorees for Awards of Character will be chosen throughout 2026, from these professions: police officer, military veteran, firefighter/EMT, nurse, teacher and coach. Get more information or nominate someone for the award here.
