Medical services leader earns Hall of Fame 'Award of Character'

Bil Rosen, a longtime emergency medical services leader, educator and first responder who dedicated his life to serving others before he tragically passed away in the line of duty, has been posthumously honored with the Pro Football Hall of Fame's "Award of Character."

Rosen's family was honored by legendary NFL defensive back Darrell Green, who anchored the secondary on some of Rosen's favorite teams, in Neptune Township, New Jersey. Green presented this month's award, which represents community members whose impact embodies the Hall’s core values of courage, integrity, commitment, honesty and respect.

Green, who never met Rosen but learned all about him in spending time with his family and fellow Neptune Township first-responders, said it was the EMS leader's commitment to improving the systems that serve people when they need help the most that made him so special.

"He's one of a kind," Green said. "He's a Hall of Famer."

Green was joined by Connie Payton, wife of late Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton, in presenting the award to Rosen's friends and family, and she, too, was struck by how Rosen's life impacted so many others.

"God, he wore so many hats," Payton said. "We all have a calling. So many of us live and never realize what that calling is. And it seems like Bil understood early on what that calling was."

For those who knew Rosen best, the honor reflected a lifetime spent helping others, and like Payton, Rosen's colleagues struggled to define him with a single title:

"In addition to just being staff paramedic, he also was the chief of EMS here in Neptune, a volunteer with the Shark River First Aid Squad, deputy EMS coordinator for Monmouth County for the sheriff's office, and he was the training module manager for the New Jersey EMS task force," said Andy Caruso, a public safety officer and Neptune Township EMT who worked with Rosen.

Rosen's work stretched far beyond emergency response. He taught providers, developed leaders and built systems designed to improve patient care and strengthen emergency services.

"He was a superstar in this field,” said Richard Huff, a public information officer with the state's emergency task force.

Saving lives and mentoring future responders

To those around him, Rosen's impact cannot be measured solely by the calls he answered.

"The amount of lives that Bil Rosen saved is not even quantifiable," Caruso said.

But others pointed out that the ripple effect extends even further, to the people Rosen mentored and the first-responders all across the nation and the world who benefitted from his instruction.

His teaching style stood out because it was rooted in experience rather than textbooks.

"He's not your typical instructor who reads out of the book or presents slides," said Michael Bascom, a Neptune Township EMS coordinator. and Rosen's cousin "He's a guy who speaks from his heart, speaks from his experiences."

That authenticity helped earn the trust of countless students and colleagues.

"Every class he shared a piece of his heart," Huff added.

Using his own struggles to help others

Those closest to Rosen said some of his most important work happened after some of the most difficult moments in his own life.

A colleague recalled a tragic call involving one of Sebastian's soccer teammates. Rosen was the first responder and the young person did not survive.

"It took him to a dark place," said his wife, Kristin. "He was just like inside himself the whole time."

Rosen sought counseling and emerged with a new mission: helping first responders address mental health challenges before they reached a crisis point.

"He realized he needed help and he got it," she said. "After that, he wanted to be the one to help other people."

That experience eventually led him to create and teach mental health and peer-support programs for emergency responders, showing them how to go back into their own agencies to talk openly with their colleagues.

Rosen's message was simple and repeated often: "It's okay to not be okay."

And after particularly difficult calls?

"It's okay to feel some sort of way after that really crappy call," said Ashleigh Curtis, one of the many Neptune Township employees who Rosen mentored through the years.

Humor, heart and family

For all of his serious accomplishments, many remembered Rosen's sense of humor first. In fact, it's in Rosen's name (Bil with one L).

"Bil decided that the second L in Bill was silent and he could save a dime on embroidery on his shirts by dropping an L," said Bascom, who recalled growing up with 'Billy'. "So he became 'Bil with one L.'"

But above all else, those closest to him said Rosen's greatest source of pride was his family.

"I don't think that there was anything in Bil's life that was more of a subject of pride than his son Sebastian," Caruso said.

A legacy that continues

Sebastian has already begun following in his father's footsteps, joining the Shark River Hills First Aid Squad shortly after turning 16.

Colleagues say he will be surrounded by people who admired his father and are committed to carrying that legacy forward.

"We owe it to him to continue this and continue building it and growing it and reaching as far as we possibly can," said Curtis, one of Rosen's former mentees.

For Sebastian, the Hall of Fame honor represents something larger than an award.

"It's amazing, I never expected anything like this," Sebastian said. "He never really talked about any kind of awards. Getting an award like this, in his name, is incredible.

Green left Sebastian with a final message:

"Embrace all this about your dad. Your dad was awesome."

About this series

USA TODAY, the national publication in the Gannett | USA TODAY Network portfolio, assists in administering the Hall’s Awards of Character program and publicizing the monthly winners. A feature story about Martinez was published online at USATODAY.com will appear in USA TODAY-affiliated publications across the country.

Payton Productions, the media company led by the Payton Family, captures the moments when the honorees learn of their selection and, in partnership with USA TODAY, shares 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.