Bob Feller Act of Valor Award

The award is named for Bob Feller, who put his baseball career on hold and became the first American professional athlete to enlist in the armed forces, volunteering for combat service in the United States Navy the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.{{Cite news |last=Buckheit |first=Mary |date=November 12, 2009 |title=For Feller, Navy was easy decision |work=ESPN.com |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=buckheit/091112&sportCat=mlb |access-date=July 27, 2012 |archive-date=May 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507054501/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=buckheit%2F091112&sportCat=mlb |url-status=live }} Feller was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first time on the ballot. When asked, "What is the most important game you ever won?", he would answer "World War II".{{Cite web |title=About Bob Feller |url=https://actofvaloraward.org/bob-feller/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 12, 2021 |website=Bob Feller Act of Valor Award official website |archive-date=February 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225095840/https://actofvaloraward.org/bob-feller/ }} He took great pride in his time in the military, and never once regretted placing service to his country before himself. "I didn’t worry about losing my baseball career. We needed to win the war. I wanted to do my part."{{Cite web |title=Who Was Bob Feller and What Made Him So Great? |url=https://imaginesports.com/news/who-was-bob-feller |url-status=live |access-date=June 12, 2021 |website=imaginesports.com |date=July 30, 2018 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127093632/https://imaginesports.com/news/who-was-bob-feller }} Feller wanted to be remembered as, "An American, who happened to be a ballplayer".{{Cite news |last=Orr |first=Matthew |date=December 15, 2010 |title=Last Word: Bob Feller |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/obituaries/1247464008751/last-word-bob-feller.html?src=vidm |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612161814/https://www.nytimes.com/video/obituaries/1247464008751/last-word-bob-feller.html?src=vidm |url-status=live }} Despite losing almost four full seasons to wartime service, Feller had an impressive baseball career and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962. He and Jackie Robinson were elected in their first year of eligibility, the first players to be so honored since the inaugural class of 1936. Feller died in 2010.{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |date=December 15, 2010 |title=Bob Feller, Whose Fastball Dazzled, Dies at 92 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/sports/baseball/16feller.html?_r=1 |access-date=April 29, 2012 |archive-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625221047/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/sports/baseball/16feller.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}

Peter Fertig conceived the award. He wrote letters to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians, and the {{USS|Alabama|BB-60}}, and said that "within six weeks, I had everybody's support". He garnered support from the business community in Cleveland, as well as Feller's widow Anne Feller. Then he worked with Islip, New York, councilman John Cochrane in drafting a proposal. Rear Admiral Michael Jabaley{{Cite web |title=Rear Adm. Michael E. Jabaley |url=https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/Biographies/Article-View/Article/600086/rear-adm-michael-e-jabaley/ |access-date=June 12, 2021 |website=Naval Sea Systems Command |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030080305/https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/Biographies/Article-View/Article/600086/rear-adm-michael-e-jabaley/ |url-status=dead }} of the United States Navy helped mentor Peter with gaining official support from the United States Navy. It became an official Navy award on Memorial Day, 2013.

In 2013, its inaugural year, three awards were given to represent Bob Feller's life as an MLB player, a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, and a National Baseball Hall of Famer. The award also recognized 37 Hall of Fame players, owners, umpires, and broadcasters that served during World War II. Three MLB finalists were named by the award's board of directors, three Navy Chief Petty Officer finalists were selected by the U.S. Navy, and the board of directors selected the Hall of Famer. The announcement of the award took place at the Hall of Fame ceremony on May 25, followed by a presentation to the finalists on July 6, and a selection of the winners on Veterans Day.{{Cite news |last=Kleps |first=Kevin |date=April 10, 2013 |title=Peter Fertig was on the ball in creating the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award |work=Crain's Cleveland Business |url=https://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130410/BLOGS06/130419973/peter-fertig-was-on-the-ball-in-creating-the-bob-feller-act-of-valor |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612161811/https://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130410/BLOGS06/130419973/peter-fertig-was-on-the-ball-in-creating-the-bob-feller-act-of-valor |url-status=live }} The awards were presented at the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

On July 28, 2015, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Foundation announced that it would present the Jerry Coleman Award to honor a Marine Staff Noncommissioned Officer (SNCO) who "possesses outstanding leadership and unyielding support for the United States Marine Corps and the United States of America". As the 75th Secretary of the Navy, the honorable Ray Mabus made the recommendation for the award to the board of directors, explaining that as Secretary of the Navy, he is responsible for the entire Naval community which includes the United States Marine Corps. The award is named after Jerry Coleman, awarded MLB Rookie of the Year (1949), All-Star (1950), and World Series MVP (1950), all with the New York Yankees. Coleman was also a longtime broadcaster for the San Diego Padres and was honored with the Ford C. Frick Award, presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Coleman served in the United States Marine Corps in World War II and Korea.{{Cite press release |title=Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Foundation Announces MLB & Hall of Fame Nominees Adds Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Award and Jerry Coleman Award Honoring Marine Corps |date=July 28, 2015 |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/bob-feller-act-of-valor-award-foundation-announces-mlb--hall-of-fame-nominees/c-139219458 |via=MLB.com |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612161811/https://www.mlb.com/news/bob-feller-act-of-valor-award-foundation-announces-mlb--hall-of-fame-nominees/c-139219458 |url-status=live }}

Beginning in 2015, along with the Bob Feller and Jerry Coleman Awards, the Foundation added two peer-to-peer mentoring awards, one for afloat and one for ashore organizations. The awards "honor groups of junior Sailors that have excelled in encouraging other Sailors to embody the Navy's core values of honor, courage, and commitment, and have worked together to promote peer-to-peer mentorship and reduce destructive personal decision-making and behaviors". The Sailors range from ages 18 to 25 years old.{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Meghann |date=August 7, 2017 |title=Chief, NCO and junior sailors honored at Bob Feller awards |work=Navy Times |url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2015/11/05/chief-nco-and-junior-sailors-honored-at-bob-feller-awards/ |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612161812/https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2015/11/05/chief-nco-and-junior-sailors-honored-at-bob-feller-awards/ |url-status=live }}

{{Gallery

|File:2013 award 2.jpg

|Yogi Berra with Bob Feller Act of Valor 2013 Award

|File:2014 Award Recipients .jpg

|Bob Feller Act of Valor 2014 Award Recipients

|File:Jonathan Lucroy at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony.jpg

|Jonathan Lucroy at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony 2015

|File:2016 Recipients at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony.jpg

|2016 Recipients at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony

|File:2017 Recipients at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony.jpg

|2017 Recipients at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony

|File:Johnny Bench at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony.jpg

|Johnny Bench at the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony 2018

|File:Randy Johnson and Ian Kennedy at the 2019 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony.jpg

|Randy Johnson and Ian Kennedy at the 2019 Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Ceremony

}}

• Roberto Clemente Award
• Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
• Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award
• Branch Rickey Award
• Jackie Robinson Award

{{reflist}}

Category:Major League Baseball trophies and awards

Category:Awards established in 2013

Category:2013 establishments in the United States

Category:Chief petty officers

Category:Lists of American military personnel

Category:United States Navy lists

Category:United States Marine Corps lists