B.A.A. Patriots' Award
Two hundred and thirty-six years have passed since Paul Revere’s famous ride and the first skirmishes between British troops and the Minute Men of Concord and Lexington. For 115 of those years, the Boston Marathon has been a mainstay of the Patriots’ Day holiday in Massachusetts.
For many years, that meant running the Marathon on April 19, no matter what day of the week that was — unless it was a Sunday — and since 1969 it has meant staging the race on the third Monday of April. Over the decades, thousands of people have made Marathon Monday a central feature of their Patriots’ Day celebration.
Though the Marathon has always been attuned to its connection to Patriots’ Day, in 2002 the B.A.A. decided to expand its recognition of the holiday by introducing the Patriots’ Award. Presented in conjunction with the City of Boston, the Patriots’ Award honors a “New England patriot” every year. With the goal of recognizing a New England-based individual, or organization, that has exhibited patriotic, philanthropic, and inspirational qualities, the B.A.A. chose an aptly-named recipient for the inaugural award in 2002: owner Bob Kraft and the New England Patriots. Through the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, the team assists the educational, family, and health initiatives of a number of charities and programs.
The next two years featured youth-related organizations: first, the Red Auerbach Youth Foundation, which serves to provide sports and recreational activities for Massachusetts kids; and then the Ron Burton Training Village, a program designed to help at-risk boys between the ages of 11 and 17.
In 2005, fresh off their thrilling World Series championship, the Boston Red Sox received the Patriots’ Award for the tremendous charitable contributions generated by the Red Sox Foundation.
The 2006 recipient of the Patriots’ Award — Team Hoyt, Rick & Dick Hoyt — was honored on the occasion of their 25th Boston Marathon.
Joan Samuelson, distance running pioneer and founder of the Beach to Beacon 10K, was the 2007 honoree, and in 2008, chairman and executive director of the Jimmy Fund and member of the Boston Red Sox 1967 “Impossible Dream” team, Mike Andrews was honored. The Jimmy Fund each year raises more than $10 million working with the B.A.A. on both the Boston Marathon Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge and the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Marathon Walk.
In 2009, two household names in Boston — Tommy Leonard and Eddie Doyle — received the award. A retired Marine, Leonard is the Official Greeter of the Boston Marathon and founder of the Falmouth Road Race. “Leonard Bridge,” under which the Marathon Course runs, is in his namesake. Doyle was perhaps the most well-known bartender in Boston, as he served behind the bar at the Bull and Finch Pub for 30 years. When directors from Hollywood were looking for the perfect setting upon which to base the show “Cheers,” they found Eddie’s warm personality and the welcoming setting of the pub to be the right fit.
In 2010, the B.A.A. presented the Patriots’ Award to Tedy Bruschi, a longtime member of the New England Patriots, and founder of Tedy’s Team — a philanthopic endeavor of the American Heart Association, through which money and awareness is raised for stroke reasearch and care.
Last year, the award went to Carol Fulp, Senior Vice President of Brand Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for John Hancock Financial Services. Fulp oversees John Hancock's corporate giving program, ensuring that Boston youth who are most in need are served. With one of the largest corporate volunteer programs in Boston, John Hancock became the first Massachusetts-based company to be awarded the national Award for Excellence in Corporate Community Outreach by the Points of Light Foundation.
B.A.A. Patriots’ Award Winners
(presented at the Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception since 2003)
| 2002 | Robert and Myra Kraft and the New England Patriots presented by Mayor Thomas Menino (at Boston Marathon Mayor’s Reception) |
| 2003 | Red Auerbach and the Red Auerbach Foundation presented at Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception |
| 2004 | Ron Burton and the Ron Burton Training Village presented at Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception |
| 2005 | Boston Red Sox and the Red Sox Foundation presented to Larry Lucchino, at Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception |
| 2006 | Team Hoyt, Rick & Dick Hoyt, presented at Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception |
| 2007 | Joan Samuelson, Women’s Distance Running Pioneer and founder of the Beach to Beacon 10K,presented at Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception |
| 2008 | Mike Andrews and the Jimmy Fund, presented at Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception |
| 2009 | Tommy Leonard and Eddie Doyle, longtime Boston philanthropists, presented at Cheers to the Boston Marathon reception |
| 2010 | Tedy Bruschi, three-time Super Bowl Champion and longtime New England Patriot |
| 2011 | Carol Fulp, Senior Vice President, Brand Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for John Hancock Financial Services |