Mark Teixeira

Former Major League Baseball All-Star Mark Teixeira was awarded the 13th Annual Heisman Humanitarian Award by the Heisman Trophy Trust in recognition of his many years of giving back within the community.

The three-time All-Star and 2009 World Series champion played 14 seasons with the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees. He finished his career with 409 home runs and finished second in the 2009 MVP race after leading the American League with 43 home runs and 144 runs batted in. An outstanding switch hitter, he holds the major league record for most games (14) with home runs from both sides of the plate. In addition to his hitting prowess, he was also a five-time Gold Glove winner as a first baseman.

Teixeira has been a relentless supporter within the community. Mark is actively involved in community support programs in a number of cities. He is committed to education and established scholarship endowments at his alma maters of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore and The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

He has also been an active supporter for many local organizations throughout the years, specifically the Emerald Corridor Foundation and DREAM (formerly Harlem RBI). Teixeira is a board member for The Emerald Corridor Foundation which works to build and restore safe greenspaces and waterways that support community health and recreation in Northwest Atlanta. The organization helps strengthen the community via education, job training and employment opportunities.

From Teixeira’s days with the Yankees he has been a stalwart supporter of DREAM, a local New York nonprofit, that has been supported by the Heisman Trophy Trust. DREAM is a youth development organization that uses the power of teams to inspire inner-city youth to recognize their potential and realize their dreams through its school, after-school and summer programs.

“I’m humbled and grateful to be the recipient of this year’s Heisman Humanitarian award, especially when I look at the past winners,” stated Teixeira. “My passion is for education and youth and it’s a great honor to play a small part in the communities that are important to me like Baltimore, Atlanta, and, of course, New York City. I hope this award shines a light on the important work happening in our communities and allows us to expand efforts for many more years to come.”