LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. ? 25 Jan. 2006 ? NFL fans cast thousands of votes throughout the NFL season to determine Motorola's NFL All-Time Game Changing Innovators list. The list, made up of one man at each position includes athletes who changed forever, the way the position was perceived and played.
The winning players at each position include (full results are available at Motorola.com/nfl):
"If you mention any one of the names on the Motorola NFL All-Time Game Changing Innovators list vivid images come to mind," said Kathleen Finato, senior director of marketing, Motorola, Inc. ?Whether it is Fran Tarkenton scrambling, Walter Payton leaping over a goal-line pile or Lawrence Taylor flying around the corner to pull down a helpless quarterback, the eight winners have all set the bar for excellence at their positions.?
The voting varied from players separated by a few hundred votes to landslide winners who left no doubt about their role in innovating their position. While Taylor, Page and Rice were clear cut winners, Walter Payton edged out Barry Sanders in a very close race.
To highlight the final results and celebrate the completion of the national voting period, Motorola and the New York Giants held a halftime ceremony during the Giants home Wild Card Playoff game on January 8. The ceremony honored Giants great Lawrence Taylor for being named as the Motorola Game Changing Innovator at the linebacker position.
?It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by Motorola and the fans as having changed the way my position is played,? said Taylor. ?When I look at the final list, I know that those players became the prototype for the athletes who followed them in their position, so it is satisfying to be mentioned in their company.?
The campaign, launched by Motorola (NYSE: MOT) in conjunction with the 2005 NFL regular season kicked off in September, opening the debate on which NFL player has had the greatest impact on the evolution of each major position. The voting period wrapped up at the end of the regular season on Jan. 2. Football fans voted at motorola.com/nfl for the greatest game changing innovators at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive and defensive lineman, linebacker and defensive back. Motorola and NFL PLAYERS INC created an initial list of names, but fans also had the opportunity to write or text in the name of any player who had ever played each position.
Motorola knows about innovation, as the company's technology has been changing the way people communicate for decades. The original Startac cellular phone and recent RAZR mobile device have each raised the industry's bar for innovative style and functionality.
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