CANTON, OHIO – Two members of the Green Bay Packers equipment staff who accrued more than 60 combined seasons with the franchise and a member of the Kansas City Chiefs organization since 1989 represent the three individuals chosen as Awards of Excellence winners for 2026 in the Equipment Managers category.
Being honored in the Awards of Excellence program's fifth class are Red Batty, Mike Davidson and Jack Noel. Their selection brings to 17 the number of equipment managers who have been recognized over five years.
A cocktail dinner and awards luncheon to celebrate their careers and those of this year's other honorees will take place June 24-25 in Canton. This year's honorees will be recognized in the categories of Assistant Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Public Relations Directors, Equipment Managers and Film/Video Directors.
Scott Berchtold, Jim Gallagher and Lee Remmel were announced in December as the recipients from the Public Relations Directors category. The remaining categories will be announced over the next several days.
Red Batty
Batty worked in the NFL for 43 years, 30 of which were spent with the Green Bay Packers. During his tenure in Green Bay, he maintained and administered the team's equipment for 22 playoff trips, 15 division titles, three NFC titles and two Super Bowls (XXXI and XLV).
Batty was responsible for properly outfitting players with the safest equipment, as well as ordering and maintaining the team's sideline apparel. During his time in the NFL, Batty worked 683 regular season games, 53 postseason contests, six Pro Bowls and has been the equipment coordinator for what is now known as the NFL Players Association Rookie Premiere preseason event for over 30 years.
Born in Montreal, Batty began his career at 14 years old working as a ball boy for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Six years later, in 1980, he was elevated to the equipment manager position before transitioning to the same position for the Houston Oilers. He remained there for 13 seasons before being named to the Packers' staff in 1994.
Jack Noel
Noel worked for the Green Bay Packers as an assistant equipment manager for over 30 years while also managing the visitors' locker room during his tenure.
While overlapping with fellow 2026 Awards of Excellence recipient Red Batty, Noel was part of a prominent turnaround in Green Bay. The franchise brought in General Manager Ron Wolf, quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Reggie White, who won Super Bowls XXXI and XLV in the 1990s.
Noel began his tenure working with his brother, Bob, for longtime Packers equipment manager G.E. "Dad" Braisher. Bob Noel succeeded Braisher as equipment manager in 1977, and Jack remained an assistant on the staff until retiring in 1993. Jack Noel worked with Hall of Fame players Bart Starr and Forrest Gregg in their coaching tenures to make sure the players were properly equipped with the most modern equipment.
Mike Davidson
A native of Mentor, Ohio, Davidson helped to establish the Certification Committee within the Athletic Equipment Managers Association, which ensured that the players' equipment met updated industry standards.
Following a short stint as the Bowling Green equipment manager while in college and a six-year teaching tenure after graduating, Davidson began working in the NFL in 1984. After Marty Schottenheimer became head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, he named Davidson the team's equipment manager. Davidson had spent the previous five seasons with Schottenheimer in Cleveland as an assistant and was retained as part of the new staff. While in Kansas City, Davidson worked for five head coaches and 23 future Pro Football Hall of Famers.
Davidson equipped a dominant defense in the 1990s anchored by Derrick Thomas and, later, a potent offense led by Joe Montana and Marcus Allen. He was also a contributing author to the first equipment managers' certification manual. He remains an integral part of the industry, currently working as the Chiefs' historian and curator for the franchise's Hall of Honor.
PREVIOUS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE EQUIPMENT MANAGERS
- 2025 – Tom Gray, Dennis Ryan, George Luongo
- 2024 – Bill Hampton Sr., Don Hewitt, Richard Romanski
- 2023 – William T. "Buck" Buchanan, Robert "Bob" Noel, Bill Simmons
- 2022 – Sid Brooks, Ed Carroll, Tony Parisi, Dan "Chief" Simmons, Whitey Zimmerman
ABOUT THE AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
The Pro Football Hall of Fame established the Awards of Excellence in 2022 to recognize significant contributors to the game in "behind-the-scenes" roles. In addition to equipment personnel, the program honors career Assistant Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Public Relations Directors and Film/Video Directors. The five groups presenting the Awards of Excellence create their own selection committees and set their own criteria for choosing new members. The Hall of Fame does not participate in any nominating or voting.
Also at this year's awards luncheon, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will honor the winner of its annual photo contest. Photographs taken during the 2025 National Football League season in the "Action" and "Feature" categories and entered in the contest are eligible for awards. A panel of professional photographers will judge the entries and pick first-, second- and third-place finishers in each category.
The Photograph of the Year – chosen from the first-place winners in the Action and Feature categories – will be deemed winner of the 58th annual Dave Boss Award of Excellence. That photographer will be invited to Canton for the June 24-25 program, and his/her image will be placed on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
