Commanders Coach Dan Quinn to Receive 2025 TAPS Senator Ted Stevens Leadership Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 24, 2025
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is honored to announce that Dan Quinn, head coach of the Washington Commanders, has been selected as the recipient of the TAPS Senator Ted Stevens Leadership Award. Each year, this prestigious award is presented to an individual who has dedicated their time and talent to honor America's fallen heroes and support their surviving families.
Throughout his illustrious NFL coaching career, Quinn has advocated for the military and veteran communities. More than just a leader on the field, he has demonstrated a genuine, heartfelt dedication to honoring fallen service members and ensuring that their families feel seen, supported, and valued.
In 2004, Coach Quinn and his wife, Stacey, founded Quinn Corps to support military members at home and abroad. In 2016, Quinn Corps and the Atlanta Falcons partnered with TAPS for the teams’ first Salute to Service program with the TAPS sports program, teams4taps, hosting the families of 63 fallen heroes for a weekend of special experiences culminating with Falcons’ players wearing the initials of the fallen heroes on their helmets at the game. Later that year, Coach Quinn was awarded the NFL's Salute to Service Award, recognizing his exceptional efforts to support and honor the military community. That same dedication has been a defining part of his coaching philosophy, as he has consistently made time for TAPS families, offering not only memorable experiences, but meaningful connections and recognition of their loved ones’ sacrifice.
TAPS Founder and President Bonnie Carroll praised Coach Quinn’s enduring commitment to surviving military families: “Coach Quinn doesn’t just wear the Salute to Service patch — he lives it. He understands that behind every name etched in stone is a family carrying forward a legacy of love and service. His leadership is not only about winning games but honoring the people who make our country great.”
For nearly 10 years Coach Quinn has partnered with TAPS, he has consistently provided meaningful experiences by opening team facilities to TAPS families, hosting them at practices and games, and creating moments of healing and remembrance for them — whether in front of a packed stadium or quietly listening to a survivor tell the story of their fallen hero’s love of the game. No matter the team logo on his shirt, TAPS has always been in his heart as he has taken TAPS with him from Atlanta to Dallas and now to Washington.
“It is truly an honor to receive the 2025 TAPS Ted Stevens Leadership Award. TAPS has held a special place in my heart for a long time,” Coach Quinn shared. “I truly cherish meeting the families and love seeing the joy football brings them. Being able to play a part in helping to support the families of our nation's fallen heroes is something that I will never take for granted. My wife Stacey and I look forward to continuing to support Bonnie Carroll, TAPS, and surviving families and hosting events for years to come.”
For TAPS families, Coach Quinn is more than just a coach — he is family. As one TAPS survivor said, “Coach Quinn sees the families behind the sacrifice. He doesn’t just offer a handshake or a photo — he listens, he embraces, and he makes sure our heroes are never forgotten.”
The TAPS Senator Ted Stevens Leadership Award is a testament to Coach Quinn’s extraordinary impact — not just as a coach, but as a leader who has used his platform to bring comfort, healing, and remembrance to those who have lost so much. His actions ensure that the legacies of our fallen heroes live on, not only in the hearts of their families but in the broader community that he so passionately embraces.
As we celebrate Coach Quinn’s impact on the survivor community, TAPS is grateful for the way he has honored the sacrifices of our nation’s heroes and created a space where their families feel seen, heard, and supported.
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ABOUT TAPS
TAPS is the national nonprofit organization providing compassionate care and comprehensive resources to all those grieving a death in the military and veteran community. TAPS was founded by military-loss survivor Bonnie Carroll, in 1994. TAPS – which, in the last 30 years, has become synonymous with 24/7, lifelong support for all grieving a military or veteran death — provides resources during each step of a survivor’s walk through grief with a combination of peer-based support, the 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline, in-person events, community-based care, casework assistance, and grief and trauma resources. The TAPS mission has touched more than 100,000 survivors, casualty assistance officers, chaplains, and bereavement supporters since its founding. For more information, please visit TAPS.org or call 202-588-TAPS (8277).