As the season finishes each year, the Overwatch League rewards a player for their positivity and charitable work. For this season, the winner of the Dennis Hawelka award is Caleb “McGravy” McGarvey, the off-tank for the Los Angeles Valiant. His work both in and out of the game set a standard. Particularly, McGravy’s positive attitude online and big support for many causes led to this award win.
🐰 Cosplay or team-kills? @McGravy does it all! His sportsmanship and levity's earned him the #OWL2020 Dennis Hawelka Award! pic.twitter.com/hFxSm0DhRZ
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) October 3, 2020
The award’s history
The reward is named after Dennis “INTERNETHULK” Hawelka, a German player and coach who represented positivity and progress in the community. When Hawelka sadly passed away at age 30, the Overwatch League decided to immortalize him with this award. The first player to win this award was a former teammate of Hawelka’s, Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod. The second winner was Los Angeles Valiant player Scott “Custa” Kennedy.
For McGravy, winning this award is as important as winning the league is. Jon Spector, the Vice President of the Overwatch League, seconded this in the video revealing the 2020 winner.
This award is the most important one to me; it celebrates the importance of community and the power to use this platform for good. 2020 has been a truly incredible and challenging season, but despite the challenges, [McGravy has] gone beyond to build a positive Overwatch League community.
It’s hard to argue with Spector. More now than ever, players and fans want happiness. For example, his cheery outlook on the Valiant’s season helped turn them into a contender. Plus, he was part of a lot of charity events for the Valiant. Arguably, his most popular community move was retweeted by the musician Halsey.
But in the end, McGravy deserved this award due to his funny personality. Whether it was making people laugh or helping people when they were down, McGravy was there. That’s why, without a doubt, he won the Dennis Hawelka award for 2020.
