On the field, Christian Ponder had a bit of an up-and-down rookie season for the Minnesota Vikings in 2011. Off the field, however, it appears that it was anything but.

On Wednesday, Ponder was named the Rookie of the Year. . .by the Vikings Children's Fund for his off-field charitable efforts. According to the Vikings' official website:

The first award of its kind for the Vikings, the annual Rookie of the Year award will be presented following each season moving forward and will recognize the member of the previous rookie class that best represented himself and the franchise on and off the field. The chosen player will be honored with a $5,000 donation to a 501c3 organization of his choice, and the trophy will be displayed in Winter Park.

Congratulations to Christian Ponder for his efforts in winning this award for the Vikings' rookie class of 2011. Here's hoping that the competition for next year's award is incredibly intense and hard-fought. . .it should be something that every member of the Vikings' rookie class of 2012 is striving to receive.