updated 12:35 a.m. ET Dec. 4, 2007

NEW YORK - Brett Favre's standout season for the resurgent Green Bay Packers has earned him the title of 2007 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, making him the fourth quarterback to win the award in its 53-year history.

The 38-year-old Favre joins fellow quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw (1979), Joe Montana (1990) and Tom Brady (2005) as recipients of the award, given to an athlete who symbolizes the ideals of sportsmanship.

Favre, a three-time NFL MVP, said in the cover story of the magazine's Dec. 10th issue that leadership is about finding ways to raise his team's level of play.

"You do that by setting an example, by doing things the right way. I've always shown up, I've always been prepared, I practice every day," Favre said. "I practice hard. I study. No matter what happens on the field, I never point blame at anybody else. Everything I do comes back to leadership, the example I want to set."

Favre has started a quarterback-record 249 consecutive games, and this year surpassed Dan Marino for career touchdown passes and pass attempts. He is 450 yards away from breaking Marino's career record of 61,361 yards.

Favre has had one of the best seasons of his 17-year career, completing 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,412 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

He's on pace to surpass his career marks in completion percentage, yards passing and fewest interceptions per attempts.

The magazine also recognized Favre's history of philanthropy, including his Fourward Foundation that's donated more than $4 million to charities in Wisconsin and Mississippi and assisted Mississippi's Gulf Coast counties after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade won the magazine's award last year.

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