During the Overwatch League’s All-Star Weekend, Dallas Fuel tank player Pongphop “Mickie” Rattanasangchod became the first recipient of the league’s Dennis Hawelka Award.
The Award honors Dennis “INTERNETHULK” Hawelka, a former Team Envy player who died in November 2017 at age 30. He was renowned for his positive influence on the Overwatch community and was a mentor and friend to many, including Mickie.
“It’s not just an award,” Mickie said in an interview with the Overwatch League. “Dennis has changed my life.”
INTERNETHULK was a respected coach, player and friend in the Overwatch community, and when Blizzard was notified of his passing in November they announced they’d be honoring his legacy with a seasonal OWL award.
“He reached out to those around him, drew them in and built them up,” Blizzard wrote in a blog post on the Overwatch League site. “In doing so, he not only helped forge the foundation of competitive Overwatch worldwide, he changed countless lives for the better, in game and out.”
The always positive @MickiePP was awarded the Inaugural Dennis Hawelka Award today.
Keep smiling Mickie. pic.twitter.com/hUX06UzAhr
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) August 26, 2018
Mickie met a few Team Envy players back in 2016 when he made his mainstream Overwatch debut at the Overwatch World Cup. INTERNETHULK reached out to Mickie in November 2016 after a Team Envy player dropped out before the OGN Overwatch Apex quarterfinals. Mickie joined the team in South Korea and remained on the roster throughout the Overwatch League’s inaugural season.
Mickie has a reputation among Overwatch fans and players as the happiest player in the OWL. This was backed up in Dallas Fuel’s nomination of the flex tank player for the award.
“In a season full of ups and downs for the Fuel, Mickie was the constant force of positivity,” Fuel wrote, according to the Overwatch League. “He is welcoming. He is a teacher, a mentor, a [student] of the game, a hard worker, a crowd-pleaser, and the first person eager to meet a new addition to the Fuel and get down to work.”
Mickie is currently the only Overwatch League player representing Southeast Asia and he wants to use that position to inspire players around the world.