The NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award refers to a number of awards that are given to a National Football League (NFL) player who overcomes adversity to return to remarkable performance, in the form of not being in the NFL the previous year, a severe injury, or simply poor performance. [1] The awards have been presented by several organizations, including the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), Sporting News , and United Press International (UPI).
From 1963 to 1966, the award was given to both an NFL and AFL player. No award was given between 1966 and 1998. Paul Lowe and Chad Pennington are the only recipients of the award to have won twice.
From 1972 to 1991, the Comeback Player of the Year award was presented by Pro Football Weekly (PFW) only. PFW and the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) combined their awards from 1992 to 2012. [2]
In 1962, United Press International (UPI) chose a comeback player for the first time. The winner, Frank Gifford, had made a comeback from a devastating injury from a hit by Chuck Bednarik. The following year, the Associated Press (AP) established a similar award. UPI discontinued the award after 1963, with the exception of 1969. The AP did not give out the award from 1967 to 1998, when the award was reinstituted and given to Doug Flutie.
The Sporting News is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a print magazine. It became the dominant American publication covering baseball, acquiring the nickname "The Bible of Baseball".
The 2007 season was the New York Giants' 83rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 32nd playing their home games at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and their fourth under head coach Tom Coughlin.
Steven Smith is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Southern California (USC), and earned All-American honors. He was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft, and was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 1984 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College as an independent during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 2008 All-Pro teams were named by the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), and The Sporting News (TSN) for performance in the 2008 NFL season. These are the current teams that historically appear in Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the NFL. Although the NFL has no official awards, according to the NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, the NFL Record and Fact Book has historically listed All-Pro teams from major news sources such as the Associated Press, Sporting News, Pro Football Writers Association, as well as teams from organizations that no longer release All-Pro teams such as Newspaper Enterprise Association and United Press International.
The 1963 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1963. The seven selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1963 season are (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), (2) the Associated Press (AP), (3) the Central Press Association (CP), (4) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), (5) the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), (6) the Sporting News, and (7) the United Press International (UPI).
Robert James Gronkowski is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Nicknamed "Gronk", Gronkowski played nine seasons for the New England Patriots, then played his final two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is a four-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time first-team All-Pro selection, and was selected to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
This is a list of players named as All-Pros based on their performance in the 1969 AFL and NFL season. These lists provide a perspective into how players were judged against their peers by critics of their time. Players representing both the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) are included.
This is a list of players named as All-Pros based on their performance in the 1968 AFL and NFL season. These lists provide a perspective into how players were judged against their peers by critics of their time. Players representing both the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) are included.
The 2012 All-Pro teams were named by the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), and The Sporting News (TSN) for performance in the 2012 NFL season. While none of these have the official imprimatur of the NFL, they are included (separately) in the NFL Record and Fact Book. Any player selected to any of the teams can be described as an "All-Pro."
Kelvin Benjamin is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
The 2014 All-Pro Teams were named by the Associated Press (AP), the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), and the Sporting News (SN) for performance in the 2014 NFL season. While none of the All-Pro teams have the official imprimatur of the NFL, they are included in the NFL Record and Fact Book and also part of the language of the 2011 NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Any player selected to the first-team of any of the teams can be described as an "All-Pro." The AP team, with first-team and second-team selections, was chosen by a national panel of fifty NFL writers and broadcasters. The Sporting News All-NFL team is voted on by NFL players and executives and was released January 20, 2015. The PFWA team is selected by its more than 300 national members who are accredited media members covering the NFL.
Jalen Alexander Hurts is an American professional football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He began his college football career with the Alabama Crimson Tide, leading the team to consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship appearances in 2016 and 2017. After being benched for Tua Tagovailoa during Alabama's victory in the latter championship, Hurts spent one season as a backup in 2018. He played his final season with the Oklahoma Sooners, leading them to an appearance in the 2019–20 College Football Playoff.
The AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to a player in the National Football League (NFL). While the criteria for the award is imprecise, it is typically given to a player who overcomes the worst adversity to return to play even a single snap of NFL football, such as not playing the previous season, injury, or for playing well in comparison to the previous year's poor performance. The winner is selected by a nationwide panel of media personnel. Since 2011, the award has been presented at the NFL Honors ceremony held the day before the Super Bowl.
Jordan Tyler Whitehead is an American professional football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh.
Tuanigamanuolepola Donny Tagovailoa is an American professional football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was named the Offensive MVP of the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship during his freshman season. As a sophomore, Tagovailoa won the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards en route to an appearance in the 2019 National Championship.
Taulia Tagovailoa is an American professional football quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and Alabama Crimson Tide. He holds the Big Ten Conference record for most all-time passing yards and holds the Maryland single-season and career school records for both completions and passing yards, as well as a tie for Maryland's single-season touchdowns record. He is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.