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 has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season. [1] [2] 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. [3]
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".
Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the New York Giants and the New York Jets, and caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII as the Giants beat the then-undefeated New England Patriots.
The 2008 New York Giants season was the franchise's 84th season in the National Football League (NFL) as the team looked to defend its Super Bowl XLII title along with trying to become the first team since rival 2004 New England Patriots and the first NFC team since division rival 1993 Dallas Cowboys to win consecutive Super Bowls. They improved upon their 10–6 record from 2007, becoming NFC East champions and finished with the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the only time in the Tom Coughlin era. Despite a franchise best 11–1 start and clinching the number 1 seed for the first time in eight years, the Giants lost three of their last four games, including their first playoff game against the Eagles 23-11, ending their season. The Giants were the only NFC team from the 2007 playoffs to qualify for the 2008 playoffs.
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).
The 2009 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 2009 NFL season. The Associated Press and Sporting News named first and second-team selections. The AP team was selected by a national panel of 50 NFL writers. The Sporting News selection process consisted of a players' poll, making it "The Players' All-Pro Team". The PFWA All-NFL team is based on a poll of its more than 300 members.
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 2010 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 2010 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."
The 2011 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 2011 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."
The 2013 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 2013 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. Any player selected to 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. The Sporting News All-NFL team is voted on by NFL players and executives and was released January 28, 2014. The PFWA team is selected by its more than 300 national members who are accredited media members covering the NFL.
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.
The AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award (CBPOY) 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. Beginning with the 2024 season, the criteria for the award was changed to emphasize players coming back from "illness, physical injury, or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season", as opposed to players having resurgent performances or "coming back from sucking".
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.
The 2021 All-Pro teams were named by the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), and Sporting News (SN) for performance in the 2021 NFL season. 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 was voted on by NFL players and executives. The PFWA team is selected by its more than 300 national members who are accredited media members covering the NFL.
The 2022 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 2022 NFL season. 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 was voted on by NFL players and executives. The PFWA team is selected by its more than 300 national members who are accredited media members covering the NFL.