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For nearly 70 years, Sporting News has handed out awards to the NFL's best at the end of each season.
The annual awards honor the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, as well as the season's top head coach, coordinator, executive, rookies, and more.
In addition to annual awards, Sporting News has published an All-Pro team for each season since 1954.
Here is a full guide to the history of Sporting News' NFL awards, including complete lists of winners.
Sporting News began selecting awards at the end of each NFL season in 1954, earlier than the Associated Press and other major outlets. That was the same year its first All-Pro team was published, honoring the best players from around the NFL.
While some awards, such as Coordinator of the Year, began more recently, Sporting News' long list of NFL award winners offers a glimpse into the history of football.
Since 2008, NFL players, coaches and executives have voted for Sporting News' NFL awards. The awards give the players who go up against the NFL's best and the executives who evaluate them a say in determining who were some of the league's most valuable individuals each season.
Sporting News began awarding NFL Player of the Year honors in 1954. While the criteria has changed a few times since then, the award was initially given to one player each season.
In 1970, Sporting News began awarding a Player of the Year honor for both the AFC and NFC.
Sporting News reverted to a single NFL Player of the Year award in 1980.
In 2008, Sporting News began awarding both Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Under the current format, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes are all tied for the lead with two Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year awards.
Since 2008, J.J. Watt has the most Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year awards with three. Aaron Donald (2) is the only other player with more than one.
The Buccaneers are the only team with multiple Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award winners. Antonio Bryant won the inaugural award in 2008, and Darrelle Revis won in 2013 in his only season with Tampa Bay.
The Lions have the most Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards with eight, the most recent being Ndamukong Suh in 2010.
Detroit's NFC North rival Vikings are the closest competitor with five such awards, the most recent being Percy Harvin in 2009.
From 1955 to 1969, Sporting News awarded one Rookie of the Year honor.
In 1970, Sporting News began awarding a Rookie of the Year honor for both the AFC and NFC.
In 1980, Sporting News reverted to a single Rookie of the Year award.
Sporting News initially handed out an Executive of the Year award in 1955 and 1956. The award returned in 1972.
Bill Polian has won the most Sporting News Executive of the Year awards with six. Polian won two awards each with the Bills, Panthers, and Colts across his esteemed career.
Former Giants general manager George Young trails Polian with five awards. No other executive has won the award more than two times.
Sporting News has awarded a Coach of the Year honor since 1947. While there was no selection for some years early on, including from 1957 to 1960, the award has been handed out consistently each season since 1963.
Legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula and current Chiefs coach Andy Reid are tied for the most Sporting News Coach of the Year honors with four. Paul Brown, Joe Gibbs, and Mike Smith have all won the award three times.
The Giants have won the more Coach of the Year awards than any other team, with six.
Sporting News launched the Coordinator of the Year award in 2008 and resumed it in 2016 after a three-year hiatus. No coordinator has won it more than once, due in part to many winners becoming head coaches elsewhere.
Sporting News published its first NFL All-Pro team in 1954, after publishing the teams selected by New York News from 1950 to 1953.
The format underwent changes over the years, naming an Eastern Division and Western Division team from 1958 to 1969 before switching to an offensive and defensive team for both the AFC and NFC in 1970.
Since 1980, Sporting News has selected one all-NFL team that includes offense, defense, and specialists.
Jerry Rice leads all offensive players with 10 selections to Sporting News' All-Pro team, while Bruce Smith leads defensive players with nine.
