National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award
The National Football League Comeback Player of the Year Award refers to a number of awards that are given to a National Football League (NFL) player who has shown perseverance in overcoming adversity, 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).
AP Comeback Player of the Year award (1963–1966, 1998–present)[]
From 1963 to 1966, the award was given to both an NFL and AFL player. No award was given between 1966 and 1998.
PFW/PFWA Comeback Player of the Year award (1972–present)[]
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 1992–2012.[2]
| Season | Player | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Earl Morrall | Miami Dolphins | Quarterback |
| 1973 | Roman Gabriel | Philadelphia Eagles | |
| 1974 | Joe Namath | New York Jets | |
| 1975 | Dave Hampton | Atlanta Falcons | Running back |
| 1976 | Greg Landry | Detroit Lions | Quarterback |
| 1977 | Craig Morton | Denver Broncos | |
| 1978 | John Riggins | Washington Redskins | Running back |
| 1979 | Larry Csonka | Miami Dolphins | Fullback |
| 1980 | Jim Plunkett | Oakland Raiders | Quarterback |
| 1981 | Ken Anderson | Cincinnati Bengals | |
| 1982 | Lyle Alzado | Los Angeles Raiders | Defensive end |
| 1983 | Billy Johnson | Atlanta Falcons | Wide receiver |
| 1984 | John Stallworth | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| 1985 | No award given
| ||
| 1986 | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| Tommy Kramer | Minnesota Vikings | ||
| 1987 | Charles White | Los Angeles Rams | Running back |
| 1988 | Greg Bell | Los Angeles Rams | |
| 1989 | Ottis Anderson | New York Giants | |
| 1990 | Barry Word | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| 1991 | Jim McMahon | Philadelphia Eagles | Quarterback |
| 1992 | Randall Cunningham | ||
| 1993 | Marcus Allen | Kansas City Chiefs | Running back |
| 1994 | Dan Marino | Miami Dolphins | Quarterback |
| 1995 | Jim Harbaugh | Indianapolis Colts | |
| Garrison Hearst | Arizona Cardinals | Running back | |
| 1996 | Jerome Bettis | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| 1997 | Robert Brooks | Green Bay Packers | Wide receiver |
| 1998 | Doug Flutie | Buffalo Bills | Quarterback |
| 1999 | Bryant Young | San Francisco 49ers | Defensive tackle |
| 2000 | Joe Johnson | New Orleans Saints | Defensive end |
| 2001 | Garrison Hearst (2) | San Francisco 49ers | Running back |
| 2002 | Tommy Maddox | Pittsburgh Steelers | Quarterback |
| 2003 | Jon Kitna | Cincinnati Bengals | |
| 2004 | Willis McGahee | Buffalo Bills | Running back |
| 2005 | Steve Smith | Carolina Panthers | Wide receiver |
| 2006 | Chad Pennington | New York Jets | Quarterback |
| 2007 | Randy Moss | New England Patriots | Wide receiver |
| 2008 | Chad Pennington (2) | Miami Dolphins | Quarterback |
| 2009 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | |
| 2010 | Michael Vick | Philadelphia Eagles | |
| 2011 | Matthew Stafford | Detroit Lions | |
| 2012 | Peyton Manning | Denver Broncos | |
| 2013 | Philip Rivers | San Diego Chargers | |
| 2014 | Rob Gronkowski | New England Patriots | Tight end |
| 2015 | Eric Berry | Kansas City Chiefs | Safety |
| 2016 | Jordy Nelson | Green Bay Packers | Wide receiver |
| 2017 | Keenan Allen | Los Angeles Chargers | |
| 2018 | Andrew Luck | Indianapolis Colts | Quarterback |
| 2019 | Ryan Tannehill | Tennessee Titans | |
| 2020 | Alex Smith | Washington Football Team | |
| 2021 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals | |
UPI Comeback Player of the Year award (1962–1969)[]
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.
- 1962 Frank Gifford, WR, New York Giants[3]
- 1963 Ed Brown, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers[4]
- 1964–1968 No award given
- 1969 Gale Sayers, RB, Chicago Bears
Sporting News NFL Comeback Player of the Year award[]
- 2008 — Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers[5]
- 2009 — Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans[6]
- 2010 — Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles[7]
- 2011 — Plaxico Burress, WR, New York Jets[8]
- 2012 — Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings[9]
- 2013 — Darrelle Revis, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers[10]
- 2014 — Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots[11]
- 2015 — Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals[12]
- 2016 — Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers[13]
- 2017 — Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers[14]
- 2018 — Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts[15]
- 2019 — Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers[16]
- 2020 — Alex Smith, QB, Washington Football Team[17]
- 2021 — Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys[18]
See also[]
References[]
- General
- "Comeback Player of the Year". Pro Football Writers of America. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- Specific
- ^ "NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award". Football Almanac. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ "Comeback Player of the Year". Pro Football Writers Association. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
- ^ United Press International (1-04-1963).NFL Comeback-of-the-Year Award Voted to Frank Gifford of Giants Hartford Courant, Hartford CT. Retrieved 12-20-2009.
- ^ United Press International. (12-21-1963).Steelers' Brown Comeback Winner Lodi News-Sentinel. Retrieved 12-20-2009.
- ^ Sporting News. (January 15, 2009). SN's Comeback Player of the Year: Antonio Bryant Sporting News Retrieved 12-20-2009.
- ^ Sporting News. (January 14, 2010). Titans QB Vince Young voted Sporting News 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Sporting News Retrieved 12-20-2009.
- ^ "SN 2010 NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Vick". Sporting News. January 12, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Sporting News 2011 NFL awards: Plaxico Burress, Comeback Player of the Year". Sporting News. January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Adrian Peterson voted Sporting News' Comeback Player of the Year". Sporting News. January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cash, Rana (January 28, 2014). "Can't keep Darrelle Revis down; Bucs cornerback named Sporting News' Comeback Player of the Year". Sporting News. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cash, Rana (January 22, 2015). "Patriots' Rob Gronkowski named Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year". Sporting News. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Collins, Cory (January 12, 2016). "Cardinals' Carson Palmer named Sporting News' Comeback Player of the Year". Sporting News. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Marvez, Alex (January 24, 2017). "Packers' Jordy Nelson voted Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year for 2016". Sporting News. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Reeve Jr., Will (January 25, 2018). "Chargers WR Keenan Allen wins Sporting News' Comeback Player of the Year Award". USA Today. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ VanTryon, Matthew (January 15, 2019). "Andrew Luck voted Sporting News comeback player of the year by NFL players". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Haislop, Tadd (January 9, 2019). "NFL awards: Resurgent 49ers dominate voting for Sporting News' 2019 honors". Sporting News. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cadeaux, Ethan (January 21, 2021). "Alex Smith named NFL Comeback Player of the Year by Sporting News". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "NFL awards: Cowboys, Bengals break through in voting for Sporting News' 2021 honors". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
Categories:
- National Football League trophies and awards