Awards keep on coming for Eagles RB LeSean McCoy. Photo by Andy Lewis/contrastphotography.com

Top Players and Coaches From AFC and NFC Selected as Winners of NFL 101 Awards for 2013 Season

Two former winners – Coach Andy Reid and record-setting QB Peyton Manning – will join four first-time honorees at Kansas City’s 44th annual salute to professional football

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (January 15, 2014) – Coaches Andy Reid and Ron Rivera, architects of remarkable franchise turnarounds, will join eight-time 101 Award winner Peyton Manning, running back LeSean McCoy and linebackers Robert Mathis and Luke Kuechly as 2013 winners of the annual NFL 101 Awards – the nation’s premier football awards event dedicated exclusively to the National Football League.

The 2013 season award winners will be presented with trophies at the 44th Annual NFL 101 Awards gala in Kansas City Saturday, March 1, 2014, at the Westin Crown Center. The prestigious black-tie awards event was founded in 1969 and is presented this year by ECCO Select.

Selected as the AFC Offensive Player of the Year for a record eighth time in his Hall of Fame career, Manning set a single-season NFL passing record with 5,477 yards and also set the league single-season record with 55 touchdown passes for Denver. The Broncos finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, won the AFC West division and clinched the top seed in the AFC. Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy has been selected as the NFC Offensive Player of the Year. McCoy led the NFL in rushing with a franchise-record 1,607 yards. He also led the league and set a franchise record in total yards from scrimmage with 2,146. He scored nine rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 10-6 record and won the NFC East division.

Indianapolis outside linebacker Robert Mathis is the AFC Defensive Player of the Year. Mathis recorded an NFL-best 19.5 sacks for 120.5 yards lost in 2013. He recorded 65 tackles and forced eight fumbles. Mathis led the Colts to an 11-5 record and the AFC South division title. Carolina middle linebacker Luke Kuechly has been selected the NFC Defensive Player of the Year. Kuechly led the NFC with 156 tackles while anchoring the league’s second-ranked defense. He recorded double-digit tackles in six games, including a 24-tackle performance against New Orleans. The Panthers finished 12-4 and won the NFC South title.

After resurrecting a Kansas City team that had won just two games in 2012, Reid is the AFC Coach of the Year. Reid joined the Chiefs after a 14-year career with Philadelphia. He wasted little time in instituting his offensive and defensive styles and work ethic. The team began the year by winning its first nine games of the season, en route to an 11-5 record and an AFC wild-card spot in Reid’s first year with the team. The Chiefs tied San Francisco with the most Pro Bowl selections at eight. Reid won the 101’s NFC Coach of the Year award in 2002 while with the Eagles. Rivera has been named the NFC Coach of the Year after leading Carolina to a spectacular season in just his third year. After starting the season 1-3, the Panthers rebounded to win 11 of their next 12 games and win the NFC South title. With back-to-back rookie-of-the-year selections in Kuechly and quarterback Cam Newton, Rivera has laid a solid foundation for the team.

A national media committee, comprised of 101 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL, selected the winners in each award category in a nationwide vote at the conclusion of the regular season.

In addition to these award winners, the Committee of 101 also selects the Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football, which was created in 2007 to honor the life and legacy of the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs and given in recognition of visionary leadership that has helped the NFL become the preeminent pro sports league in America. This year’s Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football award winner will be announced at a later date.

Event proceeds will be directed to the Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation. The Chiefs and TMC are working together to provide wellness education and promote healthier living for the people of Kansas City. Both TMC and the Chiefs play a vital role in the Kansas City community and this partnership capitalizes on two well-established brands for the common goal of improving the health status of the community in general, and of the citizens in the urban core particularly.

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THE 2013 NFL 101 AWARD WINNERS

AFC Offensive Player of the Year, Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Denver Broncos
Eight-time 101 Award winner (record)
Top-rated passer in AFC with 115.1 rating
Set a single-season passing record with 5,477 yards; also set the league record with 55 touchdowns; completed 68.3 percent of his passes
Selected to the Pro Bowl for a 13th time, the second most in NFL history
Sports Illustrated’s 2013 Sportsman of the Year
Only quarterback in league history to pass for more than 4,000 yards 13 times
AFC Offensive Player of the Month for September and December
Led the Broncos to a 13-3 record, the AFC West division title and the top seed in the AFC

NFC Offensive Player of the Year, LeSean McCoy, Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles
First-time 101 Award winner
First in the NFL in rushing with a franchise-record 1,607 yards, averaging just over five yards a carry and 100 yards per game; also scored nine rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns
Led the NFL and set a franchise record with 2,146 total yards from scrimmage
Rushed for 217 yards in a 34-20 win over Detroit in week 13
NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December
Selected to the Pro Bowl for a second time
Led the Eagles to a 10-6 record and an NFC East division championship

AFC Defensive Player of the Year, Robert Mathis, Linebacker, Indianapolis Colts
First-time 101 Award winner
First in the NFL with a career-high 19.5 sacks for 120.5 yards lost, recorded 65 tackles and forced eight fumbles
Fifth time in his 11-year career he’s recorded double-digit sack numbers
Selected to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time
AFC’s Defensive Player of the Month for October and December
Led the Colts to an 11-5 record and the AFC South division title

NFC Defensive Player of the Year, Luke Kuechly, Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
First-time 101 Award winner
Recorded 156 tackles, first in the NFC and fourth in the league; also had four interceptions
Tallied six games with double-digit tackles, including a 24-tackle game against the Saints in week 15
Selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time
Was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year last season
The Panthers finished 12-4, won the NFC South title and clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC

AFC Coach of the Year, Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
Led the Chiefs to an 11-5 record and an AFC wild-card berth in his first season with Kansas City
Helped orchestrate one of the league’s biggest turnarounds from two wins in 2012 to 11 in 2013
Started the season with nine straight wins
Team’s eight Pro Bowl selections tied with San Francisco for the most of any team in the league
Was the 101 NFC Coach of the Year in 2002 while with the Philadelphia Eagles

NFC Coach of the Year, Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers
First-time 101 Award winner
Led the Panthers to a 12-4 record, the NFC South title and a No. 2 seed in the NFC
Team started the season 1-3 before winning 11 of its last 12 games
In his third season with Carolina
Built foundation for the team through the draft, including back-to-back rookie-of-the-year selections Cam Newton at quarterback and Luke Kuechly at middle linebacker