What sport do both Eli Manning and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award have in common?
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented annually by the National Football League (NFL) honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award. Shortly after Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton died (having been the 1977 recipient himself), the award was renamed to honor his legacy as a humanitarian. Each year, a winner is selected from 32 nominees from the 32 different teams. A panel of judges, which includes the Commissioner of the NFL, Connie Payton (widow of Walter Payton), the previous year's winner, and a number of former players select the winner of the award. The Man of the Year winner receives a $50,000 donation in his name to a charity of his choice. The other 31 finalists also receive donations in their name of $5,000 each to charities of their choice. The Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs have had more winners of the award than any other team, with 5 winners each. The winners for the 2016 award are New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Kansas City Committee of 101 awards The Kansas City Committee of 101 was founded by Jack Wheeler. The name was chosen because the membership was limited to 101 Kansas City Chiefs fans and cost $1,000 annually (over $6,550 adjusted for inflation). The group began presenting its annual NFL awards in 1969. They started as NFL and AFL Awards. After the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, however, they have been awarded to the top AFC and NFC players and coaches. The "Committee of 101" is a national media committee of 101 sportswriters and sportscasters, who cover the NFL, and are asked to vote on the top offensive player, defensive player, and coach on each of the National Football League conferences, rather than the NFL as a whole.