Chris Jones, Brett Veach, Jerome Tang, Lo’Eau LaBonta among those to be honored in KC
The Chiefs, Kansas State men’s basketball and the KC Current will be among the honored at the Kansas City Sports Awards presented by Populous, the Kansas City Sports Commission announced on Wednesday.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has been selected the sportsman of the year and general manager Brett Veach executive of the year.
The Chiefs are coming off their third Super Bowl appearance in four years and second championship in that span. Jones matched a career best with 15 1/2 sacks and was named first-team All-Pro for the first time. Veach’s 2022 draft class included nine who played in the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
K-State’s Jerome Tang was named coach of the year after leading the Wildcats, picked to finish last in the Big 12 this past season, to the Elite Eight and 26 victories overall.
KC Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta is the Kansas City sportswoman of the year after leading the team in goals and points. In their second season, the Current reached the NWSL’s championship game.
This year’s legacy award winner, Ron Labinski, who died in January at 85, was one of sports’ most influential architects. Labinski practiced at several Kansas City firms, including Populous, and had a hand in designing such structures as Arrowhead Stadium, Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Journalist and analyst Grant Wahl, this year’s community champion, was among the nation’s foremost authorities on soccer. The Kansas City native died of an aortic aneurysm during the World Cup in Qatar in December. He was 48.
The awards show will be June 8 at the Kansas City Downtown Marriott’s Muehlebach Tower.