Chiefs’ Andy Reid wins AFC Coach of Year award, but KC’s 101 Awards banquet is no more
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has been selected as the AFC Coach of the Year by The Committee of 101, the KC-based group announced Wednesday.
The 101 Awards event, in its 55th year, honors the NFL’s top coaches and offensive and defensive players in the AFC and NFC. For the first time, the awards were announced on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
The lineup of award winners for 2024: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as the top AFC and NFC offensive players, respectively; Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph as top AFC and NFC defensive players, respectively; and Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings as the NFC’s top coach.
The Chiefs finished the regular season 15-2, defeated the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round on Saturday and will play host to the Buffalo Bills in the team’s seventh straight AFC Championship Game appearance on Sunday.
Reid has never been named NFL coach of the year in his 12 seasons with the Chiefs despite winning nine consecutive AFC West Division titles and capturing three Super Bowls in the past five seasons. This is his third 101 Award with the Chiefs and fourth overall (he also won one as head coach of the Eagles).
The 101 Awards were established by Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt and Kansas City businessmen the year after the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV. The first awards dinner was held at the Imperial ballroom of the Hotel Muehlebach.
For the first time this year there will not a formal dinner in conjunction with the awards. Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said the focus would shift from the event in Kansas City to celebrating the legacy of the awards on a larger scale.
“In 1969, as the merger between the AFL and NFL was being finalized, my dad helped create the 101 Awards to ensure that the best players and coaches from each league would be recognized for their achievements. For the last 55 years, the 101 Awards have honored some of the greatest players and coaches in our game,” Hunt said in a statement.
“This year, my family and I are excited to elevate the profile of the 101 Awards. As our game grows nationally and globally, it is important that the award winners receive the recognition that they deserve. The exclusive announcement on NFL Network will further enhance these historic awards, and will bring this Kansas City tradition to audiences all across the country.”