When Lamar Hunt founded the American Football League in 1959, one of his primary goals was to bring the game of football to new markets, new stadiums, and new fans. Over the course of the next half century, Lamar Hunt and the Hunt Family helped elevate professional football and establish it as a truly national game.

In 1969, the final season of the AFL before its merger with the NFL, Lamar Hunt and Jack Wheeler led a group of Kansas City businessmen to create the 101 Awards. It was the first awards show of its kind, recognizing elite coaches in the AFL and NFL (and later the AFC and NFC) and commemorating some of the greatest players in football history.

Today, the 101 Awards are uniquely positioned as a truly national award, including voter representation from every local market in the league. The voting structure includes 64 voters from local media markets (two voters who cover each of the NFL’s 32 teams) and 37 national media members. Together, they make up the Committee of 101.

Each year, the 101 Awards recognizes the AFC & NFC Coach of the Year, the AFC & NFC Offensive Player of the Year, and the AFC & NFC Defensive Player of theYear. Beginning in 2008, the Committee of 101, in conjunction with the Hunt Family, began bestowing the Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football, which honors the life and legacy of the Hall of Fame founder of the Kansas City Chiefs.