Kelce, Spagnuolo receive honors

The Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce and Steve Spagnuolo will be among those receiving awards at the 51st Annual Kansas City Sports Awards. Kelce has been named Sportsman of the Year, while Spagnuolo has received the Coach of The Year award.

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Sports

August 8, 2024 - 2:57 PM

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on prior to a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 1, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images/TNS

The Chiefs’ defense and tight end Travis Kelce, along with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, enjoyed some of their best games as KC triumphed in a second straight Super Bowl.

Both will be honored at the 51st Annual Kansas City Sports Awards, presented by Populous, on Aug. 27.

Six sports personalities will be honored at the event that will take place at the Kansas City Downtown Marriott Muehlebach Tower.

Kelce, who became the NFL’s career leader in postseason receptions as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII, is Sportsman of the Year. Last week, Kelce was named a top 10 player in the NFL last season by NFL Network.

Spagnuolo will be honored as Coach of The Year. The Chiefs finished second in the NFL in fewest points scored and yards allowed.

Sportswoman of the year will be presented to Aleah Finnegan, who this year became the first female gymnast to represent The Philippines in the Olympics. Also a member of the LSU gymnastics team, Finnegan won the 2024 NCAA floor exercise title.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will be recognized as Executive of the Year. Since assuming conference leadership in 2022, Yormark has negotiated a new media-rights deal, added four new member schools from the Pac-12 and announced the continuation of the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in Kansas City through 2031.

The annual Community Champion award will be presented to The Victory Project, a Sporting Kansas City philanthropic initiative that supports childhood cancer research and enhances the lives of kids with cancer.

The Legacy Award goes to Bill Hancock, the outgoing president of the College Football Playoff. A Kansas City resident, he has overseen college football championships since the inception of the Bowl Championship Series in 2014 through its current state as a 12-team tournament.

Previously, Hancock was the first full-time director of the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four. He has announced that he will step down from his current role in February 2025.

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