Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been named the overall Hickok Belt® Award winner for 2018 by a select panel of members of the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). Mahomes had a record setting 5,000 yards passing and 50 touchdowns in a single season (the only other quarterback to do this was Peyton Manning). In 2017 he guided the Chiefs to a win in the only game he played in his rookie year, against the Denver Broncos. He led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship game in the 2018 season. His superstardom is echoed in all the awards he won including: First Team All-Pro, being named to the 2019 Pro Bowl, Kansas City Club 101 Awards AFC Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Most Valuable Player. Other remarkable stats include: six touchdowns in each of two games, 300 or more passing yards in ten games, ten games in which he threw ten or more touchdown passes and a passer rate of 113.8, second to Drew Brees. He accomplished these records in his second year in the NFL. Finally, his performances were a major part of the Kansas City Chiefs winning the number one seed in the playoffs.
“On behalf of the NSMA, I’d like to congratulate Patrick Mahomes on an incredible year,” said Dave Goren, Executive Director. “For a young player, Patrick Mahomes certainly grasped Andy Reed’s system in a hurry and was as good as any quarterback in the NFL season. Though there were many great choices for the 2018 Hickok Belt, I think our voters’ selection was right on the money.”
Other finalists for the award included each of the 2018 Hickok Belt® Award monthly winners, who finished in the following order based on the NSMA voting: Nick Foles (football), LeBron James (basketball), Kevin Durant (basketball), Brooks Koepka (golf), Simone Biles (gymnastics), Christian Yelich (baseball), Matt Carpenter (baseball) and Steve Pearce (baseball).
Mahomes’ selection crowns him as “the best of the best” across all professional sports – as well as the seventh athlete to win the award since its revival in 2012.
“Patrick Mahomes had an amazing season for a young quarterback. He looks to be a future Superstar” said Tony Liccione of the Hickok Belt® Award. “Given that this is his first season as starting quarterback it is absolutely amazing what he accomplished in taking the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship game.”
To learn more about the Hickok Belt® Award, current monthly winners and the award’s history, visit www.hickokbelt.com.
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