The night before the two top teams kick off Super Bowl XLVII, the National Football League will salute its best players, performances and plays from the 2012 season with a star-studded football and entertainment event -- 2nd Annual NFL Honors" -- a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Saturday, February 2, 9 to 11 p.m. ET on CBS.
Current and former players such as Jim Brown, Dwight Clark, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders and Steve Young are scheduled to be in attendance as the NFL and The Associated Press announce their annual accolades in an awards show format. "NFL Honors," which debuted last year in Indianapolis, is now an annual event from the Super Bowl city. The winners will be on hand to accept their awards.
Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin returns as the host of the show from the famed Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans. The show will feature a live performance from One Republic.
Kicking off the night will be "Super Bowl Saturday Night presented by Xfinity," a red carpet show on NFL Network from 8 to 9 p.m. ET featuring the sights and sounds of Super Bowl week and many of the stars who will be celebrating the best of the NFL later that evening.
Among the awards that will be announced will be the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which recognizes a player's off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence.
Seven of the awards will be from the AP. Those awards, which include AP Most Valuable Player and AP Coach of the Year, are voted on at the end of the regular NFL season by a nationwide media panel of 50 people who regularly cover the league. The ballots are tabulated solely by the AP.
The AP is providing the list of honorees to the NFL for the program, and any advertising or sponsorship on the broadcast is being handled separately and independently by the NFL.
The full list of awards that will be presented will be:
AP Most Valuable Player presented by Papa John's
AP Coach of the Year
AP Offensive Player of the Year
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year presented by Pepsi Max
Pepsi Max Rookie of the Year
GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year
NFL.com Fantasy Player of the Year presented by SAP
Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
AP Comeback Player of the Year presented by Lenovo
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year presented by Pepsi Max
FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year
Bridgestone Play of the Year
"Greatness on the Road" Award presented by Courtyard Marriott
Salute To Service Award Presented by USAA
Top-Tier Sponsors of "NFL Honors" include Bridgestone, Comcast, Lenovo, Papa John's, Pepsi, SAP.
Associate Sponsors include FedEx, GMC, Courtyard Marriott, USAA.
"NFL Honors" is an NFL Network production in association with Dick Clark Productions.