Drew Brees named 'Sportsman of the Year'

Written by Eric Tiansay

Friday, 03 December 2010 03:24 PM America/New_York

New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees, whose Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity (Tyndale House Publishers) reached the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction best-seller list, has been named the Sports Illustrated 2010 "Sportsman of the Year."

Since its inception in 1954, the magazine has annually presented the award to the "athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Past winners have included Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team, Mary Lou Retton, Michael Jordan and Lance Armstrong.

Brees guided the Saints to a victory in Super Bowl XLIV following the 2009 season, earning Most Valuable Player honors. Released July 6 and co-written by Chris Fabry, Coming Back Stronger chronicles Brees' comeback from a serious injury as well as the rebirth of the city of New Orleans and the team that many had written off.

Meanwhile, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, whose Beyond Belief (FaithWords) reached the New York Times best-seller list, was named the American League Most Valuable Player last month. Hamilton led the league in batting average and slugging percentage, and he helped lead the Rangers to the team's first-ever World Series appearance.