Gbarnga is the capital city of Bong County , Liberia , lying north east of Monrovia . During the First Liberian Civil War , it was the base for Charles Taylor 's National Patriotic Front of Liberia . Cuttington College , a private, Episcopal-affiliated institution, is located near the town. Its campus was once home to the Africana Museum, which was destroyed during the civil war.
43-797: As of the 2008 census, Gbarnga has a population of 34,046. Of this, 16,080 were male and 17,966 female; it is the fourth-most populous urban area in Liberia. Gbarnga is the hometown of Tamba Hali , a former professional football player for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League in the United States. The town is twinned with Baltimore, Maryland , in the United States . Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical monsoon (Am). Its climate
86-432: A most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or on a specific team. The purpose of the award is to recognize the contribution of the individual's efforts amongst a group effort, and to highlight the excellence, exemplariness, and/or outstandingness of
129-497: A clear-cut definition of what "most valuable" means, instead leaving the judgment to the individual voters. In the NBA , the protocol for selecting the MVP has shifted throughout the year. Through the 1979–80 season, the basketball players themselves comprised the MVP voting bloc up. Since the start of the 1980 NBA season, a panel of broadcasters and sportswriters are brought together to vote on
172-690: A one-year visa . On 1 October, she saw her son play for the first time as the Chiefs shut out the San Francisco 49ers , 41–0. Hali won the Mack Lee Hill award as the top Chiefs rookie for 2006. At the end of the 2006 NFL season , Hali led the Chiefs with eight sacks. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. In 2007, Hali had 7.5 sacks to go along with 59 total tackles, two passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. Hali moved to right defensive end for
215-414: A player's performance amidst the performance of their peers in question. The term can have different connotations depending on the context in which it is used. A 'League MVP' is the most valuable player in an entire league, and refers to the player whose performance is most excellent in the league. Similarly, a "Team MVP" is the most valuable player on a team, referring to the player whose team contribution
258-506: A studio in his basement. On 9 June 2017, Hali released his single that was produced by Masterkraft , "The One For Me", on Apple Music . Hali became a U.S. citizen on 31 July 2006. Following his rookie year, Hali began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the instruction of Rener Gracie and was promoted to purple belt in November 2017. Most valuable player In team sports ,
301-535: A two-round voting process. In first round voting, players and coaches will vote to determine nominees for each award. In second round voting, Media, PLL Front Office, and PLL Lacrosse Advisory Board vote on nominees to determine winners. Award winners are announced during the Awards Ceremony at the end of the season. In the NLL , the MVP award (and all other awards) nominees are voted on by select media. Each ballot allowed
344-440: Is chosen by a panel assembled by the league's sponsors consisting of members of "football's governing bodies, the media and fans,” and is announced in the second or third week of May. The concept of the 'most valuable player' is discussed within the field of philosophy of sport . Philosophers Stephen Kershnar and Neil Feit argue that the concept of the MVP is a fundamentally vague concept, but still valuable in that it promotes
387-451: Is greatest amongst their teammates. In many sports, MVP awards are presented for a specific match—in other words, a player of the match award. This is particularly true for high profile matches like championship games. For example, during a finals championship series, a 'Finals MVP' award would be bestowed upon the most valuable player in the finals game(s). Ice hockey player, Wayne Gretzky , has been named MVP more times than any player in
430-440: Is similar to the capital Monrovia , but less rainy and with cooler night temperatures. 6°59′53″N 9°28′23″W / 6.998°N 9.473°W / 6.998; -9.473 Tamba Hali Tamba Boimah Hali (born 3 November 1983) is a Liberian former professional player of American football who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for
473-689: Is to be decided by the individual who received the most 1st Place votes, followed by the number of 2nd place votes, and so on, until a winner is decided. MVP is more commonly referred to in association football as "Player of the Season.” In the FIFA World Cup , the award is called the Golden Ball and is chosen by the FIFA Technical Study Group. In the Premier League , Player of the Season
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#1732855184015516-419: The 2008 season , replacing Jared Allen . In the 2008 season, he had three sacks, 55 total tackles, two passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. In 2009, Hali was again moved—this time to outside linebacker—to accommodate new head coach Todd Haley 's 3–4 defense . Hali's transformation from an undersized 4–3 DE to a 3–4 OLB was an amazing one considering his time in college as a defensive tackle. He finished
559-543: The NFL , the MVP award is voted upon by a panel of 50 sportswriters at the end of the regular season , before the playoffs , though the results are not announced to the public until the day before the Super Bowl . The sportswriters chosen regularly follow the NFL, and remain mostly consistent from year to year. They are chosen based on expertise and are independent of the league itself. In
602-705: The NFL Combine . Hali was chosen 20th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in a surprise move. On 31 July 2006, Hali was excused from the Chiefs two-a-day practices at training camp in River Falls, Wisconsin and flew back to his home in Teaneck, New Jersey to be sworn in as a permanent citizen of the United States. On 28 September 2006, Hali's mother Rachel arrived in Kansas City, Missouri and currently lives with Tamba on
645-611: The NHL , the MVP award voting is conducted at the end of the regular season by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association , and each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10–7–5–3–1 point(s) system. Three finalists are named and the trophy is awarded at the NHL Awards ceremony after the playoffs. In the PLL , the MVP award (and all other awards) are selected by
688-525: The Penn State Nittany Lions , earning unanimous All-American honors. Hali was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft . He played his entire twelve-year career for the Chiefs, where he was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls from 2010 to 2015 and was a Second-team All-Pro selection in 2011 and in 2013. Hali was born in Gbarnga , Liberia . He was sent to
731-555: The media and/or coaches . The specifics of this process varies across leagues. Some prominent examples of sports that conduct MVP awards are baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, handball and rugby. In MLB , MVP voting takes place before the postseason , but the results are not announced until after the World Series . The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each league city in 1938, reducing that number to two per league city in 1961. The BBWAA does not offer
774-641: The postseason . The term is most common in the United States and Canada . In most other countries around the world, " player of the year " is used for a season-spanning award and " player of the match " for individual games. In Australia, Australian rules football clubs and leagues use the term " best and fairest ", while those playing rugby league use "player of the year", such as the Dally M Medal . The first most valuable player award given in North American sports can be traced back to professional baseball in
817-707: The 1971 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award despite having lost the Super Bowl V . In 1960, Bobby Richardson won the World Series MVP Award, but lost the World Series. In ice hockey, three players, Al Rollins in 1954, Andy Bathgate in 1959 and Mario Lemieux in 1988 each won the NHL's oldest MVP award, the Hart Trophy , with Lemieux also receiving the Ted Lindsay Award (introduced in 1970–71 and voted on by
860-535: The 2009 season with 8.5 sacks, 63 total tackles, one pass defensed, four forced fumbles, and scored a safety. In 2010, the Chiefs hired a new defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel . He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 3. Hali finished the season with an AFC-leading 14.5 sacks, leading to his first invitation to the Pro Bowl , which he declined citing personal reasons. Chiefs' general manager Scott Pioli made
903-591: The 2013 season, Hali started in 15 games. In 15 appearances, he had 46 tackles, of which 39 were solo. He had 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, and one interception. In the 2013 season, Hali earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Weeks 6 and 14. He earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod and was ranked 43rd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014 . In the 2014 season, Hali started in all 16 games. He had 59 tackles, of which 47 were solo, six sacks, and three forced fumbles He earned AFC Defensive Player of
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#1732855184015946-665: The Chicago Cubs. The award was discontinued in 1955, after it failed to result in higher car sales. From 1922 to 1928 in the American League and from 1924 to 1929 in the National League, an MVP award was given to "the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club". Prior winners were not eligible to win the MVP award again during this time. The MVP award, as it is known today in Major League Baseball,
989-495: The Chiefs after 12 seasons. He finished his tenure with the Chiefs second in team history in sacks behind only Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas . On 10 May 2021, Hali signed a one-day contract with the Chiefs to retire as a member of the team. Hali's first name is based on Kissi culture wherein the second son born to a woman is always named "Tamba". On 8 January 2016, Hali's fiancé gave birth to their son. In his spare time, Hali writes rap music which he records in
1032-458: The MVP award. Every person on the panel casts a vote for their first-place selection all the way to their fifth. A first-place vote nets a player 10 points while a second is worth seven, a third worth five, a fourth worth three, and a fifth worth one. At the end of the voting, the player with the most overall points wins the award. The current MVP is Nikola Jokić from the Denver Nuggets . In
1075-490: The Pro Bowl for the fifth consecutive year and was ranked 84th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 . On 8 March 2016, Hali signed a three-year contract to stay with the Chiefs. In the 2016 season, he had 3.5 sacks, 34 total tackles, and one fumble recovery. In 2017, Hali started the 2017 season on the physically unable to perform list due to an undisclosed injury that kept him out all of training camp and
1118-467: The United States at the age of 10 to escape civil war-torn Liberia . He worked to become an NFL-caliber player because he thought it would help him raise the money to reunite with his mother, Rachel Keita, and bring her to the United States after not having seen her for more than twelve years. Hali attended Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey , where he played for the high school football team. He
1161-474: The Week in Week 15. He earned his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nomination and was ranked 70th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 . On 8 March 2015, Hali restructured his contract to free up $ 3 million (~$ 3.77 million in 2023) in cap space to stay with the Chiefs. Throughout the off-season, it was believed Hali would be released. In the 2015 season, he had 6.5 sacks, 48 total tackles, one pass defensed, and two forced fumbles. Hali made
1204-462: The early 1900s. A group of sportswriters met after the 1911 baseball season to determine the "most important and useful players to the club and to the league". These athletes would receive The Chalmers Award, named for Hugh Chalmers, a car manufacturer seeking to increase sales of his Chalmers Model 30 automobiles. The first recipients were Ty Cobb, playing for the Detroit Tigers, and Frank Schulte of
1247-430: The history of the other three North American major professional leagues ( MLB , NBA , and NFL ). He won the award a record nine times during his career, eight consecutively. Barry Bonds is second, having won the MVP award seven times in the National League of Major League Baseball (The American League also awards an MVP), although until the 1930s baseball players were only permitted to win the award one time which limited
1290-591: The league's players), but did not make the playoffs. Also, Reggie Leach won the 1976 Conn Smythe Trophy , presented to the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs , while breaking the league record for most playoff goals, but lost the finals . In baseball history, several MVPs have not made the playoffs, and in 2021, none of the six MVP finalists in Major League Baseball played for teams that reached
1333-399: The most winningest player. Although the two are usually somewhat correlated, there are several (albeit rare) prime counterexamples. For instance, in professional basketball , Kareem-Abdul Jabbar won the 1975–76 MVP award even though his team did not qualify for the postseason. Additionally, several other NBA players in history have been awarded MVP, and proceeded to lose in the first round of
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1376-499: The number of times Babe Ruth could win. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the NBA MVP award six times, and Michael Jordan won the award five times. Peyton Manning won the NFL MVP five times. Only five other players have won more than two NFL MVP awards: Jim Brown , Johnny Unitas , Brett Favre , Tom Brady , and Aaron Rodgers . An important distinction is that the MVP is not be conflated with
1419-437: The postseason. In another instance in professional basketball, Jerry West was awarded the 1969 NBA Finals MVP Award , despite having lost the finals. In the sport of professional football , Johnny Unitas won the 1967 MVP award, despite not qualifying for the playoffs. Likewise, O. J. Simpson won the 1973 MVP award, despite not qualifying for the playoffs. Similar to Jerry West in basketball, Chuck Howley in football won
1462-455: The preseason. He began practicing again on 2 November. The Chiefs had 21 days from the day he starts practicing to either activate him or place him on injured reserve. He was moved to the active roster on 4 November 2017, prior to the team's Week 9 game against the Dallas Cowboys . He appeared in five games and had one tackle and one quarterback hit. On 12 March 2018, Hali was released by
1505-417: The signing of Hali to a long-term deal his top priority that off-season. Despite a lockout being in place, the two sides signed a five-year, $ 60 million (~$ 80.2 million in 2023) contract ($ 35 million guaranteed) on 4 August 2011. He was ranked 64th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 . Hali repaid this loyalty with an All-Pro season, racking up a career-high 83 tackles and leading
1548-473: The team in sacks (12) for the fifth time in his six seasons as a Chief. He was named an All-Pro and selected to play in the 2012 Pro Bowl . Hali started all 16 games in 2011 and finished second in sacks in the AFC . He tied for third in the conference with four forced fumbles, a team-best 12 tackles for loss, and 31 quarterback pressures. Hali moved into fourth place on the Chiefs' career sacks list that season. He
1591-411: The voting members to rank their top five choices for the award. Each individual voter ranks their top five candidates on a 10–7–5–3–1 point(s) system (similar to the NHL system). The top three vote accumulating individuals will be announced as the finalists for the award. The finalist who accumulated the most points after the voting period ended will be the award winner. In the case of a tie, the tiebreaker
1634-699: Was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy , presented to the nation's top defensive player, and the Ted Hendricks Defensive End Award . Hali's season sack total is tied for sixth-best at Penn State and his 36 career tackles for loss are tied with Matt Millen for tenth best. Hali received the Robert B. Mitinger Award , which is given to the Nittany Lion football player who best personifies courage, character, and social responsibility. Hali
1677-456: Was first established in 1931. Generally, MVP awards are given at the conclusion of a multi-step process. In most professional sports leagues, the overall pool of players is initially narrowed down to a list of nominees, called finalists, forming a group from which the individual winner is decided based on regular season performance. This process is typically performing by way of a vote , wherein voters are usually either other players, members of
1720-473: Was named a high school All-American . He also lettered in basketball . Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com , Hali was listed as the No. 5 strongside defensive end in the nation in 2002. Hali received an athletic scholarship to attend Pennsylvania State University , where he played for coach Joe Paterno 's Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 2002 to 2005. Following his senior season in 2005,
1763-726: Was named defensive most valuable player (MVP) of the 2006 Senior Bowl . He was later inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame. Hali entered the 2006 NFL draft ranked as the third-best defensive end behind Mario Williams and Kamerion Wimbley . Tamba spent some time as a defensive tackle in college. There was not much pre-draft hype for Hali heading into the 2006 NFL Draft until The Sporting News made his amazing story of escape from war-torn Liberia at age 10 their 21 April 2006 cover story. NFL scouts began to take notice, reporting that Hali presented himself in an excellent manner not only in his workout but also in his interview at
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1806-454: Was ranked #34 his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012 . On 20 August 2012, the NFL suspended Hali for one game for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. On 26 December 2012, Hali was announced the starting outside linebacker for the AFC in the 2013 Pro Bowl . He finished the 2012 season with nine sacks, 51 total tackles, two passes defensed, and one forced fumble. In
1849-677: Was recognized as a unanimous All-American , the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, and a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He was instrumental in helping the Nittany Lions finish 11–1, winning the Big Ten championship and the Orange Bowl that season. He led the Big Ten with 11 sacks (tied for eighth nationally) and 17 tackles for loss and earned numerous accolades for his play. He
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