High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! From 1960 to 1969, the United Press International (UPI) gave the annual AFL Player of the Year award in the American Football League, whose teams in 1970 became the American Football Conference (AFC) of the new National Football League (NFL). From 1970 following the AFL-NFL merger until 1996, UPI then gave two annual Player of the Year awards in American football. One was given in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the new NFL. The other award was given in the American Football Conference (AFC) of the new NFL.