Cam Newton – the NFL’s rookie of the year

It’s been a pretty good 13 months for Cam Newton.

The former Auburn quarterback and Carolina Panthers’ star was named NFL rookie of the year by The Sporting News today in a vote of players, coaches and executives. It figures to be one of many such honors for Newton.

Newton was the runaway winner of  the Sporting News award, receiving 327 votes while second-place finisher  Denver linebacker Von Miller had 96.5 votes.

Newton passed for 4,051 yards this season — the most by a rookie in NFL history — and 21 touchdowns. He also was the first player in league history to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for at least 500 yards in a single season. Newton set an NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season with 14.