National Football League Most Valuable Player Award

The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (NFL MVP) is an award given by various entities to the American football player who is considered the most valuable in the National Football League (NFL) during the regular season. Organizations which currently give an NFL MVP award or have in the past include the Associated Press (AP), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), and United Press International (UPI). The first award described as a most valuable player award was the Joe F. Carr Trophy, awarded by the NFL from 1938 to 1946. Today, the AP award is considered the de facto official NFL MVP award.[1] Since the 2011 season, the NFL has held the annual NFL Honors ceremony to recognize the winner of the Associated Press MVP award.[2]

Peyton Manning was named AP NFL MVP five times, more than any other player in history.

Associated Press NFL MVP award

Main article: Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award

The AP has presented an MVP award since 1957.[3][4] The 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.

Pro Football Writers Association NFL MVP award

Pro Football Writers of America began naming their most valuable player in 1975 and continue to do so as of the 2019 season.[1][5]

Sporting News NFL Player of the Year award

Main article: Sporting News NFL Player of the Year Award

Sporting News began awarding a National Football League (NFL) player of the year award in 1954. From 1970 to 1979, Sporting News chose American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC) players of the year, and returned to a single winner in 1980. Beginning in 2012 Sporting News chose an offensive player of the year and a defensive player of the year.[6][7]

Season	Player	Team	Position
1954	Lou Groza	Cleveland Browns	Offensive tackle-kicker
1955	Otto Graham		Quarterback
1956	Frank Gifford	New York Giants	Running back
1957	Jim Brown	Cleveland Browns	Fullback
1958	Jim Brown (2)
1959	Johnny Unitas	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback
1960	Norm Van Brocklin	Philadelphia Eagles
1961	Paul Hornung	Green Bay Packers	Running back
1962	Y. A. Tittle	New York Giants	Quarterback
1963	Y. A. Tittle (2)
1964	Johnny Unitas (2)	Baltimore Colts
1965	Jim Brown (3)	Cleveland Browns	Running back
1966	Bart Starr	Green Bay Packers	Quarterback
1967	Johnny Unitas (3)	Baltimore Colts
1968	Earl Morrall
1969	Roman Gabriel	Los Angeles Rams
1970	NFC- John Brodie AFC- George Blanda	San Francisco 49ers Oakland Raiders	Quarterback Quarterback-kicker
1971	NFC- Alan Page AFC- Bob Griese	Minnesota Vikings Miami Dolphins	Defensive tackle Quarterback
1972	NFC- Larry Brown AFC- Earl Morrall (2)	Washington Redskins Miami Dolphins	Running back Quarterback
1973	NFC- John Hadl AFC- O.J. Simpson	Los Angeles Rams Buffalo Bills	Quarterback Running back
1974	NFC- Chuck Foreman AFC- Ken Stabler	Minnesota Vikings Oakland Raiders	Running back Quarterback
1975	NFC- Fran Tarkenton AFC- O. J. Simpson (2)	Minnesota Vikings Buffalo Bills	Quarterback Running back
1976	NFC- Walter Payton AFC- Ken Stabler (2)	Chicago Bears Oakland Raiders	Running back Quarterback
1977	NFC- Walter Payton (2) AFC- Craig Morton	Chicago Bears Denver Broncos	Running back Quarterback
1978	NFC- Archie Manning AFC- Earl Campbell	New Orleans Saints Houston Oilers	Quarterback Running back
1979	NFC- Ottis Anderson AFC- Dan Fouts	St. Louis Cardinals San Diego Chargers	Running back Quarterback
1980	Brian Sipe	Cleveland Browns	Quarterback
1981	Ken Anderson	Cincinnati Bengals
1982	Mark Moseley	Washington Redskins	Kicker
1983	Joe Theismann	Washington Redskins	Quarterback
1984	Dan Marino	Miami Dolphins	Quarterback
1985	Marcus Allen[8]	Los Angeles Raiders	Running back
1986	Lawrence Taylor	New York Giants	Linebacker
1987	John Elway	Denver Broncos	Quarterback
1988	Boomer Esiason	Cincinnati Bengals
1989	Joe Montana	San Francisco 49ers
1990	Joe Montana (2)
1991	Thurman Thomas	Buffalo Bills	Running back
1992	Steve Young	San Francisco 49ers	Quarterback
1993	Emmitt Smith	Dallas Cowboys	Running back
1994	Steve Young (2)	San Francisco 49ers	Quarterback
1995	Brett Favre	Green Bay Packers
1996	Brett Favre (2)
1997	Brett Favre (3)
1997	Barry Sanders	Detroit Lions	Running back
1998	Terrell Davis	Denver Broncos
1999	Kurt Warner	St. Louis Rams	Quarterback
2000	Marshall Faulk		Running back
2001	Kurt Warner (2)		Quarterback
2002	Rich Gannon	Oakland Raiders
2003	Steve McNair Peyton Manning	Tennessee Titans Indianapolis Colts
2004	Peyton Manning (2)	Indianapolis Colts
2005	Shaun Alexander	Seattle Seahawks	Running back
2006	LaDainian Tomlinson	San Diego Chargers
2007	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Quarterback
2008	Peyton Manning (3)	Indianapolis Colts
2009	Peyton Manning (4)
2010	Tom Brady (2)	New England Patriots
2011	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers
2012	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	Running back
2013	Peyton Manning (5)	Denver Broncos	Quarterback
2014	Aaron Rodgers (2)	Green Bay Packers
2015	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers
2016	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
2017	Tom Brady (3)	New England Patriots
2018	Patrick Mahomes	Kansas City Chiefs
2019	Lamar Jackson	Baltimore Ravens

Defunct awards

Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL MVP award

"Jim Thorpe Trophy" redirects here. For the college defensive back award, see Jim Thorpe Award.

See also: Newspaper Enterprise Association § NFL awards

The Newspaper Enterprise Association presented its MVP award from 1955 to 2008.[9] The winner was chosen by a poll of NFL players and received the Jim Thorpe Trophy,[10] which by 1975 was described as "one of the pros' most coveted honors."[11] Beginning in 1997, the trophy was presented by the Jim Thorpe Association, with the winner determined by a "vote of NFLPA representatives".[12]

Season	Player	Team	Position	Ref
1955	Harlon Hill	Chicago Bears	End	[13]
1956	Frank Gifford	New York Giants	Running back	[14]
1957	Johnny Unitas	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback	[15]
1958	Jim Brown	Cleveland Browns	Fullback	[16]
1959	Charlie Conerly	New York Giants	Quarterback	[17]
1960	Norm Van Brocklin	Philadelphia Eagles	Quarterback	[10]
1961	Y. A. Tittle	New York Giants	Quarterback	[18]
1962	Jim Taylor	Green Bay Packers	Running back	[19]
1963	Y. A. Tittle (2) Jim Brown (2)	New York Giants Cleveland Browns	Quarterback Running back	[20]
1964	Lenny Moore	Baltimore Colts	Halfback	[21]
1965	Jim Brown (3)	Cleveland Browns	Running back	[22]
1966	Bart Starr	Green Bay Packers	Quarterback	[23]
1967	Johnny Unitas (2)	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback	[24]
1968	Earl Morrall	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback	[25]
1969	Roman Gabriel	Los Angeles Rams	Quarterback	[26]
1970	John Brodie	San Francisco 49ers	Quarterback	[27]
1971	Bob Griese	Miami Dolphins	Quarterback	[28]
1972	Larry Brown	Washington Redskins	Running back
1973	O. J. Simpson	Buffalo Bills	Running back
1974	Ken Stabler	Oakland Raiders	Quarterback
1975	Fran Tarkenton	Minnesota Vikings	Quarterback	[29]
1976	Bert Jones	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback
1977	Walter Payton	Chicago Bears	Running back
1978	Earl Campbell	Houston Oilers	Running back	[30]
1979	Earl Campbell (2)	Houston Oilers	Running back
1980	Earl Campbell (3)	Houston Oilers	Running back	[31]
1981	Ken Anderson	Cincinnati Bengals	Quarterback
1982	Dan Fouts	San Diego Chargers	Quarterback
1983	Joe Theismann	Washington Redskins	Quarterback
1984	Dan Marino	Miami Dolphins	Quarterback
1985	Walter Payton (2)	Chicago Bears	Running back
1986	Phil Simms	New York Giants	Quarterback
1987	Jerry Rice	San Francisco 49ers	Wide receiver
1988	Roger Craig	San Francisco 49ers	Running back
1989	Joe Montana	San Francisco 49ers	Quarterback
1990	Warren Moon	Houston Oilers	Quarterback
1991	Thurman Thomas	Buffalo Bills	Running back
1992	Emmitt Smith	Dallas Cowboys	Running back
1993	Emmitt Smith (2)	Dallas Cowboys	Running back
1994	Steve Young	San Francisco 49ers	Quarterback
1995	Brett Favre	Green Bay Packers	Quarterback
1996	Brett Favre (2)	Green Bay Packers	Quarterback
1997	Barry Sanders	Detroit Lions	Running back
1998	Randall Cunningham	Minnesota Vikings	Quarterback
1999	Kurt Warner	St. Louis Rams	Quarterback
2000	Marshall Faulk	St. Louis Rams	Running back
2001	Kurt Warner (2)	St. Louis Rams	Quarterback
2002	Rich Gannon	Oakland Raiders	Quarterback
2003	Peyton Manning	Indianapolis Colts	Quarterback
2004	Peyton Manning (2)	Indianapolis Colts	Quarterback
2005	Shaun Alexander	Seattle Seahawks	Running back
2006	LaDainian Tomlinson	San Diego Chargers	Running back
2007	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Quarterback
2008	Kurt Warner (3)	Arizona Cardinals	Quarterback

Joe F. Carr Trophy

Main article: Joe F. Carr Trophy

The Joe F. Carr Trophy was the first award in the NFL to recognize a most valuable player. It was named in honor of NFL commissioner Joseph Carr.[32]

Season	Player	Team	Position
1938	Mel Hein	New York Giants	Center, linebacker
1939	Parker Hall	Cleveland Rams	Quarterback, halfback
1940	Ace Parker	Brooklyn Dodgers	Quarterback, halfback
1941	Don Hutson	Green Bay Packers	End
1942	Don Hutson (2)	Green Bay Packers	End
1943	Sid Luckman	Chicago Bears	Quarterback
1944	Frank Sinkwich	Detroit Lions	Halfback
1945	Bob Waterfield	Cleveland Rams	Quarterback
1946	Bill Dudley	Pittsburgh Steelers	Halfback

United Press International NFL MVP/POY award

United Press International gave an NFL MVP/player of the year award from 1948 through 1969, excepting 1949–50, and 1952. In 1970 UPI instituted separate awards for the NFC and AFC. In 1975 UPI added a Defensive Player of the Year Award for both the NFC and AFC.[33]

Season	Player	Team	Position	Ref
1948	Pat Harder	Chicago Cardinals	Fullback	[34]
1949	No Award
1950
1951	Otto Graham	Cleveland Browns	Quarterback
1952	No Award
1953	Otto Graham (2)	Cleveland Browns	Quarterback	[35]
1954	Joe Perry	San Francisco 49ers	Fullback	[36]
1955	Otto Graham (3)	Cleveland Browns	Quarterback
1956	Frank Gifford	New York Giants	Halfback
1957	Y. A. Tittle	San Francisco 49ers	Quarterback	[37]
1958	Jim Brown	Cleveland Browns	Fullback	[38]
1959	Johnny Unitas	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback
1960	Norm Van Brocklin	Philadelphia Eagles	Quarterback	[39]
1961	Paul Hornung	Green Bay Packers	Halfback
1962	Y. A. Tittle (2)	New York Giants	Quarterback
1963	Jim Brown (2)	Cleveland Browns	Fullback
1964	Johnny Unitas (2)	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback
1965	Jim Brown (3)	Cleveland Browns	Fullback
1966	Bart Starr	Green Bay Packers	Quarterback
1967	Johnny Unitas (3)	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback
1968	Earl Morrall	Baltimore Colts	Quarterback
1969	Roman Gabriel	Los Angeles Rams	Quarterback

See also

• American Football League Most Valuable Player Award
• Bert Bell Award
• Football Digest § NFL Player of the Year
• Sporting News NFL Player of the Year Award
• UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
• UPI NFC Player of the Year
• Washington D.C. Touchdown Club § NFL Player of the Yearawards

References

General

• "Joe F. Carr Trophy (MVP) Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
• "UPI NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
• "Newspaper Ent. Assoc. NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
• "AP NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
• "PFWA NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2016.

Footnotes

1. Bieler, Des (January 20, 2016). "Pro Football Writers name Cam Newton their NFL MVP". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
2. "First-ever 'NFL Honors' show will be hosted by Baldwin in Indy". NFL.com. National Football League. January 3, 2012. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
3. Kreinberg, Jake (February 3, 2016). "How we count the votes for the NFL's top awards". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
4. "AP NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
5. "PFWA NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
6. Archived 2009-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
7. Barry Wilner (2013-04-04). "Adrian Peterson Wins 2012 Offensive Player Of The Year Award". Huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
8. "Allen honored". The Galveston Daily News. Associated Press. January 23, 1986. p. 20. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Newspaper Ent. Assoc. NFL Most Valuable Player Winners". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
10. Olderman, Murray (December 16, 1960). "Van Brocklin Gets Jim Thorpe Trophy". The Telegraph. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 12. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
11. "Harlon Hill Elected for Hall of Fame". Times Daily. October 26, 1975. p. 23. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
12. Jim Thorpe Association Yearbook, 2007.
13. Grainger, Charles (February 20, 1957). "Harlon Hill Due For Six Months' Army Service". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. p. 9. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
14. "Giants' Frank Gifford Named Top Star in NFL by Players". The Pittsburgh Press. December 20, 1956. p. 24. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
15. Olderman, Murray (December 20, 1957). "John Unitas Wins Jim Thorpe Trophy". Miami Daily News-Record. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 5. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Olderman, Murray (December 16, 1958). "Cleveland's Jimmy Brown Grabs Jim Thorpe Trophy". TimesDaily. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 7. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
17. Olderman, Murray (December 20, 1959). "Giant Ace Wins Thorpe Title". Gadsden Times. Newspaper Enterprise Association. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
18. Olderman, Murray (December 27, 1961). "Players Name Tittle Thorpe Trophy Winner". The Telegraph. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 12. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
19. Olderman, Murray (December 18, 1962). "Thorpe Trophy Won By Packer Fullback". The Evening Sun. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 10. Retrieved February 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Tittle and Brown Win Thorpe Trophy". The Fort Scott Tribune. Newspaper Enterprise Association. December 23, 1963. p. 11. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
21. Olderman, Murray (December 18, 1964). "Thorpe Trophy Caps Len Moore's Comeback". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 36. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
22. "11th Annual Thorpe Trophy Goes To Cleveland's Brown". The Bristol Daily Courier. Newspaper Enterprise Association. December 28, 1965. p. 21. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
23. Olderman, Murray (December 22, 1966). "Bart Starr Is Selected Jim Thorpe Award Winner". Standard-Speaker. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 25. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
24. Olderman, Murray (December 29, 1967). "Unitas Claims Jim Thorpe Cup". The Daily Mail. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 10. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
25. Olderman, Murray (December 26, 1968). "Earl Morrall Wins Jim Thorpe Trophy". The Daily Herald. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 12. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
26. Olderman, Murray (December 25, 1969). "Roman Gabriel Wins Jim Thorpe Award". The Gastonia Gazette. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 37. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
27. Olderman, Murray (December 29, 1970). "John Brodie Wins The 1970 Jim Thorpe Award". Pampa Daily News. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 8. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
28. "Bob Griese Gets Thorpe Trophy As Top Player". Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. January 5, 1972. p. 4. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
29. "Jim Thorpe award goes to Tarkenton". Gadsden Times. Newspaper Enterprise Association. January 21, 1976. p. 30. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
30. "Campbell wins Thorpe". Park City Daily News. December 26, 1979. p. 4-B. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
31. Olderman, Murray (January 18, 1981). "Earl Campbell: a triple champ". The Nevada Daily Mail. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 10. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
32. Turney, John (February 21, 2015). "Dutch Clark's Missing 1937 MVP Award". nflfootballjournal.com. Pro Football Journal. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
33. Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. Bob Carroll. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780062701749 pg. 389.
34. "Connerly Named Prize Rookie; Harder Honored". The Tuscaloosa News. United Press. December 15, 1948. p. 13. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
35. "Graham Picked As Top Player In Pro League". Spokane Daily Chronicle. United Press. December 23, 1953. p. 11. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
36. "Perry Top Pro Gridman of '54". The Bend Bulletin. United Press. December 22, 1954. p. 3. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
37. "Tittle, Francis Feted at Million Dollar Dinner". The Bulletin. United Press. January 29, 1958. p. 3. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
38. Wright, Earl (January 8, 1959). "Brown Named Standout Pro Gridder of Season". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. United Press International. p. 14. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
39. "Buck Shaw Is Coach Of Year; Van Brocklin Also Honored". Daily Independent Journal. United Press International. December 23, 1960. p. 7. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.