Associated Press Athlete of the Year
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Associated Press Athlete of the Year
The first Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP) in 1931. At a time when women in sports were not given the same recognition as men, the AP offered a male and a female athlete of the year award to either a professional or amateur athlete. The awards are voted on annually by a panel of AP sports editors from across the United States. A large majority of the winners have been Americans. However, non-Americans are also eligible for the honor, and have won on a few occasions.
List of award winners
| Year | Male | Female | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Sport | Name | Sport | |
| 1931 |  Pepper Martin |
Major League Baseball | Helene Madison |
Swimming |
| 1932 | Gene Sarazen |
PGA golf | Babe Didrikson |
Track and field |
| 1933 | Carl Hubbell |
Major League Baseball | Helen Jacobs |
Tennis |
| 1934 | Dizzy Dean |
Major League Baseball | Virginia Van Wie |
Golf |
| 1935 | Joe Louis |
Boxing | Helen Wills Moody |
Tennis |
| 1936 | Jesse Owens |
Track and field | Helen Stephens |
Track and field |
| 1937 | Don Budge |
Tennis | Katherine Rawls |
Swimming |
| 1938 | Don Budge |
Tennis | Patty Berg |
Golf |
| 1939 | Nile Kinnick |
College football | Alice Marble |
Tennis |
| 1940 | Tom Harmon |
College football | Alice Marble |
Tennis |
| 1941 | Joe DiMaggio |
Major League Baseball | Betty Hicks Newell |
Golf |
| 1942 | Frank Sinkwich |
College football | Gloria Callen |
Swimming |
| 1943 |  Gunder Hägg |
Track and field | Patty Berg |
Golf |
| 1944 | Byron Nelson |
PGA golf | Ann Curtis |
Swimming |
| 1945 | Byron Nelson |
PGA golf | Babe Didrikson Zaharias |
Golf |
| 1946 | Glenn Davis |
College football | Babe Didrikson Zaharias |
Golf |
| 1947 | Johnny Lujack |
College football | Babe Didrikson Zaharias |
Golf |
| 1948 | Lou Boudreau |
Major League Baseball |  Fanny Blankers-Koen |
Track and field |
| 1949 | Leon Hart |
College football | Marlene Bauer |
Golf |
| 1950 | Jim Konstanty |
Major League Baseball | Babe Didrikson Zaharias |
LPGA golf[1] |
| 1951 | Dick Kazmaier |
College football | Maureen Connolly |
Tennis |
| 1952 | Bob Mathias |
Track and field | Maureen Connolly |
Tennis |
| 1953 | Ben Hogan |
PGA golf | Maureen Connolly |
Tennis |
| 1954 | Willie Mays |
Major League Baseball | Babe Didrikson Zaharias |
LPGA golf |
| 1955 | Howard "Hopalong" Cassady |
College football | Patty Berg |
LPGA golf |
| 1956 | Mickey Mantle |
Major League Baseball | Pat McCormick |
Diving |
| 1957 | Ted Williams |
Major League Baseball | Althea Gibson |
Tennis |
| 1958 |  Herb Elliott |
Track and field | Althea Gibson |
Tennis |
| 1959 | Ingemar Johansson |
Boxing |  Maria Bueno |
Tennis |
| 1960 |  Rafer Johnson |
Track and field | Wilma Rudolph |
Track and field |
| 1961 | Roger Maris |
Major League Baseball | Wilma Rudolph |
Track and field |
| 1962 | Maury Wills |
Major League Baseball | Dawn Fraser |
Swimming |
| 1963 | Sandy Koufax |
Major League Baseball | Mickey Wright |
LPGA golf |
| 1964 | Don Schollander |
Swimming | Mickey Wright |
LPGA golf |
| 1965 | Sandy Koufax |
Major League Baseball | Kathy Whitworth |
LPGA golf |
| 1966 | Frank Robinson |
Major League Baseball | Kathy Whitworth |
LPGA golf |
| 1967 | Carl Yastrzemski |
Major League Baseball | Billie Jean King |
Tennis |
| 1968 | Denny McLain |
Major League Baseball | Peggy Fleming |
Figure skating |
| 1969 | Tom Seaver |
Major League Baseball | Debbie Meyer |
Swimming |
| 1970 | George Blanda |
National Football League |  Chi Cheng |
Track and field |
| 1971 | Lee Trevino |
PGA golf | Evonne Goolagong |
Tennis |
| 1972 | Mark Spitz |
Swimming |  Olga Korbut |
Gymnastics |
| 1973 | O.J. Simpson |
National Football League | Billie Jean King |
Tennis |
| 1974 | Muhammad Ali |
Boxing | Chris Evert |
Tennis |
| 1975 | Fred Lynn |
Major League Baseball | Chris Evert |
Tennis |
| 1976 | Bruce Jenner |
Track and field |  Nadia Com?neci |
Gymnastics |
| 1977 | Steve Cauthen |
Horse racing | Chris Evert |
Tennis |
| 1978 | Ron Guidry |
Major League Baseball | Nancy Lopez |
LPGA golf |
| 1979 | Willie Stargell |
Major League Baseball | Tracy Austin |
Tennis |
| 1980 | U.S. Olympic hockey team |
Ice hockey | Chris Evert Lloyd |
Tennis |
| 1981 | John McEnroe |
Tennis | Tracy Austin |
Tennis |
| 1982 |  Wayne Gretzky |
National Hockey League | Mary Tabb |
Track and field |
| 1983 | Carl Lewis |
Track and field | Martina Navratilova |
Tennis |
| 1984 | Carl Lewis |
Track and field | Mary Lou Retton |
Gymnastics |
| 1985 | Dwight Gooden |
Major League Baseball | Nancy Lopez |
LPGA golf |
| 1986 | Larry Bird |
National Basketball Association | Martina Navratilova |
Tennis |
| 1987 | Ben Johnson |
Track and field | Jackie Joyner-Kersee |
Track and field |
| 1988 | Orel Hershiser |
Major League Baseball | Florence Griffith Joyner |
Track and field |
| 1989 | Joe Montana |
National Football League |  Steffi Graf |
Tennis |
| 1990 | Joe Montana |
National Football League | Beth Daniel |
LPGA golf |
| 1991 | Michael Jordan |
National Basketball Association |  Monica Seles[2] |
Tennis |
| 1992 | Michael Jordan |
National Basketball Association |  Monica Seles |
Tennis |
| 1993 | Michael Jordan |
National Basketball Association | Sheryl Swoopes |
College basketball |
| 1994 | George Foreman |
Boxing | Bonnie Blair |
Speed skating |
| 1995 | Cal Ripken, Jr. |
Major League Baseball | Rebecca Lobo |
College basketball |
| 1996 | Michael Johnson |
Track and field | Amy Van Dyken |
Swimming |
| 1997 | Tiger Woods |
PGA Tour golf |  Martina Hingis |
Tennis |
| 1998 | Mark McGwire |
Major League Baseball |  Se Ri Pak |
LPGA golf |
| 1999 | Tiger Woods |
PGA Tour golf[3] | U.S. women's soccer team |
Soccer |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods |
PGA Tour golf[4] | Marion Jones |
Track and field |
| 2001 | Barry Bonds |
Major League Baseball[5] | Jennifer Capriati |
Tennis |
| 2002 | Lance Armstrong |
Cycling[6] | Serena Williams |
Tennis |
| 2003 | Lance Armstrong |
Cycling[7] | Annika Sörenstam |
LPGA golf |
| 2004 | Lance Armstrong |
Cycling[8] | Annika Sörenstam |
LPGA golf |
| 2005 | Lance Armstrong |
Cycling[9] | Annika Sörenstam |
LPGA golf |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods |
PGA Tour golf[10] |  Lorena Ochoa |
LPGA golf |
| 2007 | Tom Brady |
National Football League[11] | Lorena Ochoa |
LPGA golf |
| 2008 | Michael Phelps |
Swimming[12] | Candace Parker |
Women's National Basketball Association |
| 2009 | Jimmie Johnson[13] |
NASCAR | Serena Williams |
Tennis |
| 2010 | Drew Brees |
National Football League[14] | Lindsey Vonn |
Skiing |
| 2011 | Aaron Rodgers[15] |
National Football League | Abby Wambach |
Soccer |
| 2012 | Michael Phelps |
Swimming[16] | Gabby Douglas |
Gymnastics |
| 2013 | LeBron James |
National Basketball Association[17] | Serena Williams |
Tennis |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner[18] |
Major League Baseball | Mo'ne Davis[19] |
Little League baseball |
| 2015 | Stephen Curry |
National Basketball Association[20] | Serena Williams |
Tennis |
| 2016 | LeBron James |
National Basketball Association[21] | Simone Biles |
Gymnastics |
| 2017 |  José Altuve[22] |
Major League Baseball | Katie Ledecky[23] |
Swimming |
| 2018 | LeBron James[24] |
National Basketball Association | Serena Williams[25] |
Tennis |
Footnotes
- ^ This was the year of the founding of the LPGA.
- ^ Became a U.S. citizen in 1994.
- ^ "Tiger AP's Male Athlete Of Year". CBS News. Associated Press. December 27, 1999. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ Ferguson, Doug (December 27, 2000). "Year of the Tiger". Missoulian. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Barry Bonds Voted The Associated Press Male of the Year". Jet. 101 (4): 52. January 12, 2002. Retrieved 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ Vertuino, Jim (December 27, 2002). "Armstrong named AP Athlete of the Year Perseverance: Four-time Tour de France champion tops Bonds". The Brownsville Herald. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "NAMES & GAMES Lance Armstrong: AP Male Athlete of the Year". New Haven Register. December 29, 2003. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ Vertuno, Jim (December 29, 2004). "Armstrong, Sorenstam honored as athletes of year". Deseret News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Lance Armstrong wins AP male athlete honours". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 28, 2005. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Woods wins AP male athlete award for 2006". Orlando Sentinel. December 26, 2006. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ Flannery, Paul (December 21, 2007). "Tom Brady's Charmed Year Continues". Boston. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Michael Phelps Named The Associated Press Top Sports Story, AP Male Athlete of 2008". Swimming World. December 24, 2008. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Johnson is AP's top male athlete of '09". Associated Press (ESPN.com). December 21, 2009. Retrieved .
- ^ Triplett, Mike (December 18, 2010). "New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees fourth QB to be named AP Athlete of the Year". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ Markovich, Tony (December 21, 2011). "Associated Press Votes Aaron Rodgers 2011 Male Athlete of the Year". Complex. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Michael Phelps Named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year". Swimming World. December 20, 2012. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ Schilken, Chuck (December 26, 2013). "LeBron James named Associated Press' male athlete of the year". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Madison Bumgarner gets AP honor". Associated Press (via ESPN.com). December 30, 2014. Retrieved 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-30. Retrieved .CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Herbert, James (December 26, 2015). "Warriors' Stephen Curry named AP Male Athlete of the Year". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ Withers, Tom (December 27, 2016). "Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James named AP Male Athlete of Year". The News-Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ "Astros star Jose Altuve named AP Male Athlete of the Year". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 27, 2017. Retrieved 2017.
- ^ Beth Harris (2017-12-26). "Katie Ledecky Swims to AP Female Athlete of the Year Honors". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved .
- ^ Holleran, Andrew (December 27, 2018). "Associated Press Names Its 2018 Male Athlete Of The Year". thespun.com. Retrieved 2019.
- ^ Mahoney, Brian (December 26, 2018). "Serena voted AP Female Athlete of the Year for 5th time". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2019.
Notes
- Adapted from the article Associated Press Athlete of the Year, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia page available here. It is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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