AP Athlete of the Year

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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, covering mainly American sports. As a result, 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.

Contents

AP Athlete of the Year

List of AP Athlete of the Year award winners
YearMaleFemale
NameSportNameSport
1931 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Pepper Martin Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Helene Madison Swimming
1932 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Gene Sarazen Golf Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Babe Didrikson Track and field
1933 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Carl Hubbell Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Helen Jacobs Tennis
1934 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Dizzy Dean Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Virginia Van Wie Golf
1935 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Joe Louis Boxing Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Helen Wills Moody Tennis
1936 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Jesse Owens Track and field Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Helen Stephens Track and field
1937 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Don Budge Tennis Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Katherine Rawls Swimming
1938 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Don Budge (2)Tennis Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Patty Berg Golf
1939 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Nile Kinnick College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Alice Marble Tennis
1940 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Tom Harmon College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Alice Marble (2)Tennis
1941 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Joe DiMaggio Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Betty Hicks Newell Golf
1942 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Frank Sinkwich College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Gloria Callen Swimming
1943 Flag of Sweden.svg Gunder Hägg Track and field Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Patty Berg (2)Golf
1944 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Byron Nelson Golf Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ann Curtis Swimming
1945 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Byron Nelson (2)Golf Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Babe Didrikson Zaharias (2)Golf
1946 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Glenn Davis College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Babe Didrikson Zaharias (3)Golf
1947 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Johnny Lujack College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Babe Didrikson Zaharias (4)Golf
1948 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Lou Boudreau Major League Baseball Flag of the Netherlands.svg Fanny Blankers-Koen Track and field
1949 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Leon Hart College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Marlene Bauer Golf
1950 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Jim Konstanty Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Babe Didrikson Zaharias (5)Golf
1951 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Dick Kazmaier College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Maureen Connolly Tennis
1952 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Bob Mathias Track and field Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Maureen Connolly (2)Tennis
1953 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ben Hogan Golf Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Maureen Connolly (3)Tennis
1954 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Willie Mays Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Babe Didrikson Zaharias (6)Golf
1955 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Howard Cassady College football Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Patty Berg (3)Golf
1956 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Mickey Mantle Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Pat McCormick Diving
1957 Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Ted Williams Major League Baseball Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Althea Gibson Tennis
1958 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Herb Elliott Track and field Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Althea Gibson (2)Tennis
1959 Flag of Sweden.svg Ingemar Johansson Boxing Flag of Brazil.svg Maria Bueno Tennis
1960 Flag of the United States.svg Rafer Johnson Track and field Flag of the United States.svg Wilma Rudolph Track and field
1961 Flag of the United States.svg Roger Maris Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Wilma Rudolph (2)Track and field
1962 Flag of the United States.svg Maury Wills Major League Baseball Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dawn Fraser Swimming
1963 Flag of the United States.svg Sandy Koufax Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Mickey Wright Golf
1964 Flag of the United States.svg Don Schollander Swimming Flag of the United States.svg Mickey Wright (2)Golf
1965 Flag of the United States.svg Sandy Koufax (2)Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Kathy Whitworth Golf
1966 Flag of the United States.svg Frank Robinson Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Kathy Whitworth (2)Golf
1967 Flag of the United States.svg Carl Yastrzemski Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Billie Jean King Tennis
1968 Flag of the United States.svg Denny McLain Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Peggy Fleming Figure skating
1969 Flag of the United States.svg Tom Seaver Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Debbie Meyer Swimming
1970 Flag of the United States.svg George Blanda National Football League Flag of the Republic of China.svg Chi Cheng Track and field
1971 Flag of the United States.svg Lee Trevino Golf Flag of Australia (converted).svg Evonne Goolagong Tennis
1972 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Spitz Swimming Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Olga Korbut Gymnastics
1973 Flag of the United States.svg O. J. Simpson National Football League Flag of the United States.svg Billie Jean King (2)Tennis
1974 Flag of the United States.svg Muhammad Ali Boxing Flag of the United States.svg Chris Evert Tennis
1975 Flag of the United States.svg Fred Lynn Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Chris Evert (2)Tennis
1976 Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Jenner Track and field Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg Nadia Comăneci Gymnastics
1977 Flag of the United States.svg Steve Cauthen Horse racing Flag of the United States.svg Chris Evert (3)Tennis
1978 Flag of the United States.svg Ron Guidry Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Nancy Lopez Golf
1979 Flag of the United States.svg Willie Stargell Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Tracy Austin Tennis
1980 Flag of the United States.svg U.S. Olympic hockey team Ice hockey Flag of the United States.svg Chris Evert Lloyd (4)Tennis
1981 Flag of the United States.svg John McEnroe Tennis Flag of the United States.svg Tracy Austin (2)Tennis
1982 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Wayne Gretzky National Hockey League Flag of the United States.svg Mary Tabb Track and field
1983 Flag of the United States.svg Carl Lewis Track and field Flag of the United States.svg Martina Navratilova Tennis
1984 Flag of the United States.svg Carl Lewis (2)Track and field Flag of the United States.svg Mary Lou Retton Gymnastics
1985 Flag of the United States.svg Dwight Gooden Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Nancy Lopez (2)Golf
1986 Flag of the United States.svg Larry Bird National Basketball Association Flag of the United States.svg Martina Navratilova (2)Tennis
1987 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ben Johnson Track and field Flag of the United States.svg Jackie Joyner-Kersee Track and field
1988 Flag of the United States.svg Orel Hershiser Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Florence Griffith Joyner Track and field
1989 Flag of the United States.svg Joe Montana National Football League Flag of Germany.svg Steffi Graf Tennis
1990 Flag of the United States.svg Joe Montana (2)National Football League Flag of the United States.svg Beth Daniel Golf
1991 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Jordan National Basketball Association Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Monica Seles [1] Tennis
1992 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Jordan (2)National Basketball Association Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Monica Seles (2)Tennis
1993 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Jordan (3)National Basketball Association Flag of the United States.svg Sheryl Swoopes College basketball
1994 Flag of the United States.svg George Foreman Boxing Flag of the United States.svg Bonnie Blair Speed skating
1995 Flag of the United States.svg Cal Ripken Jr. Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Rebecca Lobo College basketball
1996 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Johnson Track and field Flag of the United States.svg Amy Van Dyken Swimming
1997 Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods Golf Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Martina Hingis Tennis
1998 Flag of the United States.svg Mark McGwire Major League Baseball Flag of South Korea.svg Se Ri Pak Golf
1999 Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (2)Golf [2] Flag of the United States.svg U.S. women's soccer team Soccer
2000 Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (3)Golf [3] Flag of the United States.svg Marion Jones Track and field
2001 Flag of the United States.svg Barry Bonds Major League Baseball [4] Flag of the United States.svg Jennifer Capriati Tennis
2002 Flag of the United States.svg Lance Armstrong Road bicycle racing [5] Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams Tennis
2003 Flag of the United States.svg Lance Armstrong (2)Road bicycle racing [6] Flag of Sweden.svg Annika Sörenstam Golf
2004 Flag of the United States.svg Lance Armstrong (3)Road bicycle racing [7] Flag of Sweden.svg Annika Sörenstam (2)Golf
2005 Flag of the United States.svg Lance Armstrong (4)Road bicycle racing [8] Flag of Sweden.svg Annika Sörenstam (3)Golf
2006 Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods (4)Golf [9] Flag of Mexico.svg Lorena Ochoa Golf
2007 Flag of the United States.svg Tom Brady National Football League [10] Flag of Mexico.svg Lorena Ochoa (2)Golf
2008 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Phelps Swimming [11] Flag of the United States.svg Candace Parker Women's National Basketball Association
2009 Flag of the United States.svg Jimmie Johnson [12] NASCAR Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams (2)Tennis
2010 Flag of the United States.svg Drew Brees National Football League [13] Flag of the United States.svg Lindsey Vonn Skiing
2011 Flag of the United States.svg Aaron Rodgers [14] National Football League Flag of the United States.svg Abby Wambach Soccer
2012 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Phelps (2)Swimming [15] Flag of the United States.svg Gabby Douglas Gymnastics
2013 Flag of the United States.svg LeBron James National Basketball Association [16] Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams (3)Tennis
2014 Flag of the United States.svg Madison Bumgarner [17] Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Mo'ne Davis [18] Little League baseball
2015 Flag of the United States.svg Stephen Curry National Basketball Association [19] Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams (4)Tennis
2016 Flag of the United States.svg LeBron James (2)National Basketball Association [20] Flag of the United States.svg Simone Biles Gymnastics
2017 Flag of Venezuela.svg Jose Altuve [21] Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Katie Ledecky [22] Swimming
2018 Flag of the United States.svg LeBron James (3) [23] National Basketball Association Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams (5) [24] Tennis
2019 Flag of the United States.svg Kawhi Leonard [25] National Basketball Association Flag of the United States.svg Simone Biles (2)Gymnastics
2020 Flag of the United States.svg LeBron James (4)National Basketball Association Flag of Japan.svg Naomi Osaka Tennis
2021 Flag of Japan.svg Shohei Ohtani [26] Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Candace Parker (2) [27] Women's National Basketball Association
2022 Flag of the United States.svg Aaron Judge Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Katie Ledecky (2)Swimming
2023 Flag of Japan.svg Shohei Ohtani (2)Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Simone Biles (3)Gymnastics
2024 Flag of Japan.svg Shohei Ohtani (3) [28] Major League Baseball Flag of the United States.svg Caitlin Clark Women's National Basketball Association [29]

Multiple awards

List of male award winners
NameSportAwardsYears
Lance Armstrong Road bicycle racing42002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Tiger Woods Golf41997, 1999, 2000, 2006
LeBron James Basketball42013, 2016, 2018, 2020
Michael Jordan Basketball31991, 1992, 1993
Shohei Ohtani Baseball32021, 2023, 2024
Don Budge Tennis21937, 1938
Sandy Koufax Baseball21963, 1965
Carl Lewis Track and field21983, 1984
Joe Montana American football21989, 1990
Byron Nelson Golf21944, 1945
Michael Phelps Swimming22008, 2012
List of female award winners
NameSportAwardsYears
Babe Didrikson Zaharias Golf/Track and field61932, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1954
Serena Williams Tennis52002, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2018
Chris Evert Tennis41974, 1975, 1977, 1980
Maureen Connolly Tennis31951, 1952, 1953
Annika Sörenstam Golf32003, 2004, 2005
Simone Biles Gymnastics32016, 2019, 2023
Alice Marble Tennis21939, 1940
Althea Gibson Tennis21957, 1958
Wilma Rudolph Track and field21960, 1961
Mickey Wright Golf21963, 1964
Kathy Whitworth Golf21965, 1966
Billie Jean King Tennis21967, 1973
Tracy Austin Tennis21979, 1981
Nancy Lopez Golf21978, 1985
Martina Navratilova Tennis21983, 1986
Monica Seles Tennis21991, 1992
Lorena Ochoa Golf22006, 2007
Candace Parker Basketball22008, 2021
Katie Ledecky Swimming22017, 2022

AP Athlete of the Decade

List of award winners
DecadeMaleFemale
NameSportNameSport
1960s Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Arnold Palmer GolfNone Awarded
1970s Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus Golf
1980s Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Wayne Gretzky Hockey
1990s Flag of the United States.svg Michael Jordan Basketball
2000s Flag of the United States.svg Tiger Woods Golf
2010s Flag of the United States.svg LeBron James Basketball Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams Tennis

Footnotes

  1. Became a U.S. citizen in 1994.
  2. "Tiger AP's Male Athlete Of Year". CBS News. Associated Press. December 27, 1999. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  3. Ferguson, Doug (December 27, 2000). "Year of the Tiger". Missoulian. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  4. "Barry Bonds Voted The Associated Press Male of the Year". Jet . 101 (4): 52. January 12, 2002. Retrieved March 15, 2019 via Google Books.
  5. 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 March 15, 2019.
  6. "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 March 15, 2019.
  7. 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 March 15, 2019.
  8. "Lance Armstrong wins AP male athlete honours". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 28, 2005. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  9. "Woods wins AP male athlete award for 2006". Orlando Sentinel. December 26, 2006. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  10. Flannery, Paul (December 21, 2007). "Tom Brady's Charmed Year Continues". Boston. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  11. "Michael Phelps Named The Associated Press Top Sports Story, AP Male Athlete of 2008". Swimming World. December 24, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  12. "Johnson is AP's top male athlete of '09". Associated Press (ESPN.com). December 21, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  13. Triplett, Mike (December 18, 2010). "New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees fourth QB to be named AP Athlete of the Year". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  14. 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 March 15, 2019.
  15. "Michael Phelps Named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year". Swimming World. December 20, 2012. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  16. 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 March 15, 2019.
  17. "Madison Bumgarner gets AP honor". Associated Press (via ESPN.com). December 30, 2014. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  18. "Davis wins AP Female Athlete of the Year honors - NBC Sports | NBC Sports". Archived from the original on 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  19. Herbert, James (December 26, 2015). "Warriors' Stephen Curry named AP Male Athlete of the Year". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  20. Withers, Tom (December 27, 2016). "Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James named AP Male Athlete of Year". The News-Herald. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  21. "Astros star Jose Altuve named AP Male Athlete of the Year". ESPN.com . Associated Press. December 27, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  22. Beth Harris (2017-12-26). "Katie Ledecky Swims to AP Female Athlete of the Year Honors". The Washington Post . Associated Press. Retrieved 2017-12-26.[ dead link ]
  23. Holleran, Andrew (December 27, 2018). "Associated Press Names Its 2018 Male Athlete Of The Year". thespun.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  24. Mahoney, Brian (December 26, 2018). "Serena voted AP Female Athlete of the Year for 5th time". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  25. "Kawhi Leonard and Simone Biles Are AP's Athletes of the Year". complex.com. December 28, 2019. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  26. "One of a kind: Ohtani wins AP Male Athlete of Year award". apnews.com/. December 28, 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  27. "Candace Parker voted AP Female Athlete of Year for 2nd time". Associated Press . 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  28. "Shohei Ohtani wins 3rd AP Male Athlete of the Year award, tying Michael Jordan for 1 shy of record". AP News. 2024-12-23. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  29. "Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports". AP News. 2024-12-24. Retrieved 2024-12-24.

Notes