The Green Bay Packers are an American football team in the National Football League (NFL). Founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, the team entered the NFL prior to the 1921 season. [1] [2] From 1938 to 1946, the NFL awarded the Joe F. Carr Trophy to the most valuable player (MVP) in the NFL, as decided by a panel of sportswriters. [3] Starting in the 1940s and 1950s, various news organizations began handing out their own MVP awards, often based on the opinions or voting of their sportswriters. In 1948, United Press International (UPI) awarded their first MVP award: the UPI NFL Most Valuable Player Award. [4] In 1954, Sporting News began awarding its NFL Player of the Year Award and the next year the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) awarded their first MVP award, known as the Jim Thorpe Trophy. [5] [6] Three years later, the Associated Press (AP) awarded their first NFL Most Valuable Player Award, in 1957. [7] Lastly, the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) gave out the NFL Most Valuable Player Award for the first time in 1966, although they did not name another MVP until 1975. [8] The AP and PFWA have named MVPs each season since 1957 and 1975, respectively. [7] [8] Sporting News named an MVP every year from 1954 to 1969, and then from 1980 to 2007. [5] UPI stopped awarding their MVP award in 1969 and the last Jim Thorpe Trophy was awarded in 2008. [4] [6]
Since 1941, six players for the Packers have won at least one of the aforementioned MVP awards, with 29 MVP awards going to these players. [9] [10] Don Hutson, who played wide receiver for the Packers in the 1930s and 1940s, won back-to-back Joe F. Carr Trophies during the 1941 and 1942 NFL seasons. [11] Both seasons Hutson achieved the triple crown for receivers: he led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. [12] [13] In addition to his role on offensive, Hutson also recorded eight interceptions spanning both of his MVP seasons and was the team's placekicker. [14] In 1961, Paul Hornung won his first and only MVP awards from the AP and the UPI after leading the NFL in points scored. [4] [7] [15] In addition to his scoring record, Hornung rushed for 597 yards, had 145 receiving yards, completed three passes and kicked 15 field goals. [16] The next season, Hornung's teammate Jim Taylor won four different MVP awards from the AP, Sporting News, the NEA (the Jim Thorpe Trophy) and the PFWA. [4] [6] [7] [8] Taylor, similar to Hutson as a wide receiver, won the rushing triple crown; he led the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 1962. [17] Four years later, Bart Starr, the Packers' quarterback, won all five MVP awards that were awarded in the 1966 NFL season (AP, UPI, Sporting News, the NEA and the PFWA). [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Starr led the NFL in a number of efficiency statistics, including completion percentage and quarterback rating. [18] All three MVP awardees during the 1960s played under head coach Vince Lombardi; [19] the Packers won the NFL Championship in all three seasons where they had an MVP awardee (1961, 1962 and 1966), which included the first Super Bowl. [20]
The Packers during the 1970 and 1980s were unsuccessful on the playing field, with the team only going to the playoffs once each decade. [21] However, in the 1990s the team traded for quarterback Brett Favre, who led the team back to perennial playoff contention. [22] Starting in 1995, Favre won three consecutive AP MVP awards, becoming the first player to do so. [23] He also won the MVP awards from PFWA, Sporting News in 1995 and 1996, while also winning three straight Jim Thorpe Trophies from 1995 to 1997. [5] [6] [8] During the 1996 season, Favre led the Packers to their first NFL Championship since 1967 with a victory in Super Bowl XXXI. [22] From 1995 to 1997, Favre led the NFL in passing touchdowns and was near the top in most passing statistical categories. [24] [25] [26] The 1997 award from the AP was unique, as Favre and Barry Sanders shared the award, only the second time this had occurred. [6] [27] Sanders had just completed the season with over 2,000 rushing yards, becoming only the third person to do in one season, and had statistically one of the best seasons ever by a running back. [28] Favre led the Packers to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance that season, losing to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. [29] In 2007, Favre was traded to the New York Jets and his back-up quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, took over. [30] Rodgers won his first AP and Sporting News MVP awards in 2011, after guiding the Packers to a 15–1 regular season record while leading the NFL in most quarterback efficiency statistics, including setting the record for the highest quarterback rating in a season at 122.5. [5] [7] [31] [32] Rodgers went on to win the AP and Sporting News MVP awards three more seasons, in 2014, 2020, and 2021. [5] [7] Each season, Rodgers guided the Packers to the playoffs and led the NFL in various passing statistical categories, including posting a quarterback rating of 121.5 in 2020, just one point short of his NFL record from 2011. [21] [31] [33] [34] [35] Rodgers' four total AP MVP awards are the second most behind the five awards by Peyton Manning and his four total PFWA MVP awards are tied with Manning for the most. [5] [7] All of the awardees have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, except Rodgers; [36] [37] Hutson, Starr and Favre have also had their uniform number retired by the Packers. [38]
In addition to MVP awards for the entire season, the NFL also awards an MVP for each Super Bowl. Three Packers players have won a Super Bowl MVP award: Starr twice in the first two Super Bowls (I and II), Desmond Howard in Super Bowl XXXI and Rodgers in Super Bowl XLV. [39] The awardee is selected near the end of the game by electronic fan voting, which makes up 20% of the vote tally, while the remaining 80% is chosen by a panel of sportswriters selected by the NFL. [40] Prior to 1990, the award was sponsored by Sport magazine, who gave away a new car to the winner. [41] After the 1990 season with Super Bowl XXV, the NFL awarded the Super Bowl MVP with the Pete Rozelle Trophy, named after the former commissioner of the NFL of the same name. [40] Starr and Rodgers were given the award based on their exceptional passing during their respective Super Bowls. [41] [42] [43] However, Howard became the first special teams player to win the Super Bowl MVP. Despite quarterback Brett Favre throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another during Super Bowl XXXI, Howard was given the MVP after setting then-records for the longest kick-off return (a 99-yard kick-off return for a touchdown) and most total return yards (244) in a Super Bowl. [44] [45]
* | Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
---|---|
# | Number retired by the Green Bay Packers |
Image | Player | Position | Years with Packers | MVP Award | Refs | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe F. Carr Trophy [11] | AP [7] | UPI [4] | Jim Thorpe Trophy (NEA) [6] | Sporting News [5] | PFWA [8] | |||||
Don Hutson * # | Wide receiver | 1935 – 45 | 1941 (1) | — | — | — | — | — | [46] | |
1942 (2) | ||||||||||
Paul Hornung * | Halfback | 1957 – 62, 1964 – 66 | — | 1961 (1) | 1961 (1) | — | — | — | [47] | |
Jim Taylor * | Fullback | 1958 – 66 | — | 1962 (1) | — | 1962 (1) | — | — | [48] | |
Bart Starr * # | Quarterback | 1956 – 71 | — | 1966 (1) | 1966 (1) | 1966 (1) | 1966 (1) | 1966 (1) | [49] | |
Brett Favre * # | Quarterback | 1992 – 2007 | — | 1995 (1) | — | 1995 (1) | 1995 (1) | 1995 (1) | [50] | |
1996 (2) | — | 1996 (2) | 1996 (2) | 1996 (2) | ||||||
1997 (3) [lower-alpha 1] | — | — | — | — | ||||||
Aaron Rodgers | Quarterback | 2005 – 22 | — | 2011 (1) | — | — | — | 2011 (1) | [51] | |
2014 (2) | 2014 (2) | |||||||||
2020 (3) | 2020 (3) | |||||||||
2021 (4) | 2021 (4) | |||||||||
Image | Player | Position | Years with the Packers | Super Bowl (Season) [39] | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bart Starr * # | Quarterback | 1956 – 71 | Super Bowl I (1966) (1) | [49] | |
Super Bowl II (1967) (2) | |||||
Desmond Howard | Returner | 1996 | Super Bowl XXXI (1996) | [52] | |
Aaron Rodgers | Quarterback | 2005 – 22 | Super Bowl XLV (2010) | [51] | |
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games have been played at Lambeau Field since 1957. They have the most wins of any NFL franchise.
Michael John McCarthy is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, McCarthy led the team to a win in Super Bowl XLV over his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCarthy was previously the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.
Donald Montgomery Hutson, nicknamed "the Alabama Antelope", was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). In the era of the one-platoon football, he played as an end and spent his entire 11-year career with the Green Bay Packers. Under head coach Curly Lambeau, Hutson led the Packers to four NFL Championship Games, winning three in 1936, 1939, and 1944.
Bryan Bartlett Starr was an American professional football quarterback and head coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the Packers in the 17th round of the 1956 NFL Draft, for whom he played for 16 seasons until 1971. Starr is the only quarterback in NFL history to lead a team to three consecutive league championships (1965–1967). He led his team to victories in the first two Super Bowls: I and II. As the Packers' head coach, he was less successful, compiling a 52–76–3 (.408) record from 1975 through 1983.
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, before being selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He is regarded among the greatest and most talented quarterbacks of all time.
Sterling Sharpe is a former American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and played in the NFL from 1988 to 1994 with the Packers in a career shortened by a neck injury. He became an analyst for the NFL Network. He is the older brother of Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe.
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award 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 issue an NFL MVP award include the Associated Press (AP) and the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). Since the 2011 season, the NFL has held the annual NFL Honors ceremony, which recognizes the winner of the Associated Press MVP award.
Mark Hodge Murphy is an American football executive and former player who is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Murphy, a safety, went undrafted in the 1977 NFL Draft after playing college football at Colgate University. He was signed by the Washington Redskins, where he played for eight seasons from 1977 to 1984. With the Redskins, Murphy won Super Bowl XVII, played in another Super Bowl and led the NFL in interceptions in 1983, the year he was named to his only Pro Bowl and received his only First Team All-Pro honor. During his last few years in the NFL he received a Master of Business Administration from American University and then, after his career ended in 1984, a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in 1988. After his playing career, he worked for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and then as a trial lawyer for the United States Department of Justice. In 1992, he was hired as the athletic director of his alma mater Colgate University. In 2003, he moved to Northwestern University to serve as their athletic director, a position he held until 2007.
Brett Lorenzo Favre is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 2010, including 297 regular season games, the most in league history. He was also the first NFL quarterback to obtain 70,000 yards, 10,000 passes, 6,000 completions, 500 touchdowns, and victories over all 32 teams.
Cecil Frank Isbell was an American football quarterback and coach. He played 5 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, leading them to the NFL Championship in 1939. He retired after the 1942 season to become an assistant coach at his alma mater, Purdue University, and the following year became its head coach for three seasons.
The 1996 season was the Green Bay Packers' 76th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 78th overall and their fifth under head coach Mike Holmgren. The franchise won its third Super Bowl and league-record 12th NFL Championship. The Packers posted a league-best 13–3 regular season win-loss record, going 8–0 at home and 5–3 on the road. It was the first time since 1962 that the team went undefeated at home. Additionally, the Packers had the NFL's highest-scoring offense (456) and allowed the fewest points on defense (210). Green Bay was the first team to accomplish both feats in the same season since the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. They finished the season with the number one ranked offense, defense, and special teams. They also set a then NFL record for the fewest touchdowns allowed in a 16-game season, with 19. The Packers also allowed the fewest yards in the NFL and set a record for punt return yardage. Brett Favre won his second straight MVP award while also throwing for a career-high and league-leading 39 touchdown passes.
The 1997 Green Bay Packers season was their 79th season overall and their 77th in the National Football League (NFL). The season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing 31–24 to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. The heavily favored team narrowly missed its opportunity to post back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
The 1995 season was the Green Bay Packers' 75th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 77th overall. The Packers finished with an 11–5 record in the regular season and won the NFC Central, their first division title since 1982. In the playoffs, the Packers defeated the Atlanta Falcons at home and the defending champion San Francisco 49ers on the road before losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game. Packers' quarterback Brett Favre was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player, the first of three such awards he would win. This was the first season that the Packers played home games exclusively at Lambeau Field, after playing part of their home slate at Milwaukee County Stadium since 1953. After losing their home opener to St. Louis, the Packers would win an NFL-record 25 consecutive home games between the rest of 1995 and early in 1998.
The Packers–Bears rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The two teams have a combined 67 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, have won a combined 22 NFL championships, and includes five Super Bowl championships. They hold the top two spots for most wins all-time; the Bears had the record since 1921, but the Packers took over the record in a game against Chicago during the 2022 season, which both teams were tied at 786 wins going into.
The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to a player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have been the "most valuable" in that year's regular season. While there have been many selectors of NFL MVPs in the past, today the MVP award presented by the AP is considered the de facto official NFL MVP award and the most prestigious. Since 2011, the NFL has held the annual NFL Honors ceremony to recognize the winner of each year's AP MVP award, along with other AP awards, such as the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year and AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The most recent AP NFL MVP is quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) first gave a National Football League Most Valuable Player Award in 1966 to Bart Starr. After an eight-season hiatus, the award returned in 1975. As with other PFWA awards, any member of the organisation is eligible to vote.