Associated Press Athlete of the Year
Appearance
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. Notably, Caitlyn Jenner is the only known female athlete to win the Male Athlete of the Year award.[1]
List of award winners
Year | Male | Female | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1931 | Major League Baseball | Swimming | ||
1932 | PGA golf | Track and field | ||
1933 | Major League Baseball | Tennis | ||
1934 | Major League Baseball | Golf | ||
1935 | Boxing | Tennis | ||
1936 | Track and field | Track and field | ||
1937 | Tennis | Swimming | ||
1938 | Tennis | Golf | ||
1939 | College football | Tennis | ||
1940 | College football | Tennis | ||
1941 | Major League Baseball | Golf | ||
1942 | College football | Swimming | ||
1943 | Track and field | Golf | ||
1944 | PGA golf | Swimming | ||
1945 | PGA golf | Golf | ||
1946 | College football | Golf | ||
1947 | College football | Golf | ||
1948 | Major League Baseball | Track and field | ||
1949 | College football | Golf | ||
1950 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf[2] | ||
1951 | College football | Tennis | ||
1952 | Track and field | Tennis | ||
1953 | PGA golf | Tennis | ||
1954 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf | ||
1955 | College football | LPGA golf | ||
1956 | Major League Baseball | Diving | ||
1957 | Major League Baseball | Tennis | ||
1958 | Track and field | Tennis | ||
1959 | Boxing | Tennis | ||
1960 | Track and field | Track and field | ||
1961 | Major League Baseball | Track and field | ||
1962 | Major League Baseball | Swimming | ||
1963 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf | ||
1964 | Swimming | LPGA golf | ||
1965 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf | ||
1966 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf | ||
1967 | Major League Baseball | Tennis | ||
1968 | Major League Baseball | Figure skating | ||
1969 | Major League Baseball | Swimming | ||
1970 | National Football League | Track and field | ||
1971 | PGA golf | Tennis | ||
1972 | Swimming | Gymnastics | ||
1973 | National Football League | Tennis | ||
1974 | Boxing | Tennis | ||
1975 | Major League Baseball | Tennis | ||
1976 | Track and field | Gymnastics | ||
1977 | Horse racing | Tennis | ||
1978 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf | ||
1979 | Major League Baseball | Tennis | ||
1980 | Ice hockey | Tennis | ||
1981 | Tennis | Tennis | ||
1982 | NHL ice hockey | Track and field | ||
1983 | Track and field | Tennis | ||
1984 | Track and field | Gymnastics | ||
1985 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf | ||
1986 | NBA basketball | Tennis | ||
1987 | Track and field | Track and field | ||
1988 | Major League Baseball | Track and field | ||
1989 | National Football League | Tennis | ||
1990 | National Football League | LPGA golf | ||
1991 | NBA basketball | Tennis | ||
1992 | NBA basketball | Tennis | ||
1993 | NBA basketball | College basketball | ||
1994 | Boxing | Speed skating | ||
1995 | Major League Baseball | College basketball | ||
1996 | Track and field | Swimming | ||
1997 | PGA golf | Tennis | ||
1998 | Major League Baseball | LPGA golf | ||
1999 | PGA golf | Soccer | ||
2000 | PGA golf | Track and field | ||
2001 | Major League Baseball | Tennis | ||
2002 | Cycling | Tennis | ||
2003 | Cycling | LPGA golf | ||
2004 | Cycling | LPGA golf | ||
2005 | Cycling | LPGA golf | ||
2006 | PGA golf | LPGA golf | ||
2007 | National Football League | LPGA golf | ||
2008 | Swimming | WNBA | ||
2009 | NASCAR | Tennis | ||
2010 | National Football League | Skiing | ||
2011 | National Football League | Soccer | ||
2012 | Swimming | Gymnastics | ||
2013 | NBA basketball | Tennis | ||
2014 | Major League Baseball | Little League baseball |
Footnotes
- ^ http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/caitlyn-jenner-bruce-cover-annie-leibovitz
- ^ This was the year of the founding of the LPGA.
- ^ Became a U.S. citizen in 1994.
- ^ "Johnson is AP's top male athlete of '09". Associated Press (ESPN.com). December 21, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
- ^ "Madison Bumgarner gets AP honor". Associated Press (via ESPN.com). December 30, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ http://www.nbcsports.com/davis-wins-ap-female-athlete-year-honors
Notes
- Adapted from the article Associated Press Athlete of the Year, from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.