Associated Press Athletes of the Year

This award was first presented in 1931.

Year

Name

Sport

Men
1931	Pepper Martin	baseball
1932	Gene Sarazen	golf
1933	Carl Hubbell	baseball
1934	Dizzy Dean	baseball
1935	Joe Louis	boxing
1936	Jesse Owens	track and field
1937	Don Budge	tennis
1938	Don Budge	tennis
1939	Nile Kinnick	football
1940	Tom Harmon	football
1941	Joe DiMaggio	baseball
1942	Frank Sinkwich	football
1943	Gunder Haegg	track and field
1944	Byron Nelson	golf
1945	Byron Nelson	golf
1946	Glenn Davis	football
1947	Johnny Lujack	football
1948	Lou Boudreau	baseball
1949	Leon Hart	football
1950	Jim Konstanty	baseball
1951	Dick Kazmaier	football
1952	Bob Mathias	track and field
1953	Ben Hogan	golf
1954	Willie Mays	baseball
1955	Hopalong Cassady	football
1956	Mickey Mantle	baseball
1957	Ted Williams	baseball
1958	Herb Elliott	track and field
1959	Ingemar Johansson	boxing
1960	Rafer Johnson	track and field
1961	Roger Maris	baseball
1962	Maury Wills	baseball
1963	Sandy Koufax	baseball
1964	Don Schollander	swimming
1965	Sandy Koufax	baseball
1966	Frank Robinson	baseball
1967	Carl Yastrzemski	baseball
1968	Denny McLain	baseball
1969	Tom Seaver	baseball
1970	George Blanda	football
1971	Lee Trevino	golf
1972	Mark Spitz	swimming
1973	O. J. Simpson	football
1974	Muhammad Ali	boxing
1975	Fred Lynn	baseball
1976	Bruce Jenner	track and field
1977	Steve Cauthen	horseracing
1978	Ron Guidry	baseball
1979	Willie Stargell	baseball
1980	U.S. Olympic hockey team	hockey
1981	John McEnroe	tennis
1982	Wayne Gretzky	hockey
1983	Carl Lewis	track and field
1984	Carl Lewis	track and field
1985	Dwight Gooden	baseball
1986	Larry Bird	basketball
1987	Ben Johnson	track and field
1988	Orel Hershiser	baseball
1989	Joe Montana	football
1990	Joe Montana	football
1991	Michael Jordan	basketball
1992	Michael Jordan	basketball
1993	Michael Jordan	basketball
1994	George Foreman	boxing
1995	Cal Ripken, Jr.	baseball
1996	Michael Johnson	track and field
1997	Tiger Woods	golf
1998	Mark McGwire	baseball
1999	Tiger Woods	golf
2000	Tiger Woods	golf
2001	Barry Bonds	baseball
2002	Lance Armstrong	cycling
2003	Lance Armstrong	cycling
2004	Lance Armstrong	cycling
2005	Lance Armstrong	cycling
2006	Tiger Woods	golf
2007	Tom Brady	football
Women
1931	Helene Madison	swimming
1932	Babe Didrikson	track and field
1933	Helen Jacobs	tennis
1934	Virginia Van Wie	golf
1935	Helen Wills Moody	tennis
1936	Helen Stephens	track and field
1937	Katherine Rawls	swimming
1938	Patty Berg	golf
1939	Alice Marble	tennis
1940	Alice Marble	tennis
1941	Betty Hicks Newll	golf
1942	Gloria Callen	swimming
1943	Patty Berg	golf
1944	Ann Curtis	swimming
1945	Babe Didrikson Zaharias	golf
1946	Babe Didrikson Zaharias	golf
1947	Babe Didrikson Zaharias	golf
1948	Fanny Blankers-Koen	track and field
1949	Marlene Bauer	golf
1950	Babe Didrikson Zaharias	golf
1951	Maureen Connolly	tennis
1952	Maureen Connolly	tennis
1953	Maureen Connolly	tennis
1954	Babe Didrikson Zaharias	golf
1955	Patty Berg	golf
1956	Pat McCormick	diving
1957	Althea Gibson	tennis
1958	Althea Gibson	tennis
1959	Maria Bueno	tennis
1960	Wilma Rudolph	track and field
1961	Wilma Rudolph	track and field
1962	Dawn Fraser	swimming
1963	Mickey Wright	golf
1964	Mickey Wright	golf
1965	Kathy Whitworth	golf
1966	Kathy Whitworth	golf
1967	Billie Jean King	tennis
1968	Peggy Fleming	skating
1969	Debbie Meyer	swimming
1970	Chi Cheng	track and field
1971	Evonne Goolagong	tennis
1972	Olga Korbut	gymnastics
1973	Billie Jean King	tennis
1974	Chris Evert	tennis
1975	Chris Evert	tennis
1976	Nadia Comaneci	gymnastics
1977	Chris Evert	tennis
1978	Nancy Lopez	golf
1979	Tracy Austin	tennis
1980	Chris Evert Lloyd	tennis
1981	Tracy Austin	tennis
1982	Mary Decker	track and field
1983	Martina Navratilova	tennis
1984	Mary Lou Retton	gymnastics
1985	Nancy Lopez	golf
1986	Martina Navratilova	tennis
1987	Jackie Joyner-Kersee	track and field
1988	Florence Griffith Joyner	track and field
1989	Steffi Graf	tennis
1990	Beth Daniel	golf
1991	Monica Seles	tennis
1992	Monica Seles	tennis
1993	Sheryl Swoopes	basketball
1994	Bonnie Blair	speed skating
1995	Rebecca Lobo	basketball
1996	Amy Van Dyken	swimming
1997	Martina Hingis	tennis
1998	Se Ri Pak	golf
1999	U.S. Women's Soccer Team	soccer
2000	Marion Jones	track and field
2001	Jennifer Capriati	tennis
2002	Serena Williams	tennis
2003	Annika Sörenstam	golf
2004	Annika Sörenstam	golf
2005	Annika Sörenstam	golf
2006	Lorena Ochoa	golf
2007	Lorena Ochoa	golf

Source: Associated Press.

Appears in these articles:

Fleming, Peggy Gale; Comaneci, Nadia; Evert, Chris; Retton, Mary Lou; Johnson, Michael; Navratilova, Martina; Seaver, Tom; Hershiser, Orel; Mantle, Mickey; Johnson, Ben; Jones, Marion; Fraser, Dawn; Robinson, Frank; Whitworth, Kathy; Stargell, Willie; Cauthen, Steve; Blanda, George; Schollander, Don; Johnson, Rafer; Jenner, Bruce; Mathias, Bob; Meyer, Debbie; McCormick, Pat; Spitz, Mark; King, Billie Jean; Montana, Joe; Seles, Monica; Rudolph, Wilma Glodean; Maris, Roger; Koufax, Sandy; Gooden, Dwight; Korbut, Olga; McEnroe, John; Gibson, Althea; Lewis, Carl; Griffith Joyner, Florence; Connolly, Maureen; Foreman, George; Bird, Larry; Joyner-Kersee, Jackie; Hingis, Martina; Wright, Mickey; Graf, Steffi; Williams, Serena; Gretzky, Wayne; Jordan, Michael; Swoopes, Sheryl; McGwire, Mark; Sörenstam, Annika; Armstrong, Lance; Didrikson, Babe; Woods, Tiger; Bonds, Barry; Hogan, Ben; Trevino, Lee; Lopez, Nancy; Capriati, Jennifer

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