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.
^"Tiger AP's Male Athlete Of Year". CBS News. Associated Press. December 27, 1999. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^Ferguson, Doug (December 27, 2000). "Year of the Tiger". Missoulian. Associated Press. from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"Barry Bonds Voted The Associated Press Male of the Year". Jet. 101 (4): 52. January 12, 2002. Retrieved March 15, 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. from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"NAMES & GAMES Lance Armstrong: AP Male Athlete of the Year". New Haven Register. December 29, 2003. from the original on March 15, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^Vertuno, Jim (December 29, 2004). "Armstrong, Sorenstam honored as athletes of year". Deseret News. Associated Press. from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"Lance Armstrong wins AP male athlete honours". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 28, 2005. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"Woods wins AP male athlete award for 2006". Orlando Sentinel. December 26, 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^Flannery, Paul (December 21, 2007). "Tom Brady's Charmed Year Continues". Boston. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"Michael Phelps Named The Associated Press Top Sports Story, AP Male Athlete of 2008". Swimming World. December 24, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"Johnson is AP's top male athlete of '09". Associated Press (ESPN.com). December 21, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
^Triplett, Mike (December 18, 2010). "New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees fourth QB to be named AP Athlete of the Year". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^Markovich, Tony (December 21, 2011). "Associated Press Votes Aaron Rodgers 2011 Male Athlete of the Year". Complex. from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"Michael Phelps Named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year". Swimming World. December 20, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^Schilken, Chuck (December 26, 2013). "LeBron James named Associated Press' male athlete of the year". Los Angeles Times. from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^"Madison Bumgarner gets AP honor". Associated Press (via ESPN.com). December 30, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
^. Archived from the original on 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
^Herbert, James (December 26, 2015). "Warriors' Stephen Curry named AP Male Athlete of the Year". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
^Withers, Tom (December 27, 2016). "Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James named AP Male Athlete of Year". The News-Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
^"Astros star Jose Altuve named AP Male Athlete of the Year". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 27, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
^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]
^Holleran, Andrew (December 27, 2018). "Associated Press Names Its 2018 Male Athlete Of The Year". thespun.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
^Mahoney, Brian (December 26, 2018). "Serena voted AP Female Athlete of the Year for 5th time". The Associated Press. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
^"Kawhi Leonard and Simone Biles Are AP's Athletes of the Year". complex.com. December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
^"One of a kind: Ohtani wins AP Male Athlete of Year award". apnews.com/. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
^"Candace Parker voted AP Female Athlete of Year for 2nd time". Associated Press. 29 December 2021.
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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 1 AP Athlete of the Year 2 Multiple awards 3 AP Athlete of the Decade 4 Footnotes 5 NotesAP Athlete of the Year editList of award winners Year Male Female Name Sport Name Sport 1931 nbsp Pepper Martin Major League Baseball nbsp Helene Madison Swimming 1932 nbsp Gene Sarazen Golf nbsp Babe Didrikson Track and field 1933 nbsp Carl Hubbell Major League Baseball nbsp Helen Jacobs Tennis 1934 nbsp Dizzy Dean Major League Baseball nbsp Virginia Van Wie Golf 1935 nbsp Joe Louis Boxing nbsp Helen Wills Moody Tennis 1936 nbsp Jesse Owens Track and field nbsp Helen Stephens Track and field 1937 nbsp Don Budge Tennis nbsp Katherine Rawls Swimming 1938 nbsp Don Budge 2 Tennis nbsp Patty Berg Golf 1939 nbsp Nile Kinnick College football nbsp Alice Marble Tennis 1940 nbsp Tom Harmon College football nbsp Alice Marble 2 Tennis 1941 nbsp Joe DiMaggio Major League Baseball nbsp Betty Hicks Newell Golf 1942 nbsp Frank Sinkwich College football nbsp Gloria Callen Swimming 1943 nbsp Gunder Hagg Track and field nbsp Patty Berg 2 Golf 1944 nbsp Byron Nelson Golf nbsp Ann Curtis Swimming 1945 nbsp Byron Nelson 2 Golf nbsp Babe Didrikson Zaharias 2 Golf 1946 nbsp Glenn Davis College football nbsp Babe Didrikson Zaharias 3 Golf 1947 nbsp Johnny Lujack College football nbsp Babe Didrikson Zaharias 4 Golf 1948 nbsp Lou Boudreau Major League Baseball nbsp Fanny Blankers Koen Track and field 1949 nbsp Leon Hart College football nbsp Marlene Bauer Golf 1950 nbsp Jim Konstanty Major League Baseball nbsp Babe Didrikson Zaharias 5 Golf 1951 nbsp Dick Kazmaier College football nbsp Maureen Connolly Tennis 1952 nbsp Bob Mathias Track and field nbsp Maureen Connolly 2 Tennis 1953 nbsp Ben Hogan Golf nbsp Maureen Connolly 3 Tennis 1954 nbsp Willie Mays Major League Baseball nbsp Babe Didrikson Zaharias 6 Golf 1955 nbsp Howard Cassady College football nbsp Patty Berg 3 Golf 1956 nbsp Mickey Mantle Major League Baseball nbsp Pat McCormick Diving 1957 nbsp Ted Williams Major League Baseball nbsp Althea Gibson Tennis 1958 nbsp Herb Elliott Track and field nbsp Althea Gibson 2 Tennis 1959 nbsp Ingemar Johansson Boxing nbsp Maria Bueno Tennis 1960 nbsp Rafer Johnson Track and field nbsp Wilma Rudolph Track and field 1961 nbsp Roger Maris Major League Baseball nbsp Wilma Rudolph 2 Track and field 1962 nbsp Maury Wills Major League Baseball nbsp Dawn Fraser Swimming 1963 nbsp Sandy Koufax Major League Baseball nbsp Mickey Wright Golf 1964 nbsp Don Schollander Swimming nbsp Mickey Wright 2 Golf 1965 nbsp Sandy Koufax 2 Major League Baseball nbsp Kathy Whitworth Golf 1966 nbsp Frank Robinson Major League Baseball nbsp Kathy Whitworth 2 Golf 1967 nbsp Carl Yastrzemski Major League Baseball nbsp Billie Jean King Tennis 1968 nbsp Denny McLain Major League Baseball nbsp Peggy Fleming Figure skating 1969 nbsp Tom Seaver Major League Baseball nbsp Debbie Meyer Swimming 1970 nbsp George Blanda National Football League nbsp Chi Cheng Track and field 1971 nbsp Lee Trevino Golf nbsp Evonne Goolagong Tennis 1972 nbsp Mark Spitz Swimming nbsp Olga Korbut Gymnastics 1973 nbsp O J Simpson National Football League nbsp Billie Jean King 2 Tennis 1974 nbsp Muhammad Ali Boxing nbsp Chris Evert Tennis 1975 nbsp Fred Lynn Major League Baseball nbsp Chris Evert 2 Tennis 1976 nbsp Bruce Jenner Track and field nbsp Nadia Comăneci Gymnastics 1977 nbsp Steve Cauthen Horse racing nbsp Chris Evert 3 Tennis 1978 nbsp Ron Guidry Major League Baseball nbsp Nancy Lopez Golf 1979 nbsp Willie Stargell Major League Baseball nbsp Tracy Austin Tennis 1980 nbsp U S Olympic hockey team Ice hockey nbsp Chris Evert Lloyd 4 Tennis 1981 nbsp John McEnroe Tennis nbsp Tracy Austin 2 Tennis 1982 nbsp Wayne Gretzky National Hockey League nbsp Mary Tabb Track and field 1983 nbsp Carl Lewis Track and field nbsp Martina Navratilova Tennis 1984 nbsp Carl Lewis 2 Track and field nbsp Mary Lou Retton Gymnastics 1985 nbsp Dwight Gooden Major League Baseball nbsp Nancy Lopez 2 Golf 1986 nbsp Larry Bird National Basketball Association nbsp Martina Navratilova 2 Tennis 1987 nbsp Ben Johnson Track and field nbsp Jackie Joyner Kersee Track and field 1988 nbsp Orel Hershiser Major League Baseball nbsp Florence Griffith Joyner Track and field 1989 nbsp Joe Montana National Football League nbsp Steffi Graf Tennis 1990 nbsp Joe Montana 2 National Football League nbsp Beth Daniel Golf 1991 nbsp Michael Jordan National Basketball Association nbsp Monica Seles 1 Tennis 1992 nbsp Michael Jordan 2 National Basketball Association nbsp Monica Seles 2 Tennis 1993 nbsp Michael Jordan 3 National Basketball Association nbsp Sheryl Swoopes College basketball 1994 nbsp George Foreman Boxing nbsp Bonnie Blair Speed skating 1995 nbsp Cal Ripken Jr Major League Baseball nbsp Rebecca Lobo College basketball 1996 nbsp Michael Johnson Track and field nbsp Amy Van Dyken Swimming 1997 nbsp Tiger Woods Golf nbsp Martina Hingis Tennis 1998 nbsp Mark McGwire Major League Baseball nbsp Se Ri Pak Golf 1999 nbsp Tiger Woods 2 Golf 2 nbsp U S women s soccer team Soccer 2000 nbsp Tiger Woods 3 Golf 3 nbsp Marion Jones Track and field 2001 nbsp Barry Bonds Major League Baseball 4 nbsp Jennifer Capriati Tennis 2002 nbsp Lance Armstrong Road bicycle racing 5 nbsp Serena Williams Tennis 2003 nbsp Lance Armstrong 2 Road bicycle racing 6 nbsp Annika Sorenstam Golf 2004 nbsp Lance Armstrong 3 Road bicycle racing 7 nbsp Annika Sorenstam 2 Golf 2005 nbsp Lance Armstrong 4 Road bicycle racing 8 nbsp Annika Sorenstam 3 Golf 2006 nbsp Tiger Woods 4 Golf 9 nbsp Lorena Ochoa Golf 2007 nbsp Tom Brady National Football League 10 nbsp Lorena Ochoa 2 Golf 2008 nbsp Michael Phelps Swimming 11 nbsp Candace Parker Women s National Basketball Association 2009 nbsp Jimmie Johnson 12 NASCAR nbsp Serena Williams 2 Tennis 2010 nbsp Drew Brees National Football League 13 nbsp Lindsey Vonn Skiing 2011 nbsp Aaron Rodgers 14 National Football League nbsp Abby Wambach Soccer 2012 nbsp Michael Phelps 2 Swimming 15 nbsp Gabby Douglas Gymnastics 2013 nbsp LeBron James National Basketball Association 16 nbsp Serena Williams 3 Tennis 2014 nbsp Madison Bumgarner 17 Major League Baseball nbsp Mo ne Davis 18 Little League baseball 2015 nbsp Stephen Curry National Basketball Association 19 nbsp Serena Williams 4 Tennis 2016 nbsp LeBron James 2 National Basketball Association 20 nbsp Simone Biles Gymnastics 2017 nbsp Jose Altuve 21 Major League Baseball nbsp Katie Ledecky 22 Swimming 2018 nbsp LeBron James 3 23 National Basketball Association nbsp Serena Williams 5 24 Tennis 2019 nbsp Kawhi Leonard 25 National Basketball Association nbsp Simone Biles 2 Gymnastics 2020 nbsp LeBron James 4 National Basketball Association nbsp Naomi Osaka Tennis 2021 nbsp Shohei Ohtani 26 Major League Baseball nbsp Candace Parker 2 27 Women s National Basketball Association 2022 nbsp Aaron Judge Major League Baseball nbsp Katie Ledecky 2 Swimming 2023 nbsp Shohei Ohtani 2 Major League Baseball nbsp Simone Biles 3 GymnasticsMultiple awards editList of male award winners Name Sport Awards Years Lance Armstrong Road bicycle racing 4 2002 2003 2004 2005 Tiger Woods Golf 4 1997 1999 2000 2006 LeBron James Basketball 4 2013 2016 2018 2020 Michael Jordan Basketball 3 1991 1992 1993 Don Budge Tennis 2 1937 1938 Sandy Koufax Baseball 2 1963 1965 Carl Lewis Track and field 2 1983 1984 Joe Montana American football 2 1989 1990 Byron Nelson Golf 2 1944 1945 Shohei Ohtani Baseball 2 2021 2023 Michael Phelps Swimming 2 2008 2012 List of female award winners Name Sport Awards Years Babe Didrikson Golf Track and field 6 1932 1945 1946 1947 1950 1954 Serena Williams Tennis 5 2002 2009 2013 2015 2018 Chris Evert Tennis 4 1974 1975 1977 1980 Maureen Connolly Tennis 3 1951 1952 1953 Annika Sorenstam Golf 3 2003 2004 2005 Simone Biles Gymnastics 3 2016 2019 2023 Alice Marble Tennis 2 1939 1940 Althea Gibson Tennis 2 1957 1958 Wilma Rudolph Track and field 2 1960 1961 Mickey Wright Golf 2 1963 1964 Kathy Whitworth Golf 2 1965 1966 Billie Jean King Tennis 2 1967 1973 Tracy Austin Golf 2 1979 1981 Nancy Lopez Golf 2 1978 1985 Martina Navratilova Tennis 2 1983 1986 Monica Seles Tennis 2 1991 1992 Lorena Ochoa Golf 2 2006 2007 Candace Parker Basketball 2 2008 2021 Katie Ledecky Swimming 2 2017 2022AP Athlete of the Decade editList of award winners Decade Male Female Name Sport Name Sport 1960s nbsp Arnold Palmer Golf None Awarded 1970s nbsp Jack Nicklaus Golf 1980s nbsp Wayne Gretzky Hockey 1990s nbsp Michael Jordan Basketball 2000s nbsp Tiger Woods Golf 2010s nbsp LeBron James Basketball nbsp Serena Williams TennisFootnotes edit Became a U S citizen in 1994 Tiger AP s Male Athlete Of Year CBS News Associated Press December 27 1999 Retrieved March 15 2019 Ferguson Doug December 27 2000 Year of the Tiger Missoulian Associated Press Archived from the original on March 15 2019 Retrieved March 15 2019 Barry Bonds Voted The Associated Press Male of the Year Jet 101 4 52 January 12 2002 Retrieved March 15 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 March 15 2019 NAMES amp 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 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 Lance Armstrong wins AP male athlete honours Canadian Broadcasting Corporation December 28 2005 Retrieved March 15 2019 Woods wins AP male athlete award for 2006 Orlando Sentinel December 26 2006 Retrieved March 15 2019 Flannery Paul December 21 2007 Tom Brady s Charmed Year Continues Boston Retrieved March 15 2019 Michael Phelps Named The Associated Press Top Sports Story AP Male Athlete of 2008 Swimming World December 24 2008 Retrieved March 15 2019 Johnson is AP s top male athlete of 09 Associated Press ESPN com December 21 2009 Retrieved 2010 08 30 Triplett Mike December 18 2010 New Orleans Saints Drew Brees fourth QB to be named AP Athlete of the Year The Times Picayune Retrieved March 15 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 March 15 2019 Michael Phelps Named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year Swimming World December 20 2012 Retrieved March 15 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 March 15 2019 Madison Bumgarner gets AP honor Associated Press via ESPN com December 30 2014 Retrieved December 30 2014 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 Herbert James December 26 2015 Warriors Stephen Curry named AP Male Athlete of the Year CBS Sports Retrieved March 15 2019 Withers Tom December 27 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James named AP Male Athlete of Year The News Herald Associated Press Retrieved March 14 2019 Astros star Jose Altuve named AP Male Athlete of the Year ESPN com Associated Press December 27 2017 Retrieved December 27 2017 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 Holleran Andrew December 27 2018 Associated Press Names Its 2018 Male Athlete Of The Year thespun com Retrieved September 10 2019 Mahoney Brian December 26 2018 Serena voted AP Female Athlete of the Year for 5th time The Associated Press Retrieved September 10 2019 Kawhi Leonard and Simone Biles Are AP s Athletes of the Year complex com December 28 2019 Retrieved December 28 2019 One of a kind Ohtani wins AP Male Athlete of Year award apnews com December 28 2021 Retrieved December 28 2021 Candace Parker voted AP Female Athlete of Year for 2nd time Associated Press 29 December 2021 Notes editAdapted from the article Associated Press Athlete of the Year from Wikinfo licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Associated Press Athlete of the Year amp oldid 1192159796, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
