''Sports Illustrated'' Sportsperson of the Year
Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the Sportsperson of the Year award to "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement." Both Americans and non-Americans are eligible, though in the past the vast majority of winners have been from the United States. Both men and women have won the award, originally called "Sportsman of the Year" and renamed "Sportswoman of the Year" or "Sportswomen of the Year" when applicable; it is currently known as "Sportsperson of the Year."
Tiger Woods and LeBron James are the only individuals who have received the award more than once. Woods received his first award in 1996 as an amateur golfer, and in 2000 as a professional golfer.[1] James received his first award in 2012 and his second in 2016.[2] They coincidentally have the same birthday, December 30th.
The trophy is a ceramic replica of an ancient Greek amphora (circa 510 BCE) which depicts nude male Hellenistic athletes engaged in a variety of athletic activities—running, discus, and javelin. It measures 8" in diameter and stands 18.5" high (20.32 x 47 cm). The original amphorae was acquired by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1954 and was donated to the "Sports" collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 1979.[3] Winners of the award are now presented with a copy of the amphora made in silver by Tiffany & Co.[4]
Winners
The award's trophy, a ceramic urn depicting great athletes, has been given to the following recipients:
| Year | Winner | Nationality | Sport | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Roger Bannister |  | Track and field | First sub-four-minute mile |
| 1955 | Johnny Podres |  | Baseball | World Series MVP |
| 1956 | Bobby Morrow | | Track and field | Triple Olympic gold medalist |
| 1957 | Stan Musial | | Baseball | National League batting champion |
| 1958 | Rafer Johnson | | Track and field | Decathlon world record |
| 1959 | Ingemar Johansson |  | Boxing | World heavyweight champion |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer | | Golf | PGA Player of the Year |
| 1961 | Jerry Lucas | | College basketball | Final Four MVP |
| 1962 | Terry Baker | | College football | Heisman Trophy winner |
| 1963 | Pete Rozelle | | Professional football | NFL expansion, suspension of Paul Hornung and Alex Karras for gambling |
| 1964 | Ken Venturi | | Golf | U.S. Open champion |
| 1965 | Sandy Koufax | | Baseball | Cy Young Award, strikeout record |
| 1966 | Jim Ryun | | Track and field | Mile world record |
| 1967 | Carl Yastrzemski | | Baseball | Triple Crown winner, AL MVP |
| 1968 | Bill Russell | | Professional basketball | NBA champion player-coach |
| 1969 | Tom Seaver | | Baseball | Cy Young Award, World Series champion |
| 1970 | Bobby Orr |  | Hockey | NHL MVP, Art Ross, Conn Smythe, Norris |
| 1971 | Lee Trevino | | Golf | PGA Player of the Year |
| 1972 | Billie Jean King | | Tennis | Three major titles |
| John Wooden | | College basketball | NCAA champion coach | |
| 1973 | Jackie Stewart | | Auto racing | Formula One World Champion |
| 1974 | Muhammad Ali | | Boxing | World heavyweight champion |
| 1975 | Pete Rose | | Baseball | World Series MVP |
| 1976 | Chris Evert | | Tennis | Two major titles |
| 1977 | Steve Cauthen | | Horse racing | Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey |
| 1978 | Jack Nicklaus | | Golf | British Open champion |
| 1979 | Terry Bradshaw | | Professional football | Super Bowl MVP |
| Willie Stargell | | Baseball | NL MVP, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP | |
| 1980 | U.S. Olympic hockey team | | Hockey | Olympic gold medalists |
| 1981 | Sugar Ray Leonard | | Boxing | World welterweight champion |
| 1982 | Wayne Gretzky | | Hockey | NHL MVP, Art Ross |
| 1983 | Mary Decker | | Track and field | Double world champion |
| 1984 | Edwin Moses | | Track and field | Olympic gold medalist |
| Mary Lou Retton | | Gymnastics | Olympic gold medalist | |
| 1985 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | | Professional basketball | Playoff MVP |
| 1986 | Joe Paterno | | College football | NCAA champion coach |
| 1987 | Bob Bourne | | Hockey | Helped handicapped children's school |
| Judi Brown King | | Track and field | Helped abused children | |
| Kipchoge Keino |  | Track and field | Cared for orphaned children | |
| Dale Murphy | | Baseball | Charity spokesman | |
| Chip Rives | | College football | Helped needy children | |
| Patty Sheehan | | Golf | Helped abused girls | |
| Rory Sparrow | | Professional basketball | Helped school children | |
| Reggie Williams | | Professional football | Helped high school students | |
| 1988 | Orel Hershiser | | Baseball | Cy Young Award, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP |
| 1989 | Greg LeMond | | Cycling | Tour de France and World champion |
| 1990 | Joe Montana | | Professional football | Three-time Super Bowl MVP |
| 1991 | Michael Jordan | | Professional basketball | NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion |
| 1992 | Arthur Ashe | | Tennis | Supported humanitarian causes |
| 1993 | Don Shula | | Professional football | Winningest NFL coach |
| 1994 | Bonnie Blair | | Speed skating | Double Olympic gold medalist |
| Johann Olav Koss |  | Speed skating | Triple Olympic gold medalist | |
| 1995 | Cal Ripken, Jr. | | Baseball | Consecutive games record |
| 1996 | Tiger Woods | | Golf | U.S. Amateur, NCAA champion |
| 1997 | Dean Smith | | College basketball | Winningest college coach at the time of publication |
| 1998 | Mark McGwire | | Baseball | Single-season home run record holder at the time of publication |
| Sammy Sosa |  | Baseball | National League MVP | |
| 1999 | U.S. women's soccer team | | Soccer | World Cup champions |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | | Golf | Three major championships |
| 2001 | Curt Schilling | | Baseball | World Series Co-MVP |
| Randy Johnson | | Baseball | World Series Co-MVP, Cy Young Award | |
| 2002 | Lance Armstrong | | Cycling | Four-time Tour de France winner (wins later disqualified in 2012) |
| 2003 | David Robinson | | Professional basketball | Two-time NBA champion |
| Tim Duncan | | Professional basketball | NBA MVP, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP | |
| 2004 | Boston Red Sox | | Baseball | 2004 World Series champions |
| 2005 | Tom Brady | | Professional football | Two-time Super Bowl MVP, Three-time Super Bowl champion |
| 2006 | Dwyane Wade | | Professional basketball | NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP |
| 2007 | Brett Favre | | Professional football | "For his perseverance and his passion" |
| 2008 | Michael Phelps | | Swimming | Eight gold medals in 2008 Summer Olympics |
| 2009 | Derek Jeter | | Baseball | Five-time World Series Champion |
| 2010 | Drew Brees | | Professional football | Super Bowl MVP and charitable work toward the reconstruction of New Orleans |
| 2011 | Mike Krzyzewski | | College basketball coach | Most wins in NCAA men's Division I history |
| Pat Summitt | | College basketball coach | All-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball | |
| 2012 | LeBron James | | Professional basketball | NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion, Olympic gold medalist |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning | | Professional football | Five-Time NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, single-season touchdown record, AFC Champion |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner | | Baseball | Three-time World Series Champion, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP |
| 2015 | Serena Williams | | Tennis | Three major titles, oldest player to be ranked number one in women's tennis during the Open Era |
| 2016 | LeBron James | | Professional basketball | NBA Finals MVP, NBA Champion, led Cleveland Cavaliers to first title in franchise history |
| 2017 | José Altuve |  | Baseball | American League MVP, World Series Champion, Helped lead the Houston Astros to their first-ever title while the City of Houston was recovering from the impact of Hurricane Harvey. |
| J. J. Watt | | Professional football | Raised more than $37 million in relief aid for the city of Houston, Texas less than a month after the impact of Hurricane Harvey. |
See also
- From 1968 to 2008, a different award with the same name was presented by Sporting News magazine.
- Sports Illustrated Top 20 Female Athletes of the Decade (2009)
- Sports Illustrated Top 20 Male Athletes of the Decade (2009)
- Athlete of the Year
- Associated Press Athlete of the Year (AP)
- ESPY Award
- United Press International Athlete of the Year Award (UPI) (defunct)
- Laureus World Sports Awards (Laureus World Sports Academy)
- BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
- L'Équipe Champion of Champions
References
- ↑ Sens, Josh (December 12, 2015). "Tiger Woods 40 Biggest Moments: No. 19 - 1996 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of Year". Golf.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ↑ Neuharth-Keusch, AJ (December 1, 2016). "LeBron James named SI's Sportsperson of the Year for second time". USA Today. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
- ↑ "Sports Legends Donate To Smithsonian". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press. June 19, 1979. p. 7C. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
- ↑ Hoffarth, Tom (November 3, 2009). "How much is that trophy in the window?". Farther Off The Wall. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
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