# Hickok Belt

The S. Rae Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year award, commonly known as the Hickok Belt, is a trophy awarded to the top professional athlete of the year in the United States. First awarded from 1950 to 1976, it was dormant until being revived in 2012, and continues to be awarded.

## History

The award was created by Ray and Alan Hickok in honor of their father, Stephen Rae Hickok, who had died unexpectedly in December 1945. Hickok had founded the Hickok Manufacturing Company of Rochester, New York, which made belts—hence the choice of a belt for the trophy.
The trophy was an alligator-skin belt with a solid-gold buckle, an encrusted 4-carat (0.80 g) diamond, and 26 gem chips. It was valued at $10,000 in 1951 ($121,141 in 2024), and its presentation was a major event in sporting news of the day.
A group of 200 sportswriters throughout the U.S. selected monthly winners, with an annual winner (who received the belt) selected from those honorees. For the first 21 years, from 1950 to 1970, the belt was awarded in Rochester at the annual Rochester Press-Radio Club dinner. After the Hickok company was taken over by the Tandy Corporation, the award was presented in larger cities such as Chicago or New York. After the 1976 annual award was presented, monthly awards were issued through October 1977 (naming a September winner), then halted. The award remained dormant for a number of years.
During the first 27 years the annual award was presented, it was won 15 times by baseball players, five times by football players, four times by boxers, and three times by golfers. The only two-time winner was Sandy Koufax, in 1963 and 1965.

### Revival

In 2010, Tony Liccione, the president of the Rochester Boxing Hall of Fame, announced plans to reinstate the Hickok Belt starting in 2012. The mold for the belt used from 1951 onward was found and planned to be used again. Liccione invited the 18 surviving belt winners (except O. J. Simpson, who at the time was incarcerated in Nevada) to the Comeback Dinner, which was held on October 16, 2011, at St. John Fisher College.
Since being re-established in 2012, the award has been based on a vote by the National Sports Media Association; however, there have been no public award ceremonies or belt presentations. A 20-member panel chooses one athlete each month, with the 12 monthly winners being eligible for the award at the end of the calendar year.
From 2012 through the 2023 award, five winners have been basketball players, four have been baseball players, two have been football players, and one has been a swimmer. There have been three two-time winners: LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, and Shohei Ohtani.

## Winners
### 1950–1976

The following athletes won the award during its original term. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate that monthly winners were also named, only some of whom are included in this table.
| Year | Winner | Sport | Monthly winners |
| 1950 | Phil Rizzuto | Baseball | Ben Hogan, Johnny Longden, George Mikan, Jimmy Demaret, Stan Musial, Ben Hogan, Johnny Mize, Jim Konstanty, Ezzard Charles, George Ratterman & Phil Rizzuto (tie), Joe Culmone, Lou Groza |
| 1951 | Allie Reynolds | Baseball | Babe Didrikson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Maurice Richard, Ben Hogan, Conn McCreary, Irish Bob Murphy, Jersey Joe Walcott, Bob Feller, Allie Reynolds, Rocky Marciano, Otto Graham, Charlie Burr |
| 1952 | Rocky Marciano | Boxing | George Mikan, Chico Vejar, Willie Hoppe & Jackie Burke (tie), Sal Maglie, Bobby Shantz, Jersey Joe Walcott & Julius Boros (tie), Rocky Marciano, Virgil Trucks, Rocky Marciano, Mickey Mantle, Anthony DeSpirito, Anthony DeSpirito |
| 1953 | Ben Hogan | Golf | |
| 1954 | Willie Mays | Baseball | |
| 1955 | Otto Graham | Football | |
| 1956 | Mickey Mantle | Baseball | |
| 1957 | Carmen Basilio | Boxing | |
| 1958 | Bob Turley | Baseball | |
| 1959 | Ingemar Johansson | Boxing | |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer | Golf | |
| 1961 | Roger Maris | Baseball | |
| 1962 | Maury Wills | Baseball | |
| 1963 | Sandy Koufax | Baseball | |
| 1964 | Jim Brown | Football | |
| 1965 | Sandy Koufax (2) | Baseball | |
| 1966 | Frank Robinson | Baseball | |
| 1967 | Carl Yastrzemski | Baseball | |
| 1968 | Joe Namath | Football | |
| 1969 | Tom Seaver | Baseball | |
| 1970 | Brooks Robinson | Baseball | |
| 1971 | Lee Trevino | Golf | |
| 1972 | Steve Carlton | Baseball | |
| 1973 | O. J. Simpson | Football | |
| 1974 | Muhammad Ali | Boxing | |
| 1975 | Pete Rose | Baseball | |
| 1976 | Ken Stabler | Football | |
| 1977 | not issued | — | Steve Cauthen, Steve Cauthen, Jimmy Young, Tom Watson, A. J. Foyt, Bill Walton, Tom Watson, Lou Brock, Guillermo Vilas, not issued (Oct–Dec) |
Source:

### 2012–present

| Year | Winner | Sport | Monthly winners |
| 2012 | LeBron James | Basketball | Eli Manning Jeremy Lin Lindsey Vonn Bubba Watson Josh Hamilton LeBron James Serena Williams Usain Bolt Serena Williams Pablo Sandoval Brad Keselowski Adrian Peterson |
| 2013 | LeBron James (2) | Basketball | Colin Kaepernick Joe Flacco LeBron James LeBron James Miguel Cabrera LeBron James Phil Mickelson Miguel Cabrera Peyton Manning David Ortiz Jimmie Johnson Peyton Manning |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner | Baseball | Kevin Durant Carey Price Tuukka Rask Bubba Watson Nelson Cruz Clayton Kershaw Rory McIlroy Rory McIlroy Jordan Zimmermann Madison Bumgarner Aaron Rodgers Marshawn Lynch |
| 2015 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | Tom Brady James Harden Jordan Spieth Bryce Harper LeBron James Carli Lloyd Jake Arrieta Jordan Spieth Daniel Murphy Stephen Curry |
| 2016 | Michael Phelps | Swimming | Novak Djokovic Stephen Curry Jason Day Jake Arrieta Clayton Kershaw LeBron James Serena Williams Michael Phelps Rory McIlroy Corey Kluber Ben Zobrist Aaron Rodgers |
| 2017 | Jose Altuve | Baseball | Serena Williams Tom Brady Russell Westbrook Sergio García LeBron James Kevin Durant José Altuve Giancarlo Stanton Corey Kluber José Altuve George Springer James Harden |
| 2018 | Patrick Mahomes | Football | Nick Foles LeBron James Kevin Durant Matt Carpenter Brooks Koepka Christian Yelich Steve Pearce Simone Biles Patrick Mahomes |
| 2019 | Kawhi Leonard | Basketball | Tom Brady Julian Edelman Kyle Busch Tiger Woods Brooks Koepka Kawhi Leonard Novak Djokovic Rory McIlroy Gerrit Cole Stephen Strasburg Lamar Jackson Jimmy Garoppolo |
| 2020 | Patrick Mahomes (2) | Football | Patrick Mahomes Tyson Fury No award (Mar.) No award (Apr.) No award (May) Dustin Johnson Jon Rahm Donovan Mitchell Bryson DeChambeau LeBron James Dustin Johnson Josh Allen |
| 2021 | Shohei Ohtani | Baseball | Patrick Mahomes Naomi Osaka Luka Dončić Hideki Matsuyama Phil Mickelson Shohei Ohtani Caeleb Dressel Athing Mu Emma Raducanu Eddie Rosario Jorge Soler Joe Burrow |
| 2022 | Aaron Judge | Baseball | Cooper Kupp Cooper Kupp Giannis Antetokounmpo Scottie Scheffler Justin Thomas Stephen Curry Novak Djokovic Rory McIlroy Aaron Judge Bryce Harper Luka Dončić Lionel Messi |
| 2023 | Nikola Jokić | Basketball | Mikaela Shiffrin Damian Lillard Mikaela Shiffrin Jon Rahm Nikola Jokić Nikola Jokić Carlos Alcaraz Simone Biles Coco Gauff Simone Biles and Adolis García (tie) Dak Prescott Joel Embiid |
| 2024 | Shohei Ohtani (2) | Baseball | Jannik Sinner Patrick Mahomes Mikaela Shiffrin Scottie Scheffler Luka Dončić Simone Biles Simone Biles Katie Ledecky Shohei Ohtani Freddie Freeman Joey Logano Saquon Barkley |
| 2025 | | | Saquon Barkley |
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