# Jim Thorpe Trophy

The Jim Thorpe Memorial Trophy was an American football award presented by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) to the most valuable player (MVP) of the National Football League (NFL) from 1955 to 2008. It was the only NFL MVP award whose winner was chosen by a poll of NFL players. By 1975, the Jim Thorpe Trophy was described by the TimesDaily as "one of the pros' most coveted honors." In 1983, the Del Rio News Herald called it the "highest professional football award, period." Earl Campbell was the first player to win the award in consecutive seasons, capturing three straight from 1978 to 1980. Quarterbacks Charlie Conerly (1959) and Roman Gabriel (1969) won the trophy despite not being voted to the NEA's All-Pro first team in their respective seasons—Johnny Unitas was named to the first team over Conerly, while Sonny Jurgensen got the nod over Gabriel.
The award was founded by Murray Olderman, a sportswriter and cartoonist for the NEA. It was named in honor of Jim Thorpe, a professional football pioneer who was a player and the first president of what became the NFL. At the award's inception, Olderman sent ballots to every player in the league. Coaches joined the players in the voting process in 1975. Starting in 1987, the award became a joint project between the NEA, Jim Thorpe Association, and National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Olderman also left the NEA that year and ended his association with the award. The NFLPA took over the balloting and added Pro Football Hall of Fame members to the voting panel in place of coaches.
The first recipient of the Jim Thorpe Trophy was Harlon Hill of the Chicago Bears, who was presented the trophy by NEA sports editor Harry Grayson in a televised halftime ceremony from the 1956 Pro Bowl in Los Angeles. In addition to Pro Bowl halftimes, subsequent years also saw the presentation televised on the final regular season weekend in either a pregame or halftime event. It was even on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958. The presentation moved to the pregame show for the NFL championship game starting in 1961. In 1967, the winner was presented the trophy in a party at CBS Television City in Los Angeles for NEA's All-Pro selections, which was filmed and shown nationally during halftime of the Pro Bowl. In subsequent years, CBS aired a half-hour special before the Pro Bowl featuring the Jim Thorpe Trophy winner along with the All-Pros. After years of holding an awards banquet in New York, the ceremony was discontinued around 1980. Olderman and the NEA sought a sponsor. The Jim Thorpe Association of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, took over the presentation of the trophy in 1987, presenting it at the existing awards banquet for their Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the top defensive back in college football. The NFL trophy was redesigned that year to feature a bronze statuette of Jim Thorpe.

## Awardees

Award winners :
| Season | Player | Team | Position |
| 1955 | Harlon Hill | Chicago Bears | End |
| 1956 | Frank Gifford | New York Giants | Running back |
| 1957 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts | Quarterback |
| 1958 | Jim Brown | Cleveland Browns | Fullback |
| 1959 | Charlie Conerly | New York Giants | Quarterback |
| 1960 | Norm Van Brocklin | Philadelphia Eagles | Quarterback |
| 1961 | Y. A. Tittle | New York Giants | Quarterback |
| 1962 | Jim Taylor | Green Bay Packers | Running back |
| 1963 | Y. A. Tittle (2) | New York Giants | Quarterback |
| 1963 | Jim Brown (2) | Cleveland Browns | Running back |
| 1964 | Lenny Moore | Baltimore Colts | Halfback |
| 1965 | Jim Brown (3) | Cleveland Browns | Running back |
| 1966 | Bart Starr | Green Bay Packers | Quarterback |
| 1967 | Johnny Unitas (2) | Baltimore Colts | Quarterback |
| 1968 | Earl Morrall | Baltimore Colts | Quarterback |
| 1969 | Roman Gabriel | Los Angeles Rams | Quarterback |
| 1970 | John Brodie | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| 1971 | Bob Griese | Miami Dolphins | Quarterback |
| 1972 | Larry Brown | Washington Redskins | Running back |
| 1973 | O. J. Simpson | Buffalo Bills | Running back |
| 1974 | Ken Stabler | Oakland Raiders | Quarterback |
| 1975 | Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota Vikings | Quarterback |
| 1976 | Bert Jones | Baltimore Colts | Quarterback |
| 1977 | Walter Payton | Chicago Bears | Running back |
| 1978 | Earl Campbell | Houston Oilers | Running back |
| 1979 | Earl Campbell (2) | Houston Oilers | Running back |
| 1980 | Earl Campbell (3) | Houston Oilers | Running back |
| 1981 | Ken Anderson | Cincinnati Bengals | Quarterback |
| 1982 | Dan Fouts | San Diego Chargers | Quarterback |
| 1983 | Joe Theismann | Washington Redskins | Quarterback |
| 1984 | Dan Marino | Miami Dolphins | Quarterback |
| 1985 | Walter Payton (2) | Chicago Bears | Running back |
| 1986 | Phil Simms | New York Giants | Quarterback |
| 1987 | Jerry Rice | San Francisco 49ers | Wide receiver |
| 1988 | Roger Craig | San Francisco 49ers | Running back |
| 1989 | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| 1990 | Warren Moon | Houston Oilers | Quarterback |
| 1991 | Thurman Thomas | Buffalo Bills | Running back |
| 1992 | Emmitt Smith | Dallas Cowboys | Running back |
| 1993 | Emmitt Smith (2) | Dallas Cowboys | Running back |
| 1994 | Steve Young | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| 1995 | Brett Favre | Green Bay Packers | Quarterback |
| 1996 | Brett Favre (2) | Green Bay Packers | Quarterback |
| 1997 | Barry Sanders | Detroit Lions | Running back |
| 1998 | Randall Cunningham | Minnesota Vikings | Quarterback |
| 1999 | Kurt Warner | St. Louis Rams | Quarterback |
| 2000 | Marshall Faulk | St. Louis Rams | Running back |
| 2001 | Kurt Warner (2) | St. Louis Rams | Quarterback |
| 2002 | Rich Gannon | Oakland Raiders | Quarterback |
| 2003 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | Quarterback |
| 2004 | Peyton Manning (2) | Indianapolis Colts | Quarterback |
| 2005 | Shaun Alexander | Seattle Seahawks | Running back |
| 2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson | San Diego Chargers | Running back |
| 2007 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | Quarterback |
| 2008 | Kurt Warner (3) | Arizona Cardinals | Quarterback |