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.
Year | Male | Female | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Sport | Name | Sport | |
1931 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Swimming |
1932 | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() |
Track and field |
1933 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Tennis |
1934 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1935 | ![]() |
Boxing | ![]() |
Tennis |
1936 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Track and field |
1937 | ![]() |
Tennis | ![]() |
Swimming |
1938 | ![]() |
Tennis | ![]() |
Golf |
1939 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Tennis |
1940 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Tennis |
1941 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1942 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Swimming |
1943 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Golf |
1944 | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() |
Swimming |
1945 | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() |
Golf |
1946 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Golf |
1947 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Golf |
1948 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Track and field |
1949 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Golf |
1950 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1951 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Tennis |
1952 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Tennis |
1953 | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() |
Tennis |
1954 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1955 | ![]() |
College football | ![]() |
Golf |
1956 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Diving |
1957 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Tennis |
1958 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Tennis |
1959 | ![]() |
Boxing | ![]() |
Tennis |
1960 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Track and field |
1961 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Track and field |
1962 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Swimming |
1963 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1964 | ![]() |
Swimming | ![]() |
Golf |
1965 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1966 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1967 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Tennis |
1968 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Figure skating |
1969 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Swimming |
1970 | ![]() |
National Football League | ![]() |
Track and field |
1971 | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() |
Tennis |
1972 | ![]() |
Swimming | ![]() |
Gymnastics |
1973 | ![]() |
National Football League | ![]() |
Tennis |
1974 | ![]() |
Boxing | ![]() |
Tennis |
1975 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Tennis |
1976 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Gymnastics |
1977 | ![]() |
Horse racing | ![]() |
Tennis |
1978 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1979 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Tennis |
1980 | ![]() |
Ice hockey | ![]() |
Tennis |
1981 | ![]() |
Tennis | ![]() |
Tennis |
1982 | ![]() |
National Hockey League | ![]() |
Track and field |
1983 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Tennis |
1984 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Gymnastics |
1985 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1986 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association | ![]() |
Tennis |
1987 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Track and field |
1988 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Track and field |
1989 | ![]() |
National Football League | ![]() |
Tennis |
1990 | ![]() |
National Football League | ![]() |
Golf |
1991 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association | ![]() |
Tennis |
1992 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association | ![]() |
Tennis |
1993 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association | ![]() |
College basketball |
1994 | ![]() |
Boxing | ![]() |
Speed skating |
1995 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
College basketball |
1996 | ![]() |
Track and field | ![]() |
Swimming |
1997 | ![]() |
Golf | ![]() |
Tennis |
1998 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Golf |
1999 | ![]() |
Golf[2] | ![]() |
Soccer |
2000 | ![]() |
Golf[3] | ![]() |
Track and field |
2001 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball[4] | ![]() |
Tennis |
2002 | ![]() |
Road bicycle racing[5] | ![]() |
Tennis |
2003 | ![]() |
Road bicycle racing[6] | ![]() |
Golf |
2004 | ![]() |
Road bicycle racing[7] | ![]() |
Golf |
2005 | ![]() |
Road bicycle racing[8] | ![]() |
Golf |
2006 | ![]() |
Golf[9] | ![]() |
Golf |
2007 | ![]() |
National Football League[10] | ![]() |
Golf |
2008 | ![]() |
Swimming[11] | ![]() |
Women's National Basketball Association |
2009 | ![]() |
NASCAR | ![]() |
Tennis |
2010 | ![]() |
National Football League[13] | ![]() |
Skiing |
2011 | ![]() |
National Football League | ![]() |
Soccer |
2012 | ![]() |
Swimming[15] | ![]() |
Gymnastics |
2013 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association[16] | ![]() |
Tennis |
2014 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Little League baseball |
2015 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association[19] | ![]() |
Tennis |
2016 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association[20] | ![]() |
Gymnastics |
2017 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Swimming |
2018 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association | ![]() |
Tennis |
2019 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association | ![]() |
Gymnastics |
2020 | ![]() |
National Basketball Association | ![]() |
Tennis |
2021 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Women's National Basketball Association |
2022 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Swimming |
2023 | ![]() |
Major League Baseball | ![]() |
Gymnastics |
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 |
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 Sörenstam | 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, 2022 |
Decade | Male | Female | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Sport | Name | Sport | |
1960s | ![]() |
Golf | None Awarded | |
1970s | ![]() |
Golf | ||
1980s | ![]() |
Hockey | ||
1990s | ![]() |
Basketball | ||
2000s | ![]() |
Golf | ||
2010s | ![]() |
Basketball | ![]() |
Tennis |