Since its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated magazine has annually presented the "Sportsman 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, it being renamed as "Sportswoman" or "Sportswomen," such as 1999 when the U.S. Women's Soccer Team was named Sportswomen of the Year.
The award's trophy, a ceramic urn depicting Greek athletes, has been given to the following recipients:
| Year | Winner | 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 |
| 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 |
| 1968 | Bill Russell | Professional basketball | NBA champion player-coach |
| 1969 | Tom Seaver | Baseball | Cy Young Award |
| 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 | 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 | "Athletes Who Care" | ||
| Bob Bourne | Hockey | Helped handicapped children's school | |
| Judi Brown King | Track and field | Helped abused children | |
| Kip 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, World Series MVP |
| 1989 | Greg LeMond | Cycling | Tour de France winner |
| 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 |
| 2003 | David Robinson | Professional basketball | Two-time NBA champion |
| Tim Duncan | Professional basketball | NBA MVP, Playoff MVP | |
| 2004 | Boston Red Sox | Professional baseball team | 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 Division I history |
| Pat Summitt | College basketball coach | All-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball | |
Famous quotes containing the word year:
“Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–1894)