Super Bowl MVP Winners List
It is the dream of every professional football player to win a Super Bowl, but many athletes not only aspire to win the Big Game with their teammates, but also to put on a performance worthy of being named Super Bowl MVP. In the long history of the Super Bowl, dozens of players have taken home the MVP Award, some multiple times. Read on for a list of every Super Bowl MVP winner since the first Super Bowl in 1966!
What is the Super Bowl MVP Award?
The Super Bowl MVP Award highlights the performance and achievements of the most valuable player in the game, the player who contributed the most to the excitement and outcome of the contest. The winner of the MVP Award is chosen immediately after the conclusion of the game, and the winner is determined based upon a voting panel of 16 football sportswriters and broadcast analysts, as well as electronic fan votes. The Super Bowl MVP winner receives the Pete Rozelle Trophy, named for former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, which has been given out to the MVP since Super Bowl XXV in 1990.
Overall, the MVP Award tends to be given to the quarterback of the winning team, though there are many examples of it being given to other positions, both offensive and defensive, depending upon performance. Additionally, there are two unique occurrences in Super Bowl MVP, those being the award for Super Bowl XII, which was given to two players (Harvey Martin and Randy White), and the award for Super Bowl V, which was the only MVP Award to be given to a player on the losing team (Chuck Howley).
List of Super Bowl MVP Winners
- Super Bowl I (1966): Bart Starr (QB, Green Bay Packers)
- Super Bowl II (1967): Bart Starr (QB, Green Bay Packers)
- Super Bowl III (1968): Joe Namath (QB, New York Jets)
- Super Bowl IV (1969): Len Dawson (QB, Kansas City Chiefs)
- Super Bowl V (1970): Chuck Howley (LB, Dallas Cowboys)
- Super Bowl VI (1971): Roger Staubach (QB, Dallas Cowboys)
- Super Bowl VII (1972): Jake Scott (S, Miami Dolphins)
- Super Bowl VIII (1973): Larry Csonka (FB, Miami Dolphins)
- Super Bowl IX (1974): Franco Harris (RB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Super Bowl X (1975): Lynn Swann (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Super Bowl XI (1976): Fred Biletnikoff (WR, Oakland Raiders)
- Super Bowl XII (1977): Harvey Martin and Randy White (DL, Dallas Cowboys)
- Super Bowl XIII (1978): Terry Bradshaw (QB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Super Bowl XIV (1979): Terry Bradshaw (QB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Super Bowl XV (1980): Jim Plunkett (QB, Oakland Raiders)
- Super Bowl XVI (1981): Joe Montana (QB, San Francisco 49ers)
- Super Bowl XVII (1982): John Riggins (RB, Washington Redskins)
- Super Bowl XVIII (1983): Marcus Allen (RB, Los Angeles Raiders)
- Super Bowl XIX (1984): Joe Montana (QB, San Francisco 49ers)
- Super Bowl XX (1985): Richard Dent (DE, Chicago Bears)
- Super Bowl XXI (1986): Phil Simms (QB, New York Giants)
- Super Bowl XXII (1987): Doug Williams (QB, Washington Redskins)
- Super Bowl XXIII (1988): Jerry Rice (WR, San Francisco 49ers)
- Super Bowl XXIV (1989): Joe Montana (QB, San Francisco 49ers)
- Super Bowl XXV (1990): Ottis Anderson (RB, New York Giants)
- Super Bowl XXVI (1991): Mark Rypien (QB, Washington Redskins)
- Super Bowl XXVII (1992): Troy Aikman (QB, Dallas Cowboys)
- Super Bowl XXVIII (1993): Emmitt Smith (RB, Dallas Cowboys)
- Super Bowl XXIX (1994): Steve Young (QB, San Francisco 49ers)
- Super Bowl XXX (1995): Larry Brown (CB, Dallas Cowboys)
- Super Bowl XXXI (1996): Desmond Howard (KR, Green Bay Packers)
- Super Bowl XXXII (1997): Terrell Davis (RB, Denver Broncos)
- Super Bowl XXXIII (1998): John Elway (QB, Denver Broncos)
- Super Bowl XXXIV (1999): Kurt Warner (QB, St. Louis Rams)
- Super Bowl XXXV (2000): Ray Lewis (LB, Baltimore Ravens)
- Super Bowl XXXVI (2001): Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl XXXVII (2002): Dexter Jackson (CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003): Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl XXXIX (2004): Deion Branch (WR, New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl XL (2005): Hines Ward (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Super Bowl XLI (2006): Peyton Manning (QB, Indianapolis Colts)
- Super Bowl XLII (2007): Eli Manning (QB, New York Giants)
- Super Bowl XLIII (2008): Santonio Holmes (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Super Bowl XLIV (2009): Drew Brees (QB, New Orleans Saints)
- Super Bowl XLV (2010): Aaron Rodgers (QB, Green Bay Packers)
- Super Bowl XLVI (2011): Eli Manning (QB, New York Giants)
- Super Bowl XLVII (2012): Joe Flacco (QB, Baltimore Ravens)
- Super Bowl XLVIII (2013): Malcolm Smith (LB, Seattle Seahawks)
- Super Bowl XLIX (2014): Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl 50 (2015): Von Miller (LB, Denver Broncos)
- Super Bowl LI (2016): Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl LII (2017): Nick Foles (QB, Philadelphia Eagles)
- Super Bowl LIII (2018): Julian Edelman (WR, New England Patriots)
- Super Bowl LIV (2019): Patrick Mahomes (QB, Kansas City Chiefs)
- Super Bowl LV (2020): Tom Brady (QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Super Bowl LVI (2021): Cooper Kupp (WR, Los Angeles Rams)
- Super Bowl LVII (2022): Patrick Mahomes (QB, Kansas City Chiefs)
Super Bowl MVP Winners By Most Wins
- Tom Brady - 5 Wins
- Joe Montana - 3 Wins
- Bart Starr - 2 Wins
- Terry Bradshaw - 2 Wins
- Eli Manning - 2 Wins
- Patrick Mahones - 2 Wins
Super Bowl MVP Winners By Team
- Dallas Cowboys: 7 Wins
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 6 Wins
- New England Patriots: 6 Wins
- San Francisco 49ers: 5 Wins
- Green Bay Packers: 4 Wins
- New York Giants: 4 Wins
- Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders: 3 Wins
- Washington Redskins: 3 Wins
- Denver Broncos: 3 Wins
- Kansas City Chiefs: 3 Wins
- Miami Dolphins: 2 Wins
- Baltimore Ravens: 2 Wins
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2 Wins
- St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams: 2 Wins
- New York Jets: 1 Win
- Chicago Bears: 1 Win
- Indianapolis Colts: 1 Win
- New Orleans Saints: 1 Win
- Seattle Seahawks: 1 Win
- Philadelphia Eagles: 1 Win
Super Bowl MVP Winners By Position
- Quarterback: 32 Wins
- Wide Receiver: 8 Wins
- Running Back: 7 Wins
- Linebacker: 4 Wins
- Defensive End: 2 Wins
- Safety: 2 Wins
- Cornerback: 1 Win
- Defensive Tackle: 1 Win
- Kick/Punt Returner: 1 Win
FAQ
What is the Super Bowl MVP Award?
The Super Bowl MVP Award is an award given to the most valuable player in the Super Bowl, who put on the best performance during the game. The award can be given out for various reasons, including statistics like touchdowns, yards gained, dramatic plays, or simply overall performance. Overall, the award tends to favor the quarterback of the winning team, but can be given to any player on either team.
Which player has won the most Super Bowl MVP Awards?
Tom Brady is the football player who currently has the most Super Bowl MVP Award wins, with five wins over the course of his career. Brady, who is considered by many to be the greatest quarterback of all time, won his first Super Bowl MVP Award in 2001, for Super Bowl XXXVI. He then won the award in 2003, 2014, 2016, and 2020. Four of Brady’s MVP Awards were with the New England Patriots, while his fifth and most-recent came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Which team has won the most Super Bowl MVP Awards?
The team with the most Super Bowl MVP winners is the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have boasted a total of seven Super Bowl MVP players in their history, with winners in Super Bowls V, VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII, XXX. Notably, in Super Bowl V, Cowboy Chuck Howley was named MVP even though Dallas lost the Super Bowl, while in Super Bowl XII, two of the Cowboys’ players (Harvey Martin and Randy White) were named co-MVPs.
Can a player on the losing team win Super Bowl MVP?
While it only happened once, in 1971, it is indeed possible for a player on the losing team to win the Super Bowl MVP Award. The only player ever to do so was Chuck Howley of the Dallas Cowboys. Though Dallas lost Super Bowl V to the Baltimore Colts, Howley’s performance as a linebacker, which included two interceptions, was impressive enough to earn him the MVP Award.