Discover the Colleges That Have Produced the Most NFL MVPs & AFL MVPs
Notre Dame has produced the most Most Valuable Player Seasons
Former Notre Dame QB Joe Montana earned two NFL MVP awards with the San Francisco 49ers. Additional Irish players to include Paul Hornung, Daryle LaMonica, Alan Page and Joe Theismann also earned league MVP honors to place Notre Dame first on the list with the most (6) NFL MVP seasons produced by a college.
The Top NFL-AFL MVP Season Leaders Are:
- Notre Dame 6 - Joe Montana (2), Paul Hornung, Daryle LaMonica, Alan Page, Joe Theismann
- Alabama 5 - Joe Namath (2 AFL), Bart Starr, Ken Stabler, Shaun Alexander
- Tennessee 5 - Peyton Manning (5)
- California 4 - Aaron Rodgers (4)
- Louisville - Johnny Unitas (3), Lamar Jackson
- Syracuse 4 - Jim Brown (3), Jim Nance
- LSU 3 - Jimmy Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, Bert Jones
- Southern Miss 3 - Brett Favre (3)
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The AP NFL MVP award was first presented in 1957
When former Syracuse Orangemen Jim Brown earned the first Associated Press NFL MVP Award as a member of the Cleveland Browns, both NFL and collegiate fans began to follow this award earnestly. With the prestige associated with being a winner of this individual award, not only do that NFL team's fans cheer with delight, but so do the college fans who once enjoyed seeing that star shine on Football Saturdays.
Year by year player listing by college and NFL team
| Year | AP NFL/AFL MVP | Pro Team | College |
| 1957 | Jim Brown | Cleveland Browns | Syracuse |
| 1958 | Jim Brown | Cleveland Browns | Syracuse |
| 1959 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts | Louisville |
| 1960 | Norm Van Brocklin | Philadelphia Eagles | Oregon |
| 1961 | Paul Hornung | Green Bay Packers | Notre Dame |
| 1961 | George Blanda | (AFL) Houston Oilers | Kentucky |
| 1962 | Jim Taylor | Green Bay Packers | LSU |
| 1962 | Cookie Gilchrist | (AFL) Buffalo Bills | None |
| 1963 | Y.A. Tittle | New York Giants | LSU |
| 1963 | Tobin Rote | (AFL)San Diego Chargers | Rice |
| 1964 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts | Louisville |
| 1964 | Gino Cappelliti | (AFL) Boston Patriots | Minnesota |
| 1965 | Jim Brown | Cleveland Browns | Syracuse |
| 1965 | Jack Kemp | (AFL) Buffalo Bills | Occidental |
| 1966 | Bart Starr | Green Bay Packers | Alabama |
| 1966 | Jim Nance | (AFL) Boston Patriots | Syracuse |
| 1967 | Johnny Unitas | Baltimore Colts | Louisville |
| 1967 | Daryle LaMonica | (AFL) Oakland Raiders | Notre Dame |
| 1968 | Earl Morral | Baltimore Colts | Michigan State |
| 1968 | Joe Namath | (AFL) New York Jets | Alabama |
| 1969 | Roman Gabriel | Los Angeles Rams | N.C. State |
| 1969 | Joe Namath | (AFL) New York Jets | Alabama |
| 1970 | John Brodie | San Francisco 49ers | Stanford |
| 1971 | Alan Page | Minnesota Vikings | Notre Dame |
| 1972 | Larry Brown | Washington Redskins | Kansas State |
| 1973 | O.J. Simpson | Buffalo Bills | USC |
| 1974 | Ken Stabler | Oakland Raiders | Alabama |
| 1975 | Fran Tarkenton | Minnesota Vikings | Georgia |
| 1976 | Bert Jones | Baltimore Colts | LSU |
| 1977 | Walter Payton | Chicago Bears | Jackson State |
| 1978 | Terry Bradshaw | Pittsburgh Steelers | Louisiana Tech |
| 1979 | Earl Campbell | Houston Oilers | Texas |
| 1980 | Brian Sipe | Cleveland Browns | San Diego State |
| 1981 | Ken Anderson | Cincinnati Bengals | Augustana |
| 1982 | Mark Mosley | Washington Redskins | Texas A&M |
| 1983 | Joe Theismann | Washington Redskins | Notre Dame |
| 1984 | Dan Marino | Miami Dolphins | Pitt |
| 1985 | Marcus Allen | LA Raiders | USC |
| 1986 | Lawrence Taylor | New York Giants | North Carolina |
| 1987 | John Elway | Denver Broncos | Stanford |
| Year | AP NFL MVP | Pro Team | College |
| 1988 | Boomer Esiason | Cincinnati Bengals | Maryland |
| 1989 | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | Notre Dame |
| 1990 | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | Notre Dame |
| 1991 | Thurman Thomas | Buffalo Bills | Oklahoma State |
| 1992 | Steve Young | San Francisco 49ers | BYU |
| 1993 | Emmit Smith | Dallas Cowboys | Florida |
| 1994 | Steve Young | San Francisco 49ers | BYU |
| 1995 | Brett Favre | Green Bay Packers | Southern Miss |
| 1996 | Brett Favre | Green Bay Packers | Southern Miss |
| 1997 | Brett Favre | Green Bay Packers | Southern Miss |
| 1997 | Barry Sanders | Detroit Lions | Oklahoma State |
| 1998 | Terrell Davis | Denver Broncos | Georgia |
| 1999 | Kurt Warner | St. Louis Rams | Northern Iowa |
| 2000 | Marshall Faulk | St. Louis Rams | San Diego State |
| 2001 | Kurt Warner | St. Louis Rams | Northern Iowa |
| 2002 | Rich Gannon | Oakland Raiders | Delaware |
| 2003 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | Tennessee |
| 2003 | Steve McNair | Tennessee Titans | Alcorn State |
| 2004 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | Tennessee |
| 2005 | Shaun Alexander | Seattle Seahawks | Alabama |
| 2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson | San Diego Chargers | TCU |
| 2007 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | Michigan |
| 2008 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | Tennessee |
| 2009 | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | Tennessee |
| 2010 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | Michigan |
| 2011 | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers | California |
| 2012 | Adrian Peterson | Minnesota Vikings | Oklahoma |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning | Denver Broncos | Tennessee |
| 2014 | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers | California |
| 2015 | Cam Newton | Carolina Panthers | Auburn |
| 2016 | Matt Ryan | Atlanta Falcons | Boston College |
| 2017 | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | Michigan |
| 2018 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | Texas Tech |
| 2019 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens | Louisville |
| 2020 | Aaron Rodgers | Baltimore Colts | California |
| 2021 | Aaron Rodgers | Philadelphia Eagles | California |
| 2022 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | Texas Tech |
