The Heisman Winners

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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)
  • Louisville 5 – Johnny Unitas (3), Lamar Jackson (2)
  • California 4 – Aaron Rodgers (4)
  • 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.

NFL MVP 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
2016Matt RyanAtlanta FalconsBoston College
2017Tom BradyNew England PatriotsMichigan
2018Patrick MahomesKansas City ChiefsTexas Tech
2019
Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens
Louisville
2020
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers
California
2021Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers
California
2022Patrick MahomesKansas City ChiefsTexas Tech
2023Lamar JacksonBaltimore RavensLouisville

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