Who are the Super Bowl MVPs throughout history?
Quarterbacks Mahomes and Purdy will be eyeing the award but there will be other Chiefs and 49ers looking to be the star of the biggest NFL show.
Most Valuable Player in a Super Bowl is the outstanding individual award available for a footballer in the big game. Over the course of the 57 Super Bowls, 47 players have been named MVP, with six players being named more than once. If you want to be named MVP in a Super Bowl it helps to be a quarterback. A lot.
Significantly more than half of the MVPs in the Super Bowl’s history have been QBs, 32 out of the 47, with all the players who have been named more than once being quarterbacks. Last year’s MVP too was a quarterback, none other than Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, who also picked up the award at Super Bowl LIV, in their win over, wait for it, the San Francisco 49ers.
This year’s Super Bowl LVIII will see Mahomes look to make it three, and go level with Joe Montana who is only second to Tom Brady, with the legendary quarterback having picked up the award on five separate occasions.
Graphic provided by our friends at Sofascore.
When did record-breaking Tom Brady win Super Bowl MPV?
Super Bowl XXXVI vs St Louis Rams (Patriots won 20-17)
Super Bowl XXXVIII vs Carolina Panthers (Patriots won 32-29)
Super Bowl XLIX vs Seattle Seahawks (Patriots won 28-24)
Super Bowl LI vs Atlanta Falcons (Patriots won in OT 34-28).
Super Bowl LV vs Kansas City Chiefs (Buccaneers won 31-9).
Brady also won the Super Bowl twice more, although on those occasions he was not named MVP:
Super Bowl XXXIX vs Philadelphia Eagles, won by the Patriots 24-21, with wide receiver Deion Brach being named MVP for his 133 receiving yards and 11 catches, a Super Bowl record and,
Super Bowl LIII vs Los Angeles Rams, won by the Patriots 13-3, with wide receiver Julian Edelman being named MVP for his 141 receiving yards.
49ers previous MVPs
The team from the Bay has contributed five winners of the Super Bowl MVP since 1967. These came in the XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV and XXIX editions, with Joe Montana (3), Jerry Rice and Steve Young getting the plaudits.
Chiefs previous MVPs
Aside from Mahomes, there is one other Chiefs player who was named Super Bowl MVP. Back in 1969 at Super Bowl IV, quarterback Len Dawson was awarded the trophy for his performance in the Chiefs’ 23-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
MVPs on the losing side
Only one player has been named Super Bowl MVP from the losing team: Chuck Howley, in the Cowboy’s 16-13 defeat to the Baltimore Colts. He recorded two interceptions but the decision was widely felt to be an odd one, with the Colts’ tight end John Mackey recording two catches for 80 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Most times named MVP
Tom Brady, as noted above, tops the list with five Super Bowl MVP Trophies. He’s followed by four other quarterbacks who have recorded two or more:
Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers: 3 (XVI, XIX, XXIV)
Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers: 2 (XIII, XIV)
Eli Manning, New York Giants: 2 (XLIII, XLVI)
Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers: 2 (I, II)
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (LIV, LVII)
MVPs by position
- Quarterback: 32
- Wide receiver: 8
- Running back: 7
- Linebacker: 4
- Defensive end: 2
- Safety: 2
- Cornerback: 1
- Defensive tackle: 1
- Kick returner: 1 (Desmond Howard, who returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and celebrated by dancing the robot)
Joint MVP Trophies
On one occasion the MVP was awarded jointly, in Super Bowl XII, when the Dallas Cowboys’ Harvey Martin (defensive end) and Randy White (defensive tackle) picked up the trophy.
MVPs by team
Dallas Cowboys: 7
Pittsburgh Steelers: 6
New England Patriots: 6
San Francisco 49ers: 5
Green Bay Packers: 4
New York Giants: 4
Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders: 3
Washington Redskins: 3
Denver Broncos: 3
Kansas City Chiefs: 3
Miami Dolphins: 2
Baltimore Ravens: 2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2
St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams: 2
New York Jets: 1
Chicago Bears: 1
Indianapolis Colts: 1
New Orleans Saints: 1
Seattle Seahawks: 1
Philadelphia Eagles: 1
Full list of Super Bowl MVPs
Super Bowl I — QB Bart Starr, Green Bay
Super Bowl II — QB Bart Starr, Green Bay
Super Bowl III — QB Joe Namath, N.Y. Jets
Super Bowl IV — QB Len Dawson, Kansas City
Super Bowl V — LB Chuck Howley, Dallas
Super Bowl VI — QB Roger Staubach, Dallas
Super Bowl VII — S Jake Scott, Miami
Super Bowl VIII — RB Larry Csonka, Miami
Super Bowl IX — RB Franco Harris, Pittsburgh
Super Bowl X — WR Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh
Super Bowl XI — WR Fred Biletnikoff, Oakland
Super Bowl XII — DT Randy White and DE Harvey Martin, Dallas
Super Bowl XIII — QB Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh
Super Bowl XIV — QB Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh
Super Bowl XV — QB Jim Plunkett, Oakland
Super Bowl XVI — QB Joe Montana, San Francisco
Super Bowl XVII — RB John Riggins, Washington
Super Bowl XVIII — RB Marcus Allen, L.A. Raiders
Super Bowl XIX — QB Joe Montana, San Francisco
Super Bowl XX — DE Richard Dent, Chicago
Super Bowl XXI — QB Phil Simms, N.Y. Giants
Super Bowl XXII — QB Doug Williams, Washington
Super Bowl XXIII — WR Jerry Rice, San Francisco
Super Bowl XXIV — QB Joe Montana, San Francisco
Super Bowl XXV — RB Ottis Anderson, N.Y. Giants
Super Bowl XXVI — QB Mark Rypien, Washington
Super Bowl XXVII — QB Troy Aikman, Dallas
Super Bowl XXVIII — RB Emmitt Smith, Dallas
Super Bowl XXIX — QB Steve Young, San Francisco
Super Bowl XXX — CB Larry Brown, Dallas
Super Bowl XXXI — KR-PR Desmond Howard, Green Bay
Super Bowl XXXII — RB Terrell Davis, Denver
Super Bowl XXXIII — QB John Elway, Denver
Super Bowl XXXIV — QB Kurt Warner, St. Louis
Super Bowl XXXV — LB Ray Lewis, Baltimore
Super Bowl XXXVI — QB Tom Brady, New England
Super Bowl XXXVII — S Dexter Jackson, Tampa Bay
Super Bowl XXXVIII — QB Tom Brady, New England
Super Bowl XXXIX — WR Deion Branch, New England
Super Bowl XL — WR Hines Ward, Pittsburgh
Super Bowl XLI — QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
Super Bowl XLII — QB Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants
Super Bowl XLIII — WR Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh
Super Bowl XLIV — QB Drew Brees, New Orleans
Super Bowl XLV — QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
Super Bowl XLVI — QB Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants
Super Bowl XLVII — QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore
Super Bowl XLVIII — LB Malcolm Smith, Seattle
Super Bowl XLIX — QB Tom Brady, New England
Super Bowl 50 — LB Von Miller, Denver
Super Bowl LI — QB Tom Brady, New England
Super Bowl LII — QB Nick Foles, Philadelphia
Super Bowl LIII — WR Julian Edelman, New England
Super Bowl LIV — QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City
Super Bowl LV - QB Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Super Bowl LVI - WR Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl LVII - QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
As we prepare for the 2024 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on Sunday 11 February, eyes will be focused on those players that really stand out, almost certainly - unless following in the footsteps of Chuck Howley - leading their team to Vince Lombardi glory.