Super Bowl MVPs: The Most Valuable Player in a Super Bowl is the preeminent individual honor a football player can receive during the championship contest. MVP honors have been bestowed upon 47 players in 57 Super Bowls; six players have been honored more than once. To have an improved chance of being designated MVP of the Super Bowl, quarterbacking is advantageous. A lot.
Significantly more than half of the 47 MVPs in Super Bowl history have been quarterbacks (32 out of 47), with all quarterbacks receiving the honor more than once. MVP of the previous year was quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, who also received the honor at Super Bowl LIV, which they won against the San Francisco 49ers.
At this year’s Super Bowl LVIII, Patrick Mahomes will attempt to tie Joe Montana for the most victories with three. Montana is trailing only Tom Brady, the legendary quarterback, who has won the award on five separate occasions.
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When did record-breaking Tom Brady win the 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
- Branch 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.
Former 49ers MVPs
Since 1967, the team from San Francisco has produced five Super Bowl MVP titles. These appeared in editions XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX, and among others, Steve Young, Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice praised them.
Former Chiefs MVPs
One other Chiefs player, apart from Patrick Mahomes, was dubbed Super Bowl MVP. Quarterback Len Dawson was bestowed with the trophy at Super Bowl IV in 1969 in recognition of his contributions to the Kansas Chiefs’ 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
MVPs of defeated teams
Chuck Howley was the sole player from the defeated team to be named Super Bowl MVP; he did so during the Cowboys’ 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Colts. The decision was generally regarded as peculiar, as the Colts’ tight end John Mackey amassed two receptions for 80 yards, which included a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter, while he recorded two interceptions.
Frequently designated MVP
As previously stated, Tom Brady holds the record with five Super Bowl MVP trophies. Four other quarterbacks who have amassed two or more come after him.
- 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 Trophies for MVP
The MVP award was shared once, in Super Bowl XII, when Harvey Martin (defensive end) and Randy White (defensive tackle) of the Dallas Cowboys accepted 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 the 2024 Super Bowl, scheduled for Sunday, February 11th, revolves around the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, all eyes will be on those players who truly stand out and will almost certainly lead their team to Vince Lombardi glory, unless they follow in the footsteps of Chuck Howley.
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