Jim Thorpe Trophy

The Jim Thorpe Memorial Trophy^[1] was an American football award presented by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) to the most valuable player (MVP) of the National Football League (NFL) from 1955 to 2008.^[2][3] It was the only NFL MVP award whose winner was chosen by a poll of NFL players.^[4][5] By 1975, the Jim Thorpe Trophy was described by the TimesDaily as "one of the pros' most coveted honors."^[6] In 1983, the Del Rio News Herald called it the "highest professional football award, period."^[7] Earl Campbell was the first player to win the award in consecutive seasons,^[8] capturing three straight from 1978 to 1980.^[9] Quarterbacks Charlie Conerly (1959) and Roman Gabriel (1969) won the trophy despite not being voted to the NEA's All-Pro first team in their respective seasons—Johnny Unitas was named to the first team over Conerly, while Sonny Jurgensen got the nod over Gabriel.^[10][11][12]

The award was founded by Murray Olderman, a sportswriter and cartoonist for the NEA.^[1][13][14] It was named in honor of Jim Thorpe, a professional football pioneer who was a player and the first president of what became the NFL.^[1][15][16] At the award's inception, Olderman sent ballots to every player in the league.^[17][18] Coaches joined the players in the voting process in 1975.^[19] Starting in 1987, the award became a joint project between the NEA, Jim Thorpe Association, and National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).^[20] Olderman also left the NEA that year and ended his association with the award.^[18] The NFLPA took over the balloting and added Pro Football Hall of Fame members to the voting panel in place of coaches.^[21][22]

The first recipient of the Jim Thorpe Trophy was Harlon Hill of the Chicago Bears, who was presented the trophy by NEA sports editor Harry Grayson in a televised halftime ceremony from the 1956 Pro Bowl in Los Angeles.^[15] In addition to Pro Bowl halftimes,^[23] subsequent years also saw the presentation televised on the final regular season weekend in either a pregame or halftime event.^[24][25] It was even on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958.^[26] The presentation moved to the pregame show for the NFL championship game starting in 1961.^[27] In 1967, the winner was presented the trophy in a party at CBS Television City in Los Angeles for NEA's All-Pro selections, which was filmed and shown nationally during halftime of the Pro Bowl.^[28] In subsequent years, CBS aired a half-hour special before the Pro Bowl featuring the Jim Thorpe Trophy winner along with the All-Pros.^[29][30] After years of holding an awards banquet in New York, the ceremony was discontinued around 1980. Olderman and the NEA sought a sponsor.^[31] The Jim Thorpe Association of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, took over the presentation of the trophy in 1987,^[32] presenting it at the existing awards banquet for their Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the top defensive back in college football.^[31] The NFL trophy was redesigned that year to feature a bronze statuette of Jim Thorpe.^[33]