The Super Bowl MVP is one of the most prestigious awards in the NFL. It celebrates the best player on the biggest stage of the season, though some positions have been recognized more than others. Kickers and punters are often unheralded compared to star quarterbacks or defenders, but they usually play a key role in the game, too.
With that in mind, here's the history of kickers and punters that have won the Super Bowl MVP Award.
Has a Kicker Even Won Super Bowl MVP?
Across 56 prior Super Bowl games, a placekicker has never won the SB MVP trophy. This is despite some memorable performances at the position from the likes of Don Chandler and Ray Wersching, who own the record for most field goals made in a single Super Bowl (4). Or Jim O'Brien and Adam Vinatieri, the only two players in SB history to kick a game-winning FG.
Instead, this award has predominantly gone to quarterbacks, with signal-callers winning 30 times in 56 games. Wide receivers are next with 8 honors, followed by running backs (7) and linebackers (4). Defensive ends (2) and safeties (2) are the only other position to win multiple times. Meanwhile, cornerback, defensive tackle and kick/punt returner all boast one honor each.
Has a Punter Ever Won Super Bowl MVP?
No, a punter has never won Super Bowl MVP. However, Dallas Cowboys star linebacker and Super Bowl V MVP Chuck Howley once had a brief stint as a punter. The Cowboys let Howley -- regarded as one of the most athletic players to ever suit up in the NFL -- punt for them once during the 1964 season. He eventually went on to help Dallas win the Super Bowl during the 1970 campaign, but as a defender only.
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A punter (P) in gridiron football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts (kicks) the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Punter_(gridiron_football)
The last player to win this award that wasn't a QB was RB Adrian Peterson in 2012 and before him it was linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986. No receiver, tight end or safety has ever won this award. Yet one kicker managed to take home the award in the eighties. His name: Mark Moseley.
Wide receivers have won eight times, and running backs have won seven. Defensive players have won 10 times, while a special teams player has won just once—Green Bay Packers kick/punt returner Desmond Howard in Super Bowl XXXI.
Perhaps the most unexpected MVP win came from a place kicker, Mark Moseley, in the strike-shortened 1982 season. Moseley's record-setting performance, including 23 successful field goals, showcased the importance of special teams and marked a revolutionary moment in the approach to kicking field goals.
Statistically, Justin Tucker is the most accurate kicker of all time. His conversion percentage of 90.2% is the highest amongst NFL kickers with 100 attempts. Tucker also holds the record for the longest kick ever made, with an astonishing 66-yarder in 2021.
When the Saints picked Russell Erxleben, he became the second-highest kicker ever drafted. A kicker in college for the famous Texas Longhorns, he was actually a punter in the NFL for six seasons. He did attempt a handful of field goals in the NFL but he was known for his time as the Saints punter.
Lewis led a dominant Baltimore defense in its 34-7 victory over the Giants, who mustered only 152 yards of offense. Brown, the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP, had two interceptions in the second half, which the Cowboys converted into touchdowns in their 27-17 win over the Steelers.
Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen are the only full-time kickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Stenerud got his call to the Hall in 1991 after playing 19 NFL seasons from 1966 to 1985: 13 with the Kansas City Chiefs, four with the Green Bay Packers and two with the Minnesota Vikings.
Only eight teams have ever won back-to-back Super Bowls — a feat that has only happened nine times in NFL history. The teams are the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers (twice), San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lewis led a dominant Baltimore defense in its 34-7 victory over the Giants, who mustered only 152 yards of offense. Brown, the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP, had two interceptions in the second half, which the Cowboys converted into touchdowns in their 27-17 win over the Steelers.
To no surprise, the quarterback position has produced the most Super Bowl MVPs – and by a wide margin. A quarterback has taken home MVP honors in 31 of the 56 Super Bowls. The position with the second-most Super Bowl MVPs is wide receiver at eight.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes -- already the first player to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP before his 25th birthday -- joined a select group of players by winning MVP of Super Bowl LVIII, which Kansas City won 25-22 over the San Francisco 49ers to cap off the 2023 season.
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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