Year of award
|
Athlete
|
Nation of citizenship
|
Team
|
Competition, governing body, or league
|
Sport
|
Record set
|
Previous record-holder
|
2001
|
Pete Sampras
|
United States
|
not applicable
|
ATP Tour
|
Tennis
|
Total career men's singles Grand Slam titles (13). This record has since been surpassed by Roger Federer.
|
Australian Roy Emerson (12)
|
2002
|
Tiger Woods
|
United States
|
not applicable
|
PGA Tour
|
Golf
|
Consecutive men's major championships won (Four—the 2000 U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship and the 2001 Masters Tournament [known as the consecutive Grand Slam])
|
American Ben Hogan (Three, in 1953)
|
2003
|
Emmitt Smith
|
United States
|
Dallas Cowboys
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Total career NFL rushing yards (17,162 at the close of the league's 2002 season, with 975 tallied therein)
|
American Walter Payton (16,726, across the 13 seasons between 1975 and 1987, inclusive)
|
2004
|
Éric Gagné
|
Canada
|
Los Angeles Dodgers
|
Major League Baseball (MLB)
|
Baseball
|
Consecutive saves converted in a single MLB regular season (55 across the league's 2003 season)
|
American Tom Gordon (46, in 1998)
|
2005
|
Peyton Manning
|
United States
|
Indianapolis Colts
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Total single-season NFL passing touchdowns (49 in the league's 2004 season)
|
American Dan Marino (48 in the 1984 season)
|
2006
|
Shaun Alexander
|
United States
|
Seattle Seahawks
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Total single-season NFL rushing touchdowns (27 in the league's 2005 season)
|
American Priest Holmes (23, in 2003)
|
2007
|
LaDainian Tomlinson
|
United States
|
San Diego Chargers
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Total single-season NFL rushing touchdowns (28 in the league's 2006 season)
|
American Shaun Alexander (27, in 2005)
|
2008
|
Brett Favre
|
United States
|
Green Bay Packers
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Total career NFL passing touchdowns (442 at the close of the 2007 season, with 28 tallied therein)
|
American Dan Marino (420, across the 17 seasons between 1983 and 1999, inclusive)
|
2009
|
Michael Phelps
|
United States
|
Not applicable
|
Olympic Games
|
Swimming
|
Total gold medals achieved at a single Games of the Olympiad (Eight in the 2008 Summer Olympics)
|
American Mark Spitz (Seven, at the 1972 Summer Olympics)
|
2010
|
John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut
|
United States and France
|
Not applicable
|
Wimbledon
|
Tennis
|
Longest match in tennis history, lasting 11 hours, 5 minutes; Isner defeated Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set of the 1st round match.
|
Fabrice Santoro vs. Arnaud Clément 4th round match at the 2004 French Open lasting 6 hours, 33 minutes.
|
2011
|
Rory McIlroy
|
Northern Ireland
|
Not applicable
|
U.S. Open
|
Golf
|
In winning the U.S. Open, McIlroy broke tournament records for the lowest 72-hole score, both in total strokes (268) and in relation to par (−16).
|
72-hole score (272): Jim Furyk, 2003; Tiger Woods, 2000; Lee Janzen, 1993; Jack Nicklaus, 1980. To-par (−12): Woods, 2000.
|
2012
|
Drew Brees
|
United States
|
New Orleans Saints
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Brees threw for 5,476 yards in 2011-12, breaking the NFL single-season record.
|
Dan Marino (5,084 yards in 1984)
|
2013
|
Michael Phelps
|
United States
|
Not applicable
|
Olympic Games
|
Swimming
|
Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history, finishing the London Olympics with a total of 22 medals.
|
Ukrainian Larisa Latynina (19 medals, 1956–1964, representing the Soviet Union)
|
2014
|
Peyton Manning
|
United States
|
Denver Broncos
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Manning set single-season NFL records for both passing yardage (5,477) and touchdown passes (55) in the 2013 season.
|
Yardage: Drew Brees (5,476 yards in 2011) TDs: Tom Brady (50 in 2007)
|
2015
|
Peyton Manning
|
United States
|
Denver Broncos
|
National Football League (NFL)
|
American football
|
Manning set the single-season NFL record for career touchdown passes (530 at the end of the 2014 season).
|
Brett Favre (touchdown passes 1991-2010)
|
2016
|
Stephen Curry
|
United States
|
Golden State Warriors
|
National Basketball Association (NBA)
|
Basketball
|
Curry set the record for most three-point field goals in a season with 402.
|
Curry had the previous record, 286 in the 2014-15 season.
|