Minnesota's Athlete of the Year 1890-2019

Year	Athlete of the Year
1890	Pudge Heffelfinger, Yale football
1891	Heffelfinger
1892	John S. Johnson, bicyclist
1893
1894	A.A. Hanson, bicyclist
1895	Perry Werden, Minneapolis Millers
1896	Big Bill “Willie Bill” Hutchison, Minneapolis Millers
1897	George “Doggie” Miller, Minneapolis Millers
1898	Michael Kiefer, Gopher basketball
1899	Charles Olson, Gopher basketball
1900	Robert Dunbar, curling
1901	Leroy Albert Page, Gopher football
1902	William Deering, Gopher basketball
1903	Dan Patch, harness horse racing
1904	Dan Patch
1905	Dan Patch
1906	Bobby Marshall, Gopher baseball and football (Big 10 champion)
1907	Fred Chicken, Minneapolis North football
1908	John McGovern, Gopher football
1909	McGovern
1910	Chief Bender, Philadelphia A’s
1911	Ruben Rosenwald, Gopher basketball and football
1912	J.J. Armstrong, Gopher tennis
1913	Bender
1914	Fred O. Watson, Gopher cross-country
1915	Johnny Ertle, boxing (world bantamweight champion)
1916	Moose Goheen, St. Paul Athletic Club hockey
1917	Mike O’Dowd, boxing
1918	Gus Eckberg, Gopher football
1919	Erling Platou, Minnesota Gopher basketball
1920	Tommy Gibbons, boxing
1921	Tommy Milton, auto racing
1922	Ralph Samuelson, water skiing
1923	Milton
1924	Mally Nydahl, Minneapolis South basketball and football
1925	Babe Elliott, St. Paul Athletic Club hockey
1926	Ernie Nevers, Duluth Eskimos football
1927	Herb Joesting, Gopher football
1928	Oscar Hanson, Augsburg hockey
1929	Bronko Nagurski, Gopher football
1930	Robert Tudor, St. Paul Central tennis
1931	Biggie Munn, Gopher football
1932	Nagurski, Chicago Bears (NFL champion)
1933	Joe Hauser, Minneapolis Millers
1934	Pug Lund, Gopher football
1935	Bud Wilkinson, Gopher football
1936	Robin Lee, figure skating
1937	Marty Rolek, Gopher basketball
1938	Ted Williams, Minneapolis Millers
1939	Hanson, Minneapolis Millers hockey
1940	Sonny Franck, Gopher football
1941	Bruce Smith, Gopher football
1942	(tie) Arne Johnson, Bemidji State, and Clint Wager, St. Mary’s, both basketball
1943	Patty Berg, golf (the first woman)
1944	Jim McIntyre, Minneapolis Patrick Henry basketball (state champion)
1945	McIntyre
1946	Berg
1947	Norm Kragseth, Duluth Central skiing
1948	Fortune Gordian, Gopher and Olympic track & field
1949	George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers
1950	Mikan
1951	John Mayasich, Eveleth hockey
1952	Mikan
1953	Paul Giel, Gopher baseball and football
1954	Norm Anderson, St. James basketball, football, track
1955	Berg
1956	Ron Johnson, New Prague basketball
1957	Del Flanagan, boxing
1958	Norm Grow, Foley basketball
1959	Elgin Baylor, Minneapolis Lakers
1960	Tom Brown, Gopher football (Big 10 co-champion, national champion)
1961	Sandy Stephens, Gopher football
1962	Harmon Killebrew, Minnesota Twins
1963	Buddy Edelen, marathon runner
1964	Tony Oliva, Minnesota Twins
1965	Zoilo Versalles, Minnesota Twins
1966	Jim Kaat, Minnesota Twins
1967	Killebrew
1968	Bob Zender, Edina basketball (26-1, state champion)
1969	Killebrew
1970	Mark Lutz, Rochester Mayo track & field
1971	Alan Page, Minnesota Vikings
1972	Jim Brewer, Gopher basketball
1973	Dave Winfield, Gopher baseball (Big 10 champion) and basketball
1974	Mark Olberding, Melrose basketball
1975	Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings
1976	Chuck Foreman, Minnesota Vikings
1977	Rod Carew, Minnesota Twins
1978	Mychal Thompson, Gopher basketball
1979	Randy Breuer, Lake City basketball; and Janet Karvonen, New York Mills girls basketball (both state champions)
1980	Minnesotans of the U.S. Olympic hockey team
1981	(tie) Neal Broten, Gopher hockey Bobby Smith, Minnesota North Stars
1982	Annie Adamczak, Moose Lake basketball, softball, volleyball
1983	Breuer, Gopher basketball
1984	Kent Hrbek, Minnesota Twins
1985	Rickey Foggie, Gopher football
1986	Will Steger, adventurer
1987	Kirby Puckett, Minnesota Twins
1988	Puckett
1989	Greg LeMond, bicyclist
1990	Steger
1991	Puckett
1992	Puckett
1993	Paul Molitor, Toronto Blue Jays
1994	Carrie Tollefson, Dawson-Boyd girls cross-country (5X state champion)
1995	(tie) Brian Bonin, Gopher hockey; Dave Spehar, Duluth East hockey
1996	Tom Lehman, golfer
1997	(tie) Khalid El-Amin, Minneapolis North; Coco and Kelly Miller, Rochester Mayo; all basketball
1998	Randall Cunningham, Minnesota Vikings
1999	Tim Hartung, Gopher wrestling
2000	Brock Lesnar, Gopher wrestling
2001	Joe Mauer, Cretin-Derham Hall baseball, basketball, football
2002	Jordan Leopold, Gopher hockey (NCAA champion)
2003	Thomas Vanek, Gopher hockey
2004	(tie) Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves; Lindsay Whalen, Gopher women’s basketball
2005	(tie) Natalie Darwitz, Krissy Wendell, Gopher women’s hockey
2006	(tie) Justin Morneau, Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins
2007	Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
2008	Peterson
2009	Mauer, Minnesota Twins
2010	Lindsay Vonn, Alpine skiing (Olympic gold medal)
2011	(tie) Seimone Augustus and Whalen, Minnesota Lynx
2012	Peterson
2013	Amanda Kessel, Gopher women’s hockey
2014	Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx
2015	Moore
2016	Rachel Banham, Gopher basketball
2017	Sara Groenewegon, Gopher softball (Big 10 champion)
2018	Jessie Diggins, Nordic skier (Olympic gold)
2019	Antoine Winfield, Jr., Gopher football