AAU Sullivan Award winners are inspiring talented disciplined inspiring athletes.
The AAU Sullivan Award has been given out since 1930 to the nation's best athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level. Only one finalist will join the illustrious list of previous winners which include: Bobby Jones (1930), Doc Blanchard (1945), Wilma Rudolph (1961), Bill Bradley (1965), Mark Spitz (1970), Bill Walton (1973), Carl Lewis (1981), Joan Benoit (1985), Janet Evans (1989), Peyton Manning (1997), Michael Phelps (2003), Tim Tebow (2007), Shawn Johnson (2008), Missy Franklin (2012) and dozens of others.
2022 — Clark achieved numerous accolades in her junior season, being recognized as the Consensus National Player of the Year and receiving unanimous first team All-Big Ten honors.
2021 — Carissa became the first surfer and first Hawaiian to receive the honor of top athlete of the year.
2020 — Biles became the fourth gymnast to receive the honor of top athlete of the year, while Dressel became the 11th swimmer to take home the title.
2019 — Ionescu became the seventh basketball player to take home this award, while Lee became the fifth wrestler to be named the top athlete.
2018 — Plummer is the second-ever volleyball player to take home the award after Wisconsin’s Lauren Carlini won the 87th.
2017 — In his second consecutive year as a finalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, Ohio State Buckeyes All-American, Kyle Snyder, was crowned America’s top amateur athlete.
2016 — Carlini is the first volleyball player to win the AAU Sullivan Award.
2015 — Keenan Reynolds and Breanna Stewart are outstanding football and basketball players respectively who won the AAU Sullivan Award in 2015, only the second time in the award’s history that two…
2014 — Ezekiel Elliot is an outstanding football player that won the AAU Sullivan Award in 2014. He led Ohio State to win the first College Football Playoff National Championship and set several records…
2013 — An all-conference performer with a perfect 4.0 GPA that is already teaching college level courses. Penn State’s John Urschel redefines what it means to be a student-athlete.
2012 — Unknown to many outside of the swimming community prior to 2012, Missy Franklin established herseld as a household name with her performance at the 2012 London Olympics.
2011 — With a 4.14 GPA as a mechanical engineer, Andrew Rodriguez claimed 140 career tackles in 23 career games on his way to capturing the AAU Sullivan Award
2010 — Leading the U.S. men’s contingent at the 2009 World Championships, Lysacek won gold (becoming the first american man to do so sine Todd Eldridge in 1996.)
2009 — Amy set world record for amputee women in the 50k, 50 mi, 100k, 100 mi, and 24 hours runs and is the first ultramarathon winner of the AAU Sullivan Award.
2008 — Shawn Johnson captured the hearts of the nation during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China winning gold on the balance beam and taking home silver in the all-around and floor routine.
2007 — The Florida quarterback became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy after throwing for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2007.
2006 — Swimmer Jessica Long was honored as the recipient of the 77th AAU Sullivan Award, presented to the USA’s top amateur athlete and the first Paralympian to win the award.
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2005 — JJ Redick became the fourth basketball player to win the AAU Sullivan Award when he was named the recipient of the 76th AAU Sullivan Award. A standout college basketball star, Redick went on to have a lengthy career in the NBA.
2004 — At the 75th AAU Sullivan Award ceremony, Paul Hamm became only the second gymnast to ever win the award thanks to his gold medal performance at the 2004 Olympic Games.
2003 — Even before Michael Phelps would win his first Olympic gold medal, he won the 74th AAU Sullivan Award for his performance at the year’s World Championships.
2002 — Sarah Hughes made it two in a row for figure skaters when she won the 73rd AAU Sullivan Award for her success as a Olympic champion and World bronze medalist.
2001 — Michelle Kwan became only the second figure skater to take home the AAU Sullivan Award when she did so at the 72nd AAU Sullivan Award ceremony. Kwan is a five time world champion and nine-time U.S champion.
2000 — Rulon Gardner became the first Greco-Roman wrestler to win the AAU Sullivan Award after shocking the world and winning the Olympic gold medal in the heavyweight class.
1999 — Twins Coco and Kelly Miller became the first dual winners of the AAU Sullivan Award. The sisters were key members of the University of Georgia Women’s Basketball team in the late 1990’s.
1998 — The University of Tennessee went back to back winning the AAU Sullivan Award, this time with basketball star Chamique Holdsclaw. She became the first female basketball player to win the award.
1997 — The 68th AAU Sullivan Award went to Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. After a stellar college career, Manning would go on to become one of the best quarterbacks in the history of football.
1996 — Superstar sprinter Michael Johnson dashed his way into winning the 67th AAU Sullivan Award, as the Texan would accumulate 8 World Championship golds and 4 Olympic golds through his career.
1995 — Freestyle wrestler Bruce Baumgartner finally won the AAU Sullivan Award in his sixth year as a finalist coming off a third career World Championship gold.
1994 — Dan Jansen had a phenomenal 1994, as the speedskater took home Olympic gold in the 1,000m and won the World Sprint Championship.
1993 — The definition of two-sport athlete, Charlie Ward helped the Florida State Seminoles to a National Championship in football and a deep run in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.
1992 — The only female speedskater to win the AAU Sullivan Award, Bonnie Blair won gold medals in the 500m and 1000m events in consecutive Olympic Games.
1991 — Long jumper Mike Powell surpassed Bob Beamon’s over 20 year old world record when he flew 8.95m (29’ 4.25”), a record that stands to this day.
1990 — John Smith became the first wrestler to ever win the AAU Sullivan Award, who dominated the 62kg division on the world stage through the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
1989 — Swimming star of the 1988 Olympic Games, Janet Evans won the 60th AAU Sullivan Award after winning three Olympic golds in 1988 and four Pan Pacific golds in 1989.
1988 — World class sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner took home the 59th AAU Sullivan Award, as “Flo-Jo” won three golds and a silver at the 1988 Olympic Games.
1987 — Jim Abbott is the lone baseball player to win the AAU Sullivan Award, as the one handed pitcher broke through barriers to have a decade long MLB career.
1986 — Track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee had an impressively long career at an international level, winning medals at four different Olympic Games.
1985 — Joan Benoit Samuelson remains one of the top American marathon runners of all time, winning the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984 and having record setting performances at the Boston and Chicago Marathons.
1984 — Diver Greg Louganis is considered one of the greatest divers of all time as he dominated the scene in the 1980s, and his work as an athlete is only matched by that as an activist with the Human Rights Campaign.
1983 — A multi-time World and Olympic champion, hurdler Edwin Moses not only succeed on the track but worked off it to reform Olympic eligibility rules.
1982 — Winner of the 53rd AAU Sullivan Award, runner Mary Decker set six different world records between the mile run to the 10,000m to win the award.
1981 — Voted “World Athlete of the Century” by the International Association of Athletics Federations, Carl Lewis was one of the most dominant track and field athletes of all time.
1980 — The only winter Olympian to ever win five gold medals at one Olympic Games, Eric Heiden became the first speedskater to ever win the AAU Sullivan Award in emphatic fashion.
1979 — The 50th AAU Sullivan Award became the first one to be awarded to a gymnast, as Kurt Thomas won two gold medals at the 1979 World Championships.
1978 — The youngest ever winner of the AAU Sullivan Award when she claimed the 49th edition of the award, swimmer Tracy Caulkins won five gold medals at the 1978 World Championships.
1977 — A star of the 1976 Olympic Games, swimmer John Naber won four Olympic gold medals and set multiple world records in the process.
1976 — Decathlon gold medalist in the 1976 Olympic Games, Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce) set a new world record in the process that lasted four years.
1975 — Tim Shaw is one of the few individuals to ever receive an Olympic medal in two different sports, winning a 400m freestyle silver in 1976 and a Water Polo silver in 1984.
1974 — Richard Wohlhuter raced his way to the 45th AAU Sullivan Award after winning the U.S championship for the indoor 1000m, and a world record in the outdoor 1000m event.
1973 — Bill Walton became only the second basketball player to win the AAU Sullivan Award for his dominance in college basketball with UCLA.
1972 — Frank Shorter remains the most recent American man to win the Olympic Marathon, and one of only 7 men to ever medal in the event twice.
1971 — One of the most dominant swimmers of all-time, Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games and is one of only five athletes to ever win nine Olympic gold medals.
1970 — A prolific high school and collegiate swimmer, John Kinsella won the 41st AAU Sullivan Award as he became the first person to swim 1500m in under 16 minutes.
1969 — American decathlon star of the late 1960’s, Bill Toomey scored over 8,000 points a dozen times and won the 1968 Olympic gold medal.
1968 — Swimmer Debbie Meyer Weber won three gold medals at the 1968 Olympic Games, becoming the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals in one Olympics.
1967 — Winner of the 38th AAU Sullivan Award, shotput star Randy Matson shattered the world shotput record multiple time through the 1960s.
1966 — Jim Ryun set world records in the half-mile and mile run on his way to receiving the 37th AAU Sullivan Award.
1965 — Bill Bradley became the first basketball player to win the AAU Sullivan Award following an Olympic gold medal in 1964 and a stellar collegiate career.
1964 — Don Schollander became the first male swimmer to win the AAU Sullivan Award on the back of his four gold medals at the 1964 Olympic Games.
1963 — Winning the 34th AAU Sullivan Award, John Pennel became the first person to ever pole vault over the 17ft mark.
1962 — Jim Beatty became the first person ever run a sub-four minute indoor mile, and set eleven American records and three world records in 1962.
1961 — A trailblazer in sports, Wilma Rudolph became the first Black woman to ever win the AAU Sullivan Award after her three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic Games.
1960 — A multi-sport star, Rafer Johnson won the 31st AAU Sullivan Award for winning the 1960 Olympic Decathlon. Johnson also was Team USA’s flag bearer at the games.
1959 —William "Parry" O'Brien was born January 28, 1932 in Santa Monica, Calif. O'Brien revolutionized the shot put and the former University of Southern California standout made the "O'Brien Style" the accepted way to throw the 16-pound ball.
1958 —Glenn Davis is an American track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles event at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games
1957 —Bobby Morrow was born on October 15, 1935 in Harlingen, Texas. Morrow was the top sprinter of the middle 1950s. Bobby Morrow came from a small Texas college (Abilene Christian) to emerge as one of the stars of the 1956 Olympic Games.
1956 —With victories in both the springboard and platform at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics Pat McCormick of the United States became the only woman diver in history to win four Olympic gold medals.
1955 —Harrison Dillard was born July 8, 1923, Cleveland, Ohio. They called him "Bones" because of his spindly (5-10, 152 pounds) size but Harrison Dillard was fast, whether sprinting or running the hurdles. He is still the only man to ever win Olympic gold medals in both the sprints (100 meters, 1948) and high hurdles (1952).
1954 —Mal Whitfield was born on October 11, 1924 in Bay City, Texas. Mal Whitfield, or "Marvelous Mal" as he was called, held his share of world records but he was an athlete who ran to win, rather than run for time.
1953 —Sammy Lee was an American diver, who won the gold medal in platform diving at the Olympic Games in 1948 and 1952. He was the first man to win diving titles at two consecutive Olympics.
1952 —Ashenfelter was one of America's premier distance runners during the 1950s, winning 17 national championships at a variety of distances.
1951 —Robert "Bob" Richards was born on February 20, 1926 in Champaign, Ill. While a student at the University of Illinois, Richards tied for the national collegiate pole vault title and followed that with 20 National AAU titles, including 17 in the pole vault.
1950 —A contributor to the sport as an athlete, coach and author, Fred Wilt was an outstanding distance runner at Indiana University under Hall of Fame coach Billy Hayes before becoming an Olympic competitor while running for the New York A.C.
1949 — Button became the first skater ever to perform a triple jump in competition when he won his second gold medal in 1952.
1948 — Bob Mathias was born on Nov. 17, 1930 in Tulare, Calif., a small farming town of 12,000. Before 1948, Mathias had never participated in a decathlon. One summer in London, he won the Olympic gold medal in the grueling 10-event competition.
1947 — The son of an Olympic champion, Jack Kelly followed his father as an outstanding American rower. The winner of the Sullivan Award as the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States in 1947
1946 —The following year saw Blanchard’s teammate Arnold Tucker win thanks to his contributions on both sides of the ball.
1945 —Blanchard became the first football player to win the AAU Sullivan Award nearly 80 years ago. He also became the first athlete in history to win the AAU Sullivan Award and the Heisman Trophy in the same season.
2023 — Clark becomes the first-ever two-time winner of the award in its 94-year history
2024 — Rodriguez becomes just the third volleyball player to win the award in its 95-year history, joining Lauren Carlini (2016) and Kathryn Plummer (2018). It is the first time Nebraska volleyball has had a finalist for the award since Mikaela Foecke in 2018.
