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Only two defensive players in the history of the NFL can lay claim to winning the Associated Press NFL MVP award. To put that in perspective, that’s fewer people than those who have walked on the moon.
For 64 years, the Associated Press has been awarding the NFL MVP title, yet only two players on the defensive side of the ball have ever won the award. It’s a remarkable stat that doesn’t seem real until you triple check the record books.
The first defensive player to win the NFL MVP title was Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971. Page was a member of the Vikings' famous 'Purple People Eaters', a dominant defensive line unit that gave opposing quarterbacks nightmares.
Sadly, the league didn’t keep detailed stats during this time, but Page ended his career with an unofficial tally of 148.5 sacks.
Lawrence Taylor is the last defensive player to win the NFL MVP award
Fifteen years after Alan Page’s MVP win, New York Giants star linebacker Lawrence 'LT' Taylor became only the second defensive player ever to win the AP’s NFL MVP award, doing so in 1986.
The 6' 3", 237 lb defender was a once-in-a-generation player. During his MVP season, LT recorded 20.5 sacks, 105 tackles, five passes defended and two forced fumbles. A defensive player has not won the AP MVP award in the NFL since Lawrence Taylor.
The superstar linebacker led the Giants to victory in two Super Bowls and was selected to the Pro Bowl an incredible ten times during his stint in the NFL.
The NFL has never seen a dominant defensive force like LT before. Taylor was a proud member of the New York Giants for his entire career. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1991.
Defensive players who have got MVP votes since 1986
It's been 35 years since a defensive player lifted the Associated Press NFL MVP award. Buffalo Bills defensive end Bruce Smith came close in 1990; Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis received votes in the early 2000s, and Texans' DL JJ Watt was runner-up in 2014.
But the NFL history books still show that only the Vikings' Alan Page and Giants' Lawrence Taylor have won the Associated Press NFL MVP award.
Lawrence Taylor's NFL Career Stats:
Games - 184
Sacks - 132.5
Forced fumbles - 11
Interceptions - 9.
