Joe F. Carr Trophy

The Joe F. Carr Trophy was the first award given in the National Football League (NFL) to recognize a most valuable player for each season. It was first awarded in 1938, known then as the Gruen Trophy,^[1] and renamed in 1939 in honor of NFL commissioner Joseph Carr.^[2][3] The Gruen Trophy, sponsored by Gruen Watch Co., was first awarded in 1937 to Dutch Clark of the Detroit Lions. However, both contemporary^[4][5] and modern^[6] sources consider the 1938 award the first retroactive Joe F. Carr Trophy, and thus the first NFL MVP award. Players were chosen by a panel of sportswriters who distributed first and second place votes. It was awarded until the 1946 season, and it remains the only MVP award the NFL has officially sanctioned.^[7]

Season	Player	Team	Position	Refs
1938	Mel Hein	New York Giants	C, LB	[1]
1939	Parker Hall	Cleveland Rams	QB, HB	[3]
1940	Ace Parker	Brooklyn Dodgers	QB, HB	[8]
1941	Don Hutson	Green Bay Packers	End	[4]
1942	Don Hutson (2)	Green Bay Packers	End	[9]
1943	Sid Luckman	Chicago Bears	QB	[10]
1944	Frank Sinkwich	Detroit Lions	HB	[11]
1945	Bob Waterfield	Cleveland Rams	QB	[5]
1946	Bill Dudley	Pittsburgh Steelers	HB	[12]

Don Hutson, the first multiple-time NFL MVP

See also

• NFL Most Valuable Player Award for an overview of NFL MVP awards, both past and present
• List of NFL awards