Pre-1966 NFL Championship Game MVPs

[Crazy Packers Fan]

I was reading about Jim Taylor being chosen as the 1965 NFL Championship Game, and I'm wondering, has anyone ever gone back and tried to figure out who MVPs would have been had there been an award for the games? There's an excellent book - Pro Football Championships Before the Super Bowl - that goes in-depth on each game, which is wonderful. It just never names who the author thought the MVP would be. I think that would be a pretty cool exercise to go back and guess on MVPs for those games.

[RichardBak]

I think Sport magazine used to select the title game MVP. Seems to me Johnny U won a couple Corvettes in 1958 and '59.

[JohnTurney]

has anyone ever gone back and tried to figure out who MVPs would have been had there been an award for the games?

here are the ones that were picked---but before that is an open field
NFL
1965-Jim Taylor
1964-Gary Collins
1963-Larry Morris
1962-Ray Nitschke
1961-Paul Hornung
1960-Norm Van Brocklin
1958-Johnny Unitas

AFL
1965-Jack Kemp
1963 Keith Lincoln

[sheajets]

1957 - Tobin Rote. Has to be

[JohnTurney]

1957 - Tobin Rote. Has to be

Steve Van Buren would be pretty non-controversial choices in 1948-49

[Bob Gill]

Sammy Baugh in 1937, for sure, and probably 1942 also.

Sid Luckman is a good bet for 1943 and '46 -- maybe '41 too.

Probably Bob Waterfield in 1945?

Ken Strong in 1934, or maybe Ed Danowski.

Otto Graham in 1950, and probably '54 or '55, if not both.

[JohnTurney]

Sammy Baugh in 1937, for sure, and probably 1942 also.

Sid Luckman is a good bet for 1943 and '46 -- maybe '41 too.

Probably Bob Waterfield in 1945?

Ken Strong in 1934, or maybe Ed Danowski.

Otto Graham in 1950, and probably '54 or '55, if not both.

agree with all those, except perhaps Waterfield. Jim Gillette might have given Waterfield a run for his money if the guys in the press box voted ...
the goalpost might get a vote, too.

Still, the way things are when it comes to MVP, Waterfield would have gotten it for being the "rookie field general"

[Saban1]

Bobby Layne in 1953 and maybe 1952 as well

[JohnTurney]

The way the Rams split snaps with QBs, hard for Van Brocklin to be 1951 MVP --
Fears caught GW pass---but just 4 catches on the day but would prob. have to go to him. Browns
held passing of Rams in check until that 73-yarder for the TD.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

I'd think Otto Graham might have been likely for 1950 for the late drive. Although Lou Groza might have been the choice. Maybe Bobby Layne for the 1953 game for his late TD pass.

I don't know if there were game MVPs handed out in the earlier eras. I remember hearing that Taylor won the 65 award, but in terms of the 1950s on back, I don't recall anything. If I come across something in my research soon, I'll add that to this post.