Hickok Belt

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The S. Rae Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year award, commonly known as the Hickok Belt, is a trophy awarded to the top professional athlete of the year in the United States. First awarded from 1950 to 1976, it was dormant until being revived in 2012. The most recent recipient is 2024 winner Shohei Ohtani.

History

The award was created by Ray and Alan Hickok in honor of their father, Stephen Rae Hickok, who died unexpectedly in December 1945.[1][2] The elder Hickok had founded the Hickok Manufacturing Company of Rochester, New York, which made belts—hence the choice of a belt for the trophy.[3] The first recipient was baseball player Phil Rizzuto, who received the award for 1950 during a charity dinner event in Rochester on January 22, 1951.[4] He narrowly bested golfer Ben Hogan.Template:Efn Rizzuto's belt is now in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[5]

News reports indicate that the Hickok family had previously awarded other belts to boxers, independent of the annual athlete of the year award. Examples include the presentation of "a solid gold and jewel-studded championship belt" to Jake LaMotta in June 1949 at the conclusion of a bout at Detroit's Briggs Stadium,[6] and a belt given to a Rochester-area boxer named Mike Conroy in 1927.[7]

The annual award winner received an alligator skin belt with a solid gold buckle, an encrusted Script error: No such module "convert". diamond, and 26 gem chips. It was valued at $10,000 in 1951 Template:USDCY,[8] and its presentation was a major event in sporting news of the day.[9] A simpler alligator skin belt with an engraved buckle of 10 karat gold was apparently awarded to monthly winners—examples include one presented to Otto Graham in recognition of his December 1954 monthly award, which was sold at auction in April 2001,[10] and one presented to Elgin Baylor in recognition of his March 1959 award, which was sold at auction in 2013.[11][12]

A group of 200 sportswriters throughout the U.S. selected monthly winners, with an athlete of the year selected from those honorees.[8]Template:Efn For the first 21 years, from 1950 to 1970, the belt was awarded in Rochester at the annual Rochester Press-Radio Club dinner. After the Hickok company was taken over by the Tandy Corporation, the award was presented in larger cities such as Chicago or New York. After the 1976 annual award was presented, monthly awards were issued through October 1977 (naming a winner for the prior month), then halted.[13] The award remained dormant until being revived in 2012.

During the first 27 years the annual award was presented, it was won 15 times by baseball players, five times by football players, four times by boxers, and three times by golfers. The only two-time winner was Sandy Koufax, in 1963 and 1965.

Revival

In 2010, Tony Liccione, the president of the Rochester Boxing Hall of Fame, announced plans to reinstate the Hickok Belt starting in 2012.[14] The mold for the belt used from 1951 onwardTemplate:Efn was found and planned to be used again.[14] Liccione invited the 18 surviving belt winners (except O. J. Simpson, who at the time was incarcerated in Nevada) to a "comeback dinner", which was held on October 16, 2011, at St. John Fisher College in Rochester.[14][15] Attendees included Johnny Antonelli, Carmen Basilio (1957 winner), Jim Brown (1964 winner), George Chuvalo, Meadowlark Lemon, and Bob Turley (1958 winner).[16]

Upon being re-established in 2012, the award was based on a vote by the National Sports Media Association;[17] however, there were no public award ceremonies or belt presentations.[18] A 20-member panel selected one athlete each month, with the 12 monthly winners being eligible for the annual award.[17]

For the 2012–2024 belts, five winners have been basketball players, five have been baseball players, two have been football players, and one has been a swimmer. There have been three two-time winners: LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, and Shohei Ohtani.

Tony Liccione died in February 2025.[16] Monthly awards since that time are lacking,[19] leaving the future of the annual award uncertain.

Winners

File:Sandy Koufax.jpg
Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax was the award's only two-time winner prior to the award's revival in 2012
File:Rocky Marciano Postcard 1953.jpg
Rocky Marciano, the first non-baseball winner of the award

1950–1976

The following athletes won the award during its original term. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate that monthly winners were also named,[20] only some of whom are included in this table.

Year Winner Sport Monthly winners
1950 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball Ben Hogan, Johnny Longden, George Mikan,Template:Efn Jimmy Demaret, Stan Musial, Ben Hogan,[21] Johnny Mize, Jim Konstanty, Ezzard Charles, George Ratterman & Phil Rizzuto (tie),[22] Joe Culmone,[23] Lou Groza[24]
1951 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball Babe Didrikson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Maurice Richard, Ben Hogan, Conn McCreary, Irish Bob Murphy, Jersey Joe Walcott, Bob Feller, Allie Reynolds,[25] Rocky Marciano,[26] Otto Graham,[27] Charlie Burr[28]
1952 Script error: No such module "Sort". Boxing George Mikan, Chico Vejar,Template:Efn Willie Hoppe & Jackie Burke (tie), Sal Maglie, Bobby Shantz, Jersey Joe Walcott & Julius Boros (tie), Rocky Marciano, Virgil Trucks, Rocky Marciano, Mickey Mantle, Anthony DeSpirito,[29] Anthony DeSpirito[30]
1953 Script error: No such module "Sort". Golf Lloyd Mangrum, Kid Gavilán, Gordie Howe, Ben Hogan, Roy Campanella, Ben Hogan, Ben Hogan, Eddie Mathews, Ted Williams, Billy Martin, Otto Graham, Bobby Layne[31]
1954 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball Ezzard Charles, Neil Johnston,[32] Paddy DeMarco, Sam Snead, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Joe Adcock, Johnny Antonelli, Dusty Rhodes, Willie Shoemaker, Jimmy Carter, Otto Graham[33]
1955 Script error: No such module "Sort".Template:Efn Football
1956 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball
1957 Script error: No such module "Sort". Boxing
1958 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball
1959 Script error: No such module "Sort". Boxing Elgin Baylor (March)[11]
1960 Script error: No such module "Sort". Golf
1961 Script error: No such module "Sort".Template:Efn Baseball
1962 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball
1963 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball
1964 Script error: No such module "Sort". Football
1965 Script error: No such module "Sort". (2) Baseball
1966 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball
1967 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball
1968 Script error: No such module "Sort". Football
1969 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball
1970 Script error: No such module "Sort".Template:Efn Baseball
1971 Script error: No such module "Sort". Golf
1972 Script error: No such module "Sort". Baseball Gene Tenace (Oct)[34]
1973 Script error: No such module "Sort". Football
1974 Script error: No such module "Sort". Boxing
1975 Script error: No such module "Sort".Template:Efn Baseball
1976 Script error: No such module "Sort".Template:Efn Football
1977 Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "sort". Steve Cauthen, Steve Cauthen,[35] Jimmy Young, Tom Watson, A. J. Foyt, Bill Walton,[36] Tom Watson,[37] Lou Brock,[38] Guillermo Vilas,[39] not issued (Oct–Dec)

Source:[40]

2012–present

File:LeBron James (15662939969).jpg
LeBron James, the first two-time winner since the award's revival
Mahomes smiling
Patrick Mahomes, two-time winner
Ohtani adjusting a batting glove
Shohei Ohtani, two-time winner and most recent recipient
Year Winner Sport Monthly winners
2012 LeBron James Basketball Template:Flatlist
2013 LeBron James (2)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Basketball Template:Flatlist
2014 Madison Bumgarner Baseball Template:Flatlist
2015 Stephen Curry Basketball Template:Flatlist
2016 Michael Phelps Swimming Template:Flatlist
2017 Jose Altuve Baseball Template:Flatlist
2018 Patrick Mahomes Football Template:Flatlist
2019 Kawhi Leonard Basketball Template:Flatlist
2020 Patrick Mahomes (2)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Football Template:Flatlist
2021 Shohei Ohtani Baseball Template:Flatlist
2022 Aaron Judge Baseball Template:Flatlist
2023 Nikola Jokić Basketball Template:Flatlist
2024 Shohei Ohtani (2)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Baseball Template:Flatlist
2025 Template:Flatlist

Source:[40]

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

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  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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Further reading

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External links

  • Script error: No such module "Official website".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". as of March 2025 via Wayback Machine

Template:Hickok Belt

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