BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award


The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. The award is given to a sportsperson "who has made a major impact on the world of sport during their lifetime". The winner is selected by BBC Sport. When football manager Alex Ferguson won the award in 2001, the BBC described the award as "a new accolade" to be presented annually; however, two people had already received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The inaugural recipient of the award was Frank Bruno in 1996, who won it after his retirement from boxing that year. Bruno was the favourite to win the main award in 1995, but lost to Damon Hill, causing many to criticise his Lifetime Achievement Award as being a consolation award. Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros won the award the following year, but after that the award was not presented for three years. The award has been presented annually since Ferguson ended the hiatus in 2001. Five of the eleven recipients have been associated with football; tennis and golf are the only other sports to have been represented more than once. Tennis player Martina Navratilova was the first woman to have won the award. The only recipient of the award on multiple occasions is Ballesteros who won in 1997 and again in 2009, for his contribution to golf winning "the Open three times, the Masters twice as well as playing an inspirational role in the Ryder Cup". The most recent winner, in 2018, was American tennis player Billie Jean King.

Winners

By year

YearNationalityWinnerSportRationale
1996BoxingFor his contributions to boxing which include winning the WBC heavyweight title.
1997SpainGolf"In recognition of his outstanding contribution to European golf over the last 20 years."
2001FootballFor a managing career at Manchester United since 1986 which has won seven league titles and "claimed an unprecedented treble of Premiership, FA Cup and European Cup".
2002Football"In recognition of his footballing achievements", which include being named "Footballer of the Year and European Player of the Year in 1968", and winning two championship medals and a European Cup with Manchester United.
2003Tennis"For a trophy-laden tennis career spanning 30 years, winning a record 167 singles titles and an astonishing 329 trophies overall, 140 ahead of her nearest rival."
2004Cricket"For services to cricket" where he played 102 Tests for England in his 15-year career as an all-rounder. During that time he took 383 wickets, which was the highest number for England until 2015 and scored 5,200 runs.
2005BrazilPeléFootballFor having a professional career in which "he scored 1,280 goals in 1,363 games" and "made 92 appearances for Brazil, scoring 77 goals" and winning three of the four World Cups he played in.
2006SwedenTennisFor "dazzl the world of tennis in the 1970s and 1980s, winning 11 Grand Slam titles" including 5 Wimbledon championships.
2007FootballFor "his contributions as both player and manager in a career spanning more than half a century"
2008FootballFor achievements that include helping "England to World Cup success in 1966 and Manchester United to European Cup glory in 1968, scoring twice in the final".
2009SpainGolfFor his contributions to golf which include winning "the Open three times, the Masters twice playing an inspirational role in the Ryder Cup".
2010FootballFor his playing career as well as his roles in the London 2012 Olympic bid and his central role in attempting to bring the 2018 World Cup to England
2011RowingFor "his huge contribution to rowing, his long and extraordinary career, and his ongoing commitment to promoting sport in the UK"
2012AthleticsFor his role in both London's bid for, and organisation of the hosting of, the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games.
2014CyclingFor winning six Olympic gold medals, more than any other British sportsperson in history, as well as 11 golds at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships.
2015Horse racingFor an unprecedented career in horse racing, being Champion Jockey for every season of his 20-year professional career and riding over 4,300 winners - including the Grand National, two Cheltenham Gold Cups, three Champion Hurdles and the Champion Chase.
2016SwimmingFor a career in which he has won 23 Olympic gold medals, 3 silver medals and 2 bronzes across 4 games, including a record breaking eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
2017AthleticsFor being one of only 12 British women to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics. Ennis-Hill is the 2012 Olympic champion, three-time world champion and 2010 European champion.
2018TennisFor changing perceptions of what it meant to be a woman in sport following her historic victory in the Battle of the Sexes and for founding the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation. Winner of 39 Grand Slam titles.
2019Paralympic

By nationality

By sport

This table lists the total number of awards won by the winners sporting profession.
Sporting professionNumber of wins
Football6
Tennis2
Athletics2
Boxing1
Cricket1
Cycling1
Golf1
Horse Racing1
Rowing1
Swimming1