A look back through NFL MVP history

The NFL offseason chatter is full of notes and columns about what might come in the new year, and chief among these is speculation about the new season’s Most Valuable Player.

Of course, Russell Wilson is a name has popped up quite a bit in this chatter.

Should that come to pass, it would be great for the franchise and the city and would come after a relatively dry spell in Broncos football.

I say “relatively” because the six straight non-playoff seasons and five straight losing seasons are a milestone for the Broncos, but not really so long in the cosmic scheme of NFL football.

The Broncos have actually had three previous MVP winners (quarterback John Elway, running back Terrell Davis and quarterback Peyton Manning), and Denver is one of eight teams with at least three different players to win MVP.

Of course, the all-time leader in number of MVP awards is Manning, who had five (including four with the Indianapolis Colts before signing with Denver).

The award itself is voted on by a nationwide panel of media, and then named by the Associated Press. It started back in 1957, then known as the NFL Most Outstanding Player Award, essentially becoming the NFL MVP Award in 1961.

The first winners were Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns, who won in both 1957 and 1958. For those who do not recognize Brown as the greatest running back in history, consider that in 1958, he rushed for 1,527 yards and added 17 touchdowns — in what was then a 12-game schedule. Can you imagine a healthy Jim Brown playing five more games?

Johnny Unitas was the winner in 1959, and he was followed by fellow quarterback Norm Van Brocklin in 1960. “The Dutchman” was as crusty as they came and in 1960, he guided the Philadelphia Eagles to their first title since 1949. He passed for 24 touchdowns and led the Eagles to their championship win over Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, the only NFL title game Lombardi’s Packers ever lost.

But I remember Van Brocklin more for his incredible generosity in paying…