| Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year | |
 | |
| Awarded for | the most outstanding basketball player in the Missouri Valley Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1969 |
| Currently held by | Kyle Weems, Missouri State |
The Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given to the Missouri Valley Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1968–69 season. It was renamed to honor Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who played at Indiana State from 1977 to 1979 and led to the Sycamores to 1979 NCAA Championship game. Bird won every major player of the year award (including the Naismith and Wooden awards) in 1979.
As of 2011, Bradley and Southern Illinois are tied for the most all–time winners with six apiece. The most recent winner is Kyle Weems from Missouri State. There have never been any ties for the player of the year, but there have been seven repeat winners in the award's history.
Key[]
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national Player of the Year award: the Naismith College Player of the Year or the John R. Wooden Award |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Player of the Year award at that point |
Winners[]
In 1979, Larry Bird was also the consensus National Player of the Year while at Indiana State.
Anthony Parker won in 1996 while playing for Bradley.
Kyle Korver (with ball) was back-to-back POY in 2002 and 2003.
| Season | Player | School | Position | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | Bingo Smith | Tulsa | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1969–70 | Jim Ard | Cincinnati | Center | Senior |
| 1970–71 | Jeff Halliburton | Drake | Small forward | Senior |
| 1971–72 | Larry Finch | Memphis State | Guard | Junior |
| 1972–73 | Larry Kenon | Memphis State | Power forward | Junior |
| 1973–74 | Junior Bridgeman | Louisville | Small forward | Junior |
| 1974–75 | Junior Bridgeman (2) | Louisville | Small forward | Senior |
| 1975–76 | Mike Glenn | Southern Illinois | Point guard | Junior |
| 1976–77 | Roger Phegley | Bradley | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1977–78 | Larry Bird | Indiana State | Small forward | Junior |
| 1978–79 | Larry Bird* (2) | Indiana State | Small forward | Senior |
| 1979–80 | Lewis Lloyd | Drake | Small forward / Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1980–81 | Lewis Lloyd (2) | Drake | Small forward / Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1981–82 | Paul Pressey | Tulsa | Point guard / Forward | Senior |
| 1982–83 | Antoine Carr | Wichita State | Center | Senior |
| 1983–84 | Xavier McDaniel | Wichita State | Power forward | Junior |
| 1984–85 | Xavier McDaniel (2) | Wichita State | Power forward | Senior |
| 1985–86 | Jim Les | Bradley | Point guard | Senior |
| 1986–87 | Hersey Hawkins | Bradley | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1987–88 | Hersey Hawkins (2) | Bradley | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1988–89 | Anthony Manuel | Bradley | Point guard | Senior |
| 1989–90 | Bob Harstad | Creighton | Power forward | Junior |
| 1990–91 | Chad Gallagher | Creighton | Center | Senior |
| 1991–92 | Ashraf Amaya | Southern Illinois | Point guard | Senior |
| 1992–93 | Curt Smith | Drake | Point guard | Senior |
| 1993–94 | Gary Collier | Tulsa | Small forward | Senior |
| 1994–95 | Chris Carr | Southern Illinois | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1995–96 | Anthony Parker | Bradley | Shooting guard / Small forward | Junior |
| 1996–97 | Jason Daisy | Northern Iowa | Point guard | Senior |
| 1997–98 | Rico Hill | Illinois State | Forward | Senior |
| 1998–99 | Marcus Wilson | Evansville | Shooting guard / Point guard | Senior |
| 1999–00 | Nate Green | Indiana State | Small forward | Senior |
| 2000–01 | Tarise Bryson | Illinois State | Point guard | Junior |
| 2001–02 | Kyle Korver | Creighton | Small forward / Shooting guard | Junior |
| 2002–03 | Kyle Korver (2) | Creighton | Small forward / Shooting guard | Senior |
| 2003–04 | Darren Brooks | Southern Illinois | Guard | Junior |
| 2004–05 | Darren Brooks (2) | Southern Illinois | Guard | Senior |
| 2005–06 | Paul Miller | Wichita State | Center | Senior |
| 2006–07 | Jamaal Tatum | Southern Illinois | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 2007–08 | Adam Emmenecker | Drake | Point guard | Senior |
| 2008–09 | Booker Woodfox | Creighton | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 2009–10 | Adam Koch | Northern Iowa | Power forward | Senior |
| 2010–11 | Kyle Weems | Missouri State | Small forward | Junior |
Winners by school[]
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Bradley (1948) | 6 | 1977, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1996 |
| Southern Illinois (1975) | 6 | 1976, 1992, 1995, 2004, 2005, 2007 |
| Creighton (1977) | 5 | 1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2009 |
| Drake (1907) | 5 | 1971, 1980, 1981, 1993, 2008 |
| Wichita State (1945) | 4 | 1983, 1984, 1985, 2006 |
| Indiana State (1977) | 3 | 1978, 1979, 2000 |
| Tulsa (1935)[a] | 3 | 1969, 1982, 1994 |
| Illinois State (1981) | 2 | 1998, 2001 |
| Louisville (1963)[b] | 2 | 1974, 1975 |
| Memphis State (1968)[c] | 2 | 1972, 1973 |
| Northern Iowa (1991) | 2 | 1997, 2010 |
| Cincinnati (1957)[d] | 1 | 1970 |
| Evansville (1994) | 1 | 1999 |
| Missouri State (1990) | 1 | 2011 |
Footnotes[]
- a The University of Tulsa left in 1996.
- b The University of Louisville left in 1974.
- c Memphis State University (now called the University of Memphis) left in 1973.
- d The University of Cincinnati left in 1970.
References[]
- "MVC Men's Basketball Media Guide". Awards (p. 191). Missouri Valley Conference. http://epublish.multiad.com/MVC_men_bball/. Retrieved 19 May 2010.