AP National Championship Trophy


The AP National Championship Trophy is the trophy awarded annually by the Associated Press to the team who finishes the season at the number one spot in the AP Poll and signifies that team being selected as national champions of college football for that season.
The trophy consists of a silver or gold football suspended above a base which contains the letters "AP", along with the information on who the recipient of the trophy was.
Until the 1968 college football season, the final AP poll of the season was released following the end of the regular season, with the exception of the 1965 season.
The Associated Press was not tied to the Bowl Championship Series, and the trophy could be awarded to a team which did not win the BCS National Championship Game. This has happened once after the 2003 season when LSU won the BCS title game, but USC received a higher total of votes in the AP Poll, and therefore received the AP National Championship Trophy. Teams serving NCAA postseason bans are still eligible for the AP National Championship. This has occurred twice, following the 1957 and 1974 seasons.

Winners

The following teams have finished in the #1 spot in the final AP Poll of the season for college football:
SeasonSchoolHead Coach
1936MinnesotaBernie Bierman
1937PittsburghJock Sutherland
1938TCUDutch Meyer
1939Texas A&MHomer Norton
1940MinnesotaBernie Bierman
1941MinnesotaBernie Bierman
1942Ohio StatePaul Brown
1943Notre DameFrank Leahy
1944ArmyEarl Blaik
1945ArmyEarl Blaik
1946Notre DameFrank Leahy
1947Notre DameFrank Leahy
1948MichiganBennie Oosterbaan
1949Notre DameFrank Leahy
1950OklahomaBud Wilkinson
1951TennesseeRobert Neyland
1952Michigan StateBiggie Munn
1953MarylandJim Tatum
1954Ohio StateWoody Hayes
1955OklahomaBud Wilkinson
1956OklahomaBud Wilkinson
1957AuburnRalph Jordan
1958LSUPaul Dietzel
1959SyracuseBen Schwartzwalder
1960MinnesotaMurray Warmath
1961AlabamaBear Bryant
1962USCJohn McKay
1963TexasDarrell Royal
1964AlabamaBear Bryant
1965AlabamaBear Bryant
1966Notre DameAra Parseghian
1967USCJohn McKay
1968Ohio StateWoody Hayes
1969TexasDarrell Royal
1970NebraskaBob Devaney
1971NebraskaBob Devaney
1972USCJohn McKay
1973Notre DameAra Parseghian
1974OklahomaBarry Switzer
1975OklahomaBarry Switzer
1976PittsburghJohnny Majors
1977Notre DameDan Devine
1978AlabamaBear Bryant
1979AlabamaBear Bryant
1980GeorgiaVince Dooley
1981ClemsonDanny Ford
1982Penn StateJoe Paterno
1983Miami Howard Schnellenberger
1984BYULaVell Edwards
1985OklahomaBarry Switzer
1986Penn StateJoe Paterno
1987Miami Jimmy Johnson
1988Notre DameLou Holtz
1989Miami Dennis Erickson
1990ColoradoBill McCartney
1991Miami Dennis Erickson
1992AlabamaGene Stallings
1993Florida StateBobby Bowden
1994NebraskaTom Osborne
1995NebraskaTom Osborne
1996FloridaSteve Spurrier
1997MichiganLloyd Carr
1998TennesseePhillip Fulmer
1999Florida StateBobby Bowden
2000OklahomaBob Stoops
2001Miami Larry Coker
2002Ohio StateJim Tressel
2003USCPete Carroll
2004USCPete Carroll
2005TexasMack Brown
2006FloridaUrban Meyer
2007LSULes Miles
2008FloridaUrban Meyer
2009AlabamaNick Saban
2010AuburnGene Chizik
2011AlabamaNick Saban
2012AlabamaNick Saban
2013Florida StateJimbo Fisher
2014Ohio StateUrban Meyer
2015AlabamaNick Saban
2016ClemsonDabo Swinney
2017AlabamaNick Saban
2018ClemsonDabo Swinney
2019LSUEd Orgeron

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