document_title: College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS

question_text: who has the most national championships college football

question_tokens: who has the most national championships college football

text: History[edit]

text: The concept of a national championship in college football dates to the early years of the sport in the late 19th century,[8] and the earliest contemporaneous polls can be traced to Caspar Whitney, Charles Patterson, and The Sun in 1901.[9] Therefore, the concept of polls and national champions predated mathematical ranking systems, but it was Frank Dickinson's math system that was one of the first to be widely popularized. His system named 10–0 Stanford the national champion of 1926, prior to their tie with Alabama in the Rose Bowl. A curious Knute Rockne, then coach of Notre Dame, had Dickinson backdate two seasons, which produced Notre Dame as the 1924 national champion and Dartmouth in 1925.[10]

text: A number of other mathematical systems were born in the 1920s and 1930s and were the only organized methods selecting national champions until the Associated Press began polling sportswriters in 1936 to obtain rankings. Alan J. Gould, the creator of the AP Poll, named Minnesota, Princeton, and SMU co-champions in 1935, and polled writers the following year, which resulted in a national championship for Minnesota.[10] The AP's main competition, United Press, created the first poll of coaches in 1950. For that year and the next three, the AP and UP agreed on the national champion. The first "split" championship occurred in 1954, when the writers selected Ohio State and the coaches chose UCLA.[10] The two polls also disagreed in 1957, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1991, 1997, and 2003. The Coaches' Poll would stay with United Press (UP) when they merged with International News Service (INS) to form United Press International (UPI) but was acquired by USA Today and CNN in 1991. The poll was in the hands of USA Today and ESPN from 1997 to 2005 before moving to sole ownership by USA Today. Beginning in 2014, Amway became a joint sponsor with USA Today.[11]

text: Though some of the math systems selected champions after the bowl games, both of the major polls released their rankings after the end of the regular season until the AP polled writers after the bowls in 1965, resulting in what was perceived at the time as a better championship selection (Alabama) than UPI's (Michigan State).[10] After 1965, the AP again voted before the bowls for two years, before permanently returning to a post-bowl vote in 1968. The coaches did not conduct a vote after the bowls until 1974, in the wake of awarding their 1973 championship to Alabama, who lost to the AP champion, undefeated Notre Dame, in the Sugar Bowl.[10] The AP and Coaches' polls remain the major rankings to this day.

text: The Bowl Championship Series, famous for its use of math, was the successor of the Bowl Alliance (1995–1997), which was itself the successor of the Bowl Coalition (1992–1994).[12] Besides the many adjustments it underwent during its tenure, including a large overhaul following the 2004 season that included the replacement of the AP Poll with the Harris poll, the BCS remained a mixture of math and human polls since its inception in 1998, with the goal of matching the best two teams in the nation in a national championship bowl game which rotated yearly between the Sugar, Fiesta, Rose, and Orange Bowls from 1998 to 2005, and later a standalone game titled the BCS National Championship Game (2006 to 2013).[10] The winner of the BCS Championship Game was awarded the national championship of the Coaches' Poll thus winning the AFCA National Championship Trophy. The BCS winner also received the MacArthur Bowl from the National Football Foundation.[13] Neither the AP Poll, nor other current selectors, had contractual obligations to select the BCS champion as their national champion.[14] The BCS resulted in a number of controversies, most notably after the 2003 season, when the BCS championship game did not include eventual AP champion USC, the only time the two championships have diverged since the advent of the BCS. After many seasons of controversy, the BCS was replaced with the College Football Playoff, a Plus-One system aimed at reducing the controversy involved in which teams get to play in a championship game through use of a tournament.

text: National championships in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision records[edit]

text: The NCAA maintains an official records book of historical statistics and records for football. In the records book, with consultation from various college football historians, it has created and maintains a list of "major selectors" of national championships throughout the history of college football along with their championship picks for each season.[6]:107–116

text: Major selectors[edit]

text: A variety of selectors have named national champions throughout the years. They generally can be divided into four categories: those determined by mathematical formula, human polls, historical research, and recently, playoffs. The selectors below are listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records as having been deemed to be "major selectors" for which the criteria is that the poll or selector be "national in scope either through distribution in newspaper, television, radio and/or computer online".[6]:107–109 The former selectors, deemed instrumental in the sport of college football, and selectors that were included for the calculation of the BCS standing, are listed together.[6]:107–116,119

text: Math[edit]

text: The mathematical system is the oldest systematic selector of college football national champions. Many of the math selectors were created during the "championship rush" of the 1920s and 1930s, beginning with Frank Dickinson's system, or during the dawn of the computer age in the 1990s. Selectors are listed below with years selected retroactively in italics.

text:
Selector
Name
Seasons

A&H
Anderson & Hester
1997–present

AS
Alderson System
1994–1998

B(QPRS)
Berryman (QPRS)
1920–1989, 1990–2011

BR
Billingsley Reporta
1869–1870, 1872–1969, 1970–present

BS
Boand System
1919–1929, 1930–1960

CCR
Congrove Computer Rankings
1993–present

CM
Colley Matrix
2001–present

CW
Caspar Whitney
1905–1907

DeS
DeVold System
1939–1944, 1945–2006

DiS
Dickinson System
1924–1925, 1926–1940

DuS
Dunkel System
1929–present

ERS
Eck Ratings System
1987–2005

HS
Houlgate System
1885, 1887–1905, 1907–1926, 1927–1949

L
Litkenhous
1934–1972, 1974, 1978, 1981–1984

MCFR
Massey College Football Ratings
1995–present

MGR
Matthews Grid Ratings
1966–1972, 1974–2006

NYT
New York Times
1979–2004

PS
Poling System
1924–1934, 1935–1955, 1957–1984

R(FACT)
Rothman (FACT)
1968–2006

SR
Sagarin Ratings
1919–1977, 1978–present

W
Wolfe
2001–2015

WS
Williamson System
1931, 1932–1963

text: aThe Billingsley Report also provides an alternate selection that uses margin-of-victory in its calculation. The NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book notes both selections in years where they disagree.[6]:107–116

text: Poll[edit]

text: The poll has been the dominant national champion selector since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936. It is notable that the NFF merged its poll with UPI from 1991 to 1992, with USA Today from 1993 to 1996, and with the FWAA from 2014 forward. Selectors are listed below with years selected retroactively in italics.

text: For many years, the national champion of various polls were selected prior to the bowl games. The national champion was selected before bowl games as follows: AP (1936–1964 and 1966–1967), Coaches' Poll (1950–1973), FWAA (1954), and NFF (1959–1970). In all other latter-day polls, champions were selected after bowl games.[6]:107–119

text: During the BCS era, the winner of the BCS Championship Game was automatically awarded the national championship of the Coaches' Poll and the National Football Foundation.

text:
Selector
Name
Seasons

AP
Associated Press
1936–present

Coaches'
  BRC
  UP
  UPI
  USAT/CNN
  USAT/ESPN
  USAT
  USAT/AMWAY
American Football Coaches Association
  AFCA Blue Ribbon Commission
  United Press
  United Press International
  USA Today/CNN
  USA Today/ESPN
  USA Today
  USA Today/Amway
1922–present
  1922–1949a
  1950–1957
  1958–1990b
  1991–1996b c
  1997–2004
  2005–2013b
  2014–present

CFRA
College Football Researchers Association
1919–1935, 1936–1981, 1982–1992, 2010–present

FN
Football News
1958–2002

FWAA
Football Writers Association of America
1954–2013c

FWAA/NFF
FWAA-NFF Grantland Rice Super 16
2014–presentc

HAF
Helms Athletic Foundation
1883–1935, 1936–1940, 1941–1982

INS
International News Service
1952–1957

NCF
National Championship Foundation
1869–1870, 1872–1935, 1936–1979, 1980–2000

NFF
National Football Foundation
1959–1990, 1997–2013c d e

SN
Sporting News
1975–2006

UPI
United Press International
1993–1995f

UPI/NFF
United Press International/National Football Foundation
1991–1992e

USAT
USA Today
1982g

USAT/CNN
USA Today/CNN
1983–1990g

USAT/NFF
USA Today/National Football Foundation
1993–1996d

text: aAt the request of several schools, the AFCA established a "Blue Ribbon Commission" in 2016 to begin retroactively selecting Coaches' Trophy winners from 1922 through 1949.[15]

text: bServed as the Coaches' Poll during the designated years, but also conducted their own poll at different times.

text: cThe Football Writers Association of America merged its poll with that of the National Football Foundation members beginning in 2014; as a result, the Grantland Trophy was retired and the FWAA/NFF national champion now receives the MacArthur Bowl.[6]:116

text: dUSA Today took over, from the UPI, the poll of the National Football Foundation's members in 1993, and its winner was designated by the NFF as its national champion and received the MacArthur Bowl. The poll was conducted by USA Today through the 1996 season, although national championship selections in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records do not distinguish the NFF from the USAT/NFF poll in 1995 and 1996. Not to be confused with the USA Today/CNN Coaches' Poll, which USA Today conducted separately.

text: eUPI conducted the Coaches' Poll through the 1990 season, which was subsequently taken over by CNN/USA Today. UPI then conducted a poll of National Football Foundation members in 1991 and 1992, the winner of which was designated by the NFF as its national champion and received the MacArthur Bowl.

text: fUPI conducted its own poll from 1993 to 1995, after the National Football Foundation Poll was taken over by USA Today.

text: gUSA Today conducted its own poll of college football sportswriters in 1982, then joined with CNN to do their own joint poll until they took over the Coaches' Poll starting with the 1991 season.

text: Research[edit]

text: College football historian Parke H. Davis is the only selector considered by the NCAA to have primarily used research in his selections.[6]:107–109 Davis did all of his work in 1933, naming retroactive national champions for most of the years from 1869 to 1932 while naming Michigan and Princeton (his alma mater) co-champions at the end of the 1933 season.

text:
Selector
Name
Seasons

PD
Parke H. Davis
1869–1870, 1872–1909, 1911–1916, 1919–1932, 1933

text: Hybrid[edit]

text: The Bowl Championship Series used a mathematical system that combined polls (Coaches' and AP/Harris) and multiple computer rankings (including some individual selectors listed above) to determine a season ending matchup between its top two ranked teams in the BCS Championship Game. The champion of that game was contractually awarded the Coaches' Poll and National Football Foundation championships.

text:
Selector
Name
Seasons

BCS
Bowl Championship Series
1998–2013

text: Playoff[edit]

text: Unlike all selectors prior to 2014, the College Football Playoff does not use math, polls or research to select the participants. Rather, a 13-member committee selects and seeds the teams.[16] The playoff system marked the first time the top-level NCAA football championship was determined by a bracket competition.

text:
Selector
Name
Seasons

CFP
College Football Playoff
2014–present

text: Yearly national championship selections from major selectors[edit]

text: Below is a list of the national champions of college football from 1869 to present (with the exception of 1871, in which no games were played) deemed to be chosen by "major selectors" as listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records.[6]:107–109 Many teams did not have coaches as late as 1899. "Consensus" selectors in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records correspond to the period from 1950 to present which began with the introduction of the two poll system upon the appearance of the Coaches Poll in 1950. Selectors used to determine teams listed as "Consensus National Champions" in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records include the AP Poll, Coaches' Poll, Football Writers Association of America, and the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame.[6]:119

text: The first contemporaneous poll to include teams across the country and selection of a national champions can be traced to Caspar Whitney in 1901.[9] The last retroactive selection was made by Clyde Berryman in 1989 (Notre Dame). The tie was removed from college football in 1995 and the last consensus champion with a tie in its record was Georgia Tech in 1990. The 1947 Michigan Wolverines are often credited with a national championship on the basis of a "free poll" conducted by an AP sportswriter after the 1948 Rose Bowl, though that poll was unofficial and it is not recognized in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records.[6]:107–109

text: Note that the Harris Interactive Poll (2005–2013) was contracted by the BCS to help formulate its standings, and although its final ranking which occurs prior to the bowl games is listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records, it does not conduct a final poll or award or name a national champion on its own.[17]

text: As designated by the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records, the table below shows:

text:
Teams listed in italics indicate retroactively-applied championships.
Teams listed in bold reflect the NCAA's designation as "Consensus National Champions" by virtue of their selection from 1950 onward by one or more selectors from Associated Press, United Press/UPI, Football Writers Association of America, NFF/College Football Hall of Fame, and USA Today.

text: A letter next to any season, team, record, coach or selector indicates a footnote that appears at the bottom of the table.

text:
Season
Champion(s)
Record
Coach
Selector(s)

1869
Princeton
1–1

BR, NCF, PD

Rutgers
1–1

PD

1870
Princeton
1–0

BR, NCF, PD

1871
None
No games played

1872
Princeton
1–0

BR, NCF, PD

Yale
1–0

PD

1873
Princeton
2–0

BR, NCF, PD

1874
Harvard
1–1

PD

Princeton
2–0

BR, PD

Yale
3–0

NCF, PD

1875
Columbia
3–1–1

PD

Harvard
4–0

NCF, PD

Princeton
2–0

BR, PD

1876
Yale
3–0

BR, NCF, PD

1877
Princeton
2–0–1

BR, PD

Yale
3–0–1

NCF, PD

1878
Princeton
6–0

BR, NCF, PD

1879
Princeton
4–0–1

BR, NCF, PD

Yale
3–0–2

PD

1880
Princeton
4–0–1

NCF, PD

Yale
4–0–1

BR, NCF, PD

1881
Princeton
7–0–2

BR, PD

Yale
5–0–1

NCF, PD

1882
Yale
8–0

BR, NCF, PD

1883
Yale
9–0

BR, HAF, NCF, PD

1884
Princeton
9–0–1

BR, PD

Yale
8–0–1

HAF, NCF, PD

1885
Princeton
9–0

BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1886
Princeton
7–0–1

BR, PD

Yale
9–0–1

HAF, NCF, PD

1887
Yale
9–0

BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1888
Yale
13–0
Walter Camp
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1889
Princeton
10–0

BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1890
Harvard
11–0
George C. Adams, George A. Stewart
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1891
Yale
13–0
Walter Camp
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1892
Yale
13–0
Walter Camp
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1893
Princeton
11–0

BR, HAF, HS, NCF

Yale
10–1
William Rhodes
PD

1894
Penn
12–0
George Washington Woodruff
PD

Princeton
8–2

HS

Yale
16–0
William Rhodes
BR, HAF, NCF, PD

1895
Penn
14–0
George Washington Woodruff
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Yale
13–0–2
John A. Hartwell
PD

1896
Lafayette
11–0–1
Parke H. Davis
NCF, PD

Princeton
10–0–1
Franklin Morse
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1897
Penn
15–0
George Washington Woodruff
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Yale
9–0–2
Frank Butterworth
PD

1898
Harvard
11–0
William Forbes
BR, HAF, HS, NCF

Princeton
11–0–1

PD

1899
Harvard
10–0–1
Benjamin Dibblee
HAF, HS, NCF

Princeton
12–1

BR, PD

1900
Yale
12–0
Malcolm McBride
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1901
Harvard
12–0
Bill Reid
BR

Michigan
11–0
Fielding H. Yost
HAF, HS, NCF

Yale
11–1–1
George S. Stillman
PDa

1902
Michigan
11–0
Fielding H. Yost
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Yale
11–0–1
Joseph R. Swan
PD

1903
Michigan
11–0–1
Fielding H. Yost
NCF

Princeton
11–0
Art Hillebrand
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1904
Michigan
10–0
Fielding H. Yost
NCF

Minnesota
13–0
Henry Williams
BR

Penn
12–0
Carl S. Williams
HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1905
Chicago
10–0
Amos Alonzo Stagg
BR, HAF, HS, NCF

Yale
10–0
Jack Owsley
CW, PD

1906
Princeton
9–0–1
William Roper
HAF, NCF

Yale
9–0–1
Foster Rockwell
BR, CW, PD

1907
Yale
9–0–1
William F. Knox
BR, CW, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1908
Harvard
9–0–1
Percy Haughton
BR

LSU
10–0
Edgar Wingard
NCF

Penn
11–0–1
Sol Metzger
HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1909
Yale
10–0
Howard Jones
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1910
Harvard
8–0–1
Percy Haughton
BR, HAF, HS, NCF

Pittsburgh
9–0
Joseph Thompson
NCF

1911
Minnesota
6–0–1
Henry L. Williams
BR

Penn State
8–0–1
Bill Hollenback
NCF

Princeton
8–0–2
William Roper
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1912
Harvard
9–0
Percy Haughton
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Penn State
8–0
Bill Hollenback
NCF

1913
Auburn
8–0
Mike Donahue
BR

Chicago
7–0
Amos Alonzo Stagg
BR, PD

Harvard
9–0
Percy Haughton
HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1914
Army
9–0
Charles Daly
HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Illinois
7–0
Robert Zuppke
BR, PD

Texas
8–0
Dave Allerdice
BR

1915
Cornell
9–0
Albert Sharpe
HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Minnesota
6-0-1
Henry L. Williams
BR

Oklahoma
10–0
Bennie Owen
BR

Pittsburgh
8–0
Glenn "Pop" Warner
PD

1916
Army
9–0
Charles Daly
PD

Georgia Tech
8–0-1
John Heisman
BR

Pittsburgh
8–0
Glenn "Pop" Warner
BR, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

1917
Georgia Tech
9–0
John Heisman
BR, HAF, HS, NCF

1918
Michigan
5–0
Fielding H. Yost
BR, NCF

Pittsburgh
4–1
Glenn "Pop" Warner
HAF, HS, NCF

1919
Centre
9–0
Charley Moran
SR

Harvard
9–0–1
Bob Fisher
CFRA, HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Illinois
6–1
Robert Zuppke
BR, BS, CFRA, PD, SR

Notre Dame
9–0
Knute Rockne
NCF, PD

Texas A&M
10–0
Dana X. Bible
BR, NCF

1920
California
9–0
Andy Smith
CFRA, HAF, HS, NCF, SR

Harvard
8–0–1
Bob Fisher
BS

Notre Dame
9–0
Knute Rockne
BR, PD

Princeton
6–0–1
William Roper
BS, PD

Georgia
8–0–1
Herman Stegeman
B(QPRS)

1921
California
9–0–1
Andy Smith
BR, BS, CFRA, SR

Cornell
8–0
Gil Dobie
HAF, HS, NCF, PD

Iowa
7–0
Howard Jones
BR, PD

Lafayette
9–0
Jock Sutherland
BS, PD

Washington & Jefferson
10–0–1
Greasy Neale
BS

Vanderbilt
7–0–1
Dan McGugin
B(QPRS)

1922
California
9–0
Andy Smith
BR, HS, NCF, SR

Cornell
8–0
Gil Dobie
HAF, PD

Iowa
7-0
Howard Jones
BR

Princeton
8–0
William Roper
BS, CFRA, NCF, PD, SR

Vanderbilt
8–0–1
Dan McGugin
B(QPRS)

1923
California
9–0–1
Andy Smith
HS

Cornell
8–0
Gil Dobie
SR

Illinois
8–0
Robert Zuppke
BS, CFRA, HAF, NCF, PD, SR , B(QPRS)

Michigan
8–0
Fielding H. Yost
BR, NCF

Yale
8–0
Tad Jones
B(QPRS)

1924
Notre Dame
10–0
Knute Rockne
BR, BS, CFRA, DiS, HAF, HS, NCF, PS, SR, B(QPRS)

Penn
9–1–1
Lou Young
PD

1925
Alabama
10–0
Wallace Wade
BR, BS, CFRA, HAF, HS, NCF, PS, SR, B(QPRS)

Dartmouth
8–0
Jesse Hawley
DiS, PD

Michigan
7–1
Fielding H. Yost
SR

1926
Alabama
9–0–1
Wallace Wade
BR, CFRA, HAF, NCF, PS, B(QPRS)

Lafayette
9–0
Herb McCracken
PD

Michigan
7–1
Fielding H. Yost
SR

Navy
9–0–1
Bill Ingram
BS, HS

Stanford
10–0–1
Glenn "Pop" Warner
DiS, HAF, NCF, SR

1927
Georgia
9–1
George Cecil Woodruff
BS, PS, B(QPRS)

Illinois
7–0–1
Robert Zuppke
BR, DiS, HAF, NCF, PD

Notre Dame
7–1–1
Knute Rockne
HS

Texas A&M
8–0–1
Dana X. Bible
SR

Yale
7–1
Thomas Jones
CFRA

1928
Detroit
9–0
Gus Dorais
PD

Georgia Tech
10–0
William Alexander
BR, BS, CFRA, HAF, HS, NCF, PD, PS, SR, B(QPRS)

USC
9–0–1
Howard Jones
DiS, SR

1929
Notre Dame
9–0
Knute Rockne
BR, BS, CFRA, DiS, DuS, HAF, NCF, PS, SR

Pittsburgh
9–1
Jock Sutherland
PD

USC
10–2
Howard Jones
HS, SR, B(QPRS)

1930
Alabama
10–0
Wallace Wade
CFRA, PD, SR, B(QPRS)

Notre Dame
10–0
Knute Rockne
BR, BS, DiS, DuS, HAF, HS, NCF, PD, PS

1931
Pittsburgh
8–1
Jock Sutherland
PD

Purdue
9–1
Noble Kizer
PD

USC
10–1
Howard Jones
BR, BS, CFRA, DiS, DuS, HAF, HS, NCF, PS, SR, WS, B(QPRS)

1932
Colgate
9–0
Andrew Kerr
PD

Michigan
8–0
Harry Kipke
DiS, PD, SR

USC
10–0
Howard Jones
BR, BS, CFRA, DuS, HAF, HS, NCF, PD, PS, SR, WS, B(QPRS)

1933
Michigan
7–0–1
Harry Kipke
BR, BS, CFRA, DiS, HAF, HS, NCF, PD, PS, SR, B(QPRS)

Ohio State
7–1
Sam Willaman
DuS

Princeton
9–0
Fritz Crisler
PD

USC
10–1–1
Howard Jones
WS

1934
Alabama
10–0
Frank Thomas
DuS, HS, PS, WS, B(QPRS)

Minnesota
8–0
Bernie Bierman
BR, BS, CFRA, DiS, HAF, L, NCF, SR

1935
LSU
9–2
Bernie Moore
WS

Minnesota
8–0
Bernie Bierman
BR, BS, CFRA, HAF, L, NCF, PS

Princeton
9–0
Fritz Crisler
DuS

SMU
12–1
Matty Bell
DiS, HS, SR, B(QPRS)

TCU
12–1
Dutch Meyer
WS

1936
LSU
9–1–1
Bernie Moore
SR, WS

Minnesota
7–1
Bernie Bierman
AP, BR, DiS, DuS, HAF, L, NCF, PS

Pittsburgh
8–1–1
Jock Sutherland
BS, CFRA, HS

Duke
9–1
Wallace Wade
B(QPRS)

1937
California
10–0–1
Stub Allison
DuS, HAF

Pittsburgh
9–0–1
Jock Sutherland
AP, BR, BS, CFRA, DiS, HS, L, NCF, PS, SR, WS, B(QPRS)

1938
Notre Dame
8–1
Elmer Layden
DiS

TCU
11–0
Dutch Meyer
AP, HAF, NCF, WS

Tennessee
11–0
Robert Neyland
BR, BS, CFRA, DuS, HS, L, PS, SR, B(QPRS)

1939
Cornell
8–0
Carl Snavely
L, SR

Texas A&M
11–0
Homer Norton
AP, BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, HS, NCF, PS, SR, WS, B(QPRS)

USC
8–0–2
Howard Jones
DiS

1940
Minnesota
8–0
Bernie Bierman
AP, B(QPRS), BS, CFRA, DeS, DiS, HS, L, NCF, SR

Stanford
10–0
Clark Shaughnessy
BR, HAF, PS

Tennessee
10–1
Robert Neyland
DuS, WS

1941
Alabama
9–2
Frank Thomas
HS

Minnesota
8–0
Bernie Bierman
AP, BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, L, NCF, PS, SR

Texas
8–1–1
Dana X. Bible
B(QPRS), WS

1942
Georgia
11–1
Wally Butts
B(QPRS), BR, DeS, HS, L, PS, SR, WS

Ohio State
9–1
Paul Brown
AP, BS, DuS, CFRA, NCF

Wisconsin
8–1–1
Harry Stuhldreher
HAF

1943
Notre Dame
9–1
Frank Leahy
AP, B(QPRS), BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, HS, L, NCF, PS, SR, WS

1944
Army
9–0
Earl Blaik
AP, B(QPRS), BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, HS, L, NCF, PS, SR, WS

Ohio State
9–0
Carroll Widdoes
NCF, SR

1945
Alabama
10–0
Frank Thomas
NCF

Army
9–0
Earl Blaik
AP, B(QPRS), BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, HS, L, NCF, PS, SR, WS

Oklahoma A&M
9–0
Jim Lookabaugh
BRC

1946
Army
9–0–1
Earl Blaik
BR, BS, CFRA, HAF, HS, PS

Georgia
11–0
Wally Butts
WS

Notre Dame
8–0–1
Frank Leahy
AP, B(QPRS), BS, DeS, DuS, HAF, L, NCF, PS, SR

1947
Michigan
10–0
Fritz Crisler
B(QPRS), BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, HS, L, NCF, PS, SR

Notre Dame
9–0
Frank Leahy
AP, HAF, WS

1948
Michigan
9–0
Bennie Oosterbaan
AP, B(QPRS), BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, HS, L, NCF, PS, SR, WS

1949
Notre Dame
10–0
Frank Leahy
AP, B(QPRS), BR, BS, DeS, DuS, HAF, HS, L, NCF, PS, SR, WS

Oklahoma
11–0
Bud Wilkinson
CFRA

1950
Kentucky
11–1
Paul "Bear" Bryant
SR

Oklahoma
10–1
Bud Wilkinson
AP, B(QPRS), HAF, L, UP, WS

Princeton
9–0
Charley Caldwell
BS, PS

Tennessee
11–1
Robert Neyland
BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, NCF, SR

1951
Georgia Tech
11–0–1
Bobby Dodd
B(QPRS), BS

Illinois
9–0–1
Ray Eliot
BS

Maryland
10–0
Jim Tatum
CFRA, DeS, DuS, NCF, SR

Michigan State
9–0
Biggie Munn
BR, HAF, PS

Tennessee
10–1
Robert Neyland
AP, L, UP, WS

1952
Georgia Tech
12–0
Bobby Dodd
B(QPRS), BR, INS, PS, SR

Michigan State
9–0
Biggie Munn
AP, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, HAF, L, NCF, SR, UP, WS

1953
Maryland
10–1
Jim Tatum
AP, INS, UP

Notre Dame
9–0–1
Frank Leahy
BR, BS, DeS, DuS, HAF, L, NCF, PS, SR, WS

Oklahoma
9–1–1
Bud Wilkinson
B(QPRS), CFRA

1954
Ohio State
10–0
Woody Hayes
AP, B(QPRS), BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, HAF, INS, NCF, PS, SR, WS

UCLA
9–0
Henry Sanders
CFRA, DuS, FWAA, HAF, L, NCF, UP

1955
Michigan State
9–1
Duffy Daugherty
BS

Oklahoma
11–0
Bud Wilkinson
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FWAA, HAF, INS, L, NCF, PS, SR, UP, WS

1956
Georgia Tech
10–1
Bobby Dodd
B(QPRS), SR

Iowa
9–1
Forest Evashevski
CFRA

Oklahoma
10–0
Bud Wilkinson
AP, BR, BS, DeS, DuS, FWAA, HAF, INS, L, NCF, SR, UP, WS

Tennessee
10–1
Bowden Wyatt
SR

1957
Auburn
10–0
Ralph Jordan
AP, BR, CFRA, HAF, NCF, PS, SR, WS

Michigan State
8–1
Duffy Daugherty
DuS

Ohio State
9–1
Woody Hayes
BS, DeS, FWAA, INS, L, UP

Oklahoma
10–1
Bud Wilkinson
B(QPRS)

1958
Iowa
8–1–1
Forest Evashevski
FWAA

LSU
11–0
Paul Dietzel
AP, B(QPRS), BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, HAF, L, NCF, PS, SR, UPI, WS

1959
Ole Miss
10–1
Johnny Vaught
B(QPRS), DuS, SR

Syracuse
11–0
Ben Schwartzwalder
AP, BR, BS, CFRA, DeS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, NCF, NFF, PS, SR, UPI, WS

1960
Iowa
8–1
Forest Evashevski
B(QPRS), BS, L, SR

Minnesota
8–2
Murray Warmath
AP, FN, NFF, UPI

Ole Miss
10–0–1
Johnny Vaught
BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FWAA, NCF, WS

Missouri
11–0*
Dan Devine
PS

Washington
10–1
Jim Owens
HAF

1961
Alabama
11–0
Paul "Bear" Bryant
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, HAF, L, NCF, NFF, SR, UPI, WS

Ohio State
8–0–1
Woody Hayes
FWAA, PS

1962
LSU
9–1–1
Charles McClendon
B(QPRS)

Ole Miss
10–0
Johnny Vaught
BR, L, SR

USC
11–0
John McKay
AP, B(QPRS), CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF, PS, UPI, WS

1963
Texas
11–0
Darrell Royal
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, NCF, NFF, PS, SR, UPI, WS

1964
Alabama
10–1
Paul "Bear" Bryant
AP, B(QPRS), L, UPI

Arkansas
11–0
Frank Broyles
BR, CFRA, FWAA, HAF, NCF, PS, SR

Michigan
9–1
Bump Elliott
DuS

Notre Dame
9–1
Ara Parseghian
DeS, FN, NFF

1965
Alabama
9–1–1
Paul "Bear" Bryant
AP, CFRA, FWAA, NCF

Michigan State
10–1
Duffy Daugherty
B(QPRS), BR, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, NFF, PS, SR, UPI

1966
Alabama
11–0
Paul "Bear" Bryant
B(QPRS), SR

Michigan State
9–0–1
Duffy Daugherty
CFRA, HAF, NFF, PS

Notre Dame
9–0–1
Ara Parseghian
AP, BR, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, MGR, NCF, NFF, PS, SR, UPI

1967
Notre Dame
8–2
Ara Parseghian
DuS

Oklahoma
10–1
Chuck Fairbanks
PS

USC
10–1
John McKay
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, FN, FWAA, HAF, MGR, NCF, NFF, SR, UPI

Tennessee
9–2
Doug Dickey
L

1968
Georgia
8–1–2
Vince Dooley
L

Ohio State
10–0
Woody Hayes
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF, PS, R(FACT), SR, UPI

Texas
9–1–1
Darrell Royal
DeS, MGR, SR

1969
Ohio State
8–1
Woody Hayes
MGR

Penn State
11–0
Joe Paterno
R(FACT), SR

Texas
11–0
Darrell Royal
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, NCF, NFF, PS, R(FACT), SR, UPI

1970
Arizona State
11–0
Frank Kush
PS

Nebraska
11–0–1
Bob Devaney
AP, BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, NCF, R(FACT), SR

Notre Dame
10–1
Ara Parseghian
MGR, R(FACT), SR

Ohio State
9–1
Woody Hayes
NFF

Texas
10–1
Darrell Royal
B(QPRS), L, NFF, R(FACT), UPI

1971
Nebraska
13–0
Bob Devaney
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, MGR, NCF, NFF, PS, R(FACT), SR, UPI

1972
USC
12–0
John McKay
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, MGR, NCF, NFF, PS, R(FACT), SR, UPI

1973
Alabama
11–1
Paul "Bear" Bryant
B(QPRS), UPI

Michigan
10–0–1
Bo Schembechler
NCF, PS

Notre Dame
11–0
Ara Parseghian
AP, BR, FN, FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF

Ohio State
10–0–1
Woody Hayes
NCF, PS, R(FACT), SR

Oklahoma
10–0–1
Barry Switzer
CFRA, DeS, DuS, SR

1974
Ohio State
10–2
Woody Hayes
MGR

Oklahoma
11–0
Barry Switzer
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, HAF, L, NCF, PS, R(FACT), SR

USC
10–1–1
John McKay
FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF, UPI

1975
Alabama
11–1
Paul "Bear" Bryant
MGR

Arizona State
12–0
Frank Kush
NCF, SN

Ohio State
11–1
Woody Hayes
B(QPRS), HAF, MGR, PS, R(FACT)

Oklahoma
11–1
Barry Switzer
AP, BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF, R(FACT), SR, UPI

1976
Pittsburgh
12–0
Johnny Majors
AP, BR, FN, FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF, PS, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI

USC
11–1
John Robinson
B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, MGR

1977
Alabama
11–1
Paul "Bear" Bryant
CFRA

Arkansas
11–1
Lou Holtz
R(FACT)

Notre Dame
11–1
Dan Devine
AP, BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, MGR, NCF, NFF, PS, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI

Texas
11–1
Fred Akers
B(QPRS), R(FACT), SR

1978
Alabama
11–1
Paul "Bear" Bryant
AP, CFRA, FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF, R(FACT)

Oklahoma
11–1
Barry Switzer
DeS, DuS, HAF, L, MGR, PS, R(FACT), SR

USC
12–1
John Robinson
B(QPRS), BR, FN, HAF, NCF, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI

1979
Alabama
12–0
Paul "Bear" Bryant
AP, B(QPRS), BR, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, PS, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI

USC
11–0–1
John Robinson
CFRA

1980
Florida State
10–2
Bobby Bowden
R(FACT)

Georgia
12–0
Vince Dooley
AP, B(QPRS), BR, FN, FWAA, HAF, NCF, NFF, PS, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI

Nebraska
10–2
Tom Osborne
R(FACT)

Oklahoma
10–2
Barry Switzer
DuS, MGR

Pittsburgh
11–1
Jackie Sherrill
CFRA, DeS, NYT, R(FACT), SR

1981
Clemson
12–0
Danny Ford
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, PS, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI

Nebraska
9–3
Tom Osborne
NCF

Penn State
10–2
Joe Paterno
DuS

Pittsburgh
11–1
Jackie Sherrill
NCF

SMU
10–1
Ron Meyer
NCF

Texas
10–1–1
Fred Akers
NCF

1982
Nebraska
12–1
Tom Osborne
B(QPRS)

Penn State
11–1
Joe Paterno
AP, BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, HAF, L, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, PS, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI, USAT

SMU
11–0–1
Bobby Collins
HAF

1983
Auburn
11–1
Pat Dye
BR, CFRA, NYT, R(FACT), SR

Miami (FL)
11–1
Howard Schnellenberger
AP, DuS, FN, FWAA, NCF, NFF, SN, UPI, USAT/CNN

Nebraska
12–1
Tom Osborne
B(QPRS), DeS, L, MGR, PS, R(FACT), SR

1984
BYU
13–0
LaVell Edwards
AP, BR, CFRA, FWAA, NCF, NFF, PS, SR, UPI, USAT/CNN

Florida
9–1–1
Galen Hall
DeS, DuS, MGR, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR

Nebraska
10–2
Tom Osborne
L

Washington
11–1
Don James
B(QPRS), FN, NCF

1985
Florida
9–1–1
Galen Hall
SR

Michigan
10–1–1
Bo Schembechler
MGR

Oklahoma
11–1
Barry Switzer
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, UPI, USAT/CNN

1986
Miami (FL)
11–1
Jimmy Johnson
R(FACT)

Oklahoma
11–1
Barry Switzer
B(QPRS), CFRA, DeS, DuS, NYT, SR

Penn State
12–0
Joe Paterno
AP, BR, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI, USAT/CNN

1987
Florida State
11–1
Bobby Bowden
B(QPRS)

Miami (FL)
12–0
Jimmy Johnson
AP, BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI, USAT/CNN

1988
Miami (FL)
11–1
Jimmy Johnson
B(QPRS)

Notre Dame
12–0
Lou Holtz
AP, BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI, USAT/CNN

1989
Miami (FL)
11–1
Dennis Erickson
AP, BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, UPI, USAT/CNN

Notre Dame
12–1
Lou Holtz
B(QPRS), ERS, R(FACT), SR

1990
Colorado
11–1–1
Bill McCartney
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, R(FACT), SN, USAT/CNN

Georgia Tech
11–0–1
Bobby Ross
DuS, NCF, R(FACT), SR, UPI

Miami (FL)
10–2
Dennis Erickson
ERS, NYT, R(FACT), SR

Washington
10–2
Don James
R(FACT)

1991
Miami (FL)
12–0
Dennis Erickson
AP, BR, CFRA, ERS, NCF, NYT, SN, SR

Washington
12–0
Don James
B(QPRS), DeS, DuS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, R(FACT), SR, UPI/NFF, USAT/CNN

1992
Alabama
13–0
Gene Stallings
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CFRA, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI/NFF, USAT/CNN

Florida State
11–1
Bobby Bowden
SR

1993
Auburn
11–0
Terry Bowden
NCF

Florida State
12–1
Bobby Bowden
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CCR, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, NCF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI, USAT/CNN, USAT/NFF

Nebraska
11–1
Tom Osborne
NCF

Notre Dame
11–1
Lou Holtz
MGR, NCF

1994
Florida State
10–1–1
Bobby Bowden
DuS

Nebraska
13–0
Tom Osborne
AP, AS, B(QPRS), BR, FN, FWAA, NCF, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI, USAT/CNN, USAT/NFF

Penn State
12–0
Joe Paterno
CCR, DeS, ERS, MGR, NCF, NYT, R(FACT), SR

1995
Nebraska
12–0
Tom Osborne
AP, AS, B(QPRS), BR, CCR, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, UPI, USAT/CNN

1996
Florida
12–1
Steve Spurrier
AP, B(QPRS), BR, CCR, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, USAT/CNN

Florida State
11–1
Bobby Bowden
AS

1997
Michigan
12–0
Lloyd Carr
AP, BR, FN, FWAA, NCF, NFF, SN

Nebraska
13–0
Tom Osborne
A&H, AS, B(QPRS), BR, CCR, DeS, DuS, ERS, MGR, NCF, NYT, R(FACT), SR, USAT/ESPN

1998
Tennessee
13–0
Phillip Fulmer
A&H, AP, AS, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, USAT/ESPN

Ohio State
11–1
John Cooper
SRb

1999
Florida State
12–0
Bobby Bowden
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MCFR, MGR, NCF, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, USAT/ESPN

2000
Miami (FL)
11–1
Butch Davis
NYT

Oklahoma
13–0
Bob Stoops
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MCFR, MGR, NCF, NFF, R(FACT), SN, SR, USAT/ESPN

2001
Miami (FL)
12–0
Larry Coker
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, CM, DeS, DuS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MCFR, MGR, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, USAT/ESPN, W

2002
Ohio State
14–0
Jim Tressel
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, CM, DeS, ERS, FN, FWAA, MCFR, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, USAT/ESPN, W

USC
11–2
Pete Carroll
DuS, MGR, SR

2003
LSU
13–1
Nick Saban
A&H, BCS, BR, CM, DeS, DuS, MCFR, NFF, R(FACT), SR, USAT/ESPN, W

Oklahoma
12–2
Bob Stoops
B(QPRS)

USC
12–1
Pete Carroll
AP, CCR, ERS, FWAA, MGR, NYT, SN

2004
USCc
11–0d
Pete Carroll
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BR, CCR, CM, DeS, DuS, ERS, MCFR, MGR, NFF, NYT, R(FACT), SN, SR, W
Vacated:c BCS, FWAA, USAT/ESPN

2005
Texas
13–0
Mack Brown
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, CM, DeS, DuS, ERS, FWAA, MCFR, MGR, NFF, R(FACT), SN, SR, USAT, W

2006
Florida
13–1
Urban Meyer
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, CM, DuS, FWAA, MCFR, MGR, NFF, R(FACT), SN, SR, USAT, W

Ohio State
12–1
Jim Tressel
DeS, R(FACT)

2007
LSU
12–2
Les Miles
AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, CM, FWAA, MCFR, NFF, SR, USAT, W

Missouri
12–2
Gary Pinkel
A&H

USC
11–2
Pete Carroll
DuSe

2008
Florida
13–1
Urban Meyer
AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, CM, DuS, FWAA, NFF, SR, USAT

Utah
13–0
Kyle Whittingham
A&H, MCFR, W

2009
Alabama
14–0
Nick Saban
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CCR, CFRA, CM, DuS, FWAA, MCFR, NFF, SR, USAT, W

2010
Auburn
14–0
Gene Chizik
A&H, AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CFRA, CM, DuS, FWAA, MCFR, NFF, SR, USAT, W

TCU
13–0
Gary Patterson
CCR

2011
Alabama
12–1
Nick Saban
AP, B(QPRS), BCS, BR, CFRA, DuS, FWAA, MCFR, NFF, SR, USAT, W

LSU
13–1
Les Miles
A&H, CCR

Oklahoma State
12–1
Mike Gundy
CM

2012
Alabama
13–1
Nick Saban
A&H, AP, BCS, BR, CCR, CFRA, DuS, FWAA, MCFR, NFF, SR, USAT, W

Notre Dame
12–1
Brian Kelly
CM

2013
Florida State
14–0
Jimbo Fisher
A&H, AP, BCS, BR, CCR, CFRA, CM, DuS, FWAA, MCFR, NFF, SR, USAT, W

2014
Ohio State
14–1
Urban Meyer
A&H, AP, BR, CCR, CFP, CFRA, CM, DuS, FWAA/NFF, MCFR, SR, USAT/AMWAY, W

2015
Alabama
14–1
Nick Saban
A&H, AP, BR, CCR, CFP, CFRA, CM, DuS, FWAA/NFF, MCFR, SR, USAT/AMWAY, W

2016
Clemson
14–1
Dabo Swinney
A&H, AP, BR, CFP, CFRA, FWAA/NFF, MCFR, SR, USAT/AMWAY

Alabama
14–1
Nick Saban
CCR, CM, DuS

text:
aParke Davis' selection for 1901, as published in the 1935 Spalding's Foot Ball Guide (which he himself edited until his death), was Harvard.[18]:233
bThe NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book lists Sagarin as having selected Tennessee,[6]:114 while Sagarin's official website gives Ohio State as its 1998 selection.[19]
cThe FWAA stripped USC of its 2004 Grantland Rice Trophy and vacated the selection of its national champion for 2004. The BCS also vacated USC's participation in the 2005 Orange Bowl and USC's 2004 BCS National Championship, and the AFCA Coaches' Poll Trophy was returned.[20][21]
dRecord does not count wins against UCLA, or against Oklahoma in the BCS Championship game on January 4, 2005, as they were vacated by the NCAA.[22]
eThe NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book lists Dunkel as having selected LSU,[6]:114 while Dunkel's official website gives USC as its 2007 selection.[23]

text: Total championship selections from major selectors by school[edit]

text: The national title count listed below is a culmination of all championship awarded since 1869, regardless of consensus or non-consensus status, as listed in the table above according to the selectors deemed to be major as listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (minus the Harris Interactive poll, 2005–2013, that is listed but does not conduct a final poll or award a championship).[6]:107–119

text: The totals can be said to be disputed. Individual schools may claim national championships not accounted for by the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records or may not claim national championship selections that do appear in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (see National championship claims by school below). For an alternative independent view of national championship totals for each team, please see the Poll era (1936–present) selections in the tables below.

text:
School
Championships

Princeton
28

Yale
27

Notre Dame
22

Alabama
20

Oklahoma
17

USC
17

Michigan
16

Ohio State
16

Harvard
12

Nebraska
11

Pittsburgh
11

Miami (FL)
9

Minnesota
9

Texas
9

Florida State
8

LSU
8

Georgia Tech
7

Penn State
7

Tennessee
7

Georgia
6

Michigan State
6

Penn
6

Iowa
5

Army
5

Auburn
5

California
5

Cornell
5

Florida
5

Illinois
5

Washington
4

Lafayette
3

Ole Miss
3

SMU
3

TCU
3

Texas A&M
3

Arizona State
2

Arkansas
2

Chicago
2

Clemson
2

Maryland
2

Missouri
2

Oklahoma State
2

Stanford
2

BYU
1

Centre
1

Colgate
1

Colorado
1

Columbia
1

Dartmouth
1

Detroit
1

Kentucky
1

Navy
1

Purdue
1

Rutgers
1

Syracuse
1

UCLA
1

Utah
1

Washington & Jefferson
1

Wisconsin
1

text: National championship claims by school[edit]

text: The following is a table of known schools' claims on national championships at the highest level of play in college football. Several of these schools no longer compete at the highest level, which is currently NCAA Division I FBS, but nonetheless maintain claims to titles from when they did compete at the highest level.

text: Because there is no one governing or official body that regulates, recognizes, or awards national championships in college football, and because many independent selectors of championships exist, many of the claims by the schools listed below are shared, contradict each other, or are controversial.[5][6]:107–119 In addition, because there is no one body overseeing national championships, no standardized requirements exist in order for a school to make a claim on a national championship, as any particular institution is free to make any declaration it deems to be fit. However, all known national championship claims are for seasons in which a National Championship, or share of a championship, was believed to be awarded to that particular school by at least one independent third-party selector.[24] The majority of these claims, but not all, are based on championships awarded from selectors listed as "major" in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records.[6]:107–109 Not all championships awarded by third party selectors, nor those listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records, are necessarily claimed by each school.[note 1] Therefore, these claims represent how each individual school sees their own history on the subject of national championships.

text: This table below includes only national championship claims originating from each particular school and therefore represents the point-of-view of each individual institution. Each total number of championships, and the years for which they are claimed, are documented by the particular school on its official website, in its football media guide, or in other official publications or literature (see Source). If a championship is not mentioned by a school for any particular season, regardless of whether it was awarded by a selector or listed in a third-party publication such as the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records, it is not considered to be claimed by that institution.[note 2]

text:
School
Claimed
national
championships
Seasons
Source

Princeton
28
1869, 1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889, 1893, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1906, 1911, 1920, 1922, 1933, 1935, 1950
[25]

Yale
27
1872, 1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1897, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1927
[26][27]

Alabama
16
1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015
[28]

Michigan
11
1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923, 1932, 1933, 1947, 1948, 1997
[29]

Notre Dame
11
1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988
[30]

USC
11a
1928, 1931, 1932, 1939, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003, 2004
[31]

Pittsburgh
9
1915, 1916, 1918, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1976
[32]

Ohio State
8
1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002, 2014
[33][34]

Harvard
7
1890, 1898, 1899, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1919
[35]

Minnesota
7
1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960
[36]

Oklahoma
7
1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000
[37]

Penn
7
1894, 1895, 1897, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1924
[38]

Michigan State
6
1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1966
[39]

Tennessee
6
1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967, 1998
[40][41]

California
5
1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1937
[42]

Cornell
5
1915, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1939
[43]

Georgia
5b
1927, 1942, 1946, 1968, 1980
[44]

Illinois
5
1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1951
[45]

Miami (FL)
5
1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001
[46]

Nebraska
5
1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997
[47]

Georgia Tech
4
1917, 1928, 1952, 1990
[48]

Iowa
4c
1921, 1956, 1958, 1960
[49]

Texas
4
1963, 1969, 1970, 2005
[50]

Washington
4
1960, 1984, 1990, 1991
[51]

Army
3
1944, 1945, 1946
[52]

Florida
3
1996, 2006, 2008
[53]

Florida State
3
1993, 1999, 2013
[54]

Lafayette
3
1896, 1921, 1926
[55]

LSU
3
1958, 2003, 2007
[56]

Ole Miss
3
1959, 1960, 1962
[57]

SMU
3
1935, 1981, 1982
[58]

Texas A&M
3
1919, 1927, 1939
[59]

Auburn
2d
1957, 2010
[60]

Chicago
2
1905, 1913
[61]

Clemson
2
1981, 2016
[62][63]

Penn State
2
1982, 1986
[64]

TCU
2
1935, 1938
[65]

Stanford
2
1926, 1940
[66][67]

Arkansas
1
1964
[68]

Boston College
1
1940
[69]

BYU
1
1984
[70]

Colorado
1
1990
[71]

Dartmouth
1
1925
[72]

Kentucky
1
1950
[73]

Maryland
1
1953
[74]

Navy
1
1926
[75]

Oklahoma State
1
1945
[76][77]

Rutgers
1
1869
[78]

Syracuse
1
1959
[79]

UCLA
1
1954
[80]

text:
aUSC's January 4, 2005 win over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game was vacated as mandated by the NCAA, its 2004 BCS National Championship vacated by the BCS, and its AFCA Coaches' Trophy returned. NCAA sanctions mandate that "any reference to the vacated results, including championships, shall be removed." USC still retains the 2004 Associated Press National Championship and has not abandoned its claim to a 2004 National Championship.[81][82]
bIn an online list of the university's national championships, Georgia lists only two for football (1942 and 1980).[83] However, in Georgia's football media guide, although these years (1927, 1946, 1968) are highlighted as consensus championships, each of the five championships are described separately[44]:190 and those seasons are highlighted as national championships in the year-by-year results.[44]:159–161
cIowa lists the awarding of the 1958 Grantland Rice National Championship in various publications, but describes championship selections from 3 other years as well in its annual media guide.
dAuburn's 1913, 1983, and 1993 (Auburn was disqualified from post-season play in 1993 and did not play in a bowl game) championships are not recognized by the school.

text: Poll era (1936–present)[edit]

text: The polling system first gained widespread consistency with the introduction of the AP poll in 1936, followed by the Coaches' Poll in 1950. National championships are often popularly considered to be "consensus" when both of these polls are in agreement with their national championship selections, although other selectors exist and do make alternative selections. A more modern incarnation, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), was a consortium of college football conferences that uses a combination of various computer rankings and human polls to mathematically determine a post-season matchup between the two top teams as determined by its formula. The USA Today Coaches' Poll was contractually obligated to name the BCS champion as its national champion.

text: AP Poll[edit]

text: The AP college football poll has a long history. The news media began running their own polls of sports writers to determine who was, by popular opinion, the best football team in the country at the end of the season. One of the earliest such polls was the AP College Football Poll, first run in 1934 (compiled and organized by Charles Woodroof, former SEC Assistant Director of Media Relations, but not recognized in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records) and then continuously from 1936. Due to the long-standing historical ties between individual college football conferences and high-paying bowl games like the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl, the NCAA has never held a tournament or championship game to determine the champion of what is now the highest division, NCAA Division I, Football Bowl Subdivision (the Division I, Football Championship Subdivision and lower divisions do hold championship tournaments). As a result, the public and the media began to take the leading vote-getter in the final AP Poll as the national champion for that season.

text: While the AP Poll currently lists the Top 25 teams in the nation, from 1936 to 1961 the wire service only ranked 20 teams. And from 1962 to 1967 only 10 teams were recognized. From 1968 to 1988, the AP again resumed its Top 20 before expanding to 25 teams in 1989.

text: 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. In 1964, Alabama was named the national champion in the final AP Poll following the completion of the regular season, but lost in the Orange Bowl to Texas, leaving Arkansas as the only undefeated, untied team after the Razorbacks defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl Classic. In 1965, the AP's decision to wait to crown its champion paid off, as top-ranked Michigan State lost to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, number two Arkansas lost to LSU in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and fourth-ranked Alabama defeated third-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, vaulting the Crimson Tide to the top of the AP's final poll. Michigan State was named national champion in the final United Press International poll of coaches, which did not conduct a post-bowl poll. At the end of the 1947 season, the AP released an unofficial post-bowl poll which differed from the regular season final poll. The AP national championship had been awarded before bowl games were played.

text: Beginning in the 1968 season, a post bowl game poll was released and the AP championship reflected the bowl game results. The UPI did not follow suit with the coaches' poll until the 1974 season.[84]

text: Coaches' Poll[edit]

text: The Coaches' poll began selecting the top 20 teams on a weekly basis during the 1950–1951 college football season. It is conducted among selected members of the American Football Coaches Association. In 1990 the poll expanded to a top 25, and it has retained this format since. The Coaches' Poll took their final poll prior to the bowl games from 1950–1973, and since 1974, has taken their final poll after bowl games. The Coaches' Poll does not include teams on either NCAA or conference-sanction probation, which also differentiates it from the AP poll.[85] The poll has been released through various media outlets and with differing sponsors over its history, and thus has taken a succession of different names, including United Press (UP) from 1950 thru 1957, the United Press International (UPI) from 1958 thru 1990, USA Today/CNN from 1991 thru 1996, USA Today/ESPN from 1997 to 2004, and USA Today from 2005 to present.

text: During the era of the BCS, the Coaches' Poll was under contractual obligation to award its national championship selection to the winner of the BCS Championship Game or its predecessors—who was presented with the AFCA National Championship Trophy during a post-game presentation. The College Football Playoff is not tied to the Coaches' Poll in this manner.[86]

text: Poll era national championships by school (1936–present)[edit]

text: The following table contains the National Championships that have been recognized by the final AP or Coaches' Poll. Originally both the AP and Coaches' poll champions were crowned after the regular season, but since 1968 and 1974, respectively, both polls crown their champions after the bowl games are completed. The BCS champion was automatically awarded the Coaches' Poll championship. Of the current 120+ Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, formerly Division I-A) schools, only 30 have won at least a share of a national title by the AP or Coaches' poll. Of these 30 teams, only 19 teams have won multiple titles. Of the 19 teams, only 7 have won five or more national titles: Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, Miami (FL), Nebraska, and Ohio State. The years listed in the table below indicate a national championship selection by the AP or Coaches' Poll. The selections are noted with (AP) or (Coaches) when a national champion selection differed between the two polls for that particular season, which has occurred in twelve different seasons (including 2004, for which the coaches selection was rescinded) since the polls first came to coexist in 1950.

text:
School
Championships
Seasons

Alabama
11
1961, 1964, 1965 (AP), 1973 (Coaches), 1978 (AP), 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015

Notre Dame
8
1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973 (AP), 1977, 1988

Oklahoma
7
1950, 1955, 1956, 1974 (AP), 1975, 1985, 2000

USC
7
1962, 1967, 1972, 1974 (Coaches), 1978 (Coaches), 2003 (AP), 2004 (AP)*

Ohio State
6
1942, 1954 (AP), 1957 (Coaches), 1968, 2002, 2014

Miami (FL)
5
1983, 1987, 1989, 1991 (AP), 2001

Nebraska
5
1970 (AP), 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Coaches)

Minnesota
4
1936, 1940, 1941, 1960

Texas
4
1963, 1969, 1970 (Coaches), 2005

Florida
3
1996, 2006, 2008

Florida State
3
1993, 1999, 2013

LSU
3
1958, 2003 (Coaches), 2007

Army
2
1944, 1945 (AP)

Auburn
2
1957 (AP), 2010

Clemson
2
1981, 2016

Michigan
2
1948, 1997 (AP)

Michigan State
2
1952, 1965 (Coaches)

Penn State
2
1982, 1986

Pittsburgh
2
1937, 1976

Tennessee
2
1951, 1998

BYU
1
1984

Colorado
1
1990 (AP)

Georgia
1
1980

Georgia Tech
1
1990 (Coaches)

Maryland
1
1953

Oklahoma State
1
1945 (Coaches)**

Syracuse
1
1959

TCU
1
1938

Texas A&M
1
1939

UCLA
1
1954 (Coaches)

Washington
1
1991 (Coaches)

text:
*USC's 2004–2005 BCS National Championship was vacated by the BCS and the AFCA Coaches' Trophy returned.[87]
**Retroactively awarded in 2016 by AFCA Blue Ribbon Panel[15]

text: BCS championships[edit]

text: The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system designed to give the top two teams in NCAA Division I-A (now known as the FBS) an opportunity to compete in a "national championship game". This championship was intended as a surrogate for a playoff system since the NCAA does not formally determine a champion in this category. It began during the 1998 season, but a number of controversial selections spurred changes to the format over the years. Prior to the 2006 season, eight teams competed in four BCS Bowls (the Orange, Sugar, Rose, and Fiesta). The BCS replaced the Bowl Alliance (in place from 1995–1997), which itself followed the Bowl Coalition (in place from 1992–1994). One of the main differences was that the Rose Bowl participated in the BCS; previously, the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions automatically played in the Rose Bowl regardless of their poll rankings. However, after the change, those teams played in the BCS National Championship Game if they finished #1 or #2 in the BCS standings.

text: The BCS formula varied over the years, with the final version relying on a combination of the Coaches' and Harris polls and an average of various computer rankings to determine relative team rankings, and to narrow the field to two teams to play in the BCS National Championship Game held after the other college bowl games. The winner of this game was crowned Coaches' Poll national champion winning the AFCA National Championship Trophy and was also awarded the MacArthur Bowl by the National Football Foundation.[13]

text: BCS National Championships by school (1998–2013)[edit]

text:
School
Championships
Seasons

Alabama
3
2009, 2011, 2012

Florida
2
2006, 2008

Florida State
2
1999, 2013

LSU
2
2003, 2007

Auburn
1
2010

Miami (FL)
1
2001

Ohio State
1
2002

Oklahoma
1
2000

Tennessee
1
1998

Texas
1
2005

USC
0*
2004*

text: *USC's victory in the 2005 Orange Bowl and subsequent 2004–05 BCS National Championship was vacated by the BCS.[81][88]

text: College Football Playoff championships[edit]

text: The College Football Playoff (CFP) was designed as a replacement for the BCS. While the NCAA still does not officially sanction the event, organizers sought to bring a playoff system similar to all other levels of NCAA football to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

text: The College Football Playoff relies on a 13-member selection committee to choose the top four teams to play in a two-round single-elimination playoff bracket. The winner of the final game is awarded the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.

text: CFP National Championships by school (2014–present)[edit]

text:
School
Championships
Seasons

Clemson
1
2016

Alabama
1
2015

Ohio State
1
2014


document_title: Robin van Persie

question_text: how many goals did van persie score for united

question_tokens: how many goals did van persie score for united

root

text: Robin van Persie

text: Club career

text: Feyenoord

text: Born in Rotterdam, Van Persie joined the youth squad of local side SBV Excelsior when he was five, but left for Feyenoord at the age of 16 after falling out with the Excelsior coaching staff over his "petulant" attitude.[5] An injury crisis at Feyenoord meant he was quickly promoted into the first team, and made his debut for the club at 17, the first of 15 total starts during the 2001–02 season. After starting for Feyenoord in the final of the UEFA Cup, Van Persie received the KNVB Best Young Talent award.[6]

tag: p

text: The following season, Van Persie signed a three-and-a-half-year professional contract with Feyenoord, and scored five goals in a 6–1 KNVB Cup thrashing of AGOVV Apeldoorn on 6 February 2003.[7] However, clashes with his manager Bert van Marwijk saw Van Persie demoted to the reserve squad, and an irate Van Marwijk told reporters, "His behaviour made it impossible for him to remain in the squad any longer so he will join the reserve side for the time being."[8] During a match featuring the Feyenoord and Ajax reserves, he was one of several Feyenoord players assaulted by hooligans who had invaded the pitch.[9] Van Persie's rift with Van Marwijk continued when he was sent home on the eve of the 2002 UEFA Super Cup final against Real Madrid after the coach was displeased with Van Persie's body language after being asked to warm up for a Champions League qualifier.[10] Van Persie finished his tumultuous first full season with the first team having scored eight goals in a total of 28 appearances, in addition to finishing runner-up in the KNVB Cup.

text:
I don't see things the way my parents do. They can look at a tree and see something amazing, whereas I just see a tree. That's not to say I don't appreciate its beauty. When I watch the sea in somewhere like Sardinia, I see the beauty in that. But I think there is a creative connection with my parents. It's hard to explain in words, hard to put my finger on it. But I think football is where my creativity comes out.

— Robin van Persie[11]

tag: div

text: Feyenoord unsuccessfully attempted to extend Van Persie's contract during the off-season, and his deteriorating relationship with Van Marwijk led to his spending most of the 2003–04 season on the bench. He again played 28 matches, but finished with two fewer goals than the previous season. Feyenoord shopped him at the end of the campaign but found few takers due to Van Persie's past disciplinary issues. During the January transfer window, the Eredivisie club opened negotiations with Arsenal, who were seeking a long-term replacement for aging veteran Dennis Bergkamp, but both parties could not agree to terms.

text: Arsenal

text: 2004–05 season

text: On 17 May 2004, Van Persie signed a four-year deal with Arsenal for £2.75 million, just over half of Feyenoord's original asking price of £5 million.[12] Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who planned to convert Van Persie from a left winger to a centre forward as he had successfully done with star player Thierry Henry,[13] said of his new acquisition, "He can play on the left side of midfield, as a creative player behind the main strikers or as a target man."[14][15] Arsenal had further padded their stable of strikers in January by signing Spanish forward José Antonio Reyes,[16] leaving the two to battle for playing time. Van Persie made his debut and won a trophy in the process, as he came on as a substitute in the 3–1 FA Community Shield victory over Manchester United on 8 August 2004. Van Persie spent most of his time on the bench during earlier parts of the 2004–05 season, and made his competitive debut on 27 October by scoring Arsenal's opening goal in a 2–1 League Cup win over Manchester City.

text:
It was the goal of a lifetime. He's played for a long time and I'm not sure he's scored one like that.

— Arsène Wenger, regarding Van Persie's goal against Charlton Athletic in the 2006–07 Premier League[17]

text: He was sent off for the first time, however, in an Arsenal shirt on 26 February during a 1–1 road draw with Southampton, following a lunge at left-back Graeme Le Saux, for which Wenger was seen yelling an obscenity at Van Persie from the sidelines. He then later lambasted his charge in the press. "I do not support Van Persie today, but he did not look out of control at half-time. When the referee has sent off a home player, he is under pressure, so, if any player had to behave, it was him." Meanwhile, Telegraph sportswriter Clive White described Van Persie in his match report as "21 going on nine."[18]

text: Van Persie was consequently benched for a number of games, starting with Arsenal's upcoming replay in the FA Cup against Sheffield United,[19] and he was reintroduced into the squad only after Henry was out with a calf injury, and his return to the first team saw him score twice in a Cup semi-final win over Blackburn Rovers. He came on as a substitute in the final and scored one of the penalties in the shootout as Arsenal beat Manchester United.[20] The end of Van Persie's season was disrupted by injury, and he finished with ten goals in 41 appearances in all competitions.[21]

text: 2005–06 season

text: Van Persie's good form at the start of the 2005–06 season earned him the Player of the Month award for November 2005 after eight goals in eight starts,[13] and he was rewarded with a five-year contract extension until 2011 on 4 January.[22] Two days after signing the contract, however, Van Persie was again hit by injury when an opponent stepped on his foot and broke his toe during an FA Cup match against Cardiff.[23]

text: Van Persie played the next three matches with a hole cut into his shoe to alleviate the pain until he was finally rested for Arsenal's Premier League match against West Ham United on 1 February.[10] He was an unused substitute in Arsenal's first Champions League final appearance, a 2–1 loss to Barcelona.[24]

text: 2006–07 season

text: The beginning of the 2006–07 season included an airborne volley against Charlton Athletic that Wenger called "the goal of a lifetime"[25] and was later named BBC Sport's Goal of the Month for September,[26] and he capped off the calendar year by being named the 2006 Rotterdam Sportsman of the Year. His season, however, ended early for the second time in his career on 21 January, when he fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot while celebrating his late equalizer in a match against Manchester United.[27] Although Van Persie was injured for a large part of the season he still managed to finish as Arsenal's top goalscorer with 13 goals in all competitions.

text: 2007–08 season

text: After Henry departed for Barcelona prior to the 2007–08 season, Van Persie assumed the role as Arsenal's main striker. Following a streak of seven goals in ten regular-season games, Van Persie was sidelined for two months with a knee injury suffered on international duty.[28] He made his comeback in Arsenal's Champions League group stage win over Steaua București on 12 December and made his Premier League return in the win against Chelsea over the weekend. He picked up, however, a recurrent injury that kept him sidelined until January when he played 45 minutes in a League Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur. He was withdrawn at half-time following another injury scare and featured sporadically throughout the rest of the campaign.[29]

text: 2008–09 season

text: Van Persie opened his 2008–09 account on 31 August with a brace in Arsenal's 3–0 league victory over Newcastle United.[30] On 29 October, he scored his fiftieth career Arsenal goal in a 4–4 home draw with North London derby rivals Tottenham, but was hit with his first red card of the season on 1 November after knocking down goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen with a shoulder charge in a 2–1 loss to Stoke City. Sørensen later admitted to "teasing" Van Persie in an attempt to provoke a reaction.[31] On 30 November, he scored a brace against Chelsea to help Arsenal come from behind and pick up a 2–1 victory at Stamford Bridge.[32] On 21 December 2008, he scored a spectacular goal against Liverpool, which was later named the second BBC Goal of the Month of his career.[33] With captain Cesc Fàbregas injured and regular stand-in skipper Manuel Almunia rested, Van Persie captained Arsenal for the first time on 3 January 2009 for the club's 3–1 FA Cup Third Round victory over Plymouth Argyle.[34] Van Persie scored Arsenal's first and third goals, while the second was a result of his cross being deflected into the net by a Plymouth player for an own goal.[35]

text: In January 2009, every Arsenal goal that month was either scored or assisted by Van Persie, which earned him the club's Player of the Month award.[36] His most inspirational display being against Hull City, where he struck the post with a freekick, and provided three assists to his teammates; he later received the Man of the Match award. On 24 February, Van Persie scored a crucial penalty that earned Arsenal a 1–0 win over Roma in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 encounter, after he was fouled by defender Philippe Mexès.[37] He followed it up with a fifth Champions League goal by converting another penalty against Villarreal in a 3–0 victory.

text: On the final day of the Premier League, Van Persie scored a brace against Stoke City, which guaranteed him for the second time in his career as Arsenal's top scorer. He had his best season overall for Arsenal as he scored 11 Premier League goals, along with a league-leading 11 assists and a career-best of 20 goals in all competitions. Van Persie was named the 2008–09 Arsenal.com Player of the Season.[38]

text: 2009–10 season

text: With only one year remaining of his contract, Van Persie was in negotiations with Arsenal about an extension for several months in 2009. Finally, it was announced in July that he had signed a new long-term contract with his club, stating, "My heart is with Arsenal and I just can't picture myself in a different shirt."[39] The departure of Emmanuel Adebayor also meant that the Dutchman was now the main striker in Wenger's 4–3–3 system. Van Persie started the 2009–10 season with two assists in the first match against Everton, which led to a 6–1 victory. As one of the first choice penalty and corner takers, he has set up many of Arsenal's goals, including Thomas Vermaelen's debut goal against Everton. He scored his first goal of the season in the 4–2 loss at Eastlands to Manchester City, where he later had his head stomped on by former teammate Adebayor (an act the referee failed to notice, but the FA later charged Adebayor with violent conduct and served him with a three-game suspension).[40]

text: He then scored goals against Olympiacos, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, West Ham United, and Tottenham. Van Persie's excellent form in October did not go unrecognised as he was named Barclays Player of the Month for October, his second such award.[41] On 14 November, however, he injured his ankle in an international friendly and was initially expected to be out for six weeks,[42] but further tests showed that he would be out of action for five months. Van Persie made his return on 14 April, in a 2–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. He then scored a header against Blackburn Rovers in the 2–1 defeat, and a goal assisted by Theo Walcott in the 4–0 win over Fulham in the last league game of 2009–10 season.

text: 2010–11 season

text: Before the start of the 2010–11 season, Van Persie changed his squad number to 10, previously worn by Arsenal and Netherlands legend Dennis Bergkamp.[43] He made his 200th appearance on 28 August but an ankle injury suffered in the same game placed him on the sidelines once again. He returned as a substitute for Arsenal's 1–0 home defeat to Newcastle United on 7 November.

text: On 1 January 2011, van Persie scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 away win over Birmingham City.[44] On 15 January, he added two more goals to his tally in a comfortable 3–0 win over West Ham. This made him only the fourth Dutchman to reach 50 goals in England's top division.[45] Van Persie scored his first career hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Wigan Athletic on 22 January[46] and two goals against Newcastle United in a 4–4 draw on 5 February.[47] Continuing his fine form, he hit a brace the following week against Wolverhampton Wanderers scoring both Arsenal goals in a 2–0 win including a volley from inside the box.[48] The ten goals he scored between 1 January and 12 February set a new Premier League record for most goals scored in the first two months of a calendar year.[49]

text: Van Persie set the Emirates alight with a goal from an almost impossible angle in Arsenal's fightback against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, which ended 2–1 in favour of the Gunners.[50] On 27 February 2011, Van Persie captained Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in the League Cup final, scoring the first half equalizer for the Gunners. It was his first goal at Wembley and his first in a cup final for Arsenal. However, he was later taken off in the second half with a knee injury he picked up while scoring the goal.

text: On 1 March 2011, he was ruled out for three weeks, which would see him miss the Champions League return leg with Barcelona. However, he recovered in time for the return leg at Camp Nou. During the game, he received a yellow card in the first half for a foul. In the second half, he was sent off after he received a second yellow card when the referee, Massimo Busacca, deemed him to be time-wasting by taking a shot at goal after the whistle was blown (one second earlier) for offside. Barcelona went on to score twice more and advanced to the quarter finals on a 4–3 aggregate result. Afterwards, Van Persie branded Busacca's decision as a "total joke", claiming that with the noise of the 95,000-strong crowd he could not hear the whistle. On 19 March 2011, he scored the equalizing goal in a 2–2 against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. The match finished 2–2 with Arsenal still five points behind the current leaders, Manchester United.

text: On 10 April 2011 in a match against Blackpool, Van Persie put in a Man of the Match performance to give Arsenal a crucial 3–1 win as he set up a goal and scored the third. On 24 April 2011, he became the first player to score in seven successive Premier League away games when he scored against Bolton, beating Didier Drogba's record who was on six successive away games, between August and November 2009. However, the Gunners lost 2–1, all but ending their title hopes. On 1 May he assisted Aaron Ramsey who scored the winning goal against league leaders Manchester United to add a twist to the Premier League. Van Persie was named EA Sports Player of the Month for April.[51]

text: On 8 May 2011, Arsenal lost 3–1 against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. Van Persie scored the goal for Arsenal and extended his Premier League record by scoring in an eighth successive away match. In the last home game of the season, he scored against Aston Villa, but Arsenal lost the match 2–1. In the last game of the season away to Fulham, he managed to score in his ninth consecutive away match, bringing his goal tally for the season to a personal record of 18 league goals. He also equalled the record held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry by scoring 18 league goals from the turn of the year to the end of the season. He ended the season just two goals behind joint league top scorers, Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov in the race for the golden boot, despite being injured for half of the season. He was voted as the second best player of the 2010–11 season on Arsenal's official website and also received the team's Goal of the Season award for his audacious strike in the 2–1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League.

text: 2011–12 season

text: Having been appointed vice-captain for the 2010–11 season, Van Persie was promoted to club captain following the transfer of Cesc Fàbregas to FC Barcelona at the start of the 2011–12 season.[52] On 24 August, Van Persie scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season in the second leg of Arsenal's 2–1 away victory against Udinese in a Champions League play off match. On 24 September 2011, he scored twice against Bolton Wanderers to raise his tally for Arsenal to 100 goals, becoming the 17th Arsenal player to reach this milestone.

text: On 16 October 2011, he scored the fastest goal of the 2011–12 Premier League season, 28 seconds into a home match against Sunderland.[53] He went on to score a late winner from a curling left foot free kick, to put Arsenal 2–1 ahead. After the match, Van Persie stated his dedication to the club after speculation surrounding a future transfer away from the Emirates. On 23 October, he came on as a substitute in the 66th minute replacing Marouane Chamakh and scored two goals against Stoke City. The match ended 3–1 with another home win for Arsenal.[54]

text: He then continued his scoring run for Arsenal on 29 October by scoring a hat-trick in Arsenal's 5–3 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.[55] Due to his consistent performances and good goal-scoring form, Van Persie was named the Premier League Player of the Month for October 2011. He continued scoring as he scored Arsenal's opening goal of the match in their 3–0 win over West Bromwich Albion on 5 November along with two assists. After the international break, he scored both Arsenal goals against Norwich City to help the Gunners to a 2–1 win on 19 November 2011.[56] In Van Persie's fifth Champions League match of the season he scored twice in the 49th and 86th minute to lift Arsenal to a 2–1 victory over Borussia Dortmund and to qualify Arsenal for the knockout phase on 23 November 2011.[57]

text: After failing to score against Fulham, Van Persie scored again for Arsenal, this time against Wigan Athletic to make the score 4–0 to Arsenal on 3 December 2011.[58] He then added to his tally with the only goal of the game against Everton, an exquisite volley from an Alex Song long ball.[59] The following match, versus Aston Villa, saw him score a penalty and provide an assist.[60] Van Persie's final goal of the 2011 calendar year came in Arsenal's one-goal win over Queens Park Rangers on the last day of the year. The goal took his tally for the year to 35 goals, one short of Alan Shearer's Premier League record.[61]

text: The following calendar year started in the same fashion for Van Persie, but Arsenal began to falter, losing three consecutive matches against Fulham, Manchester United and Swansea City, even though the Dutchman scored in the latter two. On 29 January, he rescued his team, scoring two penalties against Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup to help Arsenal to a 3–2 win after falling 2–0 down in a Man of the Match performance. It was also his 120th goal in an Arsenal shirt, equalling fellow Dutch legend Dennis Bergkamp's total. On 4 February, he overtook Bergkamp as the 10th highest scorer in Arsenal's history,[62] scoring another hat-trick as Arsenal beat Blackburn 7–1 at home, with three close-range goals from crosses by Theo Walcott and Francis Coquelin. He was also credited with two assists in the game as he set up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's first Premier League goal and unselfishly passed to Thierry Henry enabling him to score his first Premier League goal since returning on loan.[63]

text: With Arsenal in unpredictable form, Van Persie was again of supreme importance for Arsenal, this time in the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, played on 26 February. Arsenal went 2–0 down at half in the first half, but Van Persie equalised before half-time. In the second half, he gave the assist to Walcott's goal as Arsenal performed a remarkable comeback to win the game 5–2.[64] A week later, Van Persie scored both goals in a 2–1 away win at Liverpool, one being a left-footed volley assisted by Alex Song, similar to the goal he scored against Everton earlier in the campaign. On 11 April 2012, after scoring the penalty against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 3–0 away win, he became only the second player, after Ian Wright, to score against 17 different Premier League opponents in a 20 team campaign.[65][66] He finished as the top goal-scorer in the Premier League with 30 goals,[67] and became Arsenal's 8th all-time top scorer with 132 goals.[68][69]

text: On 4 July 2012, Van Persie announced that he would not be signing a new contract with Arsenal.[70]

text: Manchester United

text: 2012–13 season

text:
"I always listen to the little boy inside of me in these situations – when you have to make the harder decisions in life. What does he want? That boy was screaming for Man United. From my side, and Arsenal as well, there are no hard feelings. There were certain elements which were vital to me that we had a different view. That is life. Nobody is angry at me and I'm not angry at them."[71]

— Robin van Persie on his transfer to Manchester United

text: On 15 August 2012, Arsenal announced they had agreed terms with Manchester United for his transfer, but Van Persie had yet to agree personal terms with the club.[72] On 17 August, Van Persie transferred to Manchester United for an initial £22.5 million, with an additional £1.5 million to follow if United won a Premier League or Champions League title within the next four years. He signed a four-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2016.[73][74] Van Persie chose the number 20 shirt after assistant coach Rene Meulensteen convinced him that he would help secure Manchester United's 20th league title.[75]

text: He made his debut on 20 August, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Danny Welbeck in a 1–0 loss to Everton.[76] Five days later, with his first shot for the club,[77] he scored his first Manchester United goal, United's first in a 3–2 home victory over Fulham.[78] On 2 September 2012, he scored his first hat-trick for United in another 3–2 victory over Southampton, helping pull United back from a 2–1 deficit; his third goal was his 100th in the Premier League.[79] Van Persie netted a late penalty on 23 September to give United a 2–1 away win at Anfield against Liverpool, and opened his European account with the club, scoring a brace in the 2–1 away win against CFR Cluj, with both goals assisted by Wayne Rooney.

text: On 20 October, Van Persie scored United's second goal in a 4–2 win over Stoke City, opening up his body and guiding a cross into the far corner with his left foot. In the next Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he scored his seventh goal in the league, with a sidefoot finish from Antonio Valencia's driven cross to put United 2–0 up. He also played a part in the first goal, firing a shot against the post that cannoned off David Luiz and into the net, in a 3–2 United win. On 3 November, he scored against his former club Arsenal in a 2–1 victory. This meant that he had scored against all 20 current Premier League clubs. On 9 December, Van Persie scored a last minute winner from a free kick in a 3–2 victory over Manchester City, his Manchester derby debut.[80] This goal ended City's unbeaten Premier League record in the 2012–13 season and also their unbeaten home record extending into the previous season.

text: After scoring against Everton on 10 February 2013, Van Persie went ten games without scoring, finally ending his barren run when he scored a penalty against Stoke on 14 April.[81] Against Queens Park Rangers on 23 February, he had to be substituted after falling against a television camera and injuring a hip,[82] but was fit for United's next match.[83]

text: On 22 April, he netted a first-half hat-trick against Aston Villa, confirming Manchester United's 20th league title with four games in hand. His second goal came from a Rooney pass from behind the halfway line, which he volleyed into the net from outside the box.[84] Supporters of Manchester United voted Van Persie as the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for the 2012–13 season.[85] Van Persie was nominated by UEFA into the 10-man shortlist for the 2012–13 Best Player in Europe award.[86]

text: 2013–14 season

text: Van Persie kick-started his new campaign by scoring both of Manchester United's goals in their 2–0 win against Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield, securing David Moyes' first honour as club manager. He scored twice more in the first Premier League match of the season, against Swansea City, for the first of which "he chested it down and executed a crisp, instant scissor-kick into the net".[87] On 19 March 2014, Van Persie scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Olympiacos in the second leg of the Champions League second round to send United through to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate.[88]

text: 2014–15 season

text: Van Persie scored his first goal for the season in his fourth league appearance in a 5–3 defeat to Leicester City on 21 September 2014.[89] He scored again in the next game against West Ham United, helping United win the game 2–1.[90] On 26 October 2014, against Chelsea, Van Persie scored a late equaliser to earn a point for United. In the dying minutes of injury time, Marouane Fellaini's header from Ángel Di María's free-kick was saved by Thibaut Courtois, and Van Persie smashed in the rebound to equalise.[91] Van Persie celebrated the goal by taking his shirt off and was booked for his actions. His goal celebration was also labelled "stupid" by United coach Louis van Gaal.[92]

text: On 11 January 2015, he suffered an ankle injury in a 1–0 home defeat to Southampton.[93] Following Manchester United's defeat to West Bromwich Albion, which saw Van Persie miss a penalty, he was stripped of his penalty-taking duties by Van Gaal.[94]

text: Fenerbahçe

text: On 14 July 2015, Van Persie joined Turkish side Fenerbahçe on a three-year deal for a fee claimed by Fenerbahçe to be £3.84 million.[95][96] He was assigned the number 10 shirt.[97] He and his former United teammate Nani debuted two weeks later in a goalless home draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in the third qualifying round of the season's Champions League, with Van Persie a 68th-minute substitute for Moussa Sow.[98] His league debut came on 14 August as a 60th-minute substitute for Fernandão in a 2–0 win at Eskişehirspor.[99] Six days later, he scored his first goal for his new club: as a late substitute for Sow, he headed the only goal away to Atromitos Athens in the first leg of the Europa League play-offs, with his first of only two touches in the entire match.[100] Van Persie scored his first domestic goal for the club on his first start on 23 August, finishing Nani's pass for the opening goal in a 1–1 draw at Çaykur Rizespor.[101]

text: Return to Feyenoord

text: On 19 January 2018, Van Persie agreed to return to Feyenoord after cancelling his contract with Fenerbahçe.[102] On 28 February, van Persie scored his 300th career goal in a victory that put Feyenoord into the 2017–18 KNVB Cup final.[103] He also scored in the final later on 22 April as Feyenoord defeated 3–0 AZ Alkmaar to claim their 13th trophy.[104]

text: International career

text: U21 career

text: Van Persie was a U-21 international and took part in the 2004 and 2006 European Championship qualifying. Van Persie was used in a wider role as a left wing due to the preference of the experienced Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the striker role.[105] The Jong Oranje failed to qualify for the 2004 tournament and Van Persie did not participate in the latter as he was already in the senior squad for the FIFA World Cup. He earned his first caps for the Netherlands in less than the span of a week, first in a 2–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Romania on 4 June 2005,[106][107] and in another qualifier four days later against Finland, which saw him pick up his first international goal in a 4–0 victory.[108]

text: 2006 FIFA World Cup

text: Despite not being a regular starter for Arsenal, Van Persie was part of coach Marco van Basten's roster for the 2006 World Cup finals. He played in all four of the Netherlands' matches and scored his only goal in the group stage against Côte d'Ivoire via a free kick as Oranje were eliminated in the Round of 16.[109][110]

text: UEFA Euro 2008

text: Van Persie scored a team-best four UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying goals,[111][112] and was deployed as a winger behind lone striker Ruud van Nistelrooy during the tournament after Van Basten decided to change to a 4–2–3–1 formation. As Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart were preferred in the midfield, Van Persie was left to battle with Arjen Robben for the remaining spot on the wing. On 13 June, he scored as a 55th-minute substitute in a 4–1 Group C victory over 2006 World Cup finalists France, and started the next match against Romania, scoring off a pass from Demy de Zeeuw with an excellent volley into the back of the net. He finished with two goals as the Netherlands finished atop their group but again suffered a first knock-out round, second stage elimination.[113]

text: 2010 FIFA World Cup

text: In the 2010 World Cup qualifying process, the Netherlands graduated from Group 9 with a 100% record.

text: Van Persie was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[114] On 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that he was in the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.[115]

text: Van Persie was in the starting line-up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark.[116] On 24 June, he scored the first goal against Cameroon in a 2–1 win to ensure that the Netherlands finished as group winners, and was officially named the man of the match.[117] He started every match for Oranje, though he did not increase his goal tally in the following matches. Oranje reached the 2010 World Cup Final, in which he was on the losing side due to Andrés Iniesta's extra time goal.[118]

text: UEFA Euro 2012

text: On 2 September 2011, Van Persie scored four goals in a record breaking 11–0 victory in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group E over San Marino. He entered the Dutch national team's top 10 all-time topscorer ranking with a tally of 25 goals, dislodging Marco van Basten in the process.[119] Van Persie had not scored four goals in a single match for a long while.[120] Van Persie contributed six goals in total during qualifying.

text: On 13 June 2012, Van Persie scored the Dutch goal in a 2–1 loss to Germany in the European Championship group stage. Having missed two earlier chances, he picked up the ball near the halfway line, turned and ran at the German defence, before firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.[121]

text: 2014 FIFA World Cup

text: Van Persie ended the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign as top scorer in the UEFA section with 11 goals.[122] In June 2013, he was appointed captain of the Dutch national team by manager Louis van Gaal.[123] On 11 October 2013, he became the Netherlands' top goalscorer of all-time in an 8–1 defeat of Hungary, the Dutch's penultimate Group D match, where he scored a hat-trick. This put him on 41 goals in 80 internationals, surpassing the record previously held by Patrick Kluivert.[124]

text: In the team's opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Van Persie captained the Netherlands to a 5–1 win over champions Spain in Salvador.[125] He scored twice in the match, one of which was a flying header which was later nominated for FIFA Puskás Award for the most beautiful goal of the year.[126] He was also named man of the match by FIFA.[127] On 18 June, he scored his third goal of the tournament in a 3–2 defeat of Australia, a result that qualified the Netherlands to the knockout stage with one group match remaining.[128]

text: In the quarter-final, Van Persie scored the Netherlands' first kick in a 4–3 penalty shootout defeat of Costa Rica.[129] He scored his fourth goal of the tournament from a penalty kick in a 3–0 win against Brazil in the third-place play-off.[130]

text: UEFA Euro 2016

text: On 28 August 2015, Van Persie was replaced by Arjen Robben as captain of the national team.[131] He replaced Huntelaar for the final three minutes of a 2–1 away win over Kazakhstan in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying on 10 October, his 100th appearance for the Netherlands. In doing so, Van Persie became the eighth Dutchman to reach the milestone.[132] Three days later, in their final group game, Van Persie came on as a 38th-minute substitute for Jaïro Riedewald away to the Czech Republic and scored an own goal which handed the Czechs victory, despite scoring later on in a 3–2 defeat. The result meant that the Dutch did not qualify for an international tournament for the first time since 2002.[133]

text: Personal life

text: Van Persie was born in Rotterdam to an artistic family. José Ras, his mother, is a painter and jewellery designer who also teaches special needs children.[134] Bob, his father, is a sculptor. After Van Persie's parents divorced he was brought up by his father. At school, Van Persie was one of the most misbehaved children and was excluded from class almost daily.[134]

text: After joining Arsenal in England, Van Persie settled in Hampstead, an affluent suburb of north London. Van Persie is married to Moroccan Bouchra Elbali[135] and the couple have two children, a son named Shaqueel and daughter Dina. When asked if this caused him to convert to Islam, Van Persie said, "It's not true. I am not a Muslim, nor a Christian or a Jew. I have been raised liberally. If you want to become a Muslim it should come from the heart. I would not do it just to please my wife. To believe for me is a quest for being a good man."[136]

text: Style of play

text:
"Robin van Persie's such an amazing footballer. He hardly needs any space or time to become dangerous."

— Bert van Marwijk[137]

text: Van Persie started his senior club career as a left winger and possessed an exceptional ball control and was also a talented striker of the ball. He was bought by Arsenal as a long term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp. Manager Arsène Wenger planned to convert Van Persie from a left winger to a central forward as he had successfully done with star player Thierry Henry. He was at first mostly deployed as a supporting forward in League Cup and FA Cup matches. Due to the retirement of Bergkamp and departure of Fredrik Ljungberg, Van Persie was given a starting role to play alongside Henry as a second striker upfront.

text: The departure of Emmanuel Adebayor and Henry meant the Dutchman was now the main striker in Wenger's 4–3–3 system and very successfully played further upfront as a pure striker, winning the Premier League Golden Boot twice in a row. Van Persie is also a set piece specialist and a vast number of his assists come from both corners and freekicks. He is also a proven direct freekick taker scoring regularly for his club and country.[138][139]

text: Sponsorship

text: Van Persie has a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier, Adidas.[140] Having previously worn Adidas Predator football boots he made the transition to the Adidas F50 adiZero boots in 2013.[141]

text: Career statistics

text: Club

text:
Club
Season
League
Cup
League Cup
Europe
Other[nb 1]
Total

Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals

Feyenoord
2001–02
Eredivisie
10
0
0
0
—
7
0
—
17
0

2002–03
Eredivisie
23
9
3
7
—
2
0
—
28
16

2003–04
Eredivisie
28
6
2
0
—
3
0
—
33
6

Total
61
15
5
7
—
12
0
—
78
22

Arsenal
2004–05
Premier League
26
5
5
3
3
1
6
1
1
0
41
10

2005–06
Premier League
24
5
2
0
4
4
7
2
1
0
38
11

2006–07
Premier League
22
11
1
0
0
0
8
2
—
31
13

2007–08
Premier League
15
7
0
0
1
0
7
2
—
23
9

2008–09
Premier League
28
11
6
4
0
0
10
5
—
44
20

2009–10
Premier League
16
9
0
0
0
0
4
1
—
20
10

2010–11
Premier League
25
18
2
1
3
1
3
2
—
33
22

2011–12
Premier League
38
30
2
2
0
0
8
5
—
48
37

Total
194
96
18
10
11
6
53
20
2
0
278
132

Manchester United[143]
2012–13
Premier League
38
26
4
1
0
0
6
3
—
48
30

2013–14
Premier League
21
12
0
0
0
0
6
4
1
2
28
18

2014–15
Premier League
27
10
2
0
0
0
—
—
29
10

Total
86
48
6
1
0
0
12
7
1
2
105
58

Fenerbahçe
2015–16
Süper Lig
31
16
5
5
—
12
1
—
48
22

2016–17
Süper Lig
24
9
4
4
—
7
1
—
35
14

2017–18
Süper Lig
2
0
0
0
—
2
0
—
4
0

Total
57
25
9
9
0
0
21
2
—
87
36

Feyenoord
2017–18
Eredivisie
12
5
2
2
0
0
—
—
14
7

Total
12
5
2
2
0
0
—
—
14
7

Career total
410
188
40
29
11
6
98
29
3
2
562
255

tag: table

text: Jump up ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield.

tag: ol

text: International

text:
Netherlands national team

Year
Apps
Goals

2005
7
1

2006
12
6

2007
4
0

2008
10
5

2009
8
2

2010
11
5

2011
9
6

2012
10
6

2013
10
10

2014
15
8

2015
5
1

2016
0
0

2017
1
0

Total
102
50

text: Honours

text: Feyenoord

text:
UEFA Cup: 2001–02[145]
KNVB Cup: 2017–18[146]

tag: ul

text: Arsenal

text:
FA Cup: 2004–05[147]
FA Community Shield: 2004[148]

text: Manchester United

text:
Premier League: 2012–13[149]
FA Community Shield: 2013[150]

text: Netherlands

text:
FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2010[118]
FIFA World Cup third Place: 2014[130]

text: Individual

text:
Dutch Football Talent of the Year: 2001–02[151]
KNVB Best Young Talent Award: 2001–02[152]
Premier League Player of the Month: November 2005,[153] October 2009,[41] October 2011,[154] December 2012,[155] April 2013[156]
BBC Goal of the Month: September 2006, December 2008, December 2011, August 2012, April 2013
Premier League Golden Boot Landmark Award: 2011–12 (10 goals),[157] 2011–12 (20 goals),[158] 2011–12 (30 goals)[159]
Premier League Golden Boot: 2011–12,[160] 2012–13[161]
PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2011–12[162]
PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2012[163]
PFA Team of the Year: 2011–12 Premier League,[164] 2012–13 Premier League[165]
FWA Footballer of the Year: 2011–12[166]
ESM Team of the Year: 2011–12[167]
Arsenal Player of the Season: 2011–12[168]
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2012–13[169]
BBC Goal of the Season: 2012–13[170]
FIFPro World XI 2nd team: 2013[171]
Manchester United Goal of the Season: April 2013 vs Aston Villa[172]