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Recovering from preseason knee surgery, Manning went on to have a stellar year, earning a third NFL Most Valuable Player award in the process. That ties him with Brett Favre on the all-time list.

Sports Illustrated commemorated the occasion with a slideshow of the last 10 NFL MVPs. It’s an interesting trip down memory lane, and a reminder of how fleeting pro football fame can be.

Here goes:

1999: Kurt Warner, St. Louis

2000: Marshall Faulk, St. Louis

2001: Kurt Warner, St. Louis

2002: Rich Gannon, Oakland

2003: Steve McNair, Tennessee, and Peyton Manning, Indianapolis

2004: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis

2005: Shaun Alexander, Seattle

2006: LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego

2007: Tom Brady, New England

2008: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis

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But what about the athletes who live on the other end of the spectrum? Losing in record-setting fashion makes history, too, even if hardly anyone involved cares to be remembered for it.

Sports Illustrated put together a list of “Worst Individual Seasons by a Team.” It’s a cringe-worthy collection, to say the least, but fans in cities that aren’t represented can console themselves through a bad year with the comforting thought of “Hey, it could have been worse.”

Here’s the infamous grouping:

– 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Lost ‘em all, and looked really bad doing it.

– 1916 Philadelphia Athletics: 36-117 pretty much says it all.

– 1989-98 Prairie View A&M football: 80 consecutive losses.

– 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers: 9-73.

– 1974-75 Washington Capitals: 8-67-5.

– 1962 New York Mets: A not-so-amazin’ 40-120.

– 1979-82 Northwestern Football: 34-game losing streak.

– 1990 New England Patriots: 1-15.

– 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks: 11-71.

– 1935 Boston Braves: 38-115.

– 1980-81 Winnipeg Jets: 9-57-14.

– 2001 Carolina Panthers: Lost last 15 games.

– 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates: 42-112.

– 1992-93 Ottawa Senators: Won 10 of 80 games.

To read more about these exercises in futility, and to see a slideshow, visit target="_blank">SI.com.
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Phelps was the star of the Beijing Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals. His 14 career gold medals are the most won by an Olympian.

Phelps is the first swimmer ever to receive the prestigious Sportsman of the Year designation.

Sports Illustrated named its first Sportsman of the Year in 1954, bestowing the honor on Roger Bannister the same year the distance runner become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.

Here’s a list of the last 10 winners:

To see the rest, and to look back on the covers from all those years, visit SI.com

Phelps was the star of the Beijing Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals. His 14 career gold medals are the most won by an Olympian.

Phelps is the first swimmer ever to receive the prestigious Sportsman of the Year designation.

Sports Illustrated named its first Sportsman of the Year in 1954, bestowing the honor on Roger Bannister the same year the distance runner become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.

Here’s the all-time list:

Source: SI.com