Why aren’t defensive stars rewarded more frequently in football? It’s a fair question. But, let’s face it, the glamour positions are quarterback and running back, and it’s always going to be that way.

Look at the Heisman Trophy race this past season to choose the best collegiate player in the land. Mark Ingram and Toby Gerhart were terrific running backs, but if you tell me Ndamukong Suh was the most outstanding collegian, I won’t argue. Suh’s problem was that he was a defensive tackle.

In the first 43 years of the event, 39 players have been voted the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, and 29 have been either a quarterback or a running back.

Joe Montana won three MVP’s while Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw and Tom Brady snared two apiece. What do they all have in common? Sure. They were quarterbacks. And, it’s no surprise that just over half of the award winners—22—–have been signal-callers.

How about defensive standouts who were honored as Super Bowl MVP’s? Well, there have been eight.

Dexter Jackson

The last one was Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson who intercepted two passes in Super Bowl 37. Two years before, in 2001, fan voting was allowed for the first time via the Internet or by using cellular phones. Jackson gained four votes based on that new method of polling, and that was the difference. Otherwise, Simeon Rice would have been the MVP. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 U.S. football writers and broadcasters who vote after the game. The media panel’s ballots count for 80 percent of the vote tally, while the viewers’ ballots make up the other 20 percent. Jackson, who had two stints with the Buccaneers and one each with the Cardinals and Bengals, is now playing for the Florida Tuskers in the new United Football League.

Only one Super Bowl MVP has come from a losing team, linebacker Chuck Howley of the Dallas Cowboys in 1971. Baltimore won that fifth Super Bowl. Howley lives in north Dallas and is involved in a foundation dedicated to breeding quarterhorses in Wills Point, Texas.

Two seasons later, safety Jake Scott of the undefeated Miami Dolphins was accorded the honor after intercepting two passes, one in the final quarter, and returning them 63 yards in a 14-7 win over Washington. Scott is now an investor in Hawaii.

Randy White and Harvey Martin

Defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin of the Cowboys were named co-MVPs of Super Bowl 12, the only time co-MVPs have been selected. White spends most of his time these days running his barbeque restaurant business in Frisco, Texas. Martin died of pancreatic cancer in 2001 at the age of 51.

Richard Dent

Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent forced two fumbles, shared two sacks, and blocked a pass to earn the MVP award in Super Bowl 20 in 1986. He is often seen in the Chicago area working for his Make A Dent Foundation which has been assisting young people since the 1990’s.

Larry Brown

Larry Brown of Dallas was the first cornerback to be chosen as a Super Bowl MVP and the initial defensive back since 1973 when he intercepted two Pittsburgh passes in 1996. Brown is now a co-host of the Cowboys radio network pre-game and post-game shows on the flagship station.

The other defensive player to be given the Super Bowl MVP honor is still playing in the NFL. That’s Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis. the recipient in 2001.

Dallas boasts the most Super Bowl MVP’s——-7——-while Pittsburgh has had 6 and San Francisco 5.

How many players have won the Heisman Trophy and the Super Bowl MVP? Four. They are Roger Staubach, Jim Plunkett, Marcus Allen, and Desmond Howard.