Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award twice between 2000 and 2012. His winning seasons were 2000 and 2003.
Lewis's first award came after the 2000 season, when he led a historically dominant Baltimore defense. The Ravens allowed only 165 points and 970 rushing yards during the regular season, then won Super Bowl XXXV. Lewis was also named that game's Super Bowl MVP, making the season one of the defining achievements of his career.
He won the award again for the 2003 season, becoming one of the relatively small number of players to receive the honor multiple times. The wording can cause confusion because awards are often presented early in the following calendar year: the 2000 honor was announced in January 2001, but it still counts as the award for the 2000 season. Lewis later finished his career with Baltimore after the 2012 season and won a second Super Bowl with the team.