In many sports you can point to one person who has earned the title of "Best Ever". It might be based upon one sterling effort, like the all-time best time in the 100 meter dash, or the title might be earned over the course of a career's worth of accomplishments... There are those that like to separate a particular sport into eras and then handing out the accolades, and then there are those that like to compare a past great champion to the best individual participating in that sport at this time.
Over the last few days we've seen a couple of posts by people in the Fox Sports Community that brought attention to the individuals participating in various sports. jaguarjoe72 wrote a series entitled
These highlight certain football, baseball and basketball player's accomplishments that earned them consideration as to whether they had attained enough status to be deemed synonymous with the team they played for, and then there was a NASCAR post by RLGuido entitled
Now this last one is getting to the heart of the matter.
So, with this in mind, I'd like to pose a question...
Who are the all-time greatest performers in each of the following sports, or, to borrow from jaguarjoe72, Can we put a face on these sports?
1. Baseball - MLB
2. Basketball - NBA
3. Boxing
4. College Football
5. Golf
6. Hockey
7. NASCAR
8. Professional Football
9. Tennis, Men
10. Tennis, Women
Here are my astute selections:
1. Baseball - MLB
The Say Hey Kid! Willie Mays
Offense, defense, speed, savy, the man had it all...
2. Basketball - NBA
Charisma Personified, Michael Jordan!
Talk about the will to win... And win he did!
3. Boxing
Float like a butterfly... STING like a bee! Muhammad Ali!
I always think of Dandy Don Meredith saying "It ain't braggin' if you can do it!" when I think of this man... Many people hated the mouth, but he truly is "THE GREATEST!"
4. College Football
The All-American Boy... Roger the Dodger! Roger Staubach...
The man characterized as the greatest football player in U.S. Naval Academy History. I think that is much too narrow, he's the greatest to play the collegiate game! A modern day Heisman Trophy winner in a military academy? Army and Notre Dame dominator! He served his country, then led the Dallas Cowboys to glory...
5. Golf
You think it's still too early? I don't... Tiger Woods wins this going away!
Check this out:
The holder of the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Champioship trophies, all at the same time... Nobody else can say that!
6. Hockey
There can't be any other... The Great Gretzky! Wayne Gretzky...
This man's accomplishments in the NHL are on a par with hitting 100 home runs your rookie year in MLB or winning the Grand Slam of Golf for three years running... Wayne Gretzky, without equal in hockey!
7. NASCAR
There already is a man holding the title of "The King" in NASCAR, but was he the greatest ever? I've gotta tip my hat to him, but I'm taking "The Intimadator"! Dale Earnhardt...
A Tribute...
In quest of his eighth NASCAR title that never was to be, Dale is in the lead again!
8. Professional Football
My all-time favorite... Joe Montana!
Four Super Bowl Championships and how many individual records that still stand today? Joe, you're the man!
9.Tennis, Men
There have been other, more flamboyant Champions in this sport, but the quiet one, Pete Sampras wins on the men's side...
He won 14 Grand Slam titles and 11 Grand Masters events... Nuf' said?
10. Tennis, Women
Always the lady, She battled all challengers from the baseline and through pure willpower, she would put them away... Chris Evert!
18 Singles Titles and 3 Doubles Titles in 18 years of Grand Slam tennis defines her, Chris Evert the greatest women's tennis player...
7. David Pearson, 100 nascar wins, the antithasis to Kyle Bush, he was the most patient driver ever and i think still has the best win-start ratio. check him out D
8. I have a list, need help. Lawrence Taylor-Jim Brown-#### Butkis , all three were game changers no matter what their teams were doing. I cant get past the fact that Montana had everything and didn't have to do it by himself. What if?
3. Joe Lewis, although if he had a real career and wasn't shafted, i'd probably be taking Jack Johnson. In his day, Jack Johnson had the Fastest hands, best Boxing skills, and the power, you just dont see that in the heavyweight division.
Last edited by blue@orange on May 17th at 10:13 AM.
The key to the team sports is that you've gotta have a good team around you to even be considered. The group that you mention, with the exception of Butkis, had good teams that made their play come to light... This is all debatable.
BTW, you want to talk about being railroaded, Ali had the best years of his career taken from him for refusing to do what turned out to be the right thing to do, go to Viet Nam... I was against him at the time he did it, but later realized what a waste of life Viet Nam really was.
wow dwindy???? lots of names i could pull out of my hat!!!! baseball?? RUTH, gerig, joe D, now head hurts!! basketball ?? chamberlain? ( of course the guys/gals now would say who????) russel, cousy, maravich, MJ,jabbar, and god before i get creamed kobe!!!! now that ive got LA off my butt!!!! boxing?? clay aka ALI,patterson, foreman... golf, woods and many more.... hockey gordy howe....... mascar AJ foyte.... pro football ??? butkus, sayers, tarkenton, aikeman, etc etc etc montana and i guy i went to HIGH SCHOOL with RUSS FRANCIS NEW ENGLAND AND THE 49ERS....ETC ETC ETC HOW ABOUT art donavan colts.... OJ simpson i didnt want to include but??? tennis? jon macenroe, jimmy conners etc etc... ladys tennis chris evert martina nav etc etc billie jean king and the guy she beat bobby riggs etc etc.. now i need a nap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Federer is out of the Sampras mold in my eyes, not flamboyant, he has just taken all the thrill out of tennis since there aren't many to challenge him. Sampras had Agassi, they met 5 times in Grand Slam finals... Sampras 4 Agassi 1...
This is a personal thing... Who do you identify as the best or the face of these sports? I figure the people that have watched sports for many years will have more of the earlier stars while today's fans will favor the more recent stars...
hey idea!!! name some of the exoregon ducks that went pro??? norm van brocklin QB....ahmad reshad aka bobby moore, dan fouts... russ francis... dave roberts baseball.... joey harrington...greg ballard basketball, also stan love father of kevin ex ucla....jim lostaciuff boston celtics....wow im getting a major headach more names im showing the first signs of old age!!!!! ouch
hey also the sports guys or gals who came from oregon??? now one who just was named exec of the yr in the NBA danny ainge boston celtics played high school ball , football, basketball, and baseball at north eugene high here in eugene,oregon
Dwindy, I disagree with you on a whole lot of these choices but I agree with you for doing this blog and how entertaining it was so let's just leave it at GOOD BLOG!!!
college football.....Red Grange. Changed the game, and saved it.
pro football....Offense--Jim Brown. Defense--Lawrence Taylor. Both of these guys changed the game, and made the opposing teams change their game plans just for them.
Joe Montana may hold some 49er team records, or Super Bowl records, but I don't think he holds many, if any, reg season or career records. Put Montana on Marino's Dolphins of the 80s and 90s, and let me know how many SBs he wins by himself.
Like I said earlier, beauty is in the eye of the beholder on some of these. Montana's records were for accuracy. QB rating, consecutive completions, things like that, all attributable to the west coast offense. Young came along and broke a few of them.
The thing I remember most about Marino was his temper... Never saw Montana go off, but Dan wore his feelings on his sleeve and sometimes it cost him. I can only imagine the frustration he must of felt trying to QB without a viable running attack most of the time. This in turn led to his one man show. Shula won Super Bowls on the ground...
Good picks on the sports greats. I can recall Roger playing with the Navy Goshawks in Pensacola while he was stationed there at the Navy base. I think it was in the early 60s.
Thanks for the read... Neat story about Roger. I'm not sure about the academy athletes being allowed to go pro... I guess if they still serve out their committment advocating the military is okay, but just doesn't feel right to me...
We see eye-to-eye on jus' 'bout all uvvem, D1. That QB thang has always torn me a lotta ways..Elway comes to mind if anybody...Bradshaw might not be my #1..but surprisingly..I put him in my Top 5..you can't go wrong with Montana tho'..
Ali changed the face of boxing forever and I still respect him cuz I think he wuzza helluva man..I gotta soft spot in my heart for people that stand up against the system, risk everything and come out like he did...Like Bryant Gumbel said when Ali lit the torch in Atlanta.."If you didn't cry then...you weren't human..or you were dead.."..That particular moment in sports was the most heart-wrenching, touching thing I ever saw..
Not bein' a Nascar or racing fan, I still remember AJ Foyt...and that red-neck #### knewda deal...
I'm down witchya on Mays...best I ever saw.
and in College Football...Namath or Earl Campbell..I can live with Staubach tho'..even tho' my Horns beatda hell out of him inda Cotton Bowl 28-6...
If Barry Sanders had won one orra cupla Super Bowls...he'd be hard to argue against...
The Goshawks were a Navy team supported by the Navy base. They were not pro but a bit like an intramural team. Mostly military personnel that played on their off duty times. There was always a rivalry going on between the Eglin A.F.Base, Pensacola Navy base, and the Jacksonville Navy Base teams back then.
Richard Petty gets my vote for NASCAR, and Jack Nicklaus gets my vote for golf.
Tiger has not won the grand slam, but he has won them all within one year...I think the grand slam all has to be in the same year, doesn't it? (I may be wrong)
I love Tiger, but he has no competition. It's not his fault, and that doesn't take away from his greatness, but I think it's harder to compete against a Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino than a bunch of no-names, for the most part. Ernie Els is good, so is Lefty, but they aren't consistently good like the older golfers were.
That Pro Football pick is a tough one... It kinda comes down to personal preference... Sanders was special, so was Earl Campbell...
I agree on Ali. I was all for him vefore the military deal and then went south on him, but realized he was right all along... Sure would have liked to have seen him have a full career though...
You'll have to pay attention to NASCAR... Watch the young gun Kyle Busch. He's really tearing it up right now!
Lisa you're right on Golf's Grand Slam, all in one year. They call Tiger's accomplishment the "Tiger Slam"... If he stays healthy (kind of wondering about that now) it's almost a sure thing he'll surpass every other golfer's career records (the good ones anyway!)... I think Tiger will have more competition now that he's perceived to be less than super human.
Dwindy, you know i hate to rattle your cage LOL BUT, were talkin about two of the greatest fighters ever, who were both rail roaded, yes,but theres two distinct differences to me.
1. The government went after Ali with a law they were enforcing on many, although i believe they did want a big name example, it was still the law and being enforced legaly. The government went after Johnson with a law made just for him, and it was designed to get him out of boxing.
2. Jack Johnsons whole career was wasted by the Man Act and we never got to see what he could have been. With Ali, he did lose prime years but Frasier and Forman were still waiting there and so was Ken Norton, i think we still got to see the very best of Ali regardless of those lost years. He still had Mannilla and Zaire. Johnson only had what, two fights to prove himself before he left the country?
It's hard for me to identify with the man, just like Red Grange and Jim Thorpe... George Gipp was one of the greatest college football players and all I can think of is Ronald Reagan playing the role...
I saw where the Mets were ahead of the Yanks... Did they get the W? The Rays made some young player mistakes today and lost in extra innings to the Cardinals.
D-MAN everybody is going to have their favs here are a few of mine.
1.Baseball going with The Babe
2.Basketball going with Karem Abdule Jabar or Wilt the Stilt what was it 101 points in one game thats never going to happen again--Must have been you sticking him in that game..lol
3 Im going with Rocky Marciano look at his record its hard to argue with..
4. Um lets see Going With a Buckeye Here Archie Griffth still the only two time hiesman winner
5.Jack Nikclaus because he didnt have the same type of equipment they have nowadays if he would have who knows how many more he would have won..
6.Gordie Howe or Mario
7.Dale Senior and R.Petty
8.Barry Sanders could you have imagined if he ran behind The O-Line Dallas had and he was just awesome to watch and a great guy
9.Chuck Connors
10.Billie Jean King..
D-Man the thing with Gretzky is that I really never seen to him take to many checks and wore a face shield--Look at the brett hulls and G Howes missing teeth and all..
Jesus saves but Gretzky gets the loose puck and scores.
I looked but I can't find it... There was a picture of one of the great hockey players, Bobby Orr? It was what he looked like without the false teeth and make-up. It was unbelieveable. His face was criss-crossed with bad scars and obvious stitch marks. All of his front teeth were gone. He was a bonafide mess! I personally think the helmets and face shields are a great idea!
Dwindy 1
I can't agree with you when it comes to women's tennis. Navratilove exceeded anything that Evert ever did in the sport by far. And so has Graf for that matter. But I suspect you're genuinely dealing with citizens of the US in this respect ?
But I still think that you seriously rethink the issue concerning Evert.
In terms of career titles Navratilova outstrips her . And she also does that in terms of Grand Slam titles won also .
As to the other nominees I can't question that though I do believe that you could make a case for Barrie Sanders in the collegiate category of football players.
I do part of the year. Mostly in Cincinnati now as wife wants to be close to the kids here and I am recouperating. We usually get down there in the fall for a couple months and hang out in our Motor Coach.
A trip to Daytona or Dega is a must at least once in your life time. It cannot be explained by words. You have to experience it in person. Just remember to take ear plugs.
I second photog's trip to Dega or Daytona! No sports fan should call themselves a sports fan until they experience a race in Dega or Daytona. It's a baptism.
You may not be a NASCAR fan going in, but you'll leave with that sweet smell of the track in your nostrils that never goes away, and forever a NASCAR fan. The fans are the best ever. I was hooked after Dega.
JIM BROWN! The Grand-Daddy, The Godfather of the running game. The hands down best of all-time. Now - as always - the measuring stick that running backs have and will be judged by. Although he only played 9 seasons, most of his records took decades to break and some still stand. He made his tremendous accomplishments in a time when the NFL played far fewer games per season. Brown's first four seasons were only 12 games, and his last five were 14 games.
The man departed as the NFL record holder for both single-season and career rushing yards, as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns , total touchdowns, and all-purpose yards. He was the FIRST player ever to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone, and only a few others have done so since, despite the league's expansion to a 16-game season in 1978.
Brown also set a record by reaching the 100-touchdown milestone in only 93 games, which stood until LaDainian Tomlinson reached it in 89 games during the 2006 season. He still holds the career record for yards per carry by a running back (5.2), and total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (5: 1958-1961, 1964), and is the ONLY RUSHER IN NFL HISTORY TO AVERAGE OVER 100 YARDS PER GAME FOR A CAREER. Brown was also a superb receiver out of the backfield, catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns. Brown was voted into the Pro Bowl EVERY SEASON HE PLAYED, and he left the league in style by scoring three touchdowns in his final Pro Bowl game.
Last edited by MidniteCowboy on May 18th at 1:16 AM.
Federer is like Tiger Woods in that there doesn't appear to be any strong competition. I wish there were two or three that could take him to the limit.
Consequently all we see is domination, not too appealing to me... I'll take Pete!
Not dealing exclusively with Americans. It's just personal preference. I don't see Martina as the face of women's tennis. Chris and Navratilova tied with 18 singles titles each. Martina played for more years and won many titles in doubles tennis. She has played in professional tournaments since 1974 and the last tournament she won was a mixed doubles in 2006, that's 32 years vs. Evert, who retired to raise a family after a comparatively short 18 year career.
Yes, but who is your choice for the face of the NFL? lol
I'll admit it, I let my heart guide me on Joe Montana... He raised up the team of my childhood, the team that had mightily struggled from the 50s through the 70s and Joe led them to the promised land by the time I was 30 years old. Then he did it again and again and one more time! What can I say?
Jim Brown was a great, great running back, but if there was a nationwide vote, it would come down to my type of reasoning the the winner would most likely be someone from a big city team like Lawrence Taylor or maybe Walter Payton...
Thanks Midnight and thanks for the response to the jack #### spammer. I just delete their stupid attempts to advertise some deviant website... Kind of ruins everyones day, ya know?
Dwindy 1
Evert chose to leave the game by choice as did Navratilova. But she had that competitive spirit. She actually also came back and not only played doubles but also singles tournaments as well. She made it to two singles' semis against opponents who were old enough to be her daughters. So that inofitself tells you all you need to know about the woman. And in terms of singles Grand Slam tounrnament wins Evert isn't anywhere near close to the dominance shown by Navratilova.
As for Sampras the only real challenges he faced were from Agassi. And that may well have been so different if in his younger years Agassi had had his head screwed on the right way instead of wanting to mimmick McEnroe and Connors in their early years.
I'm a sports fanatic living on the west coast of Florida. I'm a rare bird that moved here from the left coast a couple of years ago. I advocate an even playing field in all of life's endeavors.
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