Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

[Caulfield]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

You didn’t read the OP. It’s who you rooted for. Basically who you saw

ah, in that case I'll still go Mt. Rushmore style: Ken Stabler, Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley and Cornelius Bennett

[JoshC1977]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

I'm going to narrow my list of "guys I liked" and focus on a guy that meant a bit more to me than "I liked him".

That athlete was Jim Abbott. For you youngin's that aren't familiar with him, just do a quick search for him on Youtube - there are some good vids on him....and you HAVE to watch him pitch...words can't exactly describe it.

Abbott was an important figure for me. He broke into the majors in a difficult time in my teens. I have a physical disability and seeing someone overcome an incredible obstacle as he did and pitch at the major league level (oh yeah...and he was no slouch...throwing a no-no in his career) was just awe-inspiring for me. It helped me realize that I still had a lot to offer in life.

[Caulfield]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

I'm going to narrow my list of "guys I liked" and focus on a guy that meant a bit more to me than "I liked him".

That athlete was Jim Abbott. For you youngin's that aren't familiar with him, just do a quick search for him on Youtube - there are some good vids on him....and you HAVE to watch him pitch...words can't exactly describe it.

Abbott was an important figure for me. He broke into the majors in a difficult time in my teens. I have a physical disability and seeing someone overcome an incredible obstacle as he did and pitch at the major league level (oh yeah...and he was no slouch...throwing a no-no in his career) was just awe-inspiring for me. It helped me realize that I still had a lot to offer in life.

Abbott, as fantastic as he was as a pitcher, the most amazing thing he did IMO was going to the NL and actually getting RBI- inducing base hits off major league pitching.

[Jeffx]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

1) Muhammed Ali
2) Dr. J
3) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4) Jim Brown
5) Walt Frazier
6) Reggie Jackson

7) Lawrence Taylor
8) Bernard King
9) Patrick Ewing

10) Jack Johnson

[~LiverpoolRed~]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

I will not name any Liverpool players in my list as I'm sure the majority of you wouldn't know them unless you followed footie.


10)Chris Evert
9)Monica Seles
8)Steffi Graf
7)Ivan Lendl
6)Jimmy Connors
5)Andre Agassi
4)Dennis Rodman
3)Scottie Pippen
2)Michael Jordan
1) (Sports Entertainment) Hulk Hogan - I bawled my eyes out during Saturday Night's Main Event when Andre the Giant eliminated Hogan from the 20 Man Over the Top Battle Royal. Just weeks before WrestleMania 3. I was 9 years old.

[Drag66]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

1. Randy Moss
2. Dan Marino
3. Mario Lemieux
4. Lennox Lewis
5. Alfonso Soriano
6. Mariano Rivera
7. Lawrence Taylor
8. Didier Drogba
9. Michael Jordan
10. Dominique Wilkins

[DrJones]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

In alphabetical order:

Boris Becker
Pavel Bure
Roger Federer
Martina Hingis
Randy Johnson
Pedro Martinez
Lionel Messi
Steve Nash
Greg Norman
Tim Raines

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

1) Don Mattingly - MLB (Yankees)
2) Dan Marino - NFL (Dolphins)
3) Derek Jeter - MLB (Yankees)
4) Alonzo Mourning - NBA (Miami Heat)
5) Dwyane Wade - NBA (Miami Heat)
6) George Brett - MLB (KC Royals)
7) Willie Randolph - MLB (Yankees and even the Mets)
8) Kurt Warner - NFL (Rams, Giants and Cardinals)
9) Larry Holmes - WBC, IBF, WBA World Heavyweight Champion (Boxing)
10) Magic Johnson - NBA (L.A. Lakers)

Honorable Mentions

Graig Nettles - MLB (Yankees)
The Great One Wayne Gretzky - NHL (Oilers, Kings)
Drew Brees - NFL (Saints)
Barry Sanders - NFL (Lions)
Marvin “Marvelous” Hagler - Boxing
Jimmy Conners - Tennis
Pete Sampras - Tennis
Nolan Ryan - MLB (Angels, Astros, Rangers)
Cal Ripken Jr - MLB (Orioles)
Ken Griffey Jr - MLB (Mariners, Reds)

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

I'm going to narrow my list of "guys I liked" and focus on a guy that meant a bit more to me than "I liked him".

That athlete was Jim Abbott. For you youngin's that aren't familiar with him, just do a quick search for him on Youtube - there are some good vids on him....and you HAVE to watch him pitch...words can't exactly describe it.

Abbott was an important figure for me. He broke into the majors in a difficult time in my teens. I have a physical disability and seeing someone overcome an incredible obstacle as he did and pitch at the major league level (oh yeah...and he was no slouch...throwing a no-no in his career) was just awe-inspiring for me. It helped me realize that I still had a lot to offer in life.

I do not think there has ever been something more amazing in sports history than what Jm Abbott was able to do.

And it was truly special to able to watch his entire career.

[DJ]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

1. Magic Johnson
2. Randy Couture
3. Lawrence Taylor
4. David Wright
5. Michael Jordan
6. Michael Strahan
7. Warrick Dunn
8. Roger Federer
9. Martina Navratilova
10. Phil Mickelson

[Jolly Roger]

Re: Your Top 10 Sports Figures of All Time

1. Andrew McCutchen (he was the savior and leader of the Pirates 2010s resurgence; the first Pirates playoff games I was actually old enough to remember witnessing were largely thanks to him.)

2. Michael Jordan (I was a 90s kid; I mean, c'mon. Mike was a God.)

3. Allen Iverson (not a great guy, but I loved his game. I was always out in the driveway working on a cross-over like his, at least when I wasn't working on my long range jumpers like my other hero Steve Kerr.)

4. Kobe Bryant (I remember watching him get drafted; loved seeing a teenager making it in the NBA when I was still a kid.)

5. Jason Bay/Oliver Perez (tie; some of the best two players on some pretty horrid Bucs teams in the early 2000s when I first started getting into baseball; crazy that Oli is still hanging around as a LOOGY. He used to have insane stuff as a young starter. Matter 'fact, they both came over in a deal with the Padres; very good deal.)

6. Kordell Stewart (he was the rookie "Slash" the first year I started watching football in 1995. I would always get so mad when Cowher would take him out when he was losing the game and Mike Tomczak would come in and rescue things. Poor Mike; Kordell was always back at the helm for the next game.)

7. Steve Kerr (proof that an average height blonde-haired kid like me could make it in the NBA. Mike having the respect to pass him the ball to win Game 6 of the '97 NBA Finals made me so happy for Steve. A little too preachy now in his coaching days, but I haven't watched basketball in 15 years.)

8. David Beckham (he was one of the only players I knew of when I started following soccer in 2005 when I was in college. His transfer from Man Utd to Real Madrid made waves even amongst major American sports news outlets that rarely covered soccer at all.)

9. Steven Gerrard (I started liking football/soccer so much that I even got my dad into it. He ended up liking Liverpool and Gerrard, so I liked him too. Even got my dad a Gerrard shirt, which he wore a lot.)

10. John Elway (I dunno, I just liked him; loved seeing him finally win a Super Bowl in '98. Remember that crazy propeller rushing TD? Cam Newton he was not, lol).

Honorable mention:

Shaquille O'Neal (gotta love Shaq; I was thinking the other day...kids today seeing him in commercials is like me seeing Clyde Frazier's Just for Men commercials in the 90s...actually he's still doing them I think!)

Mario Lemiuex (90s Pittsburgh kid, so he was the absolute man in Pittsburgh; still is, actually. I wrote a book report about him in 5th grade. I remember being amazed to learn he spoke almost no English at 18, because within several years he was virtually fluent.)

I loved boxing growing up, so gotta throw Fernando Vargas and George Foreman in there. I remember watching Foreman become the oldest heavyweight champion ever. My parents were rooting so hard for him because my dad liked him in the 70s. It seemed so ancient to me at the time, like how could a guy who fought in the 70s be fighting in 1994...doesn't seem so hard to believe now that most of the guys on my list are coaches or front office!