Clockwise from top left: His Airness,
Mr. Cub, Sweetness and the Golden Jet.
This week, the Yankees are hosting the Chicago White Sox.
Chicago's 10 Greatest Athletes
Once again, in many cases, a player would rank higher if he spent all or most of his career in Chicago. Some of these guys did, most did not.
Honorable Mention to Chicago Cubs in the Baseball Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make this list: Al Spalding, Adrian "Cap" Anson, Mike "King" Kelly, John Clarkson, Clark Griffith, Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, Frank Chance, Mordecai "Three-Finger" Brown, Rogers Hornsby, Charles "Gabby" Hartnett, Lewis "Hack" Wilson, Hazen "Kiki" Cuyler, Billy Herman, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Ferguson Jenkins, Bruce Sutter, Dennis Eckersley, Ryne Sandberg, Andrew Dawson and Greg Maddux.
Honorable Mention to Chicago White Sox in the Baseball Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make this list: Ed Walsh, George Davis, Ray Schalk, Eddie Collins, Red Faber, Ted Lyons, Luke Appling, Early Wynn, Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio, Hoyt Wilhelm, Goose Gossage, Carlton Fisk, Tim Raines and Jim Thome. Paul Konerko will probably join them, Mark Buehrle might, and Harold Baines should.
Honorable Mention to Chicago Bears in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make this list: George Halas (yes, he was a very good player, and we can count him as such, in addition to a coach, executive and owner), George Trafton, Ed Healey, William "Link" Lyman, John "Paddy" Driscoll, Bill Hewitt, George Musso, Joe Stydahar, Dan Fortmann, George McAfee, Clyde "Bulldog" Turner, George Connor, George Blanda, Bill George, Stan Jones, Doug Atkins, Mike Ditka (he was elected as a player), Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Alan Page, Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent and Brian Urlacher.
Honorable Mention to Chicago Cardinals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, none of whom made this list: Paddy Driscoll, Ernie Nevers, Walt Kiesling, Charley Trippi, Ollie Matson and Dick "Night Train" Lane.
When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, George was ranked 49th, Singletary 56th, and Ditka 90th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, George dropped off the list, but Singletary only dropped to 57th, Ditka Rose to 59th, and Nevers, despite having played over 80 years before, was brought onto the list at 89th.
Honorable Mention to Chicago Bulls in the Basketball Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make this list: Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Jerry Sloan is in the Hall, but as a coach. If Steve Kerr ever gets in, it will also be as a coach. I don't think Derrick Rose is getting in.
Honorable Mention to Chicago Blackhawks in the Hockey Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make this list: Lionel Conacher, Roy Conacher, Charlie Gardiner, Art Coulter, Earl Seibert, Clint Smith, Doug Bentley, Max Bentley, Bill Mosienko, Bill Gadsby, Glenn Hall, Pierre Pilote, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Michael Goulet, Denis Savard, Chris Chelios and Ed Belfour. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane might join them.
Honorable Mention to Karl-Heinz Granitza, the greatest player of the NASL's Chicago Sting.
Honorable Mention to Ante Razov, the all-time leading scorer of MLS' Chicago Fire.
Now, the Top 10:
10. Gale Sayers, running back, Chicago Bears, 1965-71. He scored a record-breaking 22 touchdowns in his rookie season, including 6 in a single game against the San Francisco 49ers despite a torrential rain that turned Wrigley Field into a mud pit. He was named NFL Rookie of the Year, led the League in rushing twice, and was named to 4 Pro Bowls. His average of 5.0 yards per carry is 2nd only to Jim Brown.
But he wrecked both knees, and ended up playing only 68 games -- enough to add up to, by today's standards, only 4 full seasons. He only appeared in 4 games past his 26th birthday, and none past his 28th. His career rushing yards total was just 4,956; had he a full career, he almost certainly would have followed Brown as the 2nd man to 10,000 yards.
The University of Kansas retired his Number 48, and the Bears his Number 40. He remains the youngest man ever elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 34. He was named to the NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team and its 75th Anniversary Team. In 1999, despite having played so little, The Sporting News ranked him 21st on its list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 22nd on its list of the 100 Greatest Players.
9. Sid Luckman, quarterback, Chicago Bears, 1939-50. New York City has produced a lot of great baseball and basketball players, but there's no doubt who's the City's greatest football player. A single-wing tailback at Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School and at Columbia University, George Halas saw Luckman as the man to quarterback his T formation.
Good vision: He led the Bears to 4 NFL Championships, plus an undefeated season but losing the Championship Game, in 7 seasons. He and his big rival, Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins (Luckman was 2-1 in NFL Championship Games against him), were the 1st 2 true quarterbacks, as we now understand that term, in NFL history.
A 6-time All-Pro, Sid was the 1st quarterback to throw 7 touchdown passes in a single game (there are now 8), and the 1943 NFL Most Valuable Player. Players went both ways in those days, and he also intercepted 17 passes and had a career punting average of 38.6 yards. The Bears retired his Number 42. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and the NFL's 1940s All-Decade Team.
It's been 68 years since Sid Luckman played his last game for the Bears, and 20 years since he died. He is still the greatest quarterback in Bears history.
8. Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski, running back and offensive and defensive tackle, Chicago Bears, 1930-37, with a return in 1943. At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, he wouldn't be considered all that big today. But in the 1930s, he was considered huge, and was the prototype for the big bruising fullback, the progenitor of Marion Motley, Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, John Riggins, Jerome Bettis, etc.
The University of Minnesota didn't win anything while he was there, but, in the same backfield as Red Grange, he helped the Chicago Bears win the NFL Championship in 1932 and 1933. He played in the NFL from 1930 to 1937, and was a professional wrestler in the off-season, because, at the time, it made him more money.
He was the Heavyweight Champion of the World. And while pro wrestling was always a bit theatrical, it was not like today's WWE. He would have made mincemeat out of Hulk Hogan in the 1980s, Stone Cold Steve Austin in the 1990s, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (also a college football star) in the 2000s and John Cena today. And he would never have done Vince McMahon's bidding. In 1943, due to the wartime manpower shortage, the Bears asked him to return, and he did, and helped them win another title.
"Who would you pick to win a football game?" asked the great sportswriter Grantland Rice. "11 Jim Thorpes? 11 Glenn Davises? 11 Red Granges? Or 11 Bronko Nagurskis? The 11 Nagurskis would be a mop-up. It would be something close to murder and massacre. For the Bronk could star at any position on the field, with 216 pounds of authority to back him up."
Try 230, Mr. Rice. Otherwise, you're right. One year, Nagurski hurt his back, and, instead of sitting out and healing, accepted a switch to offensive tackle, and was great at it. He played defensive tackle. Oh yeah, he could also pass, pretty well by the standards of the time. Imagine Bettis throwing an option pass, and having it result in a touchdown: Nagurski did it. In an interview late in life, he said he'd probably be a linebacker, admitting he wouldn't be carrying the ball 30 times a game. I have no doubt that, with his speed, he would have excelled.
The University of Minnesota retired its Number 72 for him, and named its football facility the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. The Chicago Bears retired Number 3 for him. He was a charter inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.
He was named to the NFL's 50th Anniversary Team in 1969, and its 75th Anniversary Team in 1994.
The Sporting News ranked him 35th on their 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999. and the NFL Network's 100 Greatest Players in 2010, 73 years after he was a regular player, actually boosted him to 19th. In 2008, ESPN named ranked him 17th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time.
Presuming that the NFL names a 100th Anniversary Team in 2019 or 2020, I have no doubt that, despite it having been 76 years since he last so much as played a down, he will be named to it.
7. Frank Thomas, 1st base and designated hitter, Chicago White Sox, 1990-2005. Not to be confused with the 1960s slugger known as Big Donkey, this man had the best nickname in his era of baseball: The Big Hurt. Fortunately, much like earlier sluggers Harmon "the Killer" Killebrew and Frank "the Monster" Howard, he's actually a nice guy.
Born on May 27, 1968, the same exact day as fellow Baseball Hall-of-Famer Jeff Bagwell (and during Don Drysdale's then-record streak of 58 2/3rds consecutive scoreless innings), Frank was a 5-time All-Star, the American League MVP in 1993 and 1994, and a batting champion in 1997. He is 1 of 9 players to have a .300 lifetime batting average (in his case, .301) and 500 career home runs (in his case, 521). The others are Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols and, dubiously, Manny Ramirez.
He appeared in the postseason with the Chicago White Sox in 1993 and 2000, and with the Oakand Athletics in 2006. But he was robbed of a shot at playing on a World Series winner in 1994 because of the strike and 2005 because of injury. (He was given a ring in 2005, though.) The White Sox retired his Number 35, and dedicated a statue to him at Guaranteed Rate Field.
6. Dick Butkus, linebacker, Chicago Bears, 1965-73. He was a victim of timing: Although he was with Illinois, enabling him to help them win the 1963 Big Ten title, he not only arrived with the Chicago Bears just as they were ending a strong era, but his playing career included the era in which the NFL, including the Bears in 1971, was switching to artificial turf, which wrecked his knees. As a result, he never played in so much as a Playoff game, and played his last game when he was only 31 years old.
Which makes his legendary reputation all the more remarkable. He was named Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 1963, as both a center and a linebacker -- an offensive lineman and a defensive player. That alone is astounding. He played 9 seasons in the NFL, and was named to the Pro Bowl in 8 of them. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1969 and 1970, despite the Bears going just 1-13 and 6-8 in those seasons.
He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Teams (he and Larry Wilson were the only men named to both), and the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team. Illinois retired his Number 50, and the Bears retired his Number 51.
The NCAA created the Butkus Award to honor the best linebacker of the season. In 1999, The Sporting News named him Number 9 on its list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, 2nd only to Lawrence Taylor among defensive players. On the CBS special honoring those players, NFL Today analyst and former coach Jerry Glanville, who specialized on defense, called him the greatest football player he ever saw. Not the greatest defender, the greatest player.
In 2008, ESPN ranked Butkus 19th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him Number 10 on its list of the 100 Greatest Players, again trailing only Taylor on defense.
He remains, even more than L.T., Mean Joe Greene and Ray Lewis, the last word in mean, hard-hitting defensive football players, the definitive Chicago "Monster of the Midway." Sylvester Stallone named one of his dogs Butkus, and even cast the dog as Rocky Balboa's dog in Rocky, keeping the name "Butkus."
All of which made it all the more fun when Dick Butkus became an actor, including starring alongside fellow defensive behemoth Bubba Smith in Miller Lite beer commercials. Deacon Jones, another contender for the titles of greatest and meanest defensive player ever, and who also did some Miller Lite commercials, said, "Dick was an animal. I called him a maniac. A stone maniac. He was a well-conditioned animal, and every time he hit you, he tried to put you in the cemetery, not the hospital."
5. Harold "Red" Grange, running back and cornerback, Chicago Bears, 1925 and 1929-34. The 2-way back led the University of Illinois to the National Championship in 1923, then dedicated their Memorial Stadium the next year with a 6-touchdown performance against Michigan.
The following year, "the Galloping Ghost" became the 1st real star of professional football, following Halas' path from the Illini to the Chicago Bears, drawing crowds that, essentially, saved the NFL from going under after only 6 seasons -- making him easily the most influential athlete on this list, and maybe the single most important player in NFL history.
His manager, C.C. Pyle, founded the American Football League in 1926, started a team called the New York Yankees, and, wanting his biggest star in the biggest city, paid Halas off and put Grange on his team. The 1st AFL lasted just 1 year, but the Yankees were admitted to the NFL for 1927. That year, they played the Bears, and got his knee injured in a tackle by former teammate George Trafton. "After that," he said, "I was just another straight-ahead runner, and the world is full of straight-ahead runners."
But like many great athletes who lost their speed, he raised their game on defense. He was brought back to the Bears after sitting out the rest of '27 and all of '28, and helped them win the 1st 2 NFL Championship Games, in 1932 and 1933, in a backfield with Nagurski. Just as Nagurski was the prototype for the big bruising fullback, so was Grange the one for the speedy halfback. And in that 1933 title game, he made a game-saving tackle in the final minute that Halas called "the greatest defensive play I've ever seen." And from 1920 until his death in 1983, Halas saw them all.
He was a charter inductee into both the College and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was named to the NFL's 1920s All-Decade Team. Football used uniform numbers earlier than baseball and basketball (although hockey preceded them), and so the Number 77 that Grange wore with both the Fighting Illini and the Bears became sports' 1st iconic uniform number, and both retired it. In 1969, he was the only unanimous choice on the 100th Anniversary All-America Team. He lived long enough to receive all of these honors.
After his death in 1991, he was ranked 80th on The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, named the greatest player in college football history by ESPN in 2008, had a statue of him dedicated outside Illinois' Memorial Stadium in 2009, was named to the NFL's 100 Greatest Players by the NFL Network in 2010 (ranked 48th, actually gaining 32 places in the intervening 11 years), and was named the Big Ten Conference's greatest sports icon by the Big Ten Network in 2011. Keep in mind, most of those honoring him had never seen him play, as he played his last NFL game in 1934, and there is precious little surviving footage of him.
4. Ernie Banks, shortstop and 1st base, Chicago Cubs, 1953-71. "Mr. Cub" is so identified with Chicago that it's easy to forget that it's not where he's from. Indeed, he's from Big D, not the City of the Big Shoulders. It's just as well that he played baseball: Nobody ever played football and said, "Let's play two!"
A 14-time All-Star, he won back-to-back National League Most Valuable Player awards in 1958 and 1959, despite the Cubs not being anywhere near the Pennant race. He won a Gold Glove in 1960, and finished his career with 2,583 hits, including 512 home runs, an astonishing number for a player who spent the 1st half of his career as a shortstop, before moving to 1st base.
The Cubs retired his Number 14, and erected a statue of him outside Wrigley Field. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. in 2013, President Barack Obama awarded him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom
In spite of the achievements of Red Grange, Walter Payton, Bobby Hull and even Michael Jordan, Ernie may still be, even after his death, the most popular athlete in Chicago's history.
3. Bobby Hull, left wing, Chicago Black Hawks, 1957-72. His relationship with the Hawks has been complicated, but he and owner Rocky Wirtz are on good terms now. Of his 913 major league goals, 608 were with the Hawks. These included 5 seasons of 50 or more, and those included 1965-66, when he became the 1st player to score more than 50 in a season; and 1968-69, when he topped out at 58. (In 1974-75, with the WHA's Winnipeg Jets, he got 77 in 78 games.)
"The Golden Jet" made 12 NHL All-Star Games. He won the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer in 1960, 1962 and 1966. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as regular season Most Valuable Player in 1965 and 1966. he won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as "most gentlemanly player" in 1965. He helped the Black Hawks win the 1961 Stanley Cup, and also to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 1962, 1965 and 1971. (In the WHA, he was MVP in 1973 and 1975, and helped the Jets, who were named for him and of which he was part-owner, win the title in 1976, 1978 and 1979, losing in the Finals in 1973.)
In 1969, while still active, he was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for contributions to hockey in America. When he retired in 1980, he was 2nd in goals and 9th in points in NHL history -- and that didn't count his WHA stats. In 1983, he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the Hawks retired his Number 9. In 1998, The Hockey News ranked him 8th on their list of the 100 Greatest Players. In 2011, the Hawks dedicated a statue of him outside the United Center (and also one for Stan Mikita). In 2017, he was named to the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players.
2. Walter Payton, running back, Chicago Bears, 1975-87. "Sweetness" was a 9-time Pro Bowler. He was named NFL Most Valuable Player in 1977 and 1985. He once held the records for rushing yards in a game (275) and in a career (16,725). He also caught 492 passes. He had 110 touchdowns rushing, 15 more receiving... and 8 passing. He even had a punt go 39 yards. He was as close to being an all-around threat as existed in his era.
He had already surpassed Jim Brown in 1984 to become the NFL's all-time rushing leader (since himself surpassed by Emmitt Smith), when the Chicago Bears roared through the 1985 season toward Super Bowl XX, wanting to win it for him as much as for themselves and their city. They did.
The Bears retired his Number 34. He was elected to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and to the NFL's 1970s and 1980s All-Decade Teams and its 75th Anniversary Team. In 1999, The Sporting News listed him 8th on their 100 Greatest Football Players. He died of liver disease later that year, and his reputation grew: In 2010, when the NFL Network did the 100 Greatest Players, he came in 5th. Both times, he was 2nd among running backs to Jim Brown.
There are 2 Walter Payton Awards: The NCAA's "Heisman Trophy" for Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly known as Division I-AA) players, in honor of Payton having played at Mississippi's Jackson State University; and the NFL's Man of the Year award, for humanitarian contributions off the field.
1. Michael Jordan, guard, Chicago Bulls, 1984-98. No, he's not the greatest basketball player who ever lived. That's Wilt Chamberlain. But he did define an era of basketball.
At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he was a member of the best amateur basketball team that has ever been assembled. When the International Olympic Committee allowed professionals starting in 1992 in Barcelona, he was the centerpiece of the U.S. "Dream Team" that may have been the best team ever assembled, under any circumstances, in any sport. (It was so good, that year's college player of the year, Christian Laettner, was the 12th man, and is the only one not yet in the Basketball Hall of Fame.)
He played 15 seasons in the NBA, and was a 14-time All-Star -- the only time not making it was in 1994-95, when he ended the 1st of his 3 "retirements" too late to qualify for the All-Star Game. He won the 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 5 NBA MVP awards, 3 All-Star Game MVP awards, and 6 Bill Russell Awards as MVP of the NBA Finals. Whether he deserved all 6 of those is debatable, but the fact is that he got into 6 NBA Finals, won them all, and none of them got to a Game 7.
His Number 23 was retired by North Carolina and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls dedicated a statue of him outside the United Center. In 1991, Sports Illustrated named him its Sportsman of the Year. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players before his 34th birthday. Of course, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
True, Jordan never won a title without Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen. And he got all the calls. And he made a fool of himself coming out of his 2nd retirement to play for the Washington Wizards. And, so far, he has been a bust as the owner of the Charlotte Hornets. And his personal life turned out to be messy. And the contrast between his "Republicans buy sneakers, too" copout in 1990 and LeBron James' "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt and tweet calling Donald Trump "U bum" should not be forgotten.
Nobody's perfect. Not even Michael Jordan. But for millions of people who never saw Wilt, Russell, Oscar, Clyde, Kareem, Dr. J, or young Magic, he still is basketball.
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