How Long It's Been: Washington, D.C. won an NBA Championship

Tonight, the Washington Capitals will play the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. If the Caps win, they will win the Stanley Cup for the 1st time in their history.

It would not be the 1st World Championship for a team based in or around Washington, D.C. But most of those titles have been rare:

* The Washington Nationals have only played in the District of Columbia since 2005, and have never won a postseason series.

* Before them, the Washington Senators existed from 1901 to 1971, and only won 1 World Series, in 1924, losing the Series in 1925 and 1933.

* The Washington Redskins have been to 11 NFL Championship Games, winning 5 of them: The NFL Championship Games of 1937 and 1942; and Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI, the titles for the seasons of 1982, 1987 and 1991.

* And the team now known as the Washington Wizards, known from 1973 to 1997 as the Washington Bullets, have reached 3 NBA Finals, losing in 1975 and 1979, and winning in 1978.

Their only NBA Championship came on June 7, 1978, in Game 7, beating the Seattle SuperSonics 105-99 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. That's exactly 40 years. How long has that been?

*

Hail the Champions: Number 10, forward Bob Dandridge; 11, center Elvin "Big E" Hayes; 14, guard Tom Henderson; 15, guard Charles Johnson; 20, guard Phil Walker (did not appear in the Finals); 25, forward Mitch Kupchak; 32, guard Larry Wright; 35, forward Kevin Grevey; 41, forward Wes Unseld; 42, forward Greg Ballard; 44, center Joe Pace; 45, guard Phil Chenier. Their head coach was Dick Motta.

Hayes and Unseld would be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. They and Chenier, later a broadcaster for the team, would later have their numbers retired by the Wizards. Dandridge had previously won the title with the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. Kupchak would later win titles with the 1982 and 1985 Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson died in 2007, Ballard in 2016, while the rest are all still alive.

There were 22 teams in the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors and the New Orleans Pelicans did not yet exist. The New Jersey Nets, the Buffalo Braves, the Kansas City Kings, the New Orleans Jazz, and the team the Bullets beat in the '78 Finals but would lose to in the '79 Finals, the Seattle SuperSonics, did.

The Sonics, the Heat, the Mavericks, the Detroit Pistons since moving from Fort Wayne, the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers had not yet won their 1st NBA title. The Pistons, the Rockets, the Jazz, the Spurs, the Nets, the Heat, the Mavericks, the Cavs and the Indiana Pacers had not even been to the NBA Finals.

All of those facts were true then. They are not anymore.

Madison Square Garden in New York and what's now named the Oracle Arena in Oakland were the only NBA arenas in use in the 1977-78 season that will still be in use in 2018-19 -- and after that, the Oracle can be dropped from the list. The Garden is the only NHL arena from that season still in use.

Maurice Podoloff, the founder of the NBA and its 1st Commissioner, was still alive -- and he was older than the sport itself. The defining players of my childhood were, at most, in their prime: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Moses Malone and Julius "Dr. J" Erving were superstars; Bernard King was an NBA rookie; and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were in college. Michael Jordan was in high school. Shaquille O'Neal was 6 years old, Tim Duncan was 2. Dirk Nowitzki was born 12 days later, Kobe Bryant 2 months later. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Steph Curry were a long way off.

The current Knicks coach, David Fizdale, was 4 years old. Kenny Atkinson of the Nets was 11. Todd Bowles of the Jets, Barry Trotz of the Islanders, and Domènec Torrent of NYCFC were in high school. Pat Shurmur of the Giants was in junior high school. David Quinn of the Rangers was 12, Aaron Boone of the Yankees and Jesse Marsch of the Red Bulls were 5, and Mickey Callaway of the Mets and John Hynes of the Devils were 3.

The Bullets had dethroned the Portland Trail Blazers as World Champions. The Yankees and the Montreal Canadiens would succeed themselves, and the Dallas Cowboys were defending NFL Champions.

The Heavyweight Champion of the World? In February, Muhammad Ali lost the undisputed title to Leon Spinks, but the WBC, seeing that the 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist didn't have enough pro fights, recognized Ken Norton as champ. Norton was then beaten by Larry Holmes. Ali beat Spinks in September, to regain the title, then retired. The WBA then recognized Holmes as well.

The Olympic Games have since been held in America 4 times; Canada, Russia and Korea twice, and once each in Bosnia, France, Spain, Norway, Japan, Australia, Greece, Italy, China, Britain and Brail. Argentina was about to win the World Cup on home soil. The tournament has since been held in America, Spain, Mexico, Italy, France, Japan, Korea, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Russia.

There were then 26 Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. The President of the United States was Jimmy Carter. Ronald Reagan had run for President in 1976, but lost the nomination to incumbent Gerald Ford, who then lost to Carter. Reagan was now 67, and the idea of him ever becoming President was considered to be ludicrous.

George H.W. Bush was out of public office, teaching at Rice University in Houston. Ford, Richard Nixon, their wives, and the widows of Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were all still alive.

Bill Clinton was the Attorney General of the State of Arkansas, and was about to be elected Governor at age 32. George W. Bush was running for Congress from a district in north Texas, but would lose.  Barack Obama was attending the Punahou School. In his native Honolulu. Native Honolulu. Donald Trump was getting sued for racist practices in the slums he owned.

The Governor of the State of New York was Hugh Carey, the Mayor of the City of New York was Ed Koch, and the Governor of New Jersey was Brendan Byrne. Andrew Cuomo was attending Fordham University, Bill de Blasio was in high school, and Phil Murphy was at Harvard University.

There were still surviving veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Boer War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Philippine Campaign, and the Russo-Japanese War. The current Pope, Benedict XVI, then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, was Archbishop of Munich. The Prime Minister of Canada was Pierre Trudeau, and of Britain, James Callaghan. The head of state of both nations was Queen Elizabeth II -- that hasn't changed. There have since been 7 Presidents of the United States, 7 Prime Ministers of Britain and 5 Popes.

Nottingham Forest, of the East Midlands, had won the Football League for the 1st time, still their only title ever – completing the comeback of their manager, Brian Clough, who had previously won the 1972 title with Forest's nearby arch-rivals, Derby County, before a disastrous spell in charge of Yorkshire's Leeds United.

Liverpool FC had won the European Cup, but Forest were about to take it away. Arsenal had lost the FA Cup Final to Suffolk club Ipswich Town, managed by Bobby Robson, but were about to take it in the season that had just begun – and along the way, 2 days before Christmas, would travel to their North London arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, and beat them 5-0, on a hat trick by Alan Sunderland, and Liam Brady feeding a header to his Dublin childhood pal Frank Stapleton and then scoring a goal that made broadcaster John Motson yell, "Look at that! Oh, look at that! What a goal by Brady!"

John Irving published The World According to Garp, Stephen King Children of the Corn, Richard Matheson What Dreams May Come, Ken Follett Eye of the Needle, and, a book many would come to regret by 1995, William Luther Pierce published The Turner Diaries.

Ira Levin moved away from the grimness of Rosemary’s Baby, The Boys from Brazil and The Stepford Wives, and wrote Deathtrap, a comedy like his first play, No Time For Sergeants, which, in 1955, made stars of Roddy McDowall and Don Knotts. Douglas Adams hadn't yet published any of his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. George R.R. Martin was best known for writing science fiction and fantasy short stories. J.K. Rowling was 13 years old.

No one had yet heard of Jason Bourne, Hannibal Lecter, Celie Harris, Kinsey Millhone, Jack Ryan, Forrest Gump, John McClane, Alex Cross, Bridget Jones, Robert Langdon, Bella Swan, Lisbeth Salander or Katniss Everdeen.

Major films released in the late Spring of 1978 included the musical biography The Buddy Holly Story; the musical Grease; the baseball sequel The Bad News Bears Go to Japan; the football-themed remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Heaven Can Wait; the trucker film Convoy; the murder mystery The Cheap Detective; the science fiction films Capricorn One and The Cat from Outer Space; the horror sequels Damien: Omen II and Jaws 2; and the greatest horror of them all, a discofied version of the Beatles' story Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, with Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees standing in.

Roger Moore was still basking in the glow of perhaps the best James Bond film of them all, The Spy Who Loved Me, released late the previous year, and was now killing his momentum by filming Moonraker, an attempt to link Agent 007 with the sci-fi movie craze.

Christopher Reeve was about to debut as Superman, and Lynda Carter was still starring on TV as Wonder Woman, but Adam West was still the last live-action Batman. Tom Baker was The Doctor. Gene Roddenberry was filming Star Trek: The Motion Picture, trying to show everyone enamored with Star Wars that the future in our own galaxy was better than "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." On that occasion, he did not succeed. George Lucas was preparing to film The Empire Strikes Back. Steven Spielberg had filmed Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

No one had yet heard of Mad Max, Jason Voorhees, Ash Williams, John Rambo, the Terminator, the Ghostbusters, Freddy Kreuger, Marty McFly, Roboco, John McClane, Jay & Silent Bob or Austin Powers.

In the television season that had just ended, Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Dallas, Vega$, the game show Card Sharks, and the ABC news magazine 20/20 had recently debuted; while both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, The Carol Burnett Show, Police Woman, The Bob Newhart Show, Maude, Columbo, Baretta and Chico and the Man had ended their runs.

That week, the panelists on Match Game 78 were: M*A*S*H actor Gary Burghoff, regular Brett Somers, regular Charles Nelson Reilly, Charles' former The Ghost and Mrs. Muir co-star Hope Lange, regular and now Family Feud host Richard Dawson, and comedy writer Patti Deutsch, the lady with the whiny voice, weird way of coming up with definitive answers, long red hair, and large, as she put it, "upper frontals."

No one had yet heard of Bo & Luke Duke, Blake Carrington, Michael Knight, Christine Cagney & Mary Beth Lacey, Sam Malone, Cliff Huxtable, Balki Bartokomous, the Tanner family, Zack Morris, Hayden Fox, Dale Cooper, the Seinfeld Four, Buffy Summers, Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Andy Sipowicz, Ross Geller & Rachel Greene, Dr. Doug Ross, Xena, Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Bluth, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Walter White, Jax Teller, Richard Castle, the Pritchett family, Rick Grimes, Leslie Knope, Sarah Manning, Wynonna Earp or Jane "Eleven" Hopper.

Robert Kardashian Sr. and Kristen Mary Houghton were preparing to get married the next month. Bruce Jenner was busy turning his one Gold Medal into a lifetime of green. As far as I know, he had not yet met either of them.

From the aforementioned film version of the Broadway musical Grease, stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John's recording of "You're the One That I Want" was the Number 1 song in America. The Rolling Stones launched a U.S. tour in support of their album Some Girls. The Who, unbeknownst to them, played their last show with Keith Moon as drummer. Grace Slick got drunk before a Jefferson Airplane concert in Hamburg, Germany, and taunted the natives about World War II, and temporarily left the band. The aforementioned Peter Frampton killed his career's momentum, and nearly himself, in a car crash in The Bahamas.

Paul McCartney was still having hits with Wings. George Harrison's and Ringo Starr's runs of hits seemed to be over. John Lennon was still in self-imposed "househusband" exile. Priscilla Presley was busy trying to put her late ex-husband Elvis' estate back together. Bob Dylan was in the process of converting to evangelical Christianity -- temporarily, as it turned out. A movieversion of The Wiz, the all-black musical based on The Wizard of Oz, was being filmed, with Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow.

Inflation has been such that what $1.00 would buy then, $3.86 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 15 cents, and subway ride in New York 50 cents. The average price of a gallon of gas was 65 cents, a cup of coffee 74 cents, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $1.65, a movie ticket $2.33, a new car $4,645, and a new house $66,400. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 861.92.

The tallest building in the world was the Sears Tower in Chicago. Desktop computers and mobile telephones had been developed, but hardly anybody had them, and they were both still very bulky and very slow. There was not much of an Internet, and hardly anybody knew about it. America was in the middle of a 6-year spaceflight drought. Automatic teller machines were still a relatively new thing, and many people had never seen one. The leading home video game system was the Atari VCS (later renamed the Atari 2600).

There were heart transplants, liver transplants and lung transplants, and artificial kidneys, but no artificial hearts. There were birth control pills, but no Viagra. 

In the late Spring of 1978, the terrorist Red Brigades kidnapped and assassinated former Prime Minister Aldo Moro of Italy. Breton nationalist set of a bomb that damaged the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, but only 1 person was injured, and survived.

Civil wars raged in the African nations of Zaire, Ethiopia, Angola and the Comoros. King Hussein of Jordan married an American woman of Arab descent, Lisa Halaby, who becomes Queen Noor. He was 42, she was 26. And Ian Botham became the 1st cricketer to score a century and take 8 wickets in 1 inning of a Test match.

In America, Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, won thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown, something no other horse would do for the next 37 years. Pete Rose joined the 3,000 Hit Club, and started a National League record-tying 44-game hitting streak. Tom Seaver pitched the only no-hitter of his career. Both achieved their respective feats for the Cincinnati Reds -- a painful reminder for Met fans. Mavis Hutchinson, age 53, became the 1st woman to run across America, taking 69 days. (This would have been at the time that Forrest Gump would have been repeatedly doing so in the movie.)

Unabomber Ted Kaczynski struck for the 1st time, at Northwestern University. California voters approved Proposition 13, making it nearly impossible for the State legislature to raise taxes, and crippling the State's economy for the next 30 years. The comic strip Garfield made its debut. Resorts International opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as the 1st legal casino and hotel in America outside Nevada.

Former Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, and Real Madrid President Santiago Bernabéu, and Hungarian soccer star József Bozsik died. Erin Andrews, and Brian Urlacher, and Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes were born.

June 7, 1978. The Washington Bullets won the NBA Championship. It was the franchise's 1st, under any of its names: The Chicago Packers, the Chicago Zephyrs, the Baltimore Bullets, the Capital Bullets, the Washington Bullets, and the Washington Wizards.

They have never won a 2nd. Will they contend for it next season? They did make the Playoffs this season, so maybe they're on the right track.

Washington's 10 Greatest Athletes

Today, the Mets started a series away to the Washington Nationals.

Washington's 10 Greatest Athletes

Honorable Mention to Washington Senators in the Baseball Hall of Fame, who didn't otherwise make the Top 10: Sam Rice, Bucky Harris, Goose Goslin, Joe Cronin, Heinie Manush, Rick Ferrell, Early Wynn and Harmon Killebrew. (The Killer only played his 1st 5 seasons in Washington. If the "Old Senators" hadn't moved, or he'd gone to the "New Senators" at some point, he'd be on this list. He will definitely be on it when I do it for Minnesota.)

Honorable Mention to Homestead Grays in the Baseball Hall of Fame: Cumberland Posey, Jud Wilson, Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson. There is a consensus that, at the very least, Bell, Leonard and especially Gibson would have been superstars had baseball been integrated. But we'll never know, and Negro League stats are woefully incomplete.

Honorable Mention to the 3 big stars of the Washington Nationals' 4 (so far) National League Eastern Division Championships in this decade: Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Would any of them be in the Top 10 if the Nats had won so much as a Pennant? I'm not sure. Would any be in it if they'd won the District's 1st World Series title since 1924? As Harper would say, "That's a clown question, bro."

Honorable Mention to Washington Redskins in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who didn't otherwise make the Top 10: Turk Edwards, Wayne Millner, Bill Dudley, Bobby Mitchell, Sam Huff, Paul Krause, Chris Hanburger, Ken Houston, Russ Grimm and Bruce Smith.

Mitchell started in Cleveland and went to Washington, and if he'd spent his entire career in either city, would be a solid candidate for either's Top 10. Huff would be in the Top 10 if he'd spent his entire career in Washington. If he'd spent his entire career in New York, he might be in their Top 10.

Krause spent most of his career in Minnesota, and will be in the Twin Cities' Top 10. Houston spent half his career in the city whose name is his own, and will be in the Houston Top 10. Bruce, who spent most of his career in Buffalo, will definitely be in the Top 10 when I do this for Western New York.

Very Honorable Mentions to Charley Taylor and Art Monk: Each of these Redskins, at one point, was the NFL's all-time leader in receptions. When The Sporting News named their 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, Houston was ranked 61st, Taylor 85th, Monk 91st. None of them was included in the NFL Network's 2010 list of the 100 Greatest Players.

Honorable Mention to Washington Bullets or Washington Wizards in the Basketball Hall of Fame, who didn't otherwise make the Top 10: Bernard King and Mitch Richmond.

Honorable Mention to Washington Mystics stars: Chamique Holdsclaw, Nikki McCray, Alana Beard and Crystal Langhorne.

Honorable Mention to Washington Capitals in the Hockey Hall of Fame, who didn't otherwise make the Top 10: Scott Stevens, Larry Murphy, Dino Ciccarelli and Adam Oates.

Honorable Mention to D.C. United players who were chosen for Major League Soccer's 10th Anniversary Best XI in 2005: Jeff Agoos, Eddie Pope, Marco Etcheverry and Jaime Moreno.

10. Rod Langway, defenseman, Washington Capitals, 1982-93. After starting his career with the Montreal Canadiens, and winning the Stanley Cup as a rookie in 1979, he never got close to the Cup again. But he became one of the top defensemen in the game in D.C. (Landover, actually), something he couldn't do with Larry Robinson running the show in Montreal.

He made 6 All-Star Games, 4 with the Caps. He won back-to-back Norris Trophies for best defenseman in 1983 and '84. He only scored 51 goals in his 14 NHL seasons, but had 278 assists. The Caps retired his Number 5, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

9. Wes Unseld, center, Washington Bullets, 1973-81. The big center spent his entire career with the Bullets, arriving in Baltimore in 1968 and making the move down the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in 1973. He was both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the NBA in 1969, although both of those were in Baltimore. He was a 5-time All-Star, though only the last was in Washington.

He got the Bullets into the NBA Finals in 1971, 1975, 1978 and 1979, and finally led them to the title in 1978, winning the Finals MVP. The Bullets retired his Number 41 (before becoming the Wizards), and he was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.

8. Mike Gartner, right wing, Washington Capitals, 1979-89. He played another 9 seasons in the NHL, and never once appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals -- coming closest when the Rangers traded him in 1994, just before they could win it.

It's too bad, because he was fantastic, scoring 708 goals, and making 7 All-Star Games, 4 with the Caps. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Caps retired his Number 11, and he was named to the 100 Greatest Hockey Players by both The Hockey News in 1998 and the NHL on its 100th Anniversary in 2017.

7. John Riggins, running back, Washington Redskins, 1976-86. He wasn't pretty. He wasn't graceful. He wasn't tactful. He was just a great fullback. He helped the University of Kansas win the 1968 Big Eight Championship, then played 5 seasons for the Jets, and 4 for the Washington Redskins.

Then he held out for the entire 1980 season, and returned, saying, "I'm bored, I'm broke, and I'm back." Good thing he did, because, 2 years later, he was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XVII, the Redskins' 1st NFL Championship in 40 years.

He only played in 1 Pro Bowl, in 1975, but in 1983, he set an NFL record with 24 rushing touchdowns, and won the Bert Bell Award as NFL MVP, helping the Redskins get into Super Bowl XVIII, although they lost. He rushed for 11,352 yards and 104 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Redskins Ring of Fame, and the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team.

6. Sonny Jurgensen, quarterback, Washington Redskins, 1964-74. In 1964, the Philadelphia Eagles named Joe Kuharich as head coach. Kuharich was a massive prude, and the Eagle's All-Pro quarterback, Christian Adolph Jurgensen III, liked the nightlife. So Kuharich traded Sonny to the Washington Redskins for their starting quarterback of the time, Norm Snead.

This trade was so dumb! How dumb was it? Over the rest of the decade, the Eagles floundered, while the Redskins got better, eventually becoming the team (albeit quarterbacked by Billy Kilmer, with Sonny as an aging backup) that won the 1972 NFC Championship.

Sonny also threw more touchdown passes in the 1960s than any other quarterback. Guess which quarterback threw more interceptions in the 1960s than any other. Did I telegraph the punch enough? It was Norm Snead. And Joe Kuharich traded Sonny for Norm.

Sonny had the highest career "quarterback rating" of any player before the 1978 rule changes that opened up the passing game: 82.6. He led the NFL in passing yards 5 times and in touchdown passes twice -- at a time when the other contenders for the title of best quarterback in the NFL were Johnny Unitas, Y.A. Tittle and Bart Starr. Vince Lombardi, who coached Starr in Green Bay and the Redskins in the last season of his life, 1969, said, "If we would have had Sonny Jurgensen in Green Bay, we'd never have lost a game."

Sonny was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team, the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame and the Washington Redskins Ring of Fame. He and Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff formed a beloved broadcasting team for the Redskins.

The Redskins don't officially retire numbers (Sammy Baugh's 33 is the lone exception), but Jurgensen's Number 9 has only been given out once since he retired after the 1974 season. That was in 2002, by new head coach Steve Spurrier, to one of his former University of Florida quarterbacks, Shane Matthews. He also gave Number 7, worn by Joe Theismann, to another of his Florida quarterbacks, Danny Wuerffel. Redskin fans were so angry that, before the regular season started, he switched Wuerffel to 17 (no outcry over getting Kilmer's number) and Matthews to 6. At 83, Sonny remains that beloved in the Potomac Valley.

5. Elvin Hayes, forward, Washington Bullets, 1972-81. The Big E reached the Bullets in their last season in Baltimore, and may still be the best player the franchise has ever had, making 12 NBA All-Star Teams (7 in Washington), and helping them reach the NBA Finals 3 times, winning the 1978 NBA Championship.

His Number 11 was retired by the Bullets (before becoming the Wizards). He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame. and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.

4. Darrell Green, cornerback, Washington Redskins, 1983-2002. Those dates alone should tell you something: He played 20 seasons in the NFL, and not as a placekicker or a punter. He played 295 games, the most of any defensive player in the League's 98-season history. He might be the best Washington football player of the last 70 years, and he might also be the fastest player in NFL history.

He arrived too late to be a member of their team that won Super Bowl XVII, but he got them into Super Bowl XVIII (lost), Super Bowl XXII (won), and Super Bowl XXVI (won). He made 7 Pro Bowls, his last at age 38.

He was the oldest man to play either of the defensive back positions, cornerback or safety, nearly 43. He was the oldest to have a gain of at least 35 yards, also nearly 43. He was the oldest with an interception, nearly 42. He was the oldest to return an interception for a game-winning touchdown in overtime, nearly 36; and the 2nd-oldest to return any interception for a touchdown, nearly 38.

He wasn't just a great player: He was a great guy, winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 1996. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team, and the Redskins' Ring of Fame.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 81st on its list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 75th on their list of the 100 Greatest Players. In other words, 11 years later, when other defensive backs had cemented their legacy, Green had actually grown in the estimation of many people.

3. Alex Ovechkin, left wing, Washington Capitals, 2005-present. He's only 32 years old, but already has 604 career goals (making him the all-time leader among Russian- or Soviet-born players), a record 20 of them in overtime. He scored 65 goals, a record for his position, in 2007-08.

When the Maurice Richard Trophy was established for the leading goalscorer in 1998-99, he became the the 1st player to win that, the Art Ross Trophy for leading scorer (goals and assists), the Lester B. Pearson Award (most outstanding player according to a players' vote) and the Hart Memorial Trophy (Most Valuable Player as judged by the sportswriters) in the same season, 2007-08.

A 9-time All-Star, he's won the Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) in 2006, the Hart in 2008, '09 and '13; the Ross in 2008; the Richard in 2008, '09 and '13; and Pearson in 2008, '09 and '10; and the Kharlamov Trophy (named for Valery Kharlamov, the great Soviet winger of the 1970s, and given to the best Russian-born player) in 2006, '07, '08, '09, '10, '14 and '15.

Team success has eluded him, as the Caps haven't reached the Conference Finals since he arrived. And he's never competed for Russia in the Olympics. But in 2017, he was named one of the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players. Unless he does something on the level of Pete Rose or O.J. Simpson, he is sure to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and for the Capitals to retire his Number 8.

2. Walter Johnson, pitcher, Washington Senators, 1907-27. As Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig put it in their 1981 book The 100 Greatest Players In Baseball History, "He had only one pitch, a fastball -- but what a fastball!" He used it to build statistics that simply don't look real, and to build a reputation such that, in a 1916 game, Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians, doomed to become the only MLB player to die as a result of an on-field injury, walked away from an at-bat. The umpire told him he had 1 strike left, and he said, "Take it. I don't want it."

"The Big Train" debuted in 1907, and won 417 games, 2nd-most behind Cy Young, and the most in American League history. And he did this for the Washington Senators, who, even in his day, were known as "First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." He had a 2.17 career ERA, a 147 ERA+ -- so his greatness wasn't just a result of the Dead Ball Era -- and a 1.061 WHIP.

He had 3,508 strikeouts. Not only did that stand as a record from 1921, when he surpassed the 2,803 of Cy Young, until 1983, when Nolan Ryan surpassed him, but, from July 22, 1923, when he surpassed the 3,000-strikeout barrier, until July 17, 1974, when Bob Gibson also did, he was the only member of the 3,000 Strikeouts Club. While his strikeout record has now been surpassed by 8 pitchers, his record of 110 shutouts has never been approached. (Grover Cleveland Alexander is next-best with 90.)

He led the AL in wins 6 times, ERA 5 times, and strikeouts 12 times. He led the League in all 3 -- the Pitching Triple Crown -- in 1913, 1918 and 1924. In 1913, he went 36-7, with a 1.14 ERA -- an ERA+ of 259, meaning he was 159 percent better at preventing earned runs than the average pitcher that season. He pitched a no-hitter in 1920. It took until 1924 for the Senators to win a Pennant, and, after losing 2 games in the Series, he came on in relief in Game 7 and was the winning pitcher. He won another Pennant with the Senators in 1925.

His last game was on September 30, 1927. It was the game in which Babe Ruth set a new record with his 60th home run of the season. Oddly, Johnson came on as a pinch-hitter. He was a decent hitter by pitchers' standards, batting .235 with 24 home runs and 255 RBIs in 21 seasons.

In 1936, he was 1 of the 1st 5 players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Sadly, his wife Hazel died of heatstroke in 1930, and he died of a brain tumor in 1946, only 59 years old. A monument to him was erected outside the Senators' Griffith Stadium, and moved to Walter Johnson High School when it was established in 1956 in the suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, where Johnson lived. A statue of him stands outside Nationals Park in Washington.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 4th on their list of the 100 Greatest Players, 1st among pitchers, and trailing only Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Ty Cobb among all players. That same year, 82 years after he threw his last professional pitch, he was still familiar enough to fans for them to vote him onto the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

1. Sammy Baugh, quarterback, safety, punter, Washington Redskins, 1937-52. Maybe Slingin' Sammy wasn't quite "the first quarterback," but he was the 1st truly great passer in football. He was drafted by the Redskins in 1937, their 1st year in D.C., and, that year, he did something that no other human being had done before, and none has since: He led a team to the NFL Championship as a rookie quarterback. Johnny Unitas didn't do it. Nor did Joe Montana. Nor did Tom Brady. Otto Graham did it in the AAFC, and in his 1st season in the NFL, but not as a rookie and an NFL quarterback.

A 6-time Pro Bowler, he and Sid Luckman of the Chicago Bears reinvented the quarterback position, just as Don Hutson of the Green Bay Packers was doing to the position of end, inventing the wide receiver. Baugh and Luckman played each other in 4 NFL Championship Games, with Baugh's Redskins winning in 1937 and 1942, and Luckman's Bears winning in 1940 and 1943.

In 1943, Baugh led the NFL in passer rating, punting yards, and interceptions -- made, not thrown. Think about that: In one year, he was Tom Brady (without cheating), Shane Lechler and Darius Slay at the same time.

He played until 1952, and remains one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, and still has the highest career punting yard average. In 1960 and 1961, he was the 1st head coach of the New York Jets (then the New York Titans.) In 1963, he was a charter inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he turned out to be the last survivor of those, living until 2008.

TCU retired his Number 45, and his 33 is the only number officially retired by the Redskins. He was named to the Redskins Ring of Fame, the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team, and the NFL 75th Anniversary Team. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 11th on its list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2008, ESPN named ranked him 5th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 14th on their list of the 100 Greatest Players.

Interviewed for the NFL's 75th Anniversary TV special in 1994, he said, "I love the way they play today. I wish I was playing now." The football world isn't sure if they agree: They might want to watch him, but they wouldn't want to play against him.

Top 10 Athletes From Louisiana

April 30, 1812: Louisiana is admitted to the Union as the 18th State.

Top 10 Athletes from Louisiana

We think of Louisiana as a football State, but, so far, they've only produced 2 Heisman Trophy winners, and 1 Pro Football Hall-of-Famer -- and it wasn't either of the Heisman winners.

In contrast, they've got 4, nearly 5, of the NBA's official 50 Greatest Players. And that's not counting Bill Russell, who was born there, but not raised there; or Pete Maravich, who went to Louisiana State University, but didn't grow up in Louisiana.

They've also produced 2 Baseball Hall-of-Famers, and that's not counting Bill Dickey, who was born there but lived most of his life in neighboring Arkansas.

Honorable Mention to Karl Malone of Summerfield. He was a 14-time NBA All-Star, a 2-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and a 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist: On perhaps the greatest amateur team ever assembled, the 1984 U.S. team; and perhaps the greatest team ever assembled in any sport, the 1992 U.S. "Dream Team."

His Number 32 was retired by Louisiana Tech and the Utah Jazz. Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. He has a statue outside the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Honorable Mention to Ron Guidry of Lafayette, who helped the Yankees win the 1977 World Series, and without whose incredible season the Yankees would not have won it again in 1978.

Honorable Mention to Chad Gaudin of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, who helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series.

Honorable Mention to Doug Williams of Zachary. I don't know what's more miraculous: Getting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to within 9 points of a Super Bowl berth, losing the 1979 NFC Championship Game; or turning a 10-0 deficit into a 42-10 victory, with 5 touchdowns, including 4 touchdown passes, in a span of only 13 minutes, leading the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII in 1988. He was the 1st black quarterback to win an NFL Championship.

Honorable Mention to Joe Dumars of Natichitoches. The franchise now known as the Detroit Pistons hasn't won a championship, in any league, without him being involved since 1945. He was the defensive leader of their 1989 and 1990 NBA Champions, winning the Finals MVP in 1989, and the general manager of their 2004 NBA Champions.

Honorable Mention to Joe Brown of Baton Rouge. The Lightweight Champion of the World from 1956 to 1962, he was named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year in 1961.

Honorable Mention to John David Crow of Springhill. The running back led Texas A&M to the 1956 Southwest Conference Championship. In 1957, he became the 1st player from the school to be awarded the Heisman Trophy, the only Heisman winner ever coached by Bear Bryant.

He played for the Cardinals, including during their 1960 move from Chicago to St. Louis. He was a 4-time Pro Bowler, and was named to the NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team. He later returned to Texas A&M as their athletic director. He is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention to Billy Cannon of Baton Rouge. The running back led Louisiana State University to the 1958 National Championship, and won the 1959 Heisman Trophy. He was the 1st-ever pick in the 1st-ever American Football League Draft. He justified that by helping the Houston Oilers win the 1960 and 1961 AFL Championships -- still the only time the Oilers/Titans franchise has gone as far as the rules of the time have allowed them to go.

He won another AFL Championship with the 1967 Oakland Raiders. His Number 20 was retired by LSU, and he is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Like another 1960s sports hero, 1967 American League Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg of the Boston Red Sox, he became a dentist.

Unfortunately, like yet another 1960s sports hero, 1968 AL Most Valuable Player Denny McLain, he got involved in something he shouldn't have, and went to prison. Based on those 2 facts, upon his release, he was given a job as the head dentist for the State penal system, a job he still holds.

Honorable Mention to Marshall Faulk of New Orleans. A star at San Diego State University, he made 7 Pro Bowls, and was named the NFL's Rookie of the Year in 1994 and Most Valuable Player in 2000. At the turn of the 21st Century, he was probably the NFL's best all-around player, helping the St. Louis Rams reach Super Bowls XXXIV (won) and XXXVI (lost).

He finished his career with 12,280 rushing yards and an even 100 rushing touchdowns; and 767 catches for 6,875 yards and 36 touchdowns. The Indianapolis Colts, with whom he started, named him to their Ring of Honor. San Diego State and the Rams both retired Number 28 for him. He was elected to both the College and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2010, the NFL Network listed him 70th on their list of the NFL's 100 Greatest Players.

Honorable Mention to Kevin Faulk of New Orleans. Marshall's cousin played at LSU, and rushed for a relatively modest 3,607 in his career, for the New England Patriots, but beat Marshall's Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. He also was with them when they won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. The Patriots named him to their team Hall of Fame and their 50th Anniversary Team, as a kick return specialist.

But neither Crow, nor Cannon, nor either of the Faulks is the greatest running back from Louisiana.

10. Bob Pettit of Baton Rouge. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star, a 2-time NBA MVP, and the 1st NBA player to score 20,000 points. (This wouldn't be a big deal today. It was a huge deal then, in 1965.) He won the 1958 NBA Championship with the St. Louis Hawks. After they moved to Atlanta, they retired his Number 9. He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.

9. Robert Parish of Shreveport. He was a 9-time NBA All-Star, and while he never won an MVP, the Boston Celtics would not have won the 1981, 1984 and 1986 NBA Championships without him. He won another title as a backup on the 1997 Chicago Bulls -- making him the only man to win the NBA with both Boston and Chicago.

He played in more games than anyone in NBA history, and was long believed to be the league's oldest player ever before someone rediscovered an older one in the league's early days. The Celtics retired his Number 00, and he was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.

8. Steve Van Buren of New Orleans. He was born in the Central American nation of Honduras, to an American father and a native mother, but was orphaned at age 10, and sent to live with his father's family in New Orleans.

Bernie Moore, the coach who brought him to LSU, said, "He was probably the greatest running back in Southeastern Conference history." The SEC has since seen Cannon, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, Emmitt Smith, Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry. But Van Buren may have been the best through the 1944 Orange Bowl, in which he led LSU to a 19-14 win over Texas A&M, responsible for all the Tigers' points: He ran for 2 touchdowns, threw for 1, and kicked an extra point.

"Moving Van" then starred for the Philadelphia Eagles, making 6 Pro Bowls, and getting them to 3 straight NFL Championship Games, as the best running back in the NFL, and as a deadly tackler as a defensive back.

They lost to the Chicago Cardinals in 1947. Then "Supersonic Steve" braved the elements. The day of the 1948 Championship Game, 10 inches of snow fell on Philadelphia, and he almost didn't get to Shibe Park. Somehow, he got through the snow outside, and the snow inside, scoring the game's only touchdown to get the Eagles their 1st World Championship. In 1949, the weather struck again. A rare Southern California rainstorm hit the Los Angeles Coliseum, but he led the Eagles to victory over the Rams. To put it another way: In those 2 seasons, the Eagles won 2 titles; it would take them another 69 years to win another 2.

Injuries forced him to retire after playing his last game in 1951, with 5,860 rushing yards and 69 rushing touchdowns, both records at the time. He was the 1st Eagles player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in 1965 -- making him the 1st Hispanic player elected to any of the "big four" sports' Halls. He was named to the NFL's 1940s All-Decade and 75th Anniversary Team. The Eagles retired his Number 15, and named him to their Hall of Fame and their 75th Anniversary Team.

In 1999, he came in 77th on The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players. Somehow, by 2010, he had grown in the estimation of football historians, because the NFL Network raised his ranking to 58th.

7. Elvin Hayes of Rayville. The Big E reached the 1968 NCAA Final Four with the University of Houston. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star, and helped the Washington Bullets, the team now known as the Washington Wizards, reach the NBA Finals 3 times, winning the 1978 NBA Championship.

His Number 44 was retired by UH, and his Number 11 retired by the Wizards. He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame. and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.

6. Eli Manning of New Orleans. Since he immediately followed his brother Peyton, the comparison to their father Archie wasn't nearly as prominent, so he could go to Archie's alma mater, the University of Mississippi, and just play ball.

He did all right there, and was named Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. With the New York Giants, he's a 4-time Pro Bowler, and not only led them to 2 Super Bowl wins, both upsets of the cheating New England Patriots, but was named the MVP of both games. He is the greatest quarterback New York City has ever had. Don't tell me that Phil Simms was better. Don't tell me that Joe Namath's 1 Super Bowl was more important; even if that's true, that doesn't make him better.

Eli will easily get his Number 10 retired by the Giants, and, barring doing something massively stupid, will be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And yet, he still doesn't make the Top 5. He's not even Number 1 within his own family.

5. Mel Ott of the New Orleans suburb of Gretna. The 1st great slugger in the National League in the post-1920 Lively Ball Era, he was the NL's all-time home run leader from 1937 until 1966, finishing his career with 511. Until 2001, he was the NL's all-time leader among lefthanded hitters. Due to the short right-field fence at the Polo Grounds, he hit 323, or 63 percent of his total, at home. This also means that he has more home runs hit in New York City than any other player – ahead of Mickey Mantle with 270 and Babe Ruth with 266.

He missed the 1st All-Star Game in 1933, but then making every one through 1944, for a total of 11. His lifetime batting average was .304, and he had 9 100-RBI seasons. He helped the New York Giants win 3 Pennants, and his home run won the clinching game of the 1933 World Series. The Giants retired his Number 4, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1999 was named to The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

4. Lou Brock of Collinston, which isn't far from Hayes' hometown of Rayville. He led Southern University to the 1959 NAIA Championship (national championship for small schools). Based on this, and on his major league achievements, he was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

An 8-time MLB All-Star, he collected over 3,000 hits, and set records (which still stand, at least within the National League) for stolen bases in a season and a career. He led the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1964 (won), 1967 (won) and 1968 (lost) World Series. In 1967, he won the Babe Ruth Award, 1 of the 2 awards given to the Most Valuable Player of the World Series. (Bob Gibson got the better-known award, the Sport Magazine Award.)

The Cardinals retired his Number 20. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame and The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players, ranked 58th.

3. Peyton Manning of New Orleans. Putting aside the return of an allegation made against him in college, which, if true, would make him even less moral than his rival Tom Brady... So much has been made of the games Peyton has lost that we forget just what he has won.

He starred at the University of Tennessee, not winning the Heisman Trophy or the National Championship, but winning the 1997 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. He is a 14-time Pro Bowler, a 5-time NFL MVP, and the 2013 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

No quarterback has won more games, or thrown for more yards in a season or in a career, or has thrown more touchdown passes in a season or in a career. He went to 4 Super Bowls, and is 1 of only 2 quarterbacks to lead 2 different teams to an NFL Championship: The 2006 Indianapolis Colts (and he was named the Super Bowl XLI MVP) and the 2015 Denver Broncos. (The other is Norm Van Brocklin of the 1951 Los Angeles Rams and the 1960 Philadelphia Eagles.)

His Number 18 has been retired by the Colts. He was only in his 2nd season when The Sporting News named their 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, but was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team. Barring an epic calamity, he will be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He was ranked 8th on the NFL Network's 100 Greatest Players in 2010.

And yet, he still doesn't make the top 2. Maybe if Brady hadn't been a part of so much cheating...

2. Willis Reed of Bernice, which isn't far from Malone's hometown of Summerfield. May 8, 1970. That alone made him a legend. But that wasn't all he did. He was a 7-time NBA All-Star, captained the Knicks to the 1970 and 1973 NBA Championships, was named the Finals MVP both times, and remains the team's all-time greatest center. (Do I have to remind you that, while Patrick Ewing predicted titles, Willis actually won them?)

His Number 19 was the 1st retired by a New York basketball team, and he was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.

1. Terry Bradshaw of Shreveport. The "dummy" put up a very smart legacy. He was named to 3 Pro Bowls, and was NFL MVP in 1978. He shared Sports Illustrated's 1979 Sportsman of the Year award with another Pittsburgh icon who won a World Championship that year, Willie Stargell.

He got the Pittsburgh Steelers into 4 Super Bowls, won them all, and was named MVP in 2 of them. The Steelers don't retire numbers, but his Number 12 has never been given back out. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players (44th), and the NFL Network's 100 Greatest Players (50th).