Top 10 Athletes From Oklahoma
If you think that I, as a Yankee Fan, will automatically place Mickey Mantle at Number 1, think again.
Honorable Mention to Heisman Trophy Winners from the University of Oklahoma, who didn't make the Top 10: Billy Vessels of Cleveland (1952), Steve Owens of Miami (1969), Jason White of Tuttle (2003) and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma City (2008).
It is a little weird that Vessels was from a town named Cleveland, and Owens from one named Miami, both names of pro football cities, but their hometowns were considerably smaller. The original Miami was in Ohio, not Florida or Oklahoma. Vessels was born on March 22, 1931, the same day as William Shatner; and Vessels was born on December 9, 1947, in Gore, 2 days after Johnny Bench was born 200 miles to the east in Binger.
Honorable Mention to Will Shields of Lawton. A 12-time Pro Bowler, the guard was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, and the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team.
Honorable Mention to 3 Yankee Legends. Allie Reynolds of Bethany was the ace of the pitching staff that won 5 straight World Series from 1949 to 1953. He has a Plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. Ralph Terry of Chelsea won 107 games, including 16 in 1961, helping the Yankees win the World Series; and 23 in 1962, plus Games 5 and 7 of the World Series.
And Bobby Murcer of Oklahoma City turned down a chance to play quarterback for Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma, to become a 5-time All-Star, helping to bridge the painful gap between the Mantle Era and the Munson-Jackson Era, before becoming a beloved broadcaster.
Honorable Mention to Lester Lane of Purcell. A guard for the Sooners, he was a member of the U.S. basketball team that won the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, a team which, in its entirety, was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. However, he never played in the pros, and had just been named the Sooners' head coach in 1973, when he died of a heart attack at age 41.
Honorable Mention to Wayman Tisdale of Tulsa. The forward was a 3-time Big 8 Player of the Year for the Sooners, who retired his Number 23. He was a member of the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, succeeding the 1960 team as the best amateur basketball team ever assembled.
Unlike Lane, he did play in the NBA, 4 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, 5 with the Sacramento Kings, and 3 with the Phoenix Suns. While still an active player, he began a music career in 1995, as a bass guitarist, titling his 1st album Power Forward. He recorded 8 albums before dying of cancer in 2009, only 44.
10. John Smith of Del City. Winner of the 1990 James E. Sullivan Award as America's outstanding collegiate athlete of the year, and Olympic Gold Medals in wrestling at Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992, he is now the head coach at his alma mater, perhaps the greatest of all college wrestling programs, Oklahoma State University.
9. Joe Carter of Oklahoma City. He has been elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame, having been named College Player of the Year in 1981, for Wichita State University. A 5-time All-Star, he led the American League in RBIs in 1986, leading to Sports Illustrated putting him and his Cleveland Indians teammate Cory Snyder on the cover of their 1987 Baseball Preview Issue, saying, "Indian Uprising: Believe It: Cleveland Is the Best Team in the American League!" The Indians lost 101 games.
Carter survived that, though, and became (and remains) the only man ever to participate in the final play of the World Series as both a fielder making the final out and a hitting driving in the winning run: In 1992, he took a throw at 1st base for the last out for the Toronto Blue Jays; in 1993, he hit the home run that won the Series for the Jays.
He retired after the 1998 season, with 2,184 hits and 396 home runs, not quite Hall of Fame levels, but certainly with the status of a baseball legend. The Jays named him to their ring of honor, or, as they call it, their Level of Excellence, although they have not retired his Number 29.
8. Paul Waner of Harrah. One of the top hitters of his era, he played in 4 of the 1st 5 All-Star Games, won 3 batting titles, had a .333 lifetime batting average, and was the only man to cross the 3,000-hit barrier between 1925 and 1958.
He just missed being a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1925 World Champions, but he did help them win another National League Pennant in 1927. The Pirates retired his Number 11, and he was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame and The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players, ranking 62nd.
Honorable Mention to Lloyd Waner of Harrah. Along with 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Harry and George Wright, the Waners are 1 of only 2 pairs of brothers in the Hall of Fame. Lloyd, who played center field alongside Paul in right, is often called one of the least worthy Hall-of-Famers, but he was no slouch: He batted .316 lifetime, and collected 2,459 hits. He also helped the Pirates win the 1927 Pennant, and was an All-Star along with his brother in 1938, when they nearly won it again. His Number 10, however, has not been retired.
Once, when the Pirates were playing away to the Brooklyn Dodgers, a reporter heard someone with a Brooklyn accent call them "a big person and a little person." From that point onward, Paul was known as "Big Poison" and Lloyd as "Little Poison." Paul was the older brother and the bigger hitter, but Lloyd was actually taller.
7. Lee Roy Selmon of Eufaula. The 1st player drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after a career in which he and his brothers Dewey (also drafted by the Bucs) and Lucious helped lead Oklahoma to the National Championship in 1974 and 1975.
A 6-time Pro Bowler at defensive end, in 1979 he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, and helped the Bucs reach the NFC Championship Game, just 2 years after ending a franchise-beginning 26-game losing streak.
He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team, and the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor. His Number 63 was the 1st to be retired in the history of Tampa Bay major league sports.
He later served as athletic director at the University of South Florida, founding its football program. A highway in Tampa was named the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in his memory.
6. Steve Largent of Oklahoma City. The greatest athlete in the history of the University of Tulsa, he was a 7-time Pro Bowler, and helped the Seattle Seahawks reach the AFC Championship Game in 1983, a feat they wouldn't achieve again for 22 years (by which point they were in the NFC). His 819 catches, 13,089 receiving yards and 100 receiving touchdowns were all records, since surpassed.
Tulsa retired his Number 83. The Seahawks retired his Number 80, and named him to their Ring of Honor. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, and The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999.
In 1994, he was elected to Congress from his home district in Oklahoma. He was re-elected until 2002, when he decided to run for Governor, getting the Republican nomination, but losing by less than 7,000 votes.
5. Carl Hubbell of Meeker. A lefthanded pitcher specializing in the screwball, he was the National League's starter in the 1st 2 All-Star Games, and appeared in each of the 1st 6, and 9 of the 1st 10. In the 1934 All-Star Game, he struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin, all in a row.
He helped the New York Giants win the 1933 World Series. He also helped them win the 1936 and 1937 National League Pennants, with a 24-game regular-season winning streak straddling the seasons. winning Game 1 of the '36 Series but losing its Game 4. He won 253 games in his career, and the Giants made his Number 11 the 1st ever retired for an NL player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and The Sporting News named him to its 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
By a sad twist of fate, Hubbell and his Hall of Fame teammate Mel Ott died in car crashes, exactly 30 years apart: Ott on November 21, 1958 in New Orleans at age 49; and Hubbell on November 21, 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona at age 85.
4. Troy Aikman of Henryetta. Born in Southern California, but grew up in Oklahoma, he started at the University of Oklahoma, but went "home" to UCLA, quarterbacking them to win the 1989 Cotton Bowl.
A 6-time Pro Bowler, he led the Dallas Cowboys to win Super Bowls XXVII (he was named Most Valuable Player), XXVIII and XXX. UCLA retired his Number 8. The Cowboys don't retire numbers, but they haven't given his 8 out since he retired, and they named him to their Ring of Honor.
In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 95th on their 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 80th on their 100 Greatest Players.
3. Johnny Bench of Binger. Let's get something straight: Comparing him to Johnny Bench does not embarrass Thurman Munson. Comparing him to Mike Piazza, a born designated hitter who never should have been placed behind the plate, that embarrasses Munson. And Bench.
A 14-time All-Star, and a 10-time Gold Glove, Bench was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1968, NL Most Valuable Player in 1970 and 1972, and World Series MVP in 1976. He helped the Cincinnati Reds reach 6 postseasons, winning 4 Pennants and the 1975 and 1976 World Series. He hit 389 home runs, and at his retirement had more home runs at the position of catcher than anyone.
The Reds retired his Number 5, and erected a statue of him outside Great American Ball Park. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, was ranked 16th on The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players (1 ahead of Mickey Mantle, which is a joke), and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
2. Mickey Mantle of Commerce. The most popular baseball player of his generation, he has always been compared to his predecessor as Yankee center fielder, Joe DiMaggio; and to the other great center fielder of his generation, Willie Mays.
Mantle had a better base-stealing percentage than either one, was not much below them defensively, and with the bat? Here's their statlines: Batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS+:
DiMaggio: .325/.398/.579/155
Mays: .302/.384/.557/156
Mantle: .298/.421/.557/172
Mantle doesn't have the batting average that either does, and is beneath DiMaggio for slugging; but has a much higher on-base percentage and OPS+ than either one. Put it bluntly: Mickey Mantle was a better all-around baseball player than Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays.
He was a 16-time All-Star. He won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1956, 1957 and 1962, and was arguably robbed of it in 1955 (I don't think he was bothered that it went to his teammate, Yogi Berra), 1958 (Jackie Jensen) and 1964 (Brooks Robinson).
Only once did he win a Gold Glove, in 1962, although it should be noted that the award didn't begin until 1957. He won the MVP in 1956 by winning the Triple Crown, making him the last player to this day to lead both Leagues in batting average, home runs and runs batted in.
He hit 536 home runs, 3rd all-time at the time of his retirement. He won 12 Pennants and 7 World Series: In 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962. He hit 18 home runs in World Series play, a record. And, despite all his injuries, he retired as the Yankees' all-time leader in seasons (18) and games played (2,401, both records later broken by Derek Jeter).
Outside the new Triple-A ballpark in Oklahoma City, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, there are statues of Mantle and Bench, and streets named for them and Joe Carter. There's also a statue of Warren Spahn, who married an Oklahoma native and lived most of his adult life in Oklahoma, but was from Buffalo, and was included on this list for New York State.
1. Jim Thorpe of Prague. People in the 21st Century hear that Thorpe was honored as "the greatest athlete of the 1st half of the 20th Century," and "the greatest athlete who ever lived," and they find it hard to imagine.
They might know that Burt Lancaster played him in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe -- All American, and may even have seen it, but might also acknowledge that movies made in those days and "based on a true story," particularly sports stories, were often full of crap. (Certainly, this was the case with The Babe Ruth Story in 1948 and Knute Rockne, All-American in 1940.)
So let me put this into today's context. Imagine a good hitter and a fast runner -- say, Brett Gardner. Now, imagine a somewhat talented professional basketball player -- say, Tim Hardaway Jr. Now, imagine the best running back in the NFL today -- say, Le'Veon Bell. Now, imagine the best defensive back in the NFL today -- say, Aqib Talib. Now, imagine the best placekicker in the NFL today -- say, Stephen Gostkowski. Now, imagine the man who won the Olympic decathlon last year -- which would be Ashton Eaton, who also won it in 2012.
Now imagine that 1 man had done what all 6 of these men have done. And that's Jim Thorpe.
He had a "barnstorming" basketball team called "The World Famous Indians" in the mid-1920s. He played Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1919 -- and it was playing minor-league baseball that got him ruled a "professional," even though it wasn't the same sport, and got his Olympic Gold Medals taken away. (They were restored long after his death.)
In 1917, Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a 10-inning no-hitter. His opponent, Jim "Hippo" Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs, also took a no-hitter into the 10th -- the only double no-hitter in MLB history -- but lost the game on an RBI single by Jim Thorpe. That was the highlight of a career in which his lifetime batting average was .252.
The sport for which Thorpe would be best known was track & field. At the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, he won both the pentathlon (no longer contested, and not to be confused with the event called "the modern pentathlon") and, an event contested for the 1st time in 1912, the decathlon. That's 10 events, over 2 days, a true test of strength, speed, agility and endurace: 4 running, 3 jumping, 3 throwing. He won them both.
When he was presented with his Gold Medal, it was by King Gustav V of Sweden. The King told Thorpe, in English, "You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world." Thorpe told the King, "Thanks, King."
Ever since, just as the winner of the final of the Olympic 100 meters is unofficially designated "the fastest man in the world," and the winner of the Gold Medal in heavyweight weightlifting is called "the strongest man in the world," the winner of the Olympic decathlon has been called "the world's greatest athlete."
Even before Stockholm, Thorpe was already considered the best football player in America. He played for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, and led them to upsets of Harvard (18-15) in 1911 and Army (27-6) at West Point in 1912.
This win over Army was bigger emotionally than competitively: Not only was the Army squad, like Harvard's, one of the best in the country, but this was only 22 years after the Wounded Knee Massacre. It would be like sending poor American college kids who learned about 9/11 from their fathers to Saudi Arabia, and beating the al-Qaeda academy on their home field in their best sport. Ironically, in 1918, the Army bought the school, land and buildings, and it's now the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.
Legend has it that future President Dwight D. Eisenhower played in this game, tried to tackle Thorpe, and got his leg broken as a result. The truth is far less romantic: "Ike" did play in the game, and almost certainly tried to tackle Thorpe at some point (there's no surviving film, so we can't prove it), but his career-ending injury came in Army's next game, and wasn't nearly so severe. And he wouldn't have played pro football anyway, due to his military commitment. Besides, there would be no NFL to play in for another 8 years.
Thorpe played professionally for several teams, most notably the Canton Bulldogs, the leading team of the 1910s. When the American Professional Football Association was founded in 1920 -- the name was changed to the National Football League 2 years later -- the Bulldogs were admitted, and Thorpe was named President. After a single season, he realized he was just a figurehead, a name used to drum up publicity, and resigned.
The most familiar image of Thorpe,
later used for the U.S. postage stamp in his memory.
With the Canton Bulldogs, 1915.
As with his basketball team, he formed a traveling team of Native Americans, based in Marion, Ohio -- hometown of the man who was then President, Warren Harding -- and called them the Oorang Indians, playing in 1922 and 1923. In 1925, the New York Giants' 1st season, he played 3 games for them. He closed his career in 1928, with the Chicago Cardinals, at age 41.
Early NFL records are sketchy: Pro-Football-Reference.com lists only fragmentary kicking stats for him, and no rushing or defensive stats. They also don't cite any uniform number he might have worn, although the NFL was the 1st major pro sports league to use them. I've seen photographs showing him wearing 1 and 21, but, of the 6 NFL teams for which he played, only the Giants and Cardinals still exist, and he hardly played for either one, and they may not have a number for him in their records.
After he retired, he was broke: As with so many other minority athletes who made it big, he gave so much to his own people that he had nothing left for himself. He did odd jobs, and appeared in a few movies, mostly playing Indian chiefs, and was also in the "pass it along" prison scene with James Cagney in White Heat.
He lived long enough to be saluted on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theatre and The Ed Sullivan Show (then known as Toast of the Town), to see the Lancaster movie, to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and to learn that the Associated Press had named him "Athlete of the Half-Century."
He died of cancer in 1953, before the establishment of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his induction as the 1st player in it (not counting George Halas, who did play but was elected as the NFL's founder), the dedication of his statue in its gallery, his being named to the NFL's 1920s All-Decade Team (despite already being 32 when the decade began), or the establishment of the Jim Thorpe Award as college football's defensive back of the year.
In 1999, AP ranked him 3rd on its Athletes of the Century list, behind Babe Ruth (who, like Thorpe, had done nothing to change his achievements in the intervening 49 years) and Michael Jordan (but ahead of Muhammad Ali). In 2008, ESPN named ranked him 6th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time.
Was Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete who ever lived? In his time, he was the best in the business at 2 of them, and played well in 2 others. The competition may not have been what it later became. But I have no doubt that he would loom every bit as large as Justin Verlander, Tom Brady, LeBron James and Sidney Crosby do today.
