October 10, 1920: The Bill Wambsganss Game

Bill Wambganss, wearing the special uniform

that the Cleveland Indians wore in 1921

October 10, 1920, 100 years ago: Perhaps the most eventful game in World Series history unfolds at League Park in Cleveland, and we barely even have photographs of it. No film. Radio broadcasting was in the process of being invented. Television was still just an idea. The Internet wasn't yet an idea.

The American League Champions, the Cleveland Indians, were hosting the National League Champions, the Brooklyn Robins. The name "Dodgers" had already been used, but, since 1914, their manager had been Wilbert Robinson, a former star catcher, and so they were the "Robins," just as the Indians had been the "Naps" from 1903 to 1914, in honor of 2nd baseman and manager Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie.

In the 1950s, it would be a joke that the Dodgers had everything but a left fielder, but in their Robins days, their best hitter was their left fielder. Zack Wheat would finish his career with a .317 batting average and 2,884 hits, 2,804 of them with Brooklyn. After 100 years, this remains a Dodger franchise record. To put this Hall-of-Famer into perspective: According to Baseball-Reference.com, a website which is your friend whether you know it or not, his 2 most statistically similar players are Tony Gwynn and Roberto Clemente.

They had 2 Hall of Fame pitchers: Richard "Rube" Marquard, a former star with their arch-rivals, the New York Giants; and Burleigh Grimes, a pitcher with a nasty spitball and a personality to match. On May 1, at Braves Field in Boston, they played the longest game in Major League Baseball history. Leon Cadore started for the Robins, and Joe Oeschger started for the Braves. The game went 26 innings before it was called due to darkness, tied 1-1. Both starters went the distance.

Burleigh Grimes

Cadore, who had also pitched for the Robins on their 1916 Pennant winners, was held out of his next start, and pitched less than 5 innings in his next one. But he pitched a complete-game shutout in his next, and ended the season at 15-14 with a 2.26 ERA. Oeschger, who had pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies' Pennant winners of 1915, was held out of his next 2 starts, and lost his next 2, but was fine, going 15-13 for a 62-90 team, with a 3.46 ERA.

The Indians were managed by Tris Speaker, still their center fielder, and one of the greatest players in the history of the game. A .345 career hitter, he would collect 3,514 hits, 792 of them doubles, which is still an all-time record. And, until Joe DiMaggio came along, he was regarded as the greatest defensive outfielder ever. He had already helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in 1912 and 1915.

Speaker at an old-timers game in 1947

They also had a Hall of Fame pitcher, Stan Coveleski. Like Grimes, he threw a spitball. A son of Polish immigrants, he had escaped the Pennsylvania coal mines, and, when interviewed by Lawrence Ritter for his book The Glory of Their Times in the 1960s, he would say, "Lord, baseball is a worrying thing."

On August 16, the Indians went to the Polo Grounds in New York to play the Yankees, who were in their 1st season with Babe Ruth. Yankee pitcher Carl Mays hit Indian shortstop Ray Chapman in the head with a pitch. The impact was so hard that the ball came right back to Mays, and he threw it to 1st base, because he thought Chapman had hit it.

Chapman got up, and told catcher Wally Schang, "I'm all right. Tell Mays not to worry." He started toward 1st, and collapsed. He was taken to a hospital, and died the next day. He remains baseball's only player to die as the result of an in-game injury. Mays lived until 1971, insisting that he hadn't hit Chapman intentionally. Others backed that up, including Chapman's teammates, who admitted that he crowded the plate at times.

The Indians wore black armbands on their sleeves for the rest of the season, and would dedicate a monument to Chapman, which now stands in the Heritage Park section behind center field at Progressive Field.

Baseball would respond to Chapman's death by supplying umpires with far more balls, and ordering them to throw balls out if they looked too dirty, and thus insufficiently visible. They also outlawed the various altered -- or "doctored" -- pitches that fell under the umbrella category of "spitball." But they allowed 17 pitchers, including Cleveland's Coveleski and Brooklyn's Grimes, to continue throwing the spitball because it was their "bread-and-butter," or what we would call today their "out pitch."

Chapman's replacement was rookie Joe Sewell, and he ended up being a big reason why the Indians edged the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox for the Pennant. The suspension of 7 White Sox players for throwing the previous year's World Series -- an 8th, Chick Gandil, had already retired -- helped the Indians. 

Joe Sewell

It was the 1st Pennant ever won by a Cleveland team. The Robins/Dodgers had won their 1st Pennant in 20 years.

*

This is what the world was like in the Autumn of 1920, as the World Series began:

There were 16 teams in what we would now call Major League Baseball. The American League had teams in Philadelphia, Washington and St. Louis. The National League had a team in Boston. No team played further south than Washington, Cincinnati and St. Louis, and no team played further west than St. Louis. No team played in a stadium with lights, or with artificial turf, or with a roof, or with more than 40,000 seats.

The only stadiums in use now that were in use then were Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field on the North Side of Chicago. And the idea that either of those stadiums would later be beloved classics was not even considered.

There were no Black players in the majors. There were all-black professional teams, but the 1st Negro League had just been founded. There had been Hispanic players, but they were white Cubans.

George Wright of the 1st professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings (no connection to the current Reds franchise), was still alive. Dizzy Dean was 10 years old, Hank Greenberg was 9, Joe DiMaggio was about to turn 6, Ted Williams was 2, Bob Feller was about to turn 2, Jackie Robinson was a year and a half; and Stan Musial, Warren Spahn, Ralph Kiner, Yogi Berra, Duke Snider, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Frank and Brooks Robinson hadn't been born yet.

The previous year's World Series was won by the Cincinnati Reds. The Stanley Cup was won by the Ottawa Senators. The National Football League had been founded on September 17. There was no National Basketball Association. 

Aside from the Olympic Games, there was no tournament that could be called a world championship for soccer. The Olympics had yet to debut their Winter format. The Games have since been held in America 7 times; in France 4 times; 3 times each in Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada; twice each in Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Australia, Britain, Russia and Korea; and once each in the Netherlands, Finland, Mexico, Bosnia, Spain, Greece, China and Brazil.

There were 48 States, 3 of whom -- Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona -- had only gained Statehood within the preceding 14 years. There were 19 Amendments to the Constitution, the newest giving women the right to vote.

There was no banking insurance, no Securities & Exchange Commission, no Medicare, no Medicaid, no Environmental Protection Agency, no OSHA, no Title IX. There had not been a Civil Rights Act since 1875. The ideas that abortion and same-sex marriage would ever be legalized weren't even being considered.

The President of the United States was Woodrow Wilson, and he was the holder of the Nobel Peace Prize. But the stroke he suffered during the previous year's the World Series left him half-paralyzed physically, and almost completely paralyzed politically, ruining his hope that America would enter the League of Nations, founded to keep the pieace after World War I. William Howard Taft was still alive.

The candidates running to replace Wilson were both newspaper publishers from Ohio: The Governor, Democrat James M. Cox; and a Senator, Republican Warren Harding. People were tired of Wilson's high-sounding rhetoric, and wanted what Harding called "a return to normalcy." Harding won in a landslide, and became one of the worst Presidents ever.

Harding's Vice President was Calvin Coolidge, then Governor of Massachusetts. Herbert Hoover, no longer doing so as an official of the federal government, was privately raising money for food relief in war-torn Europe. Franklin Roosevelt had recently resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, so that he could be Cox's running mate.

Harry Truman had recently been discharged and married, and he had bought an interest in a lead and zinc mine in Commerce, Oklahoma, which would employ members of the Mantle family. Major Dwight D. Eisenhower was commanding a tank battalion at Fort Meade, Maryland. Lyndon Johnson was 12 years old, Ronald Reagan was 9, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford were 7, John F. Kennedy was 3. Jimmy Carter, both George Bushes, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden had not been born yet.

The Governor of New York was Alfred E. Smith; of New Jersey, William N. Runyon; and of Ohio, home of the Indians, as I said, James M. Cox. The Mayor of New York City was John F. Hylan; of Chicago, the massively corrupt "Big" Bill Thompson; and of Cleveland, William S. FitzGerald.

There were still living veterans of the Mexican-American War, the European Revolutions of 1848, and the Crimean War. Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell was still alive. So was phonograph and light bulb inventor Thomas Edison. So were Wild West figures Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson and Annie Oakley.

The Pope was Benedict XV. The Prime Minister of Canada was Arthur Meighen, and of Britain David Lloyd George. The Monarch of both nations was King George V. There have since been 18 Presidents of the United States, 4 British monarchs, and 9 Popes. The FA Cup was won by Birmingham team Aston Villa, and the Football League was won by Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion.

Major novels of 1920 included This Side of Paradise, the debut of F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in which Agatha Christie introduces her private detective Hercule Poirot; Main Street by Sinclair Lewis, Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence, and The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting.

Sigmund Freud published Beyond the Pleasure Principle; H.L. Mencken Prejudices: Second Series, which Richard Wright would later cite as inspiring his own desire to write; and Frederick Jackson Turner The Frontier in American History. New plays included Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones; Karel Čapek's R.U.R., which introduced the word "robot"; and The Bat by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood.

Superheroes and comic books as we would come to know them did not yet exist. Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Flash creator Gardner Fox and James Bond creator Ian Fleming were children. Wonder Woman creator William Marston was a young psychologist. But 1920 saw the film The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Like The Bat, it would be an influence on Kane and Finger.

J.R.R. Tolkien was about to be discharged from the British Army. C.S. Lewis had recently been discharged, and had resumed his studies at Oxford University. Like so many others, they had survived World War I only to be emotionally compromised for life. Lewis had published 1 book of poetry, Tolkien 16 of them; but, as yet, neither of them had published a novel, fantasy or otherwise. Gene Roddenberry was born 10 months later, Stan Lee a year after that, Rod Serling 2 years after that.

There was no television. Radio broadcasting was about to begin. Films were still black & white and silent. D.W. Griffith directed Way Down East. Mary Pickford starred in a version of Pollyanna. She and Fairbanks were married. The 3 of them, and Charlie Chaplin, had founded United Artists a year earlier. Fred Niblo directed Sex, which was racy for the time, and had a theme that adultery was bad. Actress Olive Thomas died at age 25, from drinking her husband's syphilis medication, thinking it was a sleeping aid.

Rudolph Valentino had recently debuted in films. James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart had recently debuted on Broadway. Clark Gable was working for his father in the oil fields outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. Henry Fonda and Greta Garbo were 15 years old. Jimmy Stewart was 12. Lorne Greene was 5. Jack Webb was 6 months old.

Popular songs of 1920 included "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time" and "Crazy Blues." Jazz was a new phenomenon. So was country music. George M. Cohan, Florenz Ziegfeld and Irving Berlin still ruled Broadway. Edward "Duke" Ellington had recently formed his 1st music group. Louis Armstrong was playing on ferryboats on the Mississippi River. Richard Rodgers, Harry "Bing" Crosby and Roy Acuff were in high school. So was William "Count" Basie, who had begun playing gigs on Jersey Shore boardwalks. McKinley Morganfield, a.k.a. Muddy Waters, was 7 years old. Frank Sinatra was 4. Ella Fitzgerald was 3. Hank Williams wasn't born yet.

Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $12.94 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 2 cents, and a New York Subway ride a nickel. The average price of a gallon of gas was 25 cents, a cup of coffee 15 cents, a movie ticket 15 cents, a new car $860, and a new house $6,296. The hamburger had been invented, but wasn't yet as widely known as the hot dog, which usually cost a nickel. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the preceding Friday at 84.42.

The tallest building in the world was the Woolworth Building in Lower Manhattan. Most Americans didn't have telephones or air conditioning in their homes. There were no photocopiers, credit cards or automatic teller machines. Computers were still just a concept. Alan Turing was 8 years old. In spite of the fiction of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, no one had yet launched a rocket toward space.

Artificial organs were not yet possible. Transplantation of organs was not possible. The distribution of antibiotics was not possible: If you got any kind of infection, you could easily die. There was no polio vaccine. There was no birth control pill, but there was no Viagra, either.

In the Autumn of 1920, Poland and Finland both defeated the Soviet Union in wars, forcing the Bolsheviks to concentrate on the civil war within the borders of the former Russian Empire. The Irish War of Independence was ongoing, and 14 people, including a player, would be killed at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park in Dublin.

Mohandas Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in India. An earthquake killed 171 people in Tuscany, Italy. President Álvaro Obregón was settling Mexico down after a 10-year revolution and civil war. Dr. Frederick Banting recorded his insight on how to isolate insulin for the treatment of diabetes. And Adolf Hitler made his first political speech, in Vienna, Austria.

In America, a bomb killed 38 people on Wall Street. Westinghouse sold the first domestic radio sets. In San Francisco, Edison Mouton completed the 1st successful coast-to-coast airmail delivery, taking 3 days. Professional boxing was legalized in New York State, making the rise of Madison Square Garden as "the Mecca of Boxing" possible. And the Black Sox Scandal broke, tarnishing baseball, while the home runs of Babe Ruth helped people to act as though it didn't matter.

Carl Fabergé, and John Reed, and King Alexander of Greece died. Mickey Rooney, and Roger Angell, and Bob Lemon were born.

That's what the world was like in the Autumn of 1920, as the World Series began.

*

Game 1 was played on October 5 at Ebbets Field. In a game that lasted just 1 hour and 41 minutes, Stan Coveleski outpitched Rube Marquard, and a pair of RBI doubles by Steve O'Neill gave the Indians a 3-1 win. Burleigh Grimes pitched a shutout in Game 2, and the Robins won 3-1. The Dodgers took the lead in the Series in Game 3, when Sherry Smith outpitched Ray Caldwell, and Brooklyn won 2-1.

The Robins/Dodgers would not take a games lead in a World Series again for 33 years. The series moved to Cleveland, and the Indians knocked Leon Cadore out in the 1st inning. In spite of that, their win turned out to be just 5-1, but the Series was tied. Game 5 would be the one for the ages.

League Park, built 1910, torn down 1951.

A previous ballpark had stood there from 1891 to 1909.

In the bottom of the 1st inning, Grimes gives up hits to Charlie Jamieson, Bill Wambsganss, and center fielder/manager/legend Tris Speaker. Tribe outfielder Elmer Smith then hits the 1st grand slam in Series history.

Elmer Smith

In the 3rd‚ Jim Bagby comes up with 2 on, and crashes another Grimes delivery for a 3-run blast‚ the 1st home run ever by a pitcher in Series play.

Jim Bagby

In the 5th, with Pete Kilduff on 2nd and Otto Miller on 1st with nobody out, Robins reliever Clarence Mitchell bats for himself, and hits a line drive, right at 2nd baseman Wambsganss. One out. "Wamby" takes a couple of steps, and tags Kilduff before he can get back to 2nd base. Two out. Then Wambsganss tags the off-and-running Miller, before he can see what's happening and get back to 1st base. Three out.

An unassisted triple play. And, 100 years later, this remains the only triple play of any kind in World Series history.

The only known photo of the play

The Indians win the game, 8-1, and their 1st appearance in the World Series will soon be a successful one. Duster Mails outpitched Sherry Smith for a 1-0 Cleveland win in Game 6. in Game 1. The Series went back to Brooklyn for Game 7 and a potential Games 8 and 9, but on October 12, 1920, Game 7 was won 3-0, as Coveleski pitched a shutout to beat Grimes, whose error allowed the deciding run.

Wambsganss, suddenly nationally famous, later lamented that he had a pretty good career (and a case can be made that he was right), but that, for most people, he might as well have been born the day before this game and died the day after.

As it turned out, Wamby died on December 8, 1985, in a suburb of Cleveland, where he'd lived all his life, making him 89 years old.

The last living player from this game was Joe Sewell, the man who had been called up after Ray Chapman had been killed. Sewell went on to a Hall of Fame career, including helping the Yankees win the 1932 World Series, and lived until 1990.

The Indians began to split their home games in 1932, with their bigger-attendance games, and eventually their night games, at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. They last played at League Park in 1946, and it was demolished in 1951. The only surviving part is the ticket booth, outside the right field corner.

Today, a baseball field is on the site, and the City of Cleveland has named the facility "League Park." 

Cleveland was World Champions. Brooklyn would have to wait.

On the other hand, in the 100 years since, the Indians have won just 1 more World Series, while the Dodgers have 6, with a chance this year for a 7th.

Cleveland's 10 Greatest Athletes

The last 2 athletes to lead a Cleveland team

to a World Championship: Jim Brown and LeBron James.

This weekend, the Yankees are playing the Cleveland Indians.

Cleveland's 10 Greatest Athletes

Honorable Mention to Cleveland Indians in the Baseball Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make the Top 10: Elmer Flick, Addie Joss, Stan Coveleski, Joe Sewell, Earl Averill, Lou Boudreau, Bob Lemon, Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, Early Wynn, Gaylord Perry, Dennis Eckersley, Bert Blyleven, Roberto Alomar and Jim Thome.

Sewell, Doby, Paige, Wynn, Perry, Eckersley, Blyleven, Alomar and Thome might have made the Top 10 if they'd spent their entire careers in Cleveland. So might Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame -- for a reason that also prevented him from having an "entire career."

Honorable Mention to Bob Waterfield, who quarterbacked the Cleveland Rams to the 1945 NFL Championship, before the team moved to Los Angeles and he became a Hall-of-Famer there.

Honorable Mention to Cleveland Browns in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make the Top 10: Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Bill Willis, Frank Gatski, Len Ford, Mike McCormack, Bobby Mitchell, Gene Hickerson, Paul Warfield, Leroy Kelly and Joe DeLamielleure. Mitchell and Warfield might be on this list had they played their entire careers in Cleveland.

Honorable Mention to Cleveland Cavaliers in the Basketball Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make the Top 10. Actually, for the moment, there's only 4 Cavs in the Hall, and, between them, they played just 8 seasons in Cleveland: Lenny Wilkens (1972-74), Nate Thurmond (1975-77), Walt Frazier (1977-80) and Shaquille O'Neal (2009-10). No question those were some great players, but, despite Lenny later coaching the Cavs, none of them is remembered for their time with them.

Honorable Mention to Brad Daugherty, center, Cleveland Cavaliers, 1986-94. Probably the best player in Cavs history until LeBron came along, he made 5 All-Star Games, and had his Number 43 retired. He'd be much higher on this list if a back injury hadn't ended his career at age 28.

Now, the Top 10:

10. Ozzie Newsome, tight end, Cleveland Browns, 1978-90. Ozzie made 3 Pro Bowls, catching 662 passes for 7,980 yards and 47 touchdowns. These were fantastic numbers for a receiver in the era. He was a tight end, for which these numbers were unheard-of.

He is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team, and the Browns' Ring of Honor. Strangely, The Sporting News did not put him on their list of the 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999. But, in 2010, the NFL Network listed him 73rd on their list of the 100 Greatest Players.

He was in the Browns' front office when they moved to become the Baltimore Ravens after the 1995 season, receiving a ring for their win in Super Bowl XXXV. In 2002, he was named their general manager, the 1st black man to hold that office with any NFL team, and built the squad that won Super Bowl XLVII.

9. Napoleon Lajoie, 2nd base, Cleveland Blues/Naps, 1902-14. That's pronounced LAH-zhoh-way. He was known as Nap for short, the Frenchman for his ancestry, and Larry (I can't find the source of that nickname).

In 1901, the American League's 1st season, playing for the Philadelphia Athletics, Nap became its 1st batting champion, and set a League record for batting average. For a long time, it was listed as .422. It was eventually checked, and revealed to be .426, the highest batting average for a single season in the 20th Century. He was also the AL's 1st leader in home runs and RBIs, thus winning him the Triple Crown.

Since he had jumped Leagues, having previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies, legal issues prevented him from playing in the State of Pennsylvania for any team but the Phillies. So the A's had to trade him in 1902, and he went to the Cleveland Blues. He proved so popular there that, in 1905, not only was he named player-manager, but they were renamed for him: The Cleveland Naps. (In 1915, after he left, they were renamed the Indians.)

He won 3 AL batting titles. He batted .339 lifetime, and collected 3,252 hits. He wasn't as good as a manager, never coming closer to a Pennant than a near-miss in 1908. He was among the earliest inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame, attending its opening ceremony in 1939, along with Tris Speaker, who may have succeeded him as the Indians' greatest player. He was also one of the most admired players of his time, but fans and opponents alike.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, in its 2nd round of elections, the 1st player at 2nd base chosen. He played before there were All-Star Games, and also before there were uniform numbers, so, of course, there's no number to retire for him. Nevertheless, Nap Lajoie is still on the short list for the title of greatest 2nd baseman who ever lived.

8. Cy Young, pitcher, Cleveland Spiders 1890-98, and Cleveland Naps (forerunners of the Indians) 1909-11. He might be Number 1, certainly no lower than Number 2, on this list if he'd spent his entire career in Cleveland.

(If you're wondering about the name of the team that represented Cleveland in the National League from 1887 to 1899, it came from an observer saying that their fielders stopped so many grounders, they must have had 8 legs, like spiders.)

Of his all-time record of 511 wins, he won 241 games for the Spiders, and another 29 for the Indians, for a Cleveland total of 270. He pitched 3 no-hitters, the 1st for the Spiders, eventually becoming the 1st pitcher to throw no-hitters in both Leagues.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, in its 2nd round of elections, with the only pitchers preceding him in the previous year's election being Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson. In 1999, 88 years after his last game, and 44 years after his death, The Sporting News ranked him 14th on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, again trailing only Johnson and Mathewson among pitchers. That same year, he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, even though he was already 33 years old when the 20th Century began.

Supposedly, a few years before he died, someone walked up to him and said, "Didn't you used to play baseball?" Cy Young answered, "Mister, I won more games than you'll ever see."

7. Marion Motley, running back, Cleveland Browns, 1946-53. In 1946, just as the Los Angeles Rams were reintegrating the NFL with Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, the Cleveland Browns were making the All-America Football Conference integrated from its start, with running back Motley and guard Bill Willis. So pro football is sometimes said to have had "four Jackie Robinsons."

He helped the Browns win all 4 AAFC titles and the 1950 NFL Championship. He led the AAFC in rushing in 1948 and the NFL in 1950. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NFL's 1940s All-Decade and 75th Anniversary Teams. The Browns have not retired his Number 76, but they have named him to their Ring of Honor, and the University of Nevada has retired the Number 41 that he wore there.

Motley became, after Bronko Nagurski, the model of the big bruising fullback, to be followed by men like Jim Brown and Jerome Bettis. He was also described by Blanton Collier, then an assistant to Paul Brown and later his successor as head coach, as someone who "had no equal as a blocker" and "a great, great linebacker."

When The Sporting News named their 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, they listed Motley 32nd. Jim Brown was listed 1st. In 2010, the NFL Network listed Motley 74th on their list of the 100 Greatest Players. Brown was listed 2nd. But no less a player than Motley's quarterback, Otto Graham, said, "There is no comparison between Jim Brown and Marion Motley. Motley was the greatest all-around fullback."

In his 1970 book The Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football, Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman called him the best player in the history of the sport. When "Dr. Z" updated that book in 1984, 14 years later, following a refresher on a lot of old football film, he refused to change that ranking.

6. Jim Thorpe, running back and defensive back, Canton Bulldogs, 1915-20 and 1926; and the NFL version of the Cleveland Indians, 1921. He'd be higher on this list if he'd spent his entire career in Northern Ohio, or if we had more film on which to see how good he was.

The 1st great pro football player, and the 1st player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was also the 1912 Olympic decathlon and pentathlon champion. And he was a good baseball player, an outfielder in the major leagues from 1913 to 1919. In 1950, the Associated Press chose him as the greatest athlete of the 1st half of the 20th Century.

How good a football player was he, by today's standards? Hard to tell, although the college award for the best defensive back is named the Jim Thorpe Award. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 88th on its list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

In 2010, 57 years after his death and 82 years after he last played so much as a down in the pro game, the NFL Network ranked him 37th on the list of the 100 Greatest Players. I don't know what happened in the ensuing 11 years to make him jump 57 places in spite of new players making the list. Maybe some old film was discovered, providing previously lost insight.

5. Tris Speaker, center field, Cleveland Indians, 1916-26. Like Edwin "Duke" Snider, Richie "Whitey" Ashburn and Edward "Whitey" Ford, his prematurely light hair got him a nickname, "The Grey Eagle." (Always written that way, never as "Gray.") In the 1910s and 1920s, he was right up there with Ty Cobb as the best all-around player in baseball.

He was an incredible hitter, with a .345 lifetime batting average, and 3,514 career hits, a total still surpassed only by Cobb, Pete Rose, Hank Aaron and Stan Musial. He holds the career record for doubles with 792. He was also the best-fielding outfielder of his time, and he still holds the career record for assists by an outfielder with 449.

He helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in 1912 and 1915, was traded to the Indians, became their player-manager, and won the Series with them in 1920. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with its 2nd class in 1937 (along with Nap Lajoie and Cy Young), and ranked 27th on The Sporting News' 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

Despite allegations that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1947 Speaker came out of retirement, at the request of Indians owner Bill Veeck, to assist the American League's 1st black player, Larry Doby, in learning how to play center field, which he hadn't played before. Speaker assisted the other black players that Veeck brought in as well, and won another World Series ring as one of their coaches in 1948. Although he is in the Indians' team Hall of Fame (and the Red Sox' as well), the uniform number he wore as a coach, 43, is not retired.

4. LeBron James, forward, Cleveland Cavaliers, 2003-10 and 2014-present. Where to begin? He was the 1st high school basketball player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and he's the only athlete to be named their Sportsperson of the Year twice. (In 2012 and 2016. He was preceded by Tiger Woods, but golfers are not athletes.) Being on the cover so often does not seem to have jinxed him.

The Akron native went straight from high school to the NBA, to his hometown Cavaliers, and became, except for Michael Jordan, the most-hyped player in NBA history. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2004. As of the 2017-18 season, he had been named to 15 All-Star Games, including 3 times being named the game's MVP. He led the league in scoring in 2008, and in the next 5 seasons, he was named to the All-Defensive First Team. He is a 4-time regular-season MVP.

But it's the postseason where the greatest of the great stamp their legends. In 2007, he got the Cavs to their 1st NBA Finals, but they got swept. After repeated Spring humiliations, and practically begging team owner Dan Gilbert to get better players around him, he played out his contract and, in a live ESPN special, said, "I'm taking my talents to South Beach." The people of Northern Ohio saw this as a massive betrayal, but let the record show that he did respect his contract, rather than forcing a move.

He went to the Miami Heat, played 4 seasons for them, and reached the Finals all 4 years, winning the title in 2012 and 2013. His contract completed there, he made peace with Gilbert, and returned to the Cavs. In his 1st 3 seasons back, he took them to the Finals all 3 times -- meaning he's now been to 7 straight Finals. In 2016, he finally got them their 1st title. For all 3 of his titles, he was named the winner of the Bill Russell Award as Finals MVP. He also led the U.S. team to the Olympic Gold Medal in 2008 in Beijing and in 2012 in London. He is 33 years old, and could have many more big years.

We are now hearing that he and Cavs management are feuding again, and people are already guessing where he will end up. Give it up, Knicks fans: He didn't want you last time, and he doesn't want you this time. He's had enough with chaotic management.

The Number 23 he wore with the Cavs in honor of Jordan, and the Number 6 he wore with the Heat in honor of Russell, will almost certainly be retired. He will almost certainly be elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He will almost certainly be one of the first people selected in 2021 if the NBA names a 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players. (I say, "Almost certainly," because, as Pete Rose and the steroid users have shown us, there is no longer any such thing as a sure thing.

3. Bob Feller, pitcher, Cleveland Indians, 1936-56. In their 1981 book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig (one of them, anyway, but it's hard to tell which) wrote, "Bob Feller remains baseball's only prodigy." He debuted for the Indians while still in high school. To give you an idea: Joe DiMaggio also debuted in 1936, but he was 4 years older; Ted Williams was also born in 1918, but debuted 3 years later.

He set an American League record, striking out 17 batters in a game -- when 17 was also his age. In 1938, still not quite 19, he raised that record to 18. In 1940, he pitched a no-hitter, still the only one ever pitched on a season's Opening Day. he won the pitching Triple Crown that season, including 27 wins, a total only 1 American League pitcher has topped since (Denny McLain's 31 in 1968).

At the close of the 1941 season, just before turning 23, he was 107-54. For the sake of comparison: Warren Spahn, also decorated for heroism in World War II, wouldn't win his 1st major league game until he got back -- at age 25.

Feller missed the entire seasons of 1942, 1943 and 1944, and most of 1945 -- at the ages of 23, 24, 25 and 26 -- serving in the U.S. Navy. He said he didn't care what statistics or achievements he lost due to his wartime service, because The War was more important. He also had some words of wisdom for people who compare sports and war: "Anybody who says sports is war has never been in a war."

In 1946, his 1st full season back, he pitched a no-hitter against the Yankees, and struck out 348 batters. This was long believed to be a major league record, but a later check revealed that Rube Waddell, had 349 strikeouts in 1904, not 343 as previously believed. It was still the highest total between 1904 and 1965. In 1948, he finally won an AL Pennant and a World Series with the Indians. In 1951, he pitched a 3rd no-hitter, tying what was then the record.

He was an 8-time All-Star. There was no Cy Young Award in his era, but if there was, he probably would have won it 5 and possibly 7 times. As it is, he finished in the top 3 in the AL MVP voting 3 times. He won another Pennant in 1954, but all those early innings finally wore him down, and he retired after the 1956 season.

His final record was 266-162, with 2,581 strikeouts. Had he been exempted from service, and not gotten hurt in the meantime, he might have won over 350 games, and seriously challenged the career record for strikeouts at the time, Walter Johnson's 3,508.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 1st year of eligibility. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 36th on their 100 Greatest Baseball Players. The Indians retired his Number 19, and he lived long enough to see a statue of himself dedicated outside their current ballpark, what's now named Progressive Field. There is a Bob Feller Museum in his hometown of Van Meter, Iowa, whose architect was his son Stephen Feller.

2. Otto Graham, quarterback, Cleveland Browns, 1946-55. He played 10 professional seasons, all with the Browns, the 1st 4 in the All-America Football Conference, the last 6 in the NFL -- and brought them to their league's championship game in all 10 seasons.

He led the Browns to all 4 AAFC titles: 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949. He led the Browns to the NFL Championship in 1950, 1954 and 1955. He was an 8-time Pro Bowler (3 in the AAFC, 5 in the NFL), and a 5-time league MVP (twice in the AAFC, 3 times in the NFL).

Although he wore Number 60 at the beginning of his career, he switched to Number 14, and that's the number the Browns retired for him. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1950s All-Decade Team, and the NFL's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. He was voted 7th on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999. When the NFL Network did the 100 Greatest Players in 2010, it put Graham 16th.

When you talk about the greatest quarterbacks of all time, you can mention Sammy Baugh, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning -- but you'd better also include Otto Graham, pro football's ultimate winner. And he is not known to have ever cheated, unlike Tom Brady.

1. Jim Brown, running back, Cleveland Browns, 1957-65. He was voted Number 1 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, ahead of Jerry Rice at Number 2. When the NFL Network did the 100 Greatest Players in 2010, it put Rice at 1 and Brown at 2. Here's why many think Brown is still Number 1:

He did all of the following despite playing just 12 games in a regular season from 1957 to 1960, and 14 from 1961 to 1965, as opposed to the 16 games a season has been since 1978. He played 9 seasons, and was named to the Pro Bowl every season.

He won the 1957 NFL Rookie of the Year award and 3 NFL MVP awards. He was the NFL's record holder for rushing yards in a game from 1957 (his rookie season) until 1976, for rushing yards in a season from 1958 (breaking Steve Van Buren's 1949 record by 381 yards) until 1973, and for rushing yards in a career from 1963 until 1984.

He was the 1st man to rush for over 9,000, 10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 career yards, and the 1st man to score 100 touchdowns, both overall and rushing. His 5.2 yards per carry remain an NFL record. He also caught 262 passes, at a time when that was a decent career total, and a record for a running back. He helped the Cleveland Browns reach the Playoffs 4 times, winning the 1964 NFL Championship.

Like Sandy Koufax, he retired at the peak of his game. Unlike Koufax, it was not because of injury. Rather, he decided that he wasn't going to leave the set of the film The Dirty Dozen and fly all the way across the ocean -- and who wants to exchange London for Cleveland? -- just because the owner of his team gave him an order.

At age 29, he decided he could make more money acting than playing football, which, at the time, was easily true. Or, as he later put it, he'd rather make love to Raquel Welch (his co-star in the 1969 "revisionist Western" film 100 Rifles) than take orders from Art Modell -- and that's an easy choice, even if you don't know what they both looked like.

After he and Modell made peace, the Browns retired his Number 32. He was named to the NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team, its 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, and the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Although 9 players (currently led by Emmitt Smith, with 18,355) now have more rushing yards than his 12,312, he is still the standard by which big fullbacks are measured.

Top 10 Athletes From Texas

December 29, 1845: Texas is admitted to the Union as the 28th State.

Top 10 Athletes From Texas

This was a tough one, due not to the immense size of Texas' land area, but to the large population base. Had I decided to only rank the State's Top 10 Football Players, it would have been tough to narrow it down.

Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Kathy Whitworth, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw and Jordan Spieth are all golf legends, but they don't count for this list, because golfers are not athletes. Trevino was, however, named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1971. Nor is auto racing a sport, which eliminates Texans A.J. Foyt and Johnny Rutherford.

Assault, the horse that won the Triple Crown in 1946, was born at King Ranch outside Corpus Christi. Wild Again, the horse that won the 1st Breeders' Cup Classic in 1984, was born at Black Chip Stables in Clarendon, in the Panhandle.

Honorable Mention to Yankees from Texas who contributed to World Series wins: Cliff Johnson of San Antonio (1977 and 1978), Randy Choate of San Antonio (2000), and, especially, Andy Pettitte of the Houston suburb of Deer Park (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009).

Now, we come to an elephant in the room: Steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Chuck Knoblauch of Houston (1998, 1999 and 2000)? Accused in the Mitchell Report, which, as we now know, has no credibility. Accused by Brian McNamee, ditto. Mike Stanton of Midland (1998, 1999 and 2000)? Also named in the Mitchell Report, and accused by Kirk Radomski. Innocent until proven guilty.

And Roger Clemens of Houston (1999 and 2000)? Aside from Barry Bonds, no player has been more harshly accused. But he is the one player who, thus far, has legally beaten the rap. That doesn't mean we have to like him. It does mean that we have to stop assuming that he's guilty. As was said in another courtroom, You should never assume, because, when you ASSUME, you make an ASS of U and ME.

Honorable Mention Baseball Hall-of-Famers who didn't make the Top 10: Ross Youngs of San Antonio, and Negro Leaguers Andrew "Rube" Foster of Calvert, Smokey Joe Williams of Seguin, and Willie Wells of Austin.

Honorable Mention to Nolan Ryan of the Houston suburb of Alvin. It's a little ironic that he won his only World Series, indeed his only Pennant, with the 1969 Mets, before he became a star. But he might not have become a star if the Mets hadn't made that dumb trade with the California Angels after the 1971 season.

"The Ryan Express," owner of one of the fastest pitches ever, set records for strikeouts in a game (19), a season (383 in 1973), and in a career (5,714). Most K's in a game has been broken, but, unless the way pitchers are handled changes, his records for a season and a career will probably never be broken).

He pitched 7 no-hitters, shattering the old record of 4. He reached the postseason with the Angels in 1979. In 1980, with his hometown Astros, he became the 1st player paid $1 million a season (about $3.2 million in today's money). He helped them reach the postseason in 1980 and 1986. He made 8 All-Star Games, his last at age 42.

But he never won a Cy Young Award. His career record of 324-292 gives him one of the lowest winning percentages of any Hall of Fame pitcher. He was the all-time leader in batters walked 6 years before he was the all-time leader in batters struck out. He is often called the most overrated player of all time.

He did have some bad luck. In 1987, he led the National League in strikeouts and earned run average, but went 8-16 because the Astros stopped hitting. That season included the only time I ever saw him pitch, and it was typical of that season: He was 40 years old, and still pitching superbly, but lost 2-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. He was still a solid pitcher at 44, for the Texas Rangers, and kept pitching until he was 46, a record-tying 27 major league seasons.

He is a member of the 300 Win and 3,000 Strikeout Clubs, and in 1999 became a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame (his 1st year of eligibility), The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He is the only player to have his number retired 3 by teams: 30 by the Angels, 34 by the Astros and Rangers. He has a statue outside Globe Life Park in Arlington, and a nearby highway is named the Nolan Ryan Freeway.

Honorable Mention to a whole slew of football players who didn't make the Top 10. The Heisman Trophy winners alone are astounding: Davey O'Brien of Dallas, 1938; Earl Campbell of Tyler, 1977; Billy Sims of Hooks, 1978; Tim Brown of Dallas, 1987, he and O'Brien make Dallas' Woodrow Wilson High School the only high school in the country with 2 winners; Andre Ware of the Houston suburb of Dickinson, 1989; Ty Detmer of San Marcos, 1990; Robert Griffin III of Copperas Cove, 2011; and Baker Mayfield of the Austin suburb of Lake Travis, 2017, the current holder.

Also, the following have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On offense: Campbell, Brown, Bobby Layne of Dallas and Yale Lary of Fort Worth (each winning 3 NFL Championships with the Detroit Lions), Y.A. Tittle of Marshall, Raymond Berry of Paris (2 NFL Championships with the Baltimore Colts), Forrest Gregg of the Dallas suburb of Sulphur Springs (5 NFL Championships with the Green Bay Packers), Charley Taylor of the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie (once the all-time leader in receptions), Gene Upshaw of Robstown (3 Super Bowl wins with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders), Eric Dickerson of Sealy (still the single-season rushing yardage record holder),

On defense: Mean Joe Greene of Temple (4 Super Bowl wins with the Pittsburgh Steelers), and Mike Singletary of Houston (Captain of the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl XX winners).

Also: Harvey Martin of Dallas (MVP of Super Bowl XII), Vince Young of Houston (led the University of Texas to the 2005 National Championship), Drew Brees of Austin (MVP of Super Bowl XLIV and 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year), Adrian Peterson of Palestine (over 12,000 rushing yards), Von Miller of the Dallas suburb of DeSoto (MVP of Super Bowl 50), and Dez Bryant of Lufkin (528 receptions, and he just turned 29).

In 2008, ESPN named ranked Vince Young 10th and Earl Campbell 12th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time.

UPDATE: Nick Foles is a graduate of Westlake High School in Austin, as is Brees. Before Super Bowl LII, Brees, still the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, called him to give him a pep talk. Foles, who wasn't even the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles when the season began, led the Eagles to victory, and was named the game's MVP.

Dishonorable Mention to Russell Erxleben of Seguin. In 1977, playing for the University of Texas, he set an NCAA record that has since been tied, but never broken: He kicked a 67-yard field goal. He went into the securities business, and is now in prison for fraud -- for the 2nd time.

Honorable Mention to members of the Basketball Hall of Fame who didn't make the Top 10: Slater Martin of the Houston suburb of Elmina, Jay Arnette of Austin, Zelmo Beaty of Woodville, Clyde "the Glide" Drexler of Houston, Dennis Rodman of Dallas, and Sheryl Swoopes of the Lubbock suburb of Brownfield.

Arnette, who played a few years with the Cincinnati Royals, was elected to the Hall, collectively, with his teammates on the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Drexler was a member of the "Dream Team" at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, and was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.

Honorable Mention to Carla Overbeck of the Dallas suburb of Richardson. She was a member of the U.S. team that won the 1999 Women's World Cup, collectively named Sportswomen of the Year by Sports Illustrated. She had previously won the 1st Women's World Cup in 1991, and the Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention to Bobby Morrow of San Benito. The sprinter won 3 Gold Medals at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, and Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year. In 1957, he was given the James E. Sullivan Memorial Award as the outstanding American amateur athlete of the year.

Honorable Mention to Randy Matson of Pampa. In 1964, he won the Silver Medal in the shot put at the Olympics in Tokyo. In 1967, he won the Sullivan Award. In 1968, in Mexico City, he won the Gold Medal.

Honorable Mention to Michael Johnson of Dallas. He won a Gold Medal as a member of a U.S. relay team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. In 1996, he won Gold Medals in the 200 and 400 meters in Atlanta, and received the Sullivan Award. He won the 400 again in 2000 in Sydney, giving him 4 Olympic Gold Medals.

Honorable Mention to Chip Rives of Dallas. While a football player at Wake Forest University, he was named 1 of 8 "Athletes Who Care" by Sports Illustrated, who received the Sportspeople of the Year award, for leading a toy drive. He became a film producer, and specializes in sports documentaries.

Honorable Mention to Paulie Ayala of Fort Worth. He was recognized as Bantamweight Champion of the World by the WBA from 1999 to 2002, and named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine in 1999.

Honorable Mention to winners of the Honda-Broderick Cup as the leading female collegiate athlete of the schoolyear, all basketball players: Kamie Ethridge of Lubbock and the University of Texas, 1985-86; Teresa Weatherspoon of Pineland and Louisiana Tech, 1987-88; and Brittney Griner of Houston and Baylor University, 2011-12.

Dishonorable Mention to Lance Armstrong of the Dallas suburb of Plano. All those Tours de France, and the 2002 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. But it doesn't matter how inspirational you were if you're exposed as a cheat.

Dishonorable Mention to Mike Timlin of Midland and Keith Foulke of the Houston suburb of Huffman. Members of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, the team collectively awarded Sportspeople of the Year by Sports Illustrated. And Foulke was named World Series Most Valuable Player. But, as I said, cheaters don't get counted here. As far as I know, Timlin and Foulke were not, themselves, culpable. But they benefited from those who were.

Dishonorable Mention to Josh Beckett of the Houston suburb of Spring. Named World Series MVP with the 2003 Florida Marlins, he also won it with the Red Sox in 2007. But there's a reason he's called Super Punk, above and beyond the cheating of teammates on both ballclubs.

Dishonorable Mention to Johnny Manziel of the San Antonio suburb of Kerrville. He won the Heisman in 2012, but has been disgraceful ever since.

Now, the Top 10:

10. Dick Lane of Austin. In 1952, "Night Train" was a hit record by Jimmy Forrest, and Lane was a rookie cornerback with the Los Angeles Rams. It became his nickname, particularly sticking after a game against the Washington Redskins, when he clobbered Charlie Justice, whose nickname was also train-related: A newspaper headline read, "Night Train Derails Choo Choo."

He was known as a ferocious tackler, specializing in "the horse-collar tackle," later outlawed. A 2009 NFL Films documentary rated him the Number 2 tackler of all time, behind Dick Butkus. But it was his speed that really fit the nickname. That speed enabled him to set an incredible record: In that 12-game season, he intercepted 14 passes. Even in a 16-game schedule, that has never been matched.

A 7-time Pro Bowler, he also starred with the Chicago Cardinals and the Detroit Lions, but never appeared in a Playoff game. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the NFL's 1950s All-Decade Team, and its 50th and 75th Anniversary All-Time Teams. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 20th, the highest-ranking defensive back, on its 100 Greatest Football Players.

9. Ernie Banks of Dallas. "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.

8. George Foreman of Houston. There have been 2 George Foremans -- and, no, that's not a reference to his having named all 5 of his sons George. They're the same guy, but very different men.

The 1st George was a proud winner of the Gold Medal in Heavyweight boxing at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, then a ferocious beast who worked his way up the ranks until 1973, when he destroyed first Joe Frazier to take the Heavyweight Championship of the World, and then Ken Norton, the only 2 men who had yet beaten Muhammad Ali.

Big George was scary. In the leadup to his fight with Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30, 1974, Ali was talking to film and TV cameras, saying what he was going to do in order to win back the title, going on and on. George, by then 40-0 as a professional, was succinct: He looked into the camera, and said, "I'm gonna kill you." And then he smiled, as if to say he was kidding. But there were people who thought that he might actually end Ali's life in the ring.

Ali surprised everybody, dominating the fight -- it wasn't all "rope-a-dope" -- and knocking Foreman out in the 8th round. George didn't really recover: He regained his contender status, and won The Ring magazine's Fighter of the Year award in 1976, having already won it in 1973. But a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 ended his fight career.

Or so everyone thought. George took stock of his life, found religion, and became an ordained minister. He said that Young had knocked the Devil out of him. He spent most of his boxing earnings on building a youth center in Houston. To keep it going, he returned to the ring, as an old (already 38), bald, fat guy who charmed the people he used to scare. Until he got into the ring, and then, he was all business.

In 1990, he went into Boardwalk Hall, next-door to Caesars Atlantic City, to face former heavyweight challenger Gerry Cooney. The promoters called it "The War at the Shore," but the comedians called it "Two Geezers at Caesars." Some war: George knocked Gerry out in 2 rounds. He was serious!

In 4 years, he went 23-0, and actually got another shot at the title, and went the full 12 rounds with Evander Holyfield at age 42. Most people, myself included, thought he'd proved his point, and that he should get out of the ring before he got hurt. He didn't think so, and kept going. On November 5, 1994, 20 years to the week after "The Rumble In the Jungle," wearing the same trunks he wore that night, he went into the ring at the MGM Grand Garden outside Las Vegas, against Michael Moorer, who held the WBA and IBF Heavyweight Titles. George knocked him out in the 10th round. At 45, he was the oldest Heavyweight Champion of the World ever.

He held it until 1997, losing to Shannon Briggs. His final record was 76-5. He had become beloved, knocking guys out, selling his George Foreman Grill, doing commercials for other products. In 2016, he, fellow sports legend Terry Bradshaw, and acting icons William Shatner and Henry Winkler toured Asia together for the NBC miniseries Better Late Than Never, earning him a new generation of fans. They've since filmed a 2nd season, in Europe, which will air in the coming weeks. As hard as it was to believe in 1974 -- or even 1987 -- now, everybody loves George Foreman.

7. Tris Speaker of the Dallas suburb of Hubbard. Like Edwin "Duke" Snider, Richie "Whitey" Ashburn and Edward "Whitey" Ford, his prematurely light hair got him a nickname, "The Grey Eagle." (Always written that way, never as "Gray.") In the 1910s and 1920s, he was right up there with Ty Cobb as the best all-around player in baseball.

He was an incredible hitter, with a .345 lifetime batting average, and 3,514 career hits, a total still surpassed only by Cobb, Pete Rose, Hank Aaron and Stan Musial. He holds the career record for doubles with 792. He was also the best-fielding outfielder of his time, and he still holds the career record for assists by an outfielder with 449.

He helped the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in 1912 and 1915, was traded to the Cleveland Indians, became their player-manager, and won the Series with them in 1920. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with its 2nd class in 1937, and ranked 27th on The Sporting News' 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

Despite allegations that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1947 Speaker came out of retirement, at the request of Indians owner Bill Veeck, to assist the American League's 1st black player, Larry Doby, in learning how to play center field, which he hadn't played before. Speaker assisted the other black players that Veeck brought in as well, and won another World Series ring as one of their coaches in 1948. Although he is in the Indians' team Hall of Fame (and the Red Sox' as well), the uniform number he wore as a coach, 43, is not retired.

6. Jack Johnson of Galveston. In 1908, he became the 1st black man to win the Heavyweight Championship of the World. This "conquest" of the white man, and his flamboyant lifestyle, made him the most hated man in America. Even many black people hated him, for making them look bad. He didn't care. Even when convicted on a bullshit charge in 1912, and forced to flee the country and fight elsewhere, he was still going to be Jack Johnson.

Until he finally got tired of it. Did he throw that fight to Jess Willard in Cuba in 1915? It was just as hot for Willard. Or maybe, at 37, everything just caught up with him. He still stands as one of the greatest heavyweights ever, a man Muhammad Ali admired tremendously.

5. Doak Walker of Dallas. You'd go by "Doak," too, if your name was Ewell Doak Walker Jr. Despite delaying his college career to serve in the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II, he did for Texas running backs what Sammy Baugh did for Texas quarterbacks: Raised the role to the status of icon.

He helped Dallas' Southern Methodist University (SMU) win the 1947 and 1948 Southwest Conference Championships and the 1949 Cotton Bowl. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1948 and finished 2nd in the voting in 1949. He brought so many fans to SMU games that they had to move their home games to the Cotton Bowl stadium. It wasn't enough: The Bowl had to be double-decked, and it became known as "The House That Doak Built."

He was drafted by the Detroit Lions, where he was reunited with his Highland Park High School teammate and University of Texas rival, quarterback Bobby Layne. He won NFL Rookie of the Year in 1950, and NFL Championships in 1952 and 1953. He was named to 5 Pro Bowls.

Despite only playing 6 professional seasons, he was elected to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and SMU and the Lions both retired his Number 37. The NCAA instituted the Doak Walker Award for the best running back of the year. In 2008, ESPN named ranked him 4th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time.

4. Rogers Hornsby of Fort Worth. He was a racist, a compulsive gambler, and a rotten guy. He also might have been the greatest righthanded pure hitter who ever lived. His .358 lifetime batting average is a record for righthanders. He batted .402 over a 5-year stretch from 1922 to 1926, including .424 in 1924, the highest in Major League Baseball since 1894.

He won 7 National League batting titles, 2 home run titles, 4 RBI titles, and all 3, the Triple Crown, in 1922 and 1925. He was named NL Most Valuable Player in 1925 and 1929. He collected 2,930 hits, and had 301 home runs. That doesn't sound like much now, but when he played his last game in 1937, only Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx had more. And in 1926, as both 2nd baseman and manager, he led the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Championship. He also won Pennants with the Chicago Cubs in 1929 and 1932.

But he went on to make 2 troubling discoveries: He was respected, but hated, and teams couldn't wait to get rid of him, his ego, and his private troubles; and he was a far better manager with himself as a player than without, frequently frustrated when his players weren't very good, let alone as good as he was.

He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, Hornsby came in 9th, the highest-ranked 2nd baseman. The Cardinals named him to their team Hall of Fame, and dedicated a statue to him outside Busch Stadium. While uniform numbers began to be used during his career, he never wore the same number long enough to be identified with it, so a Cardinal "STL" logo stands in for a retired number along with their other honorees.

3. Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias of Beaumont. Yes, I know, I said golfers were not athletes, but she was a star in actual sports before that. She was an expert softball pitcher, an All-State basketball player, and a good bowler, but starred in track & field. At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, she won Gold Medals in the 80-meter hurdles and the javelin throw, and the Silver Medal in the high jump. Had there then been a women's decathlon, or its current women's sports equivalent, the heptathlon, she probably would have won that, too.

After competing in track and basketball professionally, she switched her attention to golf in 1935. At the time, there were 3 major championships for women: The Western Open, which she won in 1940, 1944, 1945 and 1950; the Titleholders Championship, which she won in 1947, 1950 and 1952; and the U.S. Women's Open, which she won in 1948, 1950 and 1954. So, no "Grand Slam" available, but a "Triple Crown" in 1950.

She won the 1954 U.S. Women's Open having already come back from colon cancer once. It came back. When she died in 1956, only 45 years old, she said, "I can't die now, I'm just learning how to play golf."

She was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, was a charter inductee into the LPGA Hall of Fame, and the Associated Press named her the greatest female athlete of the Half-Century in 1950, and then of the Century in 1999. Sports Illustrated named her the 2nd-greatest female athlete of the 20th Century, behind Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

She was married to George Zaharias, who quit his career as a professional wrestler to become her manager. In 1975, the movie Babe starred Susan Clark as Didrikson and former football star Alex Karras, himself a Greek-American former athlete, as Zaharias. Art imitated life: Clark and Karras got married.

But she competed at a time when the competition among female athletes was not extensive. That was not the case for this lady, who faced much sterner on-field tests:

2. Mia Hamm of Wichita Falls. She might be the greatest female soccer player of all time. She won the National Championship all 4 years she was at the University of North Carolina. She won the 1993-94 Honda-Broderick Cup. She helped the U.S. team win the 1st Women's World Cup in 1991. She helped them win it again in 1999, and with her teammates was named one of Sports Illustrated's Sportswomen of the Year.

She won Olympic Gold Medals with the U.S. team in 1996 in Atlanta and 2004 in Athens. Until 2013, she held the record for most goals scored in international soccer play, regardless of gender. She is now a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and was the 1st woman elected to the World Football Hall of Fame. She is married to former baseball star Nomar Garciaparra, and they are part-owners of Major League Soccer expansion franchise Los Angeles FC.

But when you think "Sports in Texas," the 1st sport you think about is football, rather than futbol. And this man might have been the greatest all-around football player of all time:

1. Sammy Baugh of Temple. Maybe Slingin' Sammy wasn't quite "the first quarterback," but he was the 1st truly great passer in football. He played football, baseball and basketball at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth. He nearly led their football team to the National Championship in 1935, and did lead them to win the 1936 Sugar Bowl and the 1st Cotton Bowl in 1937.

He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1937, 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 named him to its 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2008, ESPN named ranked him 5th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time.

Interviewed for the NFL's 75th Anniversary TV special, 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.

Happy Paul O'Neill Day!

Met fans probably think their team made a great trade in getting Yoenis Cespedes. But they've never made a trade as good as this one. Even their 1983 trade for Keith Hernandez and their 1985 trade for Gary Carter only got 1 World Series win. This one led to 4 World Series wins for the Yankees.

November 3, 1992: On the same day that Bill Clinton is elected President of the United States, the Yankees trade center fielder Roberto Kelly and 1st baseman Joe DeBerry to the Cincinnati Reds, in exchange for right fielder Paul O'Neill.

At the time, I thought this was a great trade for both teams. O'Neill was a good hitter and a good fielder, who had done well in Cincinnati, playing for an equally fiery right fielder, his manager, Yankee Legend Lou Piniella. (Sweet Lou doesn't have his Number 14 retired or a Plaque in Monument Park, but he helped the Yankees win 4 Pennants and the YES Network gave him a Yankeeography, so I'm calling him a Yankee Legend -- capital Y, capital L.)

Playing in Yankee Stadium, with the short porch in right field, I figured O'Neill would hit more home runs than in the more neutral confines of Riverfront Stadium, and that Yankee Fans would love his intense personality.

I was right on both counts, as Paulie was our right fielder for the next 9 years, effectively taking the spot that many fans thought that Jay Buhner should have still had. In those 9 years, the Yankees made the Playoffs 7 times, winning 5 Pennants and 4 World Series. (He also won the Series with the Reds in 1990.) Although his Number 21 hasn't been officially retired, it's hardly been given out since. Last season, he got his Monument Park Plaque.

Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps has been mocked as a lousy trade. Think of it, instead, as Jay Buhner for Paul O'Neill: 5 Pennants for New York, none for Seattle.

I also figured that Kelly, a native of Panama and an All-Star in 1992, would find the Reds a better fit. He'd been held back by being a righthanded hitter in Yankee Stadium, where left-center and center fields, while not as pronounced as in the pre-renovation era, was known as Death Valley. Riverfront was not only friendlier to righthanders, but had artificial turf, accommodating his speed. I thought the Reds were getting a great player.

As it turned out, I was wrong on this count. Although he made another All-Star Team with the Reds in 1993, injuries plagued him, and while he was on postseason teams with the 1995 Los Angeles Dodgers, the 1997 Seattle Mariners, and the 1998 and 1999 Texas Rangers, he never played on a Pennant winner. In 2000, the Yankees brought him back, but released him in April, and he never played in the majors again.

A sad story? Not so fast. He managed in the minor leagues, and since 2008, he has been the 1st base coach and hitting instructor for the San Francisco Giants. With them, he now has 3 World Series rings, only 2 fewer than O'Neilly. Also on manager Bruce Bochy's staff are forer Yankees Dave Righetti Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens and Joe Lefebvre. How about that?

(Kelly, with former Giants star Pablo Sandoval.)

Not that this gives the Reds any comfort: They still haven't won a Pennant, or even a National League Championship Series game, since 1990. "Curse of Paul O'Neill," Ohio Valley?

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November 3, 1926: Two of the top players of the last decade -- in the case of one, of the last 2 decades -- resign as player-managers. George Sisler, arguably the greatest 1st baseman who has ever lived to this point, resigns as manager of the St. Louis Browns, but will remain a player. Dan Howley is named his replacement.

On the same day, Ty Cobb resigns as manager of the Detroit Tigers, and announces his retirement from baseball. Soon after, a 3rd legend retired as a player-manager, Tris Speaker of the Cleveland Indians.

Unlike Sisler, for whom everything seems to have been above-board, it soon came out that the Georgia Peach and the Grey Eagle were coerced into retirement because of allegations of game-fixing brought about by Dutch Leonard, a former pitcher managed by Cobb. Leonard claimed proof existed in letters written to him by Cobb and Smoky Joe Wood, former ace pitcher, who'd been Speaker's teammate on the Boston Red Sox and again with the Indians.

Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis held a secret hearing with Cobb, Speaker and Wood. A second secret meeting among the AL directors led to the unpublicized resignations of Cobb and Speaker. Rumors of the scandal led Judge Landis to hold additional hearings, in which Leonard subsequently refused to participate.

Cobb and Wood admitted to writing the letters, but claimed that a horse-racing bet was involved, and that Leonard's accusations were in retaliation for Cobb's having released him from the Tigers, thereby demoting him to the minor leagues. Speaker denied any wrongdoing.

On January 27, 1927, Judge Landis cleared Cobb and Speaker of any wrongdoing, because of Leonard's refusal to appear at the hearings. Landis allowed both Cobb and Speaker to return to their original teams, but each team let them know that they were free agents, and could sign with any club they wanted.

Speaker signed with the Washington Senators for 1927, and Cobb with the Philadelphia Athletics. Speaker then joined Cobb in Philadelphia for the 1928 season, the last in the majors for each of them. (Sisler played on until 1930.) Cobb said he had come back only to seek vindication, and to say that he left baseball on his own terms.

Cobb's replacement as Tiger manager was George Moriarty, a former Tiger infielder who is, until now, an American League umpire. He is the only man to hold the positions of player, umpire, scout and manager. He will also become the grandfather of Michael Moriarty, who becomes an actor, best known for playing a baseball player in the film Bang the Drum Slowly. Speaker's successor in Cleveland is Jack McCallister, and having succeeded Speaker is about the only noteworthy thing about him.

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November 3, 1953: Baseball's rules committee restores the 1939 rule which says that a sacrifice fly is not charged as a time at bat.

Also‚ the committee votes for the "no gloves on the field rule." Hank Greenberg‚ who proposed the change‚ says "Aside from the possibility of hindering the play‚ gloves on the field look sloppy." It also made it easy for opposing players to sneak creepy-crawly or otherwise disgusting things in the glove of an easily scared player, such as the Yankees' Phil Rizzuto.

The committee also makes a rule that any runner will be called out for deliberately running the bases backwards or even taking a lead off the base in the wrong direction.

A new balk rule is instituted which gives the batter an option: If he gets a hit after a balk is called‚ he has the option of accepting the outcome of the pitch‚ instead of being limited to the advance of the runner(s). This is the baseball equivalent of a football team that is the beneficiary of a penalty having the option to decline it, if the outcome of such is more advantageous to them than the outcome of the penalty.

Rule suggestions rejected‚ as noted by Bob Timmerman‚ include the re-legalization of the spitball‚ 2 bases for an intentional walk‚ and the option of declining ball 4.

November 3, 1954: The Yankees tour Japan, and draw a record crowd of 64‚000 when they play the 1st game against the All-Japan Stars in Osaka. Andy Carey slugs 13 home runs‚ and catching prospect Elston Howard bats .468 on the 25-game tour. Each has thoroughly impressed the Yankee brass, and both get promoted to the Yankees for 1955 -- in Howard's case, making him the 1st black player for the Yankees in a regular-season game.

November 3, 1964: Philadelphia voters approve a bond issue raising $25 million to pay for a new stadium that will house both the Phillies and the Eagles.

Due to cost overruns, a 1967 measure will be needed to authorize an additional $13 million, bringing the final price tag to approximately $50 million, making Veterans Stadium one of the most expensive ballparks ever built. (To put that in perspective: The inflation-adjusted total cost of $384 million compares with the $24 million, or $184 million in today's money, needed to build Shea Stadium.) Various delays will keep The Vet from opening for 6 1/2 years, before it does so on April 10, 1971.

As bad as The Vet was in its last few years, it served its purpose: It saved the Phillies and Eagles from moving out of Philadelphia. Until then, the Phils were playing at Connie Mack Stadium, formerly named Shibe Park, which seated only 33,608 and was stuck in the North Philadelphia ghetto, which was just struck by a race riot the summer before the 1st bond issue, which certainly didn't help the atmosphere in the stands as the Phils lost 10 straight games to blow what looked like a sure Pennant.

And the Eagles were playing in Franklin Field, a much nicer stadium that seated 67,000 at the time, but was built in 1922 with absolutely straight grandstands, providing bad sightlines if the ball was at the other end of the field; no luxury boxes, and a poor lighting system.

Both teams needed a modern stadium, and, while the "cookie-cutter" trend got old in a hurry, and The Vet did as well, without it, the Phillies might, today, be in Denver or Seattle or Toronto, while the Eagles, instead of almost moving to Phoenix, as they apparently were considering for the 1985 season, due to owner Leonard Tose's financial woes, might have actually done so.

November 3, 1968: Cardinal broadcaster Harry Caray is struck by a car while crossing a street in St. Louis. Both of his legs are broken‚ as are his nose and one of his shoulders.

He recovers, but while he does, it is revealed that he was having an affair with Susan Busch, the wife of Augie Busch, the son of Cardinal owner Gussie Busch. Harry never denied it, only saying, "I never raped anybody" -- essentially admitting it and calling Susan Busch a slut. (Augie would divorce her and marry Virginia, a lawyer. He has 2 children with each wife.)

Gussie fires Harry, and Harry heads to Chicago, and burnishes his already-potent legend by broadcasting for first the White Sox, then the Cubs. Today, it's hard to imagine Harry with any team but the Cubs, or to imagine anyone else as the voice of the Cardinals other than Jack Buck.

November 3, 1970: The Phillies trade Curt Flood to the Senators for 3 minor league players. The embattled outfielder had refused to go to Philadelphia after the 1969 trade from the Cardinals, citing he was not a piece of property to be sold, becoming the first player to seriously challenge the reserve cause. He would quickly wash out with the Senators, unable to shake off the rust from missing the entire 1970 season.

November 3, 1989: The NBA's expansion Minnesota Timberwolves play their 1st game. They lose 104-96 to the Seattle SuperSonics at Seattle Center Coliseum. Tyrone Corbin leads the T-Wolves with 20 points, while Dale Ellis of the Sonics leads all scorers with 33.

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November 3, 1993: Cleveland pitcher Cliff Young is killed in a truck crash in Willis‚ Texas. He is only 29. He is the 3rd Indians pitcher to die this year, following Steve Olin and Tim Crews in the spring training boating accident that also badly injured ex-Met Bob Ojeda.

November 3, 1995, 20 years ago: The NBA's expansion Toronto Raptors play their 1st game. Unlike the Timberwolves, their debut is at home and a win. They beat the New Jersey Nets, 94-79. Alvin Robertson scores 30 for the Raps, the only major league sports team ever named for a dinosaur.

November 3, 1996: Kobe Bryant makes his NBA debut at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Just 18 years old, and the 2nd-youngest player in NBA history to that point, the son of former Philadelphia 76er Joe "Jellybean" Bryant plays just 6 minutes and does not score, nor does he record any assists, and just 1 rebound.

He does, however, play on the winning side: Shaquille O'Neal, the former Orlando Magic star also playing his 1st game for the Lakers, drops 35 points on the Timberwolves, and the Lakers win 91-85.

November 3, 2001: The Arizona Diamondbacks even the World Series at 3 games apiece with a 15-2 win over the Yankees in Game 6. Randy Johnson gets the win for Arizona, while Danny Bautista drives in 5 runs. Arizona knocks out a Series-record 22 hits‚ and scores 8 runs in the 3rd inning, knocking Andy Pettitte out of the box.

November 3, 2004: The Mets name Yankee coach Willie Randolph, who grew up in Brooklyn as a Met fan, as their new manager. The Phillies name Charlie Manuel as their new manager. One of these moves will work out only so well, and no more. The other will work out very, very well.

On this same day, Sergei Zholtok dies. He played for several team in his NHL career, most recently the Nashville Predators, and had gone back to his native Latvia to play during the NHL lockout. He suffered a heart attack while playing for Riga 2000 against Dinamo Minsk of Belarus, in Minsk. He was only 31.

November 3, 2012: The Nets make their Brooklyn debut, a little delayed due to Hurricane Sandy. The opponents are the Toronto Raptors, who played their 1st game at home to the Nets, 17 years to the day before.

This time, the Nets announce their freakin' presence with authority. Despite 28 points from the Raps' Kyle Lowry, the Nets win 107-100, led by 27 points from Brook Lopez. Attendance: 17,732.