Greatest Athlete from Each State
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I have to give Jesse Owens higher marks than Jack
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I referenced it in my love it or shove it post. Here are the people that were chosen for each state:
Alabama: Hank Aaron
Alaska: Curt Schilling
Arizona: Randall McDaniel
Arkansas: Scottie Pippin
California: Joe DiMaggio
Colorado: Jack Dempsey
Connecticut: Calvin Murphy
Delaware: Randy White
Florida: Emmit Smith
Georgia: Ty Cobb
Hawaii: Duke Kahanamoku
Idaho: Harmon Killebrew
Illinois: Dick Butkus
Indiana: Larry Bird
Iowa: Dan Gable
Kansas: Barry Sanders
Kentucky: Muhammed Ali
Louisiana: Peyton Manning
Maine: Joan Benoit
Maryland: Babe Ruth
Massachussetts: Rocky Marciano
Michigan: Magic Johnson
Minnesota: Kevin McHale
Mississippi: Walter Payton
Missouri: Cal Hubbard
Montana: Phil Jackson
Nebraska: Bob Gibson
Nevada: Andre Agassi
New Hampshire: Bode Miller
New Jersey: Derek Jeter
New Mexico: Ronnie Lott
New York: Kareem Abdul Jabbar
North Carolina: Michael Jordan
North Dakota: Roger Maris
Ohio: Jack Nicklaus
Oklahoma: Jim Thorpe
Oregon: Danny Ainge
Pennsylvania: Joe Montana
Rhode Island: Napolean Lajoie
South Carolina: Kevin Garnnett
South Dakota: Dallas Clark
Tennessee: Reggie White
Texas: Joe Greene
Utah: Steve Young
Vermont: Carlton Fisk
Virginia: Lawrence Taylor
Washington: John Elway
West Virginia: Randy Moss
Wisconsin: Eric Heiden
Wyoming: Rulon Gardner
Let us know if you have any issues with any of these choices.
I referenced it in my love it or shove it post. Here are the people that were chosen for each state:
A few of my comments on these.
Alabama: Hank Aaron
Alaska: Curt Schilling
Arizona: Randall McDaniel
Arkansas: Scottie Pippin...Pippin good...but is this really the best the state of Ark. has ever put out?
California: Joe DiMaggio....has to be a lot of competition....but I won't argue with this.
Colorado: Jack Dempsey
Connecticut: Calvin Murphy...see my note below about Steve Young
Delaware: Randy White
Florida: Emmit Smith
Georgia: Ty Cobb
Hawaii: Duke Kahanamoku
Idaho: Harmon Killebrew
Illinois: Dick Butkus...Otto Graham is from Illinois....as good as Butkus was, OG better imo
Indiana: Larry Bird
Iowa: Dan Gable
Kansas: Barry Sanders...does he beat out fellow Kansan and similar player Gale Sayers?
Kentucky: Muhammed Ali
Louisiana: Peyton Manning
Maine: Joan Benoit
Maryland: Babe Ruth
Massachussetts: Rocky Marciano
Michigan: Magic Johnson
Minnesota: Kevin McHale
Mississippi: Walter Payton
Missouri: Cal Hubbard only person in both PFHOF an Baseball HOF...so I guess fitting.
Montana: Phil Jackson...he was great as a coach....but as a player/athlete...I am not so sure. Jerry Kramer perhaps better choice
Nebraska: Bob Gibson
Nevada: Andre Agassi...is this the best Nevada can do? Greg Maddux was not born but grew up in Nevada.
New Hampshire: Bode Miller
New Jersey: Derek Jeter
New Mexico: Ronnie Lott
New York: Kareem Abdul Jabbar
North Carolina: Michael Jordan
North Dakota: Roger Maris
Ohio: Jack Nicklaus....as noted elsewhere.....Jesse Owens gives him a run for his money (LeBron? Only if he bring us a few titles)
Oklahoma: Jim Thorpe...no problem....but Mickey Mantle a good second.
Oregon: Danny Ainge....Steve Prefontaine is god like in ORE
Pennsylvania: Joe Montana
Rhode Island: Napolean Lajoie
South Carolina: Kevin Garnnett
South Dakota: Dallas Clark
Tennessee: Reggie White
Texas: Joe Greene
Utah: Steve Young...Steve Young is not from Utah....he grew up in Connecticut....just went to college in Utah at BYU. If you go by where they went to college then Joe Montana should be considered to be from Indiana....or Lawrence Taylor from N. Carolina, Kareem from Calif. etc. etc. Merlin Olsen a better choice
Vermont: Carlton Fisk
Virginia: Lawrence Taylor
Washington: John Elway
West Virginia: Randy Moss....I would have gone with The Logo....Zeke from Cabin Creek.....Jerry West.
Wisconsin: Eric Heiden
Wyoming: Rulon Gardner
Let us know if you have any issues with any of these choices.
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Babe Zaharious from Texas. She could do any sport professionally from track to golf. The Jim Thorpe of women.
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Athlete? Sorry, as much as I love golf... that just wouldn't qualify.
Jesse Owens or Lebron would be my pick.
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According to Wikipedia, Steve Young was born in Utah
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According to Wikipedia, Steve Young was born in Utah
OK, but he must have left there at an early age:
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Young attended Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut. He earned 1978 All-FCIAC West Division First Team honors in his junior year, his first year starting at quarterback for the Cardinals, under head coach Mike Ornato. In 1979, he once again earned All-FCIAC West Division First Team honors, along with CIAC All-State honors, rushing for 13 touchdowns. In two seasons, he ran the ball 267 times for 1,928 yards. In the option offense run by Greenwich, passing was always the second option; he completed only 41 percent of his throws for 1,220 yards. On Thanksgiving Day in November 1979, Steve was Quarterback for Greenwich High School starting in the F.C.I.A.C (Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference) Championship Game. In that FCIAC game, Greenwich High lost to Darien High School, known for its "Tidal Wave Defense" by the score of 17-0. During his senior year he was co-captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams. In basketball, he averaged 15 points a game. In baseball, he hit .384 and played center field when he wasn't pitching. He was 5-1 and threw a 3-0 no-hitter against New Canaan High School.
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Athlete? Sorry, as much as I love golf... that just wouldn't qualify.
Jesse Owens or Lebron would be my pick.
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Great topic.
I think you gotta go Jim Brown over Ty Cobb from Georgia.
Joe Montana is debatable. Athletes such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Johnny Unitas, Arnold Palmer came out of Pa.
There really is no right or wrong IMO.
Although golf isn't really an athletic event.
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Minnesota = Dave Winfield
Alabama = Bo Jackson
"You see the Rams are still thinking that they are playing Tony Dorsett" -Jim Brown 1978 -
Athlete? Sorry, as much as I love golf... that just wouldn't qualify.
Jesse Owens or Lebron would be my pick.
Athlete? Sorry, as much as I love golf... that just wouldn't qualify.
Jesse Owens or Lebron would be my pick.
Here. Educate yourself. She was great at basketball, baseball, softball, pocket billiards, javelin, high jump, hurdles, diving, roller skating and bowling. She just made her living in golf because back then it was the only one that paid worth a damn for a woman. She was a phenomenal athlete.
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Wisconsin- Eric Heiden, might be 100 speed skaters in the World(99 in Wisconsin). Joe Thomas over JJ Watt.. NC honorary mention to Rick Flair WHHooo!
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Wisconsin- Eric Heiden, might be 100 speed skaters in the World(99 in Wisconsin). Joe Thomas over JJ Watt.. NC honorary mention to Rick Flair WHHooo!
Wisconsin- Eric Heiden, might be 100 speed skaters in the World(99 in Wisconsin). Joe Thomas over JJ Watt.. NC honorary mention to Rick Flair WHHooo!
No way Thomas over Watt.
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No way Thomas over Watt.
All day JT. count the pro bowls. Watt still in puberty
. Browns & Buffett: Got to go fishin, Down to rock bottom again, with just a few Friends Team Brotherhood-"It's not about You,Me or I. It's about building We"..Hue Jackson -
Athlete? Sorry, as much as I love golf... that just wouldn't qualify.
Jesse Owens or Lebron would be my pick.
Here. Educate yourself. She was great at basketball, baseball, softball, pocket billiards, javelin, high jump, hurdles, diving, roller skating and bowling. She just made her living in golf because back then it was the only one that paid worth a damn for a woman. She was a phenomenal athlete.
Here. Educate yourself. She was great at basketball, baseball, softball, pocket billiards, javelin, high jump, hurdles, diving, roller skating and bowling. She just made her living in golf because back then it was the only one that paid worth a damn for a woman. She was a phenomenal athlete.
Again, I'm well aware its possible to be an athlete yet play golf. However if you're listed as being the best 'athlete' in your state based on dominating a single game - and that game being golf... then I just can't acknowledge that.
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Allen Iverson gives Lawrence Taylor a run for his money, Iverson was the pound for pound (barely 6 foot, 160 lbs) the greatest of all time.
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Earl Campbell here, probably.
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Here. Educate yourself. She was great at basketball, baseball, softball, pocket billiards, javelin, high jump, hurdles, diving, roller skating and bowling. She just made her living in golf because back then it was the only one that paid worth a damn for a woman. She was a phenomenal athlete.
Again, I'm well aware its possible to be an athlete yet play golf. However if you're listed as being the best 'athlete' in your state based on dominating a single game - and that game being golf... then I just can't acknowledge that.
Again, I'm well aware its possible to be an athlete yet play golf. However if you're listed as being the best 'athlete' in your state based on dominating a single game - and that game being golf... then I just can't acknowledge that.
She dominated every damn sport she ever played at the highest level available at that time. I'd say that is a far greater athlete than one who only has one sport. We have two very different definitions of "athlete". Yours is far more restrictive and IMHO far less accurate.
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