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The Best 5 Cleveland Athletes of the Last 30 years

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  • Dutch OvenD Dutch Oven

    Stipe Miocic?

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #12

    @dutch-oven said:

    Stipe Miocic?

    And who the egg foo yung is that?

    Dutch OvenD 1 Reply
  • C calfoxwc

    Bernie Kosar - he was profoundly brilliant in football mental gymnastics.

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #13

    @calfoxwc said:

    Bernie Kosar - he was profoundly brilliant in football mental gymnastics.

    OK....but what is it with some of you......still not through kindergarten math?   What is it about the word 5 you all do not understand?  Have you got 4 more?

  • T TexasAg1969 wrote on
    #14

    Eric Metcalf has to be considered in there somewhere. What a weapon!

  • The GipperT The Gipper

    @mjp28 said:

    Cleveland athletes or athletes who played in or for Cleveland? Not that many fall in both catagories.

    LeBron will go down as a GOAT, Joe Thomas as an OL was incredible, Thome and Omar are among my favorites. And who could shoot foul shots like Mark Price?

    Some Cleveland area kids did alright in college and the pros.

    So....who are your 5?  Or are the ones you mention them?

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on
    #15

    @the-gipper said:

    So....who are your 5?  Or are the ones you mention them?

    Just going back 30 years it's tricky to say on the Cleveland / NE Ohio born and bred, LBJ stands out as a freaky high school to professional athlete in any sport, a Kobe like player. (Oh my original 5 yeah more start to pop up the more you think about it.)

    Expanding a bit on your original premise  Bernie Kosar? Chris Spielman? Tom Jackson? Josh Cribbs?  Played professional sports in Cleveland only?

    Maybe 50 years or all time? College? Other sports?

    I'll have to think on that one, Cleveland Heisman trophy winners? (Hint: TSUN.)

    GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND!
  • mjp28M mjp28

    @the-gipper said:

    So....who are your 5?  Or are the ones you mention them?

    Just going back 30 years it's tricky to say on the Cleveland / NE Ohio born and bred, LBJ stands out as a freaky high school to professional athlete in any sport, a Kobe like player. (Oh my original 5 yeah more start to pop up the more you think about it.)

    Expanding a bit on your original premise  Bernie Kosar? Chris Spielman? Tom Jackson? Josh Cribbs?  Played professional sports in Cleveland only?

    Maybe 50 years or all time? College? Other sports?

    I'll have to think on that one, Cleveland Heisman trophy winners? (Hint: TSUN.)

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #16

    @mjp28 said:

    Just going back 30 years it's tricky to say on the Cleveland / NE Ohio born and bred, LBJ stands out as a freaky high school to professional athlete in any sport, a Kobe like player. (Oh my original 5 yeah more start to pop up the more you think about it.)

    Expanding a bit on your original premise  Bernie Kosar? Chris Spielman? Tom Jackson? Josh Cribbs?  Played professional sports in Cleveland only?

    Maybe 50 years or all time? College? Other sports?

    I'll have to think on that one, Cleveland Heisman trophy winners? (Hint: TSUN.)

    Well....sure....you are taking this in a different direction....but you have still not answered the original direction:

    First:   Who do you consider to be the best 5 athletes who have played professional sports in Cleveland since 1987.   Answer that.

    THEN....we can ask...the very good question you pose:    Who are the best 5 athletes who have come out of Northeast Ohio in the last 30 years....regardless of where they played their Pro careers.   I will have to give that one some thought.

  • mjp28M mjp28 wrote on
    #17

    Read this real quick and answer:

    The Best 5 Cleveland Athletes of the Last 30 years

    Professional? College? Amateur? Hmmmmm, doesn’t say.

    Is Desmond Howard a Cleveland athlete? I listed my 5 professional ones but could add 5 more, it's a bit subjective. 

    GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND!
  • mjp28M mjp28

    Read this real quick and answer:

    The Best 5 Cleveland Athletes of the Last 30 years

    Professional? College? Amateur? Hmmmmm, doesn’t say.

    Is Desmond Howard a Cleveland athlete? I listed my 5 professional ones but could add 5 more, it's a bit subjective. 

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #18

    @mjp28 said:

    Read this real quick and answer:

    The Best 5 Cleveland Athletes of the Last 30 years

    Professional? College? Amateur? Hmmmmm, doesn’t say.

    Is Desmond Howard a Cleveland athlete? I listed my 5 professional ones but could add 5 more, it's a bit subjective. 

    How about this:    The Best Athletes produced out of Northeast Ohio....since 1980.  

    What I will say is:   someone who came out of the High School systems in NEO.

    Ergo...that would eliminate people that played for like Akron U or Kent state etc....unless they also went to HS here. (so...e.g.  that would take out Jason Taylor....HOF DE from Akron U...but who is from somewhere in Western Pa. )

  • The GipperT The Gipper

    @mjp28 said:

    Read this real quick and answer:

    The Best 5 Cleveland Athletes of the Last 30 years

    Professional? College? Amateur? Hmmmmm, doesn’t say.

    Is Desmond Howard a Cleveland athlete? I listed my 5 professional ones but could add 5 more, it's a bit subjective. 

    How about this:    The Best Athletes produced out of Northeast Ohio....since 1980.  

    What I will say is:   someone who came out of the High School systems in NEO.

    Ergo...that would eliminate people that played for like Akron U or Kent state etc....unless they also went to HS here. (so...e.g.  that would take out Jason Taylor....HOF DE from Akron U...but who is from somewhere in Western Pa. )

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on
    #19

    @the-gipper said:

    How about this:    The Best Athletes produced out of Northeast Ohio....since 1980.  

    What I will say is:   someone who came out of the High School systems in NEO.

    Ergo...that would eliminate people that played for like Akron U or Kent state etc....unless they also went to HS here. (so...e.g.  that would take out Jason Taylor....HOF DE from Akron U...but who is from somewhere in Western Pa. )

    You're right it will open up another whole list of potential questions, all interesting and causing one to think.

    First make it easy professional or other and make it north of Columbus, eh?

    GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND!
    The GipperT 1 Reply
  • The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #20

    After some research, I have come up with some names  of athletes who went to HS in NEOhio that could fit the Top 5 athletes since 1980.  I have used a few  objective criteria...and some subjective:

    LeBron James.      St. Vincent/St. Mary      I assume there will be no arguments here:

    Orlando Pace  Sandusky HS    Recent Pro Football HOF Inductee

    Desmond Howard   VASJ  HS.......simply on the basis of having won the most prestigious award in sports:  The Heisman Trophy

    Troy Smith   Glenville......ditto on the above

    Alvin Robertson   Barberton.    Olympic Gold medal winner...plus....one of only 4 players to ever officially record a Quadruple Double...and the only one in which steals was one of the stats.    (Akeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Nate Thurmond.)

    This list is based on these objective criteria..but, honestly, based on their overall athletic careers, the last three would not rightly be in this game....but it is highly difficult to say who would.   

    Other candidates:

    Basketball:

    Clark Kellogg  VASJ  

    Charles Oakley...not sure which HS...but Cleveland

    Jerome Lane...SVSM

    Larry Nance Jr.   Revere

    Steph Curry was born in Akron...but he went to HS in both Toronto Canada, and graduated from a Christian School in Charlotte NC.

    Football

    Bernie Kosar  Boardman

    Beanie Wells  Akron Garfield

    Mike Vrabel  Walsh

    Whitney Mercilus  Akron Garfield

    Antoine Whitfield  Akron Garfield

    James Harrison   Coventry

    London Fletcher  VASJ

    Chris Spielman  Massillon

    Donte Whitner   Glenville

    Ted Ginn Jr.  Glenville

    Bryan Hoyer  St. Ignatius

    Charlie Frye  Willard

    If I were to replace the three above that I mentioned, in their stead I would probably put  Kosar, Kellog, and probably Spielman in there.

  • mjp28M mjp28

    @the-gipper said:

    How about this:    The Best Athletes produced out of Northeast Ohio....since 1980.  

    What I will say is:   someone who came out of the High School systems in NEO.

    Ergo...that would eliminate people that played for like Akron U or Kent state etc....unless they also went to HS here. (so...e.g.  that would take out Jason Taylor....HOF DE from Akron U...but who is from somewhere in Western Pa. )

    You're right it will open up another whole list of potential questions, all interesting and causing one to think.

    First make it easy professional or other and make it north of Columbus, eh?

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #21

    @mjp28 said:

    You're right it will open up another whole list of potential questions, all interesting and causing one to think.

    First make it easy professional or other and make it north of Columbus, eh?

    It would be like a line from Sandusky....to Mansfield....then over to like Steubenville.

  • The GipperT The Gipper

    @mjp28 said:

    You're right it will open up another whole list of potential questions, all interesting and causing one to think.

    First make it easy professional or other and make it north of Columbus, eh?

    It would be like a line from Sandusky....to Mansfield....then over to like Steubenville.

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on
    #22

    @the-gipper said:

    It would be like a line from Sandusky....to Mansfield....then over to like Steubenville.

    "EAST of Toledo" to Western Pa just outside of Pittsburgh?  North to the lake including Ashtabula and Erie? You know NE Ohio-ish.

    GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND!
  • mjp28M mjp28

    @the-gipper said:

    It would be like a line from Sandusky....to Mansfield....then over to like Steubenville.

    "EAST of Toledo" to Western Pa just outside of Pittsburgh?  North to the lake including Ashtabula and Erie? You know NE Ohio-ish.

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #23

    @mjp28 said:

    "EAST of Toledo" to Western Pa just outside of Pittsburgh?  North to the lake including Ashtabula and Erie? You know NE Ohio-ish.

    NO part of Wester Pa would be involved.  Hell no.

  • The GipperT The Gipper

    @mjp28 said:

    "EAST of Toledo" to Western Pa just outside of Pittsburgh?  North to the lake including Ashtabula and Erie? You know NE Ohio-ish.

    NO part of Wester Pa would be involved.  Hell no.

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on
    #24

    @the-gipper said:

    NO part of Wester Pa would be involved.  Hell no.

    Excellent. You have the job, congratulations. 

    GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND!
  • The GipperT The Gipper

    @dutch-oven said:

    Stipe Miocic?

    And who the egg foo yung is that?

    Dutch OvenD Dutch Oven wrote on
    #25

    @the-gipper said:

    And who the egg foo yung is that?

    Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight champ of the UFC

    mjp28M The Cysko KidT The GipperT 3 Replies
  • The Cysko KidT The Cysko Kid wrote on
    #26

    Depends on if you are using success as a measure of just athletic ability. If it's the latter than Josh Gordon is probably conversation worthy. 

    This shit ain't nothing to me, man.
    The GipperT 1 Reply
  • Dutch OvenD Dutch Oven

    @the-gipper said:

    And who the egg foo yung is that?

    Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight champ of the UFC

    mjp28M mjp28 wrote on
    #27

    @dutch-oven said:

    Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight champ of the UFC

    What's the UFC?

    But if you're a heavyweight champion of most anything you're a bad-azz. (except maybe eating wings or pizza 😆 )

    GO BUCKEYES, BROWNS, INDIANS, CAVS, YSU, NAVY and yes I like ND!
  • Dutch OvenD Dutch Oven

    @the-gipper said:

    And who the egg foo yung is that?

    Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight champ of the UFC

    The Cysko KidT The Cysko Kid wrote on
    #28

    @dutch-oven said:

    Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight champ of the UFC

    Longest tenured hw champ of that organization. Possibly my favorite guy in Cleveland. 

    i.jpeg

    This shit ain't nothing to me, man.
    👍
  • S SD_Tom wrote on
    #29

    Stipe is the baddest man on the planet. Set the record for consecutive title defenses at hw.  

    Wrestled and played baseball at Cleveland state.  Firefighter.... Hometown guy who made it big time.  Pretty awesome 

  • W Westside Steve wrote on
    #30

    Jim Brown

    Brian Sipe

    Bob Feller

    Omar Vizquel

    Johnny Powers

    WSS

    www.westsidesteve.com www.myspace.com/westsidestevemusic www.cdbaby.com/artist/westsidestevesimmons
    The GipperT 1 Reply
  • Dutch OvenD Dutch Oven

    @the-gipper said:

    And who the egg foo yung is that?

    Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight champ of the UFC

    The GipperT The Gipper wrote on
    #31

    @dutch-oven said:

    Stipe Miocic is the current heavyweight champ of the UFC

    OK....fair enough.  But that is only one that you listed.   I was looking for your Top 5.    Who are the rest?

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