That was enough to get Sayers in the Hall of Fame. 91 for his entire seven-year career. Why hes here: A second-ballot Hall of Famer, Alomar was named to the All-Star team 12 consecutive seasons, with the Padres, Blue Jays, Orioles and Indians. The fact he wasnt Defensive Player of the Year that season was baffling. Why hes here: Armed with a sweet swing and an unparalleled batting eye, Carew won seven AL batting titles and hit at least .330 in 10 different seasons. 26 his entire career, he may have been the choice. Hockey is also strongly represented with Brett Hull and Mike Bossy among others to sport the number in the NHL. 72 for his entire 13-year tenure with the White Sox. 2 Deion Sanders, CB, Florida State (1985-88) Focus on Sport/Getty Images. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Honorable mentions: Appier, Russell Martin. We go from a Red Wings legend to the greatest Lions player of all time. However, we are of the belief that Messi, Barcelona and Argentinas legend, is the best of the bunch. The best of the bunch is Brown, who is a name from the past. No NBA player has ever wore No. Frankly, thats more impressive than anything Gibson did, and it was one of five times Pedro led the majors in ERA. Want stats? Magic Johnson? Honorable mentions: Ichiro Suzuki, Willie McGee, Trevor Hoffman. 1 of 100 0 - Russell Westbrook Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports For this number, we're including guys. While he was an All-Pro only one time, that year he led the league in both sacks and forced fumbles. Do you have a blog? 25. From Diana Taurasi at No. He won the 1977 AL MVP when he batted .388 with 16 triples, 14 homers, 100 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and 128 runs scored for the Twins. Both had their careers cut short by their bodies giving out on them. 18 in 14 of his 18 seasons, including the 2004 season when he helped the Red Sox win the World Series and end the Curse of the Bambino, and 2009, when he helped the Yankees to a World Series title. Theres more to Aaron than just his 755 homers. This was not an easy one. Still, Peyton is one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks. Of course, Jagr ended up playing for a bunch of teams in his career as he held on to add to his incredible goal total. Steph Curry is getting close to being the choice here. Think we left someone off? For the first two seasons of his career, Wright didnt wear No. Sorry, Kobe fans. 2. And what other big-shot athletes have donned the numeral.". In the middle of his career he lost a few seasons to injury, but that hasnt stopped him from putting up incredible numbers.
In 67 career playoff games, Rose hit .321 and helped his teams to three World Series titles (1975-76 with the Reds and 1980 with the Phillies). Eighty-eight years ago this week, the New York Yankees became the first professional sports team to permanently wear numbers on their uniforms. Robinson is even better than the last player to wear his number, Mariano Rivera.
Greatest college football players by jersey number Why he's here: Six All-Star appearances, a 2.35 ERA, 349 saves and a World Series ring. Like we said, the NFL was weird then.
Jim Reineking. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. By geowiz85. Nobody was close to the "Dominator.". 3 the first 10 years of his career, with the Mariners and Rangers, but a mildly well-known slugger had long ago claimed that number with the Yankees. Some may call this heresy. He wore it when he scored 100 points in one game. If we are going to honor his career anywhere, itll be at 24. Durant is a truly modern player, as hes a 7-footer who shoots threes with ease. 3 to Lisa Leslie at No. And even though Barry Bonds eventually eclipsed Babe Ruths career home run total, the number 714 still holds a special place in baseball lore. 9 to Maya Moore at No. A total of 25 players choose 22 as . Carlton Fisk may be the most famous player to don No. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 30 with the Angels, meaning some of his most spectacular years didn't come at 34. He was such a star that when he came out of retirement in '75 to play for the New York Cosmos of the upstart North American Soccer League, he instantly raised the profile of a sport that had been largely ignored by U.S. audiences. This is tricky for the athletes who have worn a couple of numbers with semi-regularity for example, Kobe Bryant. When the Ravens had the best defense in the NFL, Lewis was at the center of that. In the power categories, its pretty much Mickey Mantle (Hall of Famer), Eddie Murray (Hall of Famer), Chipper Jones (soon-to-be-Hall of Famer) and then Beltran. Yes, really. Honorable mentions: Billy Williams, Chase Utley, Amos Otis. Moses Malone was a great player who wore two, but he wore a few other numbers as well.
The Best Athletes To Wear Number 3, Ranked By Fans Find out more. Thats something almost no other player can say.
NFL 100: Greatest NFL players ever by jersey number - USA Today 13 and, as legend has it, playfully posed with black cats before the 1951 playoffs began. The NHL doesnt like to give the Hart Trophy to goalies. 42 for all teams. Foyt, Racing; Ernie Banks, MLB; Y.A. Maybe for some numbers, sure, but not for 15. Petty is simply known as The King, which may say it all. When all is said and done, we might recognize Trout as the best player in MLB history. He also ended his time in the NFL with a ring with the Steelers, though by that point he was no longer a Pro Bowl-caliber back. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. He had 767 receptions for 6,875 yards and 36 touchdowns through the air. So lets give some love to T.O.s work on the field. 0:00. Brady and the No. Weirdly, in the one season he won Defensive Player of the Year he wore No. LeBron James made a bold choice of wearing the same number as the man he was considered the heir apparent to. Bonds won five of his seven NL MVPs with the Giants and broke pretty much every home run and walks record while wearing No. Some leagues wouldnt let him do it, and when that was the case he wore No. There he added five more rings, and in his career he won the MVP a whopping six times. He still could get there, and he's the most talented player to put on No. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Pretty impressive. Why hes here: The first-ballot Hall of Famer was just the third player in MLB history to register 3,000 hits and 500 homers. In his first five full seasons with the Cardinals, the colorful right-hander won 120 games (and saved 30), won an MVP and finished second twice, threw 1,531 innings and compiled a 3.04 ERA. Why he's here: The Pirate starting pitcher wore No. That was pretty awesome for a couple of years. Nevertheless, Chamberlain wore 13 throughout his NBA career. Years active: 2011-present Why hes here: Marichal was a stalwart in the San Francisco rotation from the moment he arrived in the big leagues he struck out 12 and threw a one-hit shutout in his debut. There werent many names to consider for 67. The No. Tim Brown was also a great receiver but not quite on par with Owens. William The Refrigerator Perry was the beloved face of the Chicago Bears defensive line, but Dent was the true star of the bunch. Ovechkin is still an active player who, hopefully, has a few more years left in his career. Honorable mentions: Joe Morgan, Gene Tenace, Andy Van Slyke. Some other excellent NFL stars wore 75, including Jonathan Ogden and Deacon Jones. He helped them win three World Series while also winning a Cy Young for himself. Why he's here: The Dodger closer has worn No. This gallery provides a sample of SI's best players to wear numbers 00 to 10. The six players to wear this number have combined for -2.2 WAR in a Pirates uniform.
The best athlete to wear every number | Yardbarker Return to Top; Players. Why hes here: The man with one of the greatest nicknames in baseball history the Wizard of Oz earned his reputation as arguably the best defensive shortstop in baseball history during a highlight-filled 19-year career that included 15 All-Star nods and 13 Gold Gloves. Kelce, and his massive beard, was also key in the Eagles winning their first-ever Super Bowl. Not that we had any choice here. While the number he wore, number 42, has always been special and acknowledged throughout the Majors Leagues, especially since Jackie Robinson's induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, the day has . Jim Thorpe. #1 of 217. If 18 was an obvious choice, 19 was a brutal one. Utah Jazz ( 12) Cory Alexander. In 1999 he was named Athlete of the Century across all sports by the International Olympic Committee. The Hall of Famer won three MVPs and made a whopping 20 All-Star Games. Had Ken Dryden, the legendary Montreal Canadiens goalie, played longer he would have been the choice, and also Satchel Paige was known to wear the No. No. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
The best New York athletes to wear every number He was all over the field for the Bears and actually had 41.5 sacks in his career as well. He won two MVP awards and finished second four other times he won the AL triple crown in two of those second-place years and his career on-base percentage of .482 is No. 56 is even close. The best players to wear 2 as their jersey number have crafted strong legacies with it. .
Always free! Honorable mentions: Bob Howry, Joba Chamberlain. Nobody was as defensively formidable as Robinson in his heyday. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Its rare for a middle linebacker to get a ton of awards love, but Lewis managed to be named Defensive Player of the Year twice. He would become famous in the 1951 playoffs for surrendering Bobby Thomson's "shot heard round the world" home run, one of the most famous home runs of all-time. Ruth is the game's greatest slugger -- but he also has the 17th-best ERA in history. Why he's here: The future Hall of Famer wore No. Thats enough to outduel Larry Bird, much to the chagrin of Celtics fans. Since the other choices at 14 werent incredibly obvious, Bob Cousy, Pete Rose, et al, we decided to honor Cruyff here. In spite of that, the Pitt Panthers product is second in career receiving yards and receptions. Why hes here: Clearly, baseballs all-time hit king 4,256 of them, to be precise is eligible for this list. Honorable mentions: Dwight Gooden, Hal Newhouser, Ted Lyons. He made eight All-Defense teams to go with 10 All-NBA teams. The heart and soul of the Yankees dynasties of the '50s, Yogi Berra won three MVP awards and had a seven-year stretch during which he never finished lower than fourth in the voting. Carew made the All-Star team in 18 of his 19 seasons in the majors and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot (1991). The Hall of Famer was perhaps the best tackle of the 80s, which is something Cincinnati can take credit for. Classic: Type in answers that appear in a list. The No. Hes second in career whiffs behind only Nolan Ryan, who played forever. 79, which is kind of interesting, but a few football players have. And yet, impressive as they are, numbers don't begin to measure his baseball instincts, his charisma or his grace on his sport's biggest stages. Eck was the AL MVP and Cy Young winner in 1992 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. However, he did wear No. If not for that, he might have become the third-ever player to notch 800 goals. Why hes here: Only one player in baseball history (Jeff Kent) ever hit more home runs as a second baseman than Sandbergs 277 career dingers at the position, and in 1990 he became the second NL second baseman since the legendary Rogers Hornsby to ever hit at least 40 home runs in a season. The best player on the greatest dynasty in professional sports was Bill Russell. 85 with a 0.45 WAR is good enough to beat out Che-Hsuan Lin. It seems voters feel that since goalies have the Vezina, the Hart should go to the non-goalie MVP. Phillips is the only player who has worn number zero in franchise history. "For nearly half a century after his playing days had ended, Joe DiMaggio remained a regal presence in the public eye, a species of American aristocrat. Sidney Crosby gets a ton of credit, but Malkin actually has two Art Ross trophies, not to mention a Hart and a Conn Smythe, in his own right. 31 is also often worn by goalies, but none was going to overthrow the Mad Dog.
The best players for each uniform number - Over the Monster 8 with the Indians and White Sox, but it wasn't available in Baltimore due to a certain future Hall of Famer. Honorable mentions: Kershaw, Larry Walker, Luis Tiant. He deservedly is in his sports Hall of Fame, unlike another guy who wore 47, Jack Morris. Basically every starting goalie in the world of soccer wears. This was still an easy choice, as Bourque is an all-time NHL great. The Czech sniper is third in career goals in NHL history, even though he took off a few seasons to go play in the KHL. The Swede was the best offensive defenseman in the NHL, routinely racking up over 60 points. This was not a hard choice and not just because of the quality of Mannings career. Yes, Bob Gibson once had a 1.12 ERA in a season. If you are of a certain age, you probably remember Upshaw primarily as an executive with the NFLPA. I chose players based on their individual statistics . 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, including a record 237 .more. He also wore it when he won four-straight Cy Youngs. Bearing in mind LeBron wore No. The NFL and NHL have also had their fair share of famous athletes who wore 2 on their jersey like Matt Ryan and Brian Leetch. Rivers has thrown for almost 400 career touchdowns and has made eight Pro Bowls.
The 30+ Top Athletes To Wear Jersey Number 1, Ranked By Fans Karlsson toiled in relative obscurity when he was with the Ottawa Senators, but hockey fans still knew him. After all, he was named to the NFL All-Pro team for six straight seasons. Why he's here: There's a reason MLB retired No.
MLB History: Greatest Players to Wear Jersey Numbers 1-57, and Beyond Jeter maybe didn't deserve the Gold Gloves, but he's the best athlete to wear the number two. Be it with Oklahoma City or Golden State, or even his one year in Seattle, Durant has worn No. Ralph Branca - Baseball. When Geno was left off the NHLs top 100 players list, it caused an uproar. 61 for more than a few seasons, and Hernandez is the best of the bunch. Injuries cut his career short, which is the only reason he didnt end up with 500 goals. He gets the nod. Players had long ago decided to stop wearing No. Do you have a sports website?
Sports Superstitions: The Number 13 - InfoPlease So we're letting you try, including polls with those select numbers. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Sure, Jeter is a tad overrated because he spent his entire career playing for the Yankees and was their captain. With his massive frame and vicious fastball, Johnson won five Cy Youngs and led the majors in strikeouts eight times. Why he's here: A first-ballot Hall of Famer with two Cy Youngs and more than 300 wins, Glavine laps the field at No. However, we have to go with the man known as The Captain in Detroit. The Celtics' big man averaged 22.5 rebounds in his career; between his mastery of the glass and his shot-blocking skills, few players have been more intimidating in the paint. Honorable mentions: Eddie Mathews, Darell Evans, Kevin Brown. Why he's here: Five Cy Youngs, 303 wins, 4,875 strikeouts.The Big Unit is the obvious choice. Why hes here: A great pitcher with a number of iconic postseason moments, Schilling will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame one of these days. Why hes here: First, sneak a peek at the honorable mentions for No. Lots of options here. Pel was so much more. While Lambert, Hams teammate with the Steelers, didnt quite make the cut at 58, Ham is an easy choice at 59. While we briefly thought about Brett Favre, this really came down to Bobby Orr and Lou Gehrig. Owens was just recently inducted in the Hall of Fame, with plenty of highlights to fill his reel. Orr is the choice at number 4, for far more than the Stanley Cup-winning goal he scored for the Bruins in 1970. His defense at shortstop was not great. 23 the greatest NBA player of all time? But Ruth is maybe the best baseball player ever.
7 Incredible Athletes (Besides LeBron James) To Wear #23 Did you know that he still has more RBI than anybody in MLB history, or that hes third in hits? Mathis got overshadowed by Dwight Freeney, but he was a great pass rusher in his own right. Hes not in the Hall of Fame yet, but he will be one day soon (he was just 23 votes shy of being part of the Class of 2016). Why hes here: Raines, one of the greatest leadoff batters in baseball history (career .385 OBP hitting first in the lineup), stole 808 bases in his career. Even though he wore 45 for a bit, LeBron also wore No. The Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time. When he was only 23 years old he scored a staggering 76 goals in a season. That makes Wilt the Stilt the choice. Why hes here: Ryan is the greatest strikout pitcher in baseball history of course. For a more in-depth look at the debate over these picks, along with who was chosen for Nos. He once had 20 sacks in a season and had 126.5 sacks in his career. Why hes here: Maybe the best pure hitter of all time, Williams finished his career with 521 home runs and a.344 average despite missing all or most of five seasons (1943-45 and 1952-53) while serving in the military. Thats what happens when you make six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. Honorable mentions: Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey, Jr., Manny Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera, Barry Bonds. The number 2 has become one of the most popular jersey numbers across a wide variety of sports. In fact, nobody is within 1,000 yards of him. He wore it for two seasons in which he had over 90 points. Hes done so many incredible things already, and hes not quite done yet. Why hes here: The Hall of Famer won the Cy Young in both leagues, registered 314 wins and struck out 3,534 batters. Why hes here: Ripken started his career with a bang he won the AL rookie of the year in 1982 and the AL MVP in 1983 and spent the rest of his time with the Orioles fashioning a no-doubt Hall of Fame career. Fun fact: Kramer also served as the Green Bay kicker for three seasons. Since the switch, A-Rod has often been the center of controversy, but hes also won a pair of AL MVP awards and popped 342 homers in 11 seasons. The best defensive player in the history of the game, Ozzie is No. Thats amazing, but that was in the era of pitching when the mounds were raised. 6, so it all balances out. 8 and 24. Years active: 1995-2014 However, the last couple of years have been tough for the defenseman. Uniform numbers hold a special place in telling the story of the sport, so we thought wed take a look at the best players (Hall of Famers in most instances) who wore each uniform number. The 30+ Top Athletes To Wear Jersey Number 1, Ranked By Fans COLLECTION What's Your Number? Ranking the greatest athletes from every sport to ever don those magic jersey numbers. The still-active Wainwright edges out ageless Jamie Moyer. It was one of two Selkes he won, and for a time he even played defensemen for the Red Wings. The NBA also has a rich history of players to rock the number with champions like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Garnett, and Kyrie Irving all sporting the 2 on their backs. In a few years this choice is going to be even more obvious. Jim Brown?) To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber.
The best player in WNBA history at every jersey number - ESPN Lemieuxs 66 is one of the iconic numbers in NHL history. Dan Donovan/MLB Photos via Getty Images; Ed Reinke/AP. Peppers came out of the gates with a bang, picking up 12 sacks as a rookie for the Carolina Panthers. We wanted to take a panoramic look across the entire world of sports to find the best athlete to wear every number. Like Murphy, hes in his sports Hall, but he did it all in 55. Jones, NBA, Wade Boggs, MLB; Rod Woodson, NFL;Herb Adderley, NFL; Billy Williams, MLB, Juan Marichal, MLB; Eddie George, NFL; Vladimir Guerrero, MLB; ScottNiedermayer, NHL; Mike Trout, MLB, Marshall Faulk, NFL; Bert Blyleven, MLB; Darrell Green, NFL, Eric Dickerson, NFL; Satchel Paige, MLB; Rod Carew, MLB; John Smoltz, MLB; Ken Dryden, NHL, Nolan Ryan, MLB; Martin Brodeur, NHL; Terrell Davis, NFL; Stephen Curry, NBA; Maury Wills, MLB; Bernard King, NBA, Greg Maddux, MLB; Reggie Miller, NBA; Fergie Jenkins, MLB; Dave Winfield, MLB; Billy Smith, NHL; Mike Piazza, MLB; Donnie Shell, NFL, Magic Johnson, NBA; Jim Brown, NFL; O.J.