All-Star Athletes: 10 Best Players Born In Arkansas
Today we continue with my latest series that looks at each state's ten best players. Arkansas proved to be a hotbed for talented athletes and this list was pretty difficult to make.
Lots of quality guys were left off the main 10 and were put on the honorable mention list. Let's take a look at the 10 best players who call Arkansas home.
Honorable Mentions
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Here's the guys that didn't quite make the list:
A.J. Burnett
Pat Burrell
Derek Fisher
Priest Holmes
Torii Hunter
Joe Johnson
Cliff Lee
Rod Smith
10) Kevin Williams
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Born: Arkadelphia
Sport: Football
Position: Defensive Tackle
Notable Stats: Five-time Pro Bowl selection, Five-time All-Pro selection
Kevin Williams is one half of the fabled Williams Wall that has been terrorizing opponents in Minnesota for years.
He's become one of the most dominant defensive tackles to play the game and has amazing versatility for his position.
Williams has anchored one of the best front sevens in the NFL during the 2000s and will probably go down as a Hall of Famer.
9) Fat Lever
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Born: Pine Bluff
Sport: Basketball
Position: Shooting Guard
Notable Stats: Two-time All-Star selection, 1987 All-NBA team, 1988 All-Defensive team
Most current fans don't know much about Lafayette "Fat" Lever, and it's a shame because this guy was a great player in the late 80s. In four separate years he was very close to averaging a triple double for an entire season.
In 1986-87 he averaged 18.9 points per game, 8.9 rebounds per game, and 8.0 assists per game. The next three years were very similar and Lever might just be one of the most underrated players to play the game.
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8) Dizzy Dean
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Born: Lucas
Sport: Baseball
Position: Pitcher
Notable Stats: Four-time All-Star selection, 1934 World Series Champion, 1934 NL MVP
I just want to point this out, Dean once won 30 games in a season. I'll say that again, 30 games in a single season.
If that happened today, people would freak out. He was dominant on the mound, and the MLB recognized this with his 1953 Hall of Fame induction.
7) Lou Brock
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Born: El Dorado
Sport: Baseball
Position: Left Fielder
Notable Stats: Six-time All-Star selection, Two-time World Series Champion
Lou Brock has over 3,000 hits and he was the first man to hit 20 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. Brock was known for his speed and stole over 900 bases in his career.
Adding to all of his career accomplishments, he was also elected to the MLB Hall of Fame in 1985.
6) Sidney Moncrief
6 of 12Born: Little Rock
Sport: Basketball
Position: Shooting Guard
Notable Stats: Five-time All-Star selection, Two-time Defensive Player of the Year
Moncrief was an intense force on both sides of the ball and one of the better perimeter defenders in the League.
Michael Jordan was once quoted as saying this about Moncrief's intensity, "When you play against Moncrief, you're in for a night of all-around basketball. He'll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it."
I'd call that pretty high praise from one the best ever.
5) Brooks Robinson
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Born: Little Rock
Sport: Baseball
Position: Third Baseman
Notable Stats: 18-time All-Star selection, 16-time Gold Glove winner, 1964 NL MVP, Two-time World Series Champion
Look at those numbers above again; this guy won 16 Golden Gloves. That's ridiculous.
He has to be considered one of the best defensive third basemen ever to play the game. He added to his many awards in 1983, when he was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame.
4) Bill Dickey
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Born: Little Rock
Sport: Baseball
Position: Catcher
Notable Stats: 11-time All-Star selection, 14-time World Series Champion
Bill Dickey's accomplishments are overshadowed by his more famous teammates, but his production as one of the best offensive catchers to ever play can't be denied.
His .362 batting average in 1936 stood as the best for a catcher until Joe Mauer broke it in 2009. His many championships helped him get inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1954.
3) Scottie Pippen
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Born: Hamburg
Sport: Basketball
Position: Small Forward
Notable Stats: 10-time All-Defensive team, Seven-time All-Pro selection, Seven-time All-Star selection, Six-time NBA Champion
Scottie Pippen may of lived in Michael Jordan's shadow for much of his career, but it can't be denied that he is one of the best all-around players ever to play.
In the the two years that Jordan left the Bulls, Pippen led the team in almost every single statistical category.
He was never as flashy as Jordan, but Pippen was one of the most consistent players in the League and he was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame just this year.
2) Sonny Liston
10 of 12Born: Sand Slough
Sport: Boxing
Notable Stats: 50-4 all-time record, World Heavyweight Champion
Unfortunately for Liston he will probably always be remembered for losing twice to Muhammad Ali in the mid-60s, but Liston was one of the best boxers ever.
Before being beaten by Ali, he was a dominant force with some of the most intimidating power the boxing world had ever seen.
1) Don Hutson
11 of 12Born: Pine Bluff
Sport: Football
Position: Wide Receiver
Notable Stats: Two-time MVP, ranked No. 6 on Sporting News top 100 NFL players ever, first Packer to have his number retired
Many people think that if Don Hutson had played in the same time period as Jerry Rice he would be the guy we talk about when we talk about as the best wide receiver ever.
In a league that was dominated by the rush, he was able to score 99 receiving touchdowns, a Packers record, and create many of the modern passing routes teams use today.
Not only that, but he had to play both ways and has over 30 interceptions to his name. Simply put, he might be the best receiver to ever lace up his cleats.
Well, that's all for Arkansas' best athletes. Check out the next page for links to my past lists and tell me who I missed in the comments.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
