San Francisco Bay Area's 100 Greatest Athletes of All Time
The San Francisco Bay Area is known for many things—some good and some bad unless you happen to be a resident of these parts.
In that case, there is no bad...just good, better, and seismic.
We've got the Golden Gate Bridge, the beautiful San Francisco Bay, the equally picturesque Oakland Hills, the two major earthquakes (1906 and 1989), the Gold Rush, the hippie histories penned in equal parts by activists in Berkeley and free-lovers in the Haight-Ashbury, and other landmarks of the architectural/natural/historical variety.
However, the figurative and literal landscape has never been known as a particularly sporting one.
This despite boasting six franchises from the four major American leagues—the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics from MLB, the 49ers and Raiders from the NFL, the Golden State Warriors from the NBA, and the San Jose Sharks from the NHL.
Nevertheless, the Bay Area isn't known as a breeding ground of legendary sports figures or a place steeped in athletic lore.
Which seems absurd when you group our best athletes together.
Before we get to the list, though, the criteria bear mentioning. Not in hopes of stifling disagreement, but for peace of mind.
What follows are the greatest 100 athletes to ply their trades in the Bay Area, ranked in order according to a highly subjective mix of (A) sheer ability; (B) personal and team achievements; (C) what he or she meant to the locals; (D) what he or she meant to a specific sport; and (E) the intangible factors that endear certain people to a city's population.
Full disclosure—these qualifiers give a substantial advantage to the San Francisco franchises where the market is split due to the dominance of the Giants' and Niners' over said market.
With those caveats on the table, let the carnage begin:
No. 100—Jose Canseco, OF, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—Two-time World Series champion in 1989 and 2000
—1988 AL MVP
—Six-time AL All-Star (1986, 1988-90, 1992, 1999)
—1986 AL Rookie of the Year
—462 career home runs with 200 career stolen bases
—Member of the 40-40 Club
In all objectivity, Canseco probably deserves to be higher on this list. In his prime, he was an incredible athlete—he was a serious threat with both his thump and speed. Along with Mark McGwire, the Cuban-born ballplayer formed the backbone of the Oakland Athletics' offense that powered its way to the 1989 World Series.
However, nobody likes a rat and that's exactly what Jose is.
I consider myself charitable even including him on the list.
No. 99—Johnny Miller, Professional Golfer
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Career Highlights:
—1996 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame
—1974 PGA Player of the Year
—1973 US Open Champion
—1976 British Open Champion
—25 PGA Tour wins
Miller was born and raised in San Francisco where he honed his skills on the majestic courses of the City's Olympic Club. After making a name for himself as an amateur golfer by winning the San Francisco junior title at the tender age of 16, he took his skills to Brigham Young University and continued his development as he won All-American honors.
Though he was never able to take a Masters championship, the Bay Area product found himself cast as the runner-up an agonizing three times in the span of about a decade.
No. 98—Cung Le, Mixed Martial Artist
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Career Highlights:
—Strikeforce Middleweight Champion in 2008 (since vacated)
—Three-time US International Open Martial Arts Champion (1994-1996)
—Four-time US National Champion in Shidokan karate (1994-1997)
—1990 California Junior College State Wrestling Champion at 158 lbs.
—Career kickboxing record of 17-0; career MMA record of 8-1
Though born in Saigon in 1972, Le and his mother immigrated to San Jose soon after the eventual-world-champion was born. Legend has it that the kickboxing virtuoso traded machine gun fire for racial bullying and began his combat training in response to the new provocation; whether that's part of the aspiring actor's flair for the dramatic or not, it's clear the decision to pursue martial arts was a good one.
The Tae Kwon Do black belt has only tasted defeat once, to Scott Smith, and he avenged that knockout by destroying "Hands of Stone" in a savage two-round obliteration back in June.
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No. 97—Pat Tillman, SS, Arizona Cardinals
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Career Highlights:
—Silver Star, Purple Heart for military service in Afghanistan
—2000 First-Team All Pro
—1997 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year
—1997 Second-Team All American
—1997 First-Team All Pac-10
Some will find it ironic that the Bay Area produced the man who gave up the seven-figure salary and pseudo-celebrity of the NFL to become an Army Ranger.
Nevertheless, Tillman was born and raised in San Jose where he led Leland High School to the Central Coast Division-I Football Championship. He then took his talents—profound and important ones as opposed to those getting comfortable in South Beach—to Arizona State University and then the NFL's Cardinals.
The seventh-round draft pick defied logic and expectations at all turns—becoming one of the best players at his position despite being the 226th player taken in the 1998 Draft, refusing big money from the St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to Arizona, and then sacrificing everything, literally, in defense of his country.
No. 96—Lee Evans, Olympic Sprinter
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Career Highlights:
—1968 Olympic Gold Medal in the 400 meters
—1968 Olympic Gold Medal in the 4X400-meter Relay
—1983 inductee into the US National Track and Field Hall of Fame
—1967 Pan-American Games Gold Medal in the 400 meters
—1968 NCAA National Champion in the 400 meters
Evans wasn't born in the Bay Area, but he moved here in time to star as an undefeated sprinter for San Jose's Overfelt High School. The future gold medalist apparently liked his new digs as he stayed on to attend college at San Jose State where he continued to flourish on the track.
Though Evans set a world record and then re-established it while qualifying for the 1968 Olympic Games, his athletic accomplishments seemed to be forever doomed to the shadow of his political activism.
No. 95—Willie Stargell, 1B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Career Highlights:
—1988 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Two-time World Series Champion in 1971 and 1979
—1979 NL Co-MVP (shared with Keith Hernandez)
—Seven-time NL All Star (1964-66, 1971-73, 1978)
—1979 World Series MVP
—475 career home runs with a .282 lifetime batting average
Stargell became known as "Pops" in the later stages of a career that got its start in the East Bay. Like many African Americans of his generation, Stargell and his family relocated to Alameda/Oakland (from Oklahoma) soon after the future Hall of Famer was born in 1940. Willie would become a star at Encinal High School and then sign on with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a fresh-faced 22-year-old.
The prodigious hitter launched some of the longest big flies in MLB history, but was equally revered as a leader—a successful one at that, as his two championship rings suggest.
Teammate Al Oliver famously said, "if he asked us to jump off the Fort Pitt Bridge, we would ask him what kind of dive he wanted."
No. 94—Gary Payton, PG, Seattle Supersonics
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Career Highlights:
—NBA Finals Champion in 2006
—Two-time All-NBA First Team (1998, 2000); five-time All-NBA Second Team (1995-97, 1999, 2002); two-time All-NBA Third Team (1994, 2001)
—Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in 1996 and 2000
—1996 Defensive Player of the Year
—Nine-time All-Defensive First Team (1994-2002)
—Nine-time All-Star (1994-98, 2000-03)
"The Glove" was a legend in Bay Area high school basketball before he ever broke on the national scene. Born and raised in Oakland, his career for Skyline High School was so incredible that his younger brother, Brandon, prospered from it. I remember playing Brandon (as I recall, he attend Scared Heart Cathedral Preparatory in the City) and feeling thoroughly unenthusiastic about the knowledge that this kid had the NBA in his blood.
That's how good the elder Payton was; he was one of those rare breeds who demonstrated skills as a young teenager that made his arrival at the highest level a matter of when, not if. His NBA career—one that will eventually land him in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame—proves GP made good on all that potential.
No. 93—Lynn Swann, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Career Highlights:
—2001 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Four-time Super Bowl Champion in 1975, 1976, 1979, and 1980
—1978 AP First-Team All Pro; two-time AP Second-Team All Pro (1975, 1977)
—Three-time Pro-Bowl selection (1975, 1977, 1978)
—Super Bowl X MVP
—1993 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
You'll notice a theme at this tier in the rankings.
Swann's family moved to San Mateo, just outside of San Francisco, two years after he was born in Tennessee. Before betraying his fledgling Nor Cal roots by donning a USC Trojan uniform, the future Hall of Famer chased the pigskin at Junipero Serra High School (that institution will pop up a couple more times) where he also excelled at track and field.
Lynn proved his athletic prowess at every level, including the collegiate one where he was an All American. The other thing the wide receiver did was win—he was a member of the undefeated 1972 Trojan team before grabbing four rings in the League.
No. 92—Frank Robinson, OF, Baltimore Orioles
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Career Highlights:
—1982 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Two-time World Series Champion in 1966 and 1970
—1966 AL MVP and 1961 NL MVP
—Won the 1966 AL Triple Crown
—14-time All-Star (1956, 1957, 1959 for both games, 1961 for both games, 1962, 1965-67, 1970, 1971, 1974)
—1956 NL Rookie of the Year
Another Bay Area boy (though he was born in Texas) who flashed his world-class talents in a different city at the professional level, Robinson first made a name for himself as a teenager at Oakland's McClymonds High School. The man who would eventually play professional baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, and Cleveland Indians actually played HS basketball alongside another San Francisco legend, Bill Russell.
And, though he never suited up as a player in near the Bay, he did manage the San Francisco Giants from 1981-84.
No. 91—Joe Morgan, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
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Career Highlights:
—1990 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Two-time World Series Champion in 1975 and 1976
—Two-time NL MVP (1975, 1976)
—10-time NL All Star (1966, 1970, 1972-79)
—Five-time Gold Glove Award winner (1973-77)
Morgan might've become larger than life with "The Big Red Machine" in Cincinnati, but "Little Joe" got his start in the Bay Area. Yet another of the Dust Bowl/Civil Rights Era relocations, the second baseman and his family moved to Oakland from Texas in time for him to author a stellar career at Castlemont High School. He was so good, in fact, that the Houston Colt .45's snagged him as a free agent before his 19th birthday.
Considered by Bill James to be the best second baseman of all time, Morgan finished with 2,517 hits, 268 home runs, and 689 stolen bases amongst other shiny career numbers.
And, on this list, he gets bonus points for being the NL Comeback Player of the Year in 1982 as a San Francisco Giant (he would play his final game in 1984 as an Oakland Athletic).
No. 90—Dan Fouts, QB, San Diego Chargers
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Career Highlights:
—1993 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—1982 NEA NFL MVP, two-time PFWA NFL MVP (1979, 1982), and two-time UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year (1979, 1982)
—Three-time First-Team All Pro (1979, 1982, 1985) and 1980 Second-Team All Pro
—Six-time Pro-Bowl selection (1979-83, 1985)
—1982 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
San Diego can thank San Francisco for arguably its greatest football player of all time. Fouts took the first steps of his Hall-of-Fame journey north of the Golden Gate Bridge for the Marin Catholic Wildcats (my high school's rival, coincidentally enough). However, no self-respecting stud could tolerate MC for too long, and the quarterback was no different—transferring to St. Ignatius College Preparatory in the City for his junior and senior years.
Although the move wasn't enough to raise his profile to a national level, it did earn him a scholarship to the University of Oregon and the Duck never looked back.
Though he was never able to win the Big One, Fouts set numerous passing records for yardage and touchdowns in an era when the pass was much less en vogue than by contemporary standards while taking an inordinate amount of punishment.
No. 89—Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
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Career Highlights:
—Three-time Super Bowl Champion in 2002, 2004, and 2005
—2007 AP NFL MVP
—2007 First-Team All Pro and 2005 Second-Team All Pro
—Five-time Pro-Bowl selection (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009)
—2007 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
—Two-time Super Bowl MVP (2002, 2004)
Depending on what Brady does with the remainder of his NFL career, he might become the greatest quarterback of all time. If that were to happen, he would pass the man in whose shadow the New England Patriots' signal caller was born. When Joe Montana was gearing up for his first Super Bowl titles, "Tom Terrific" was a tyke puttering around San Mateo.
Eventually, that tyke would become a standout at Junipero Serra High School before heading off to the University of Michigan and gridiron immortality.
But Brady was also a crackerjack high school baseball player for Serra, turning down the Montreal Expos 18th-round overture in the 1995 MLB Draft to become a Wolverine.
No. 88—Summer Sanders, Olympic Swimmer
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Career Highlights:
—1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 200-meter Butterfly
—1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4X100-meter Medley Relay
—1992 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 200-meter Individual Medley
—1992 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 400-meter Individual Medley
—1992 NCAA Champion
Sanders is a California girl, though not a Bay Area one. Born and raised in Roseville, CA, she first rose to prominence when she narrowly missed a spot on the 1988 United States Olympic team as a precocious 15-year-old. Perhaps using that disappointment as motivation, she went on to dominate the 1990 Goodwill Games before grabbing six individual national championships in just two years with the Stanford Cardinal.
Her swimming career peaked at the 1992 Summer Games where Summer stroked her way to four medals and two golds. The performance was good enough to use as a springboard toward a thriving career in sports television.
No. 87—Pablo Morales, Olympic Swimmer
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Career Highlights:
—1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 100-meter Butterfly
—1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4X100-meter Medley Relay
—1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4X100-meter Medley Relay
—1984 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 100-meter Butterfly
—1984 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 200-meter Individual Medley
The Cuban-American was born in Chicago, but soon moved to the Bay Area and eventually attended Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. After distinguishing himself in the pool there and at the 1984 Summer Games, Morales went on to win a plethora of individual championships for the Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto.
Interestingly enough, the budding star failed to qualify for the 1988 Summer Games in South Korea before coming back strong in Barcelona to capture two golds. In the process, Morales became the oldest Olympic swimmer to capture an Olympic medal of any kind.
No. 86—Mike Ricci, C, San Jose Sharks
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Career Highlights:
—1996 Stanley Cup Champion
—1990 OHL MVP
—1990 OHL First-Team All Star
—1989 OHL Second-Team All Star
—Set San Jose Sharks' record for consecutive games played at 228
The San Jose Sharks are a relatively new phenomenon by Bay Area sporting standards, having generated local headlines for about 20 years since the franchise's 1991 birth. Due to this small window of existence and the fluid nature of NHL player movement, only a few Sharks have been able to lodge themselves in the geographical consciousness.
Ricci is certainly one of them.
The Canadian was beloved for his hard-nose approach to a brutally physical game and became known more for his defensive prowess while with San Jose. He was a critical element on the Shark team that made the organization's first appearance in the 2004 Western Conference Final.
No. 85—Tommie Smith, Olympic Sprinter
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Career Highlights:
—1968 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 200-meters
—Set seven individual world records
—First man to break the 20-second barrier in the 200-meters
—2008 recipient of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage
—Played professional football for three years as a Cincinnati Bengal
Depending on how many people actually take the time to read slide No. 85 of 100, this may be an unpopular choice because Smith is a little light on career accomplishment. Additionally, he was a very polarizing figure during a polarizing period of our country's history—a period I was not around to experience.
Nevertheless, the native Texan makes the list as for his courage and Olympic achievements as well as his glorious careers at Lemoore High School in Lemoore, CA and San Jose State University (the former isn't part of the Bay Area; the latter is).
Regardless of your stance on political activism inside the sporting arena, it takes some serious stones to stand at the pinnacle of your sport and deliver a message that you know will be received in hostility by a large portion of your own country.
And he was pretty fast, too.
No. 84—Jennifer Azzi, PG, Stanford Cardinal
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Career Highlights:
—1996 Olympic Gold Medalist
—1990 NCAA Women's Basketball Champion
—1990 Naismith Award winner
—Two-time Kodak First-Team All American (1989, 1990)
—Two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year (1989, 1990)
—1990 NCAA Final Four MVP
It's safe to say Azzi entered the world with basketball in her blood. The native of Tennessee put together one of the more incredible careers in Division-I women's college basketball history. During her four years running the point for the Stanford Cardinal, Jennifer led her teams to a combined record of 101-23 while capturing two Pac-10 titles and one of the national variety.
After her illustrious NCAA career, Azzi went on to play for the San Jose Lasers in the ABL until the organization she helped start ran aground. She then went on to the WNBA where she became a first-round draft pick when the Detroit Shock made her the No. 5 pick.
Currently, she is the head coach for the women's team at the University of San Francisco.
No. 83—Craig Morton, QB, Denver Broncos
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Career Highlights:
—1992 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
—1964 recipient of the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy, given to the most outstanding college football player on the Pacific Coast
—1964 All American
—1988 inductee into the Denver Broncos' Ring of Fame
Morton's biggest claim to fame is probably that he warmed the chair for two of the NFL's most storied signal-callers—first Roger Staubach, who replaced Morton in Dallas, and then John Elway, who replaced him in Denver. However, the NFL bridesmaid was the main attraction while playing on the college gridiron for UC Berkeley and—before that—on the one at Campbell High School in the Bay Area.
His NFL career never equaled his efforts as a Cal Bear, though he did throw for almost 28,000 yards and 187 touchdowns. However, the heights to which he climbed in the blue and gold mean there is no great shame in that fact.
No. 82—Joe Kapp, QB, Minnesota Vikings
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Career Highlights:
—2004 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
—1969 Pro-Bowl selection
—1958 Pacific Coast Champion in football
—1958 recipient of the W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy
—1958 All American in football
—Two-time Pacific Coast Champion in basketball (1957, 1958)
Kapp is another Cal Bear quarterback who distinguished himself on the college football field more so than the professional one. Though he was born in Southern California, his two-sport prowess in Nor Cal earned him enshrinement in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame as well as a tenuous grasp on immortality in by the Bay.
To Kapp's credit, he had a nice career in the Canadian Football League as well as a brief run of excellence with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.
Still, it his time at Cal that locals remember most fondly. Unless, of course, you happen to be a Stanford grad familiar with "The Play," which unfolded under the watchful eye of Cal head coach Joe Kapp.
No. 81—Ernie Nevers, FB, Stanford Cardinal
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Career Highlights:
—1963 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—1951 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
—1925 All American
—1925 Rose Bowl Player of the Game
—Made professional debut as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns
Nevers almost qualifies as a Bay Area kid, but—alas—his hometown of Santa Rosa doesn't quite make the cut.
However, he landed squarely in the region when he arrived at Stanford to play baseball, basketball, and football. Though a legitimate triple threat, his greatest moments came on the gridiron. Most notably, he played all 60 minutes of the 1925 Rose Bowl and was a one-man wrecking crew as he out-rushed the mythical Notre Dame Four Horsemen to deliver the game to the Cardinal.
His Major League Baseball career never amounted to much, but I'm sure the bust in Canton soothed the sting of surrendering two home runs to Babe Ruth during his record-setting 1927 season.
No. 80—John Elway, QB, Denver Broncos
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Career Highlights:
—2004 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Two-time Super Bowl Champion in 1998 and 1999
—1987 NFL MVP
—Five-time All Pro (1986, 1987, 1993, 1996, 1997)
—Nine-time Pro-Bowl selection (1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996-98)
—2000 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
"Smiling Jack"—as my father loved to call him for some strange reason—gave the city of Denver its most memorable games on NFL turf, but it was his tenure with the Stanford Cardinal that set the stage for his legendary pro career. While in Palo Alto, Elway re-wrote the Cardinal and Pac-10 record books as far as the quarterback position was concerned. He won Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in 1980 and 1982, earned All-American honors his senior year, and (probably) watched in horror as "The Play" ended his collegiate career.
In football.
The NFL Hall of Famer also excelled as an outfielder/pitcher for the Stanford baseball program—one of the best in the country.
No. 79—Marshawn Lynch, RB, Buffalo Bills
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Career Highlights:
—2008 Pro-Bowl Selection
—2006 First-Team All American
—2006 First-Team All Pac-10
—2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year
I know, I know—it's blasphemy to put the California Bear ahead of John Elway. Believe me, I don't do so lightly as a Stanford alumnus.
However, while Elway was obviously the better college player and—barring something truly unbelievable—will go down as the much better pro, he is not actually from the Bay Area. Lynch can boast that bullet point as he was born in Oakland and broke would-be tacklers' ankles for Oakland Technical High School.
And that's not all he did.
To say Lynch is an outstanding athlete is to say there's a smattering of disagreement over the mosque near Ground Zero. He ran HS track, played HS basketball alongside future NBAer Leon Powe, and tried his hand at different football positions—amassing 20 interceptions his senior year and forcing three fumbles in one game as a defensive end.
No. 78—Bert Campaneris, SS, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—Three-time World Series Champion from 1972 to 1974
—Six-time AL All Star (1968, 1972-75, 1977)
—Holds Athletics' franchise-record for games played at shortstop (1702)
—2,249 career hits and 649 career stolen bases
—First Major League Baseball player to play all nine positions in a single game
Campaneris, otherwise known as Dagoberto Campaneris Blanco, had a fine Major-League career, but he shoots up this list because of his vital contributions to the championship Athletics' clubs of the early 1970s. The speedster wreaked havoc at the top of the lineup, routinely leading the Junior Circuit in thefts and establishing himself as such a provocateur that Billy Martin once went after him during a bench-clearing brawl in an ALCS game while managing the Detroit Tigers.
"Campy" won't end up in Cooperstown any time soon, but he was a key figure in delivering three rings to the city of Oakland and helped personify those colorful teams. It seems fitting that Rickey Henderson would eventually break most of his club records.
No. 77—Jeff Friesen, LW, San Jose Sharks
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Career Highlights:
—2003 Stanley Cup Champion
—11th pick of the 1994 NHL Draft
—1993 WHL Rookie of the Year
—Spent seven years with the San Jose Sharks
—Departed as the Sharks' third all-time leading scorer and is tied for the franchise single-season short-handed goal record (6).
Another NHL pro who experienced his greatest success in another team's uniform, Friesen's value to the San Jose faithful can't be reduced to paper (or so I'm told). Though he'd win the Cup with the New Jersey Devils, he'd become an adored member of a Sharks' nucleus that delivered the Bay Area its first taste of hockey success.
While the Canadian's career highlights won't have anyone seeing sun spots, you never forget your first love and Friesen helped start many an NHL love affair around the San Francisco Bay.
No. 76—Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic Figure Skater
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Career Highlights:
—1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Women's Singles
—2005 inductee into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame
—Two-time World Figure Skating Champion (1991, 1992)
—1992 United States Figure Skating Champion
Like a lot of sports fans, I have my fun at the expense of figure skaters whenever the Olympics roll around, but check out that picture. Yep, I'd say they qualify as athletes—if I were ever fool enough to attempt whatever the hell that is Yamaguchi's doing, I'd be D-O-N-E.
Forget about landing it; that's beside the point—whether I finished on skate or face, I'd be bedridden for about a month.
Anyway, the champion figure skater was born in Hayward and rose to prominence with another local boy made good, Rudy Galindo (from San Jose). Before she became America's darling as one of our most decorated female skaters and long before she won Dancing with the Stars, her story and accomplishments were celebrated by the Bay Area.
No. 75—Amy Chow, Olympic Gymnast
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Career Highlights:
—Two-time inductee into the United States Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of the 1996 Olympic team (the first to win gymnastic gold) and in 2005 on her individual merits
—1996 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Team All-Around
—1996 Olympic Silver Medalist in the Uneven Bars
—2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the Team All-Around
—Member of the Magnificent Seven, who are enshrined in the Olympic Hall of Fame
Chow is best remembered for her role in the U.S. team's unforgettable triumph at the 1996 Summer Games, but she first started tumbling in her hometown of San Jose. However, the sport that would eventually bring her fame didn't have a monopoly on the versatile Chow—she was a competitive diver at Castilleja High School as well as an accomplished pianist.
Though she couldn't compete with the Stanford Cardinal, she continued to participate in athletics while pursuing her undergraduate degree and medical doctorate from the University.
No. 74—Peggy Flemming, Olympic Figure Skater
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Career Highlights:
—1968 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Ladies' Singles
—1967 ABC's Wild World of Sports Athlete of the Year
—Five U.S. skating titles and three World titles
—Skated for four U.S. presidents and at the 1986 re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty
I've been in the Bay Area for over 20 years and had no idea San Jose was such a hotbed of athletic talent. Flemming marks yet another superstar athlete to be born and raised in San Jo.
And she is (maybe was) most definitely as superstar.
A 1993 poll conducted by Nye Lavalle's Sports Marketing Group put the skater behind only Mary Lou Retton and Dorothy Hamill on a list of the most popular American athletes at the time. All for one stinkin' gold medal, which seems a little odd.
Until you learn it was the only gold won at the 1968 Winter Games by athletes donning the Red, White, and Blue. Given our dominance in the modern version, that's pretty hard to fathom.
No. 73—Joe Thornton, C, San Jose Sharks
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Career Highlights:
—2010 Olympic Gold Medalist with Team Canada
—2006 recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy
—2006 recipient of the Art Ross Trophy
—Member of the 2006 NHL First All-Star Team
—Two-time member of the NHL Second All-Star Team (2003 and 2008)
Again, the regularity with which NHL players—including the very good ones—switch teams makes it hard for them to contend on a list of great athletes that takes into account term of service. But there are a few San Jose Sharks who were no-brainers even for a total hockey novice.
Thornton is one of those men.
Although his postseason struggles hurt him, there is no denying the regular season prowess and that he's saved his best (or most of it) for the Bay Area. Aside from the gold medal and the NHL Second All-Star Team placement in 2003, all of those highlights happened in the Teal.
Add the Stanley Cup to his trophy case and he rockets up the charts.
No. 72—Brian Boitano, Olympic Figure Skater
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Career Highlights:
—1988 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Men's Singles
—Two-time World Champion (1986, 1988)
—Four-time United States Champion (1985-88)
—Won an Emmy Award for Carmen on Ice
I was tempted to include his further immortalization by the creators of South Park as a career highlight—c'mon, male figure skaters have to boast a sense of humor—because "what would Brian Boitano do?" is one of the great strokes of comedic genius of our time. But the dude was actually quite a talented athlete and performer so let's play this one straight...
Seriously, winning a national championship in any discipline for four consecutive years is damn impressive. The Mountain View native and current resident of San Francisco did just that before reaching the peak of his sport at the 1988 Winter Games.
Make all the jokes you want, but—more often than not—what Boitano would do was humble his competition.
No. 71—Andre Ward, Professional Boxer
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Career Highlights:
—2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Light Heavyweight Division
—Current WBA Super Middleweight Champion
—Undefeated with a perfect 22-0 record
"Son of God" is still compiling career highlights as I sit here typing. The 26-year-old still has several more years of his athletic prime, which should be even better things await the native of San Francisco. Though born in the City, he grew up in Hayward where he attended Hayward High School and starred on the football team when he wasn't sparring in the gym.
Boxing was always his niche, however, as he amassed a string of impressive victories after starting at the grizzled age of 10. During one six-year period from 1998-2004, Ward didn't lose a single bout.
Oh, he's also an enthusiastic supporter of creationism. Normally, I'd make a joke here...but Andre lives in the Bay Area and is, you know, an undefeated professional boxer
No. 70—Brandi Chastain, Women's National Soccer Team
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Career Highlights:
—1996 Olympic Gold Medalist with Team USA
—1999 FIFA World Cup Champion
—1986 Freshman of the Year at UC Berkeley
—Led Santa Clara University to two Final Four appearances after transferring
The sports bra incident made her internationally famous as it landed Chastain on the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. However, the native of San Jose was already well known around the Bay Area.
The eventual World Cup champion first gained notoriety around here when she led Archbishop Mitty High School to three section championships before graduating to the next level of competition. Obviously, she handled the challenge just fine. Though knee surgeries probably robbed Brandi of her absolute pinnacle, the one she reached wasn't too shabby.
No. 69—Tim Lincecum, P, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner (2008, 2009)
—Two-time Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year (2008, 2009)
—Three-time NL All-Star selection (2008-10)
—2006 Golden Spikes Award winner
—2004 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year
"The Freak" hasn't been quite so freakish in 2010, but we can cut the right-hander some slack given that he's already scored two Cy Young trophies in his first two full seasons. He's not gonna grab a third, but he did manage to make it a perfect three-for-three in terms of All-Star berths this year. In establishing himself as one of the filthiest arms in Major League Baseball, Lincecum has also cemented his status as the face of the San Francisco Giants' franchise.
In less than four years of taking the field every fifth day.
Expect "The Franchise" to place much higher on future lists of this kind.
No. 68—Ray Guy, P, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—Three-time Super Bowl Champion in 1977, 1981, and 1984
—Six-time First-Team All Pro (1973-78)
—Two-time Second-Team All Pro (1979, 1980)
—Seven-time Pro-Bowl selection (1973-78, 1980)
—2004 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
You know a punter is good when you're surprised to find he's not already in Canton. I guess Guy will have to settle with being the only one to ever go in the first round of an NFL Draft. Or being known as the only punter to ever really win games for his team. Or being the first one nominated for enshrinement.
It's not even a hint of an exaggeration to say the graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi was an important piece of the Oakland (and Los Angeles) Raider teams that won a trio of rings.
No. 67—Bob Mathias, Olympic Decathlete
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Career Highlights:
—1948 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Decathlon
—1952 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Decathlon
—Set decathlon world record in 1950
—At the time, was the youngest athlete to win gold in a track and field event
—Led Stanford Cardinal to a 1952 Rose Bowl appearance
Mathias was a native Californian, being born in Tulare County, but he didn't become one of the Bay Area's own until he enrolled at Stanford University after winning the first of his gold medals. Unsurprisingly for a decathlete, the Olympian excelled at a plethora of sports and continued to be a versatile threat in college where he played two years of college football for the Cardinal.
However, his legend was written in the decathlon when he became the first person to ever win the event in two consecutive Summer Games, claiming his second gold by an obscene 912-point margin. His athletic success jump-started a career in politics as Mathias would represent the State of California in the US House of Representatives.
No. 66—Y.A Tittle, QB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1971 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—1963 AP NFL MVP
—Two-time UPI NFL MVP (1957, 1962)
—Two-time NEA NFL MVP (1961, 1963)
—Three-time All Pro (1957, 1962, 1963)
—Seven-time Pro-Bowl selection (1953, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961-63)
Tittle spent the better parts of 10 years with the San Francisco 49ers as the team's quarterback. Ironically, the Hall of Famer had to fight to see the field with the likes of Frankie Albert and John Brodie also competing for snaps. Consequently, the native Texan experienced his greatest glories with the New York Giants.
Yet his stint with the Niners, which lasted from 1951-60, saw him qualify for multiple Pro Bowls in addition to an All-Pro selection and one of his five MVP honors.
No. 65—Hank Luisetti, PF, Stanford Cardinal
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Career Highlights:
—1959 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
—1937 NCAA Champion
—Three-time Pacific Coast Conference Champion (1936-38)
—Two-time All American (1937, 1938)
—Named the second-best player from the first-half of the 20th Century by the AP (to George Mikan)
Luisetti would never play in the NBA due to spiral meningitis, but he made more than enough history by the Bay Area to make the list. Born in the City, the Italian-American would star at Galileo High School before moving on to the Stanford Cardinal. While in Palo Alto, the future Hall of Famer would distinguish himself at every turn.
Most notably, he permanently changed the game of basketball by adopting a one-handed set shot. He also led Stanford to an upset over Long Island University, breaking LIU's 43-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden.
No. 64—Jason Kidd, PG, Dallas Mavericks
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Career Highlights:
—Five-time All-NBA First Team (1999-2002, 2004)
—2003 All-NBA Second Team
—Four-time All-Defensive First Team (1999, 2001, 2002, 2006)
—Five-time All-Defensive Second Team (2000, 2003-05, 2007)
—10-time All Star (1996, 1998, 2000-04, 2007, 2008, 2010)
With all due respect to Gary Payton, Kidd is probably the best high school basketball player the Bay Area's modern generation has ever seen. He was like our version of LeBron James except he never came under the sway of the hometown Warriors. Born in San Francisco, Jason grew up in Oakland and starred for St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda where he led the Pilots to consecutive State Championships.
The Parade and USA Today Player of the Year shocked the basketball world by choosing to become a Cal Bear rather than join up with one of the national powers that came a-courting. Of course, the rude awakening for said powers didn't stop there as Kidd would lead Berkeley to a famous second-round upset of the mighty Duke Blue Devils (who were the two-time defending National Champions).
Surely, more collegiate accolades would've followed had the point guard stayed in school for more than two years.
No. 63—Helen Wills Moody, Professional Tennis Player
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Career Highlights:
—1959 inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
—Eight-time Wimbledon Champion (1927-30, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1938)
—Seven-time US Open Champion (1923-25, 1927-29, 1931)
—Four-time French Open Champion (1928-30, 1932)
—Two-time 1924 Olympic Gold Medalist in Ladies' Singles and Doubles
You might scoff at the notion of a female tennis player from the 1920s making a list of greatest athletes, but that's not giving the woman her due credit. Perhaps the level of competition wasn't what it is today, but the native of Fremont had to deal with other pressures and social stigmas that today's players can't fully appreciate.
Wills Moody didn't just cope with them, she thrived from high school (at Head-Royce School) to UC Berkeley and throughout her professional career. She rose to the World No. 1 ranking nine times and has been described as the first American female athlete to establish international celebrity.
No. 62—Rod Beck, RP, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—1994 Rolaids NL Relief Man of the Year
—Three-time NL All Star (1993, 1994, 1997)
—24th on MLB's All-Time Saves list
—2003 NL Comeback Player of the Year
You can't really appreciate a player like "Shooter" by reducing his career to numbers. Though he posted quite a few stellar statistical years, Beck's true import to the Bay Area is of the intangible variety. One of the San Francisco Giants' greatest closers ever, the big fella endeared himself to fans with an honest, blue-collar approach and a personal ownership of his performances that remains somewhat unique on the professional sports' landscape.
Beck would wear several Major-League uniforms and would develop attachments to both the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres before his untimely death, but the City never held those dalliances against him.
Rod Beck, with one arm dangling in the breeze as he got his signal from the catcher, will forever be remembered fondly in the Orange and Black.
No. 61—Matt Williams, 3B, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—2001 World Series Champion
—Five-time NL All Star (1990, 1994-96, 1999)
—Four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1991, 1993, 1994, 1997)
—Four-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1990, 1993, 1994, 1997)
Matty Williams was so popular during his decade with the San Francisco Giants that general manager Brian Sabean might not've survived the aftermath of the trade that sent Williams to the Cleveland Indians had Jeff Kent not turned into a Hall-of-Fame second baseman. Luckily for Sabes, Kent became just that.
Even so, it took several years for fans to get over the hurt of seeing the third baseman walk out the doors of Candlestick Park. Though Williams' tenure was highlighted by some truly awful Giant teams, he was a constant bright spot—flashing some of the best leather the City's hot corner has ever seen while thumping his way into the hearts of the Bay Area.
His aborted 1994 campaign (43 HR, 96 RBI, and a .926 OPS in only 113 games) will go down in history as one of the true baseball tragedies caused by the strike that year.
No. 60—Robb Nen, RP, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—1997 World Series Champion
—Three-time NL All-Star (1998, 1999, 2002)
—15th on MLB's All-Time Saves list
—Retired as the San Francisco Giants all-time leader in saves (206)
—Literally sacrificed his right arm in an ultimately futile attempt to deliver a World Series to San Francisco
Though Rod Beck might actually be the more popular of the two all-time great San Francisco Giant closers, Nen has the edge because he was also adored, was the better pitcher, and his years with los Gigantes saw the club visit the brink of the Promised Land (before it all went gruesomely awry). With over 300 career saves, the final frame of a Giant game became justifiably known as the "Nenth inning."
In stark contrast to the man currently making a run at Nen's catbird's seat (Brian Wilson), the faithful could begin breathing easily when "Smoke on the Water" started leaking out over the PA in a close ballgame and nothing endears a player to a home crowd more than a knack for coming through in the clutch.
Perhaps more than anything else, that was Robb Nen's calling card—when his rotator cuff was intact, that is.
No. 59—Mark McGwire, 1B/DH, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—1989 World Series Champion
—12-time All Star (1987-92, 1995-2000)
—1990 AL Gold Glove winner
—Three-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1992, 1996, 1998)
—Named to the MLB All-Century Team
Here's our first introduction to the sticky Steriods Era in Major League Baseball. For the record, I don't really care about whether or not an individual was a juicer—enough of the Show was doping that I'm content chalking it up to a level playing field.
Regardless, "Big Mac" drops down to the latter half of the list because he became synonymous with St. Louis in the second half of his career. That sort of disloyalty can't go unpunished...
Nevertheless and home runs aside, McGwire's greatest successes came in an Athletic uniform. Once upon a time and many muscle-bound joints ago, the dude was a pretty slick fielder and proved it with a Gold Glove in 1990. That made for a versatile ballplayer considering we was also the other half of the power duo that blasted its way to the 1989 World Series title.
No. 58—Frankie Albert, QB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1948 AAFC Co-MVP (shared with Otto Graham)
—Four-time All Pro (1946-49)
—1950 Pro-Bowl selection
—1956 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
—1940 All American
Albert was a star for both the Stanford Cardinal and the San Francisco 49ers in the gridiron's early days. In a nice bit of symmetry considering the Niners also gave us Steve Young, Albert is often credited as inventing the bootleg as well as being arguably the finest left-handed quarterback to ever play the game (Young used the former to become the latter).
Although the QB wasn't born in the Bay Area, he moved to Palo Alto for college and would never permanently return to his native Chicago. After coaching the 49ers for several years, Albert would retire and eventually die from Alzheimer's Disease within walking distance of "The Farm" in 2002.
No. 57—Tim Brown, WR, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1997 Second-Team All Pro
—Nine-time Pro-Bowl selection (1988, 1991, 1993-97, 1999, 2001)
—2009 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
—1987 Heisman Memorial Trophy Award winner
The biggest mistake "Mr. Raider" ever made was choosing to star at the same position and in the same geography as the greatest wide receiver of all time. Next to Jerry Rice, Brown's career seems a little pedestrian and it most certainly was not.
The Raider franchise has boasted a number of elite receivers and Brown might just be the best of the bunch—he holds franchise records for basically every meaningful receiving category. However, the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish standout suffers because he (A) never played on a Super Bowl champ; (B) isn't in the Hall of Fame (yet); and (C) had a sometimes rocky relationship with Raiders' owner, Al Davis.
No. 56—Owen Nolan, RW, San Jose Sharks
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Career Highlights:
—2002 Olympic Gold Medalist with Team Canada
—1997 Hockey World Championships Gold Medalist with Team Canada
—Five-time NHL All Star (1992, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002)
—Led eighth-seeded San Jose Sharks to an upset over top-seeded St. Louis Blues in the 2000 playoffs
What's this, an Irish-born professional hockey player?
Interesting though that distinction may be, Nolan pops up on the Bay Area radar because of his contributions to the San Jose Sharks a few years after their inaugural season in the NHL. Though a player the caliber of Joe Thornton might seem out of place lower on the list than Nolan, the Irish-Canadian gets the nod because of timing.
While Thornton came along at a time when more was expected of San Jose, Nolan benefits from the luxury of low/no expectations. That and the monumental upset of the Blues that firmly planted the Sharks' flag on the NHL map.
Nolan's tenure basks in the glow of over-achievement whereas Thornton suffers under the fluorescent bulbs of mild disappointment.
No. 55—Will Clark, 1B, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—Six-time All Star (1988-92, 1994)
—1991 NL Gold Glove Award winner
—Two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1989, 1991)
—1989 NLCS MVP
—2006 inductee into the College Baseball Hall of Fame
"Will the Thrill," as he was affectionately known during his time with the San Francisco Giants, was the gold standard for old-school baseball in the Bay Area in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Though the sluggers in Oakland had all the glitz, glam, and hardware, it was Clark who personified the intense devotion to winning baseball after which most baseball fans lust.
And he wasn't a bad ballplayer, either.
Revered for his clutch hitting, many a Bay Area resident still list Clark's blistered single off Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams in the 1989 NLCS as the greatest moment in San Francisco Giants' history. I know I'll always remember running home from elementary school just in time for that shot up the middle.
Good times.
No. 54—Patrick Marleau, C, San Jose Sharks
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Career Highlights:
—2010 Olympic Gold Medalist with Team Canada
—2003 Hockey World Championships Gold Medalist with Team Canada
—2004 Hockey World Cup Gold Medalist with Team Canada
—Three-time NHL All Star (2004, 2007, 2009)
I'll admit—it does seem strange that the greater the San Jose Shark on this list, the less impressive the career highlights get.
But Marleau makes for an obvious choice as the Bay Area's greatest terror in teal. The Canadian has played his entire 12-year NHL career with the franchise and holds many of its all-time records. As of this season, the center/wing owns the San Jose records for goals, assists, points, being the fastest Shark to 10 goals, and being the fastest Shark to 30 goals.
Now, I don't have much clue what any of that means, but it sure sounds nice.
Doesn't it?
No. 53—Matt Biondi, Olympic Swimmer
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Career Highlights:
—1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4X100-meter Freestyle Relay
—Five-time 1988 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 50-meter Freestyle, 100-meter Freestyle, 4X100-meter Freestyle Relay, 4X200-meter Freestyle Relay, and 4X100-meter Medley Relay
—Two-time 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 4X100-meter Freestyle Relay and 4X100-meter Medley Relay
—1988 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 100-meter Butterfly
—1992 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 50-meter Freestyle
—1988 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 200-meter Freestyle
Along with Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps, Biondi is one of the greatest swimmers in America's storied history. His performance at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul remains one of the most dominant Olympic performances ever—he set world records in four of his five gold-medal heats and narrowly missed a sixth gold in the 100-meter butterfly.
His career was so stuffed with accomplishment that I didn't even mention his enshrinements in both the United States Olympic and International Swimming Halls of Fame.
Or the Palo Alto native's glittering careers at Campolindo High School and UC Berkeley where he was a National Champion in water polo as well as a three-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year (1985-87).
No. 52—Gene Tenace, 1B/C, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—Six-time World Series Champion in 1972-74, 1982, 1992, and 1993 (four as a player)
—1975 AL All Star
—1972 World Series MVP
—1972 Babe Ruth Award winner
Major League Baseball's history is pock-marked with instances of unheralded players hijacking the sport's biggest moments. Tenace is one such example; despite his winning pedigree, the first baseman/catcher will never be confused for a Hall of Famer or possibly even recognized on the street outside of Oakland.
But, for one glorious Fall Classic, Gene Tenace did an admirable Mr. October impersonation.
With the Oakland Athletics in their first World Series and down their best player—Reggie Jackson had pulled his hamstring stealing home with the tying run in Game Five of the ALCS—the club needed a spark against "The Big Red Machine" of Cincinnati.
Tenace provided it and then some, smacking four big flies and driving in nine runs in the seven games to earn MVP honors. Not bad for a guy who had five taters during the regular season and didn't win the starting gig until the postseason.
No. 51—Dwight Clark, WR, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—Two-time Super Bowl Champion in 1982 and 1985
—Two-time All Pro (1981, 1982)
—Two-time Pro-Bowl Selection (1981, 1982)
—San Francisco 49ers retired his No. 87
There's a reason a rather nondescript wide receiver has been taken to the San Francisco 49ers' collective bosom ever since he retired in 1987. When you are one-half of the most famous play in team history, the franchise and its fan base tend to want to keep you around town. Of course, Clark is most famous for being on the receiving end of "The Catch" that beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1982 NFC Championship game and propelled the Niners to their first Super Bowl ring of many.
What gets lost in the confetti is the fact that Clark actually had one hell of a game before that eternal moment—he finished the game with 120 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. The wide receiver from Clemson had a nice nine-year career with San Francisco, but he's cherished for that one play.
Sometimes, that's all it takes.
No. 50—Lefty Gomez, P, New York Yankees
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Career Highlights:
—1972 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Five-time World Series Champion in 1932 and 1936-39
—Seven-time AL All Star (1933-39)
—Two-time AL Pitching Triple Crown winner (1934, 1937)
—Pitched seven World Series games without losing once
For a while there, the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League must've seemed like a feeder club for New York Yankee Hall of Famers. Like Joe DiMaggio after him, Gomez was born in the Bay Area—in the East Bay's Rodeo, which isn't quite as glamorous as the Beverly Hills drive of the same name—and honed his superlative baseball skills by the Bay. He established a name for himself in Oakland at Richmond High School before the Seals recruited him and he eventually ended up in pinstripes.
Though he took his talents to the Big Apple, his heart stayed in the Bay Area. After baseball, Lefty returned to coach children in Crockett, moved to Novato for his later years, and died in Larkspur's Marin General Hospital of congestive heart failure.
No. 49—Gino Marchetti, DE, Baltimore Colts
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Career Highlights:
—1972 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Two-time NFL Champion in 1958 and 1959
—Nine-time First-Team All Pro (1956-64)
—1955 Second-Team All Pro
—Member of the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
—11-time Pro-Bowl selection (1954-64)
Marchetti was an utter beast from the defensive end position for the Baltimore Colts aka Dallas Texans aka New York Yanks. But before becoming an NFL legend in Baltimore, the native of West Virginia attended high school in Antioch, spent a year at Modesto Junior College, and then moved on to the University of San Francisco where he helped lead the Dons to an undefeated season in 1951.
The year of JuCo was necessary because Marchetti enlisted in the US Army during World War II and served as a machine gunner at the Battle of the Bulge. That's quite a dossier for the man who, in 1969, was voted the greatest defensive end in pro football history by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
So good, in fact, that he'd enter Canton three years later.
No. 48—Ollie Matson, HB, Chicago Cardinals
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Career Highlights:
—1972 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Seven-time All Pro (1952, 1954-59)
—1952 Olympic Silver Medalist in the 4X400-meter Relay
—1952 Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 400-meters
—Six-time Pro-Bowl selection (1952, 1954-58)
—1976 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
Matson never played professionally in the Bay Area, spending time with the Chicago Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles before retiring. That's the only thing keeping this monster—who played football at George Washington High School in San Francisco—lower on the ladder.
During the culmination of an illustrious college career at the University of San Francisco, the native Texan led the country in rushing as a senior and did the heavy-lifting on offense as the Dons finished the 1951 season without a loss.
As a neat little bonus, he put himself in an exclusive club (he's probably the only member) by winning Olympic silver and bronze the same year he shared NFL Rookie of the Year honors with a man we'll see shortly.
No. 47—Chris Mullin, SF, Golden State Warriors
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Career Highlights:
—1984 Olympic Gold Medalist with Team USA
—1992 Olympic Gold Medalist with Team USA
—1992 All-NBA First Team
—Two-time All-NBA Second Team (1989, 1991)
—1990 All-NBA Third Team
—Five-time All Star (1989-93)
Mullin isn't a local boy and he didn't play his college ball—which was quite dandy—in the Bay Area, so you know his days shooting jumpers for the Golden State Warriors were memorable.
They were.
Professional basketball hasn't been the same around the San Francisco Bay since he, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond carried the Warriors to annual playoff appearances in the early 1990s as "Run TMC." The sharp-shooting forward was the original member and was also the last to leave when the luminaries in charge traded him to the Indiana Pacers.
Mully saw some dark days in Oakland—both personally and competitively—yet soldiered through it all and his reward was our adoration.
No. 46—Ted Hendricks, LB, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1990 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Four-time Super Bowl Champion in 1971, 1977, 1981, and 1984
—Four-time First-Team All Pro (1971, 1974, 1980, 1982)
—Five-time Second-Team All Pro (1972, 1973, 1976-78)
—Eight-time Pro-Bowl selection (1971-73, 1975, 1980-83)
—1987 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
Hendricks is another pro who wasn't born and didn't grow up locally, but had such an incredible career for the Oakland Raiders that he demands his placement. Though he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and won his first Super Bowl with that franchise, then spent a year with the Green Bay Packers, he saved his best for the Silver and Black.
The Florida high-school football legend helped the Raider franchise win three Super Bowls and was a regular on the All-Pro team while roughing up quarterbacks across the Bay. Oh, and don't go calling him a meathead...for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it's inaccurate.
The burly Hendricks was a physics major at the University of Miami and was known to do math problems to relax.
No. 45—Vida Blue, P, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—Three-time World Series Champion in 1972, 1973, and 1974
—1971 AL MVP
—1971 AL Cy Young Award winner
—Six-time All Star (1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981)
—Currently tied with Don Drysdale and Milt Pappas for 95th on the MLB's All-Time Wins list (209)
—Tossed a no-hitter on September 21, 1970
You look at all those highlights and it's a little strange that the long-time Oakland Athletic and San Francisco Giant isn't already enshrined in Cooperstown.
Only Roger Clemens has matched Blue's feat of winning both the AL MVP and Cy Young Award in 1971. In 2004, baseball god Bill James called the southpaw the hardest throwing lefty in the game and the second-hardest fireballer of his generation (Nolan Ryan would be No. 1). Furthermore, the 20-game winner wasn't simply along for the ride on those championship Oakland clubs.
The man who came to the Bay Area from Louisiana was a primary component. He was so good, commissioner Bowie Kuhn twice vetoed Charlie Finley's attempts to trade Vida based the competitive imbalance they would've created.
No. 44—Joe DiMaggio, CF, New York Yankees
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Career Highlights:
—1955 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Nine-time World Series Champion in 1936-39, 1941, 1947, and 1949-51
—Thee-time AL MVP (1939, 1941, 1947)
—13-time AL All Star (1936-42, 1946-51)
—Named to the MLB All-Century Team
"The Yankee Clipper" first set sail on the San Francisco Bay when DiMaggio's family moved to the City from nearby Martinez, CA soon after the Hall-of-Fame center fielder was born. Though his 56-game hitting streak is perhaps the most unbreakable record in the Major-League books, "Joltin' Joe" actually bested it for the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League where he hit in 61 straight games. He was also named that league's MVP in his final season before the New York Yankees purchased his contract.
DiMaggio's best work was done in the Big Apple, but his life started in the Bay Area and he returned here in death—he was buried in Colma (San Mateo) after a funeral at Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco.
No. 43—Ken Stabler, QB, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1977 Super Bowl Champion
—1974 NFL MVP
—Two-time All Pro (1974, 1976)
—Four-time Pro-Bowl selection (1973, 1974, 1976, 1977)
—Named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
In a lot of other areas of the United States, Stabler would rank much higher on a list such as this because he was obviously a gifted quarterback. But the Bay Area produces and has seen elite QBs by the fists-full. "The Snake" doesn't quite hold up to many of those signal callers, which is more a statement about the quality to pass by the Bay.
Nevertheless, the one-time Bear Bryant recruit from Alabama had a stellar career in the Silver and Black. He was the fastest man behind center to reach 100 wins when he notched No. 100 in his 150th game; only Joe Montana and Tom Brady have better his mark.
And everyone loves a Super Bowl champ.
No. 42—Rick Barry, SF, San Francisco/Golden State Warriors
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Career Highlights:
—1987 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
—1975 NBA Finals Champion
—Five-time All-NBA First Team (1966, 1967, 1974-76)
—1973 All-NBA Second Team
—Eight-time NBA All-Star (1966, 1967, 1973-78)
—Named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996
Barry is undoubtedly one of the greatest cagers to hoop in the Bay Area, but he tumbles down the pecking order for a variety of reasons. Though he spent the vast majority of his career in San Francisco and/or Oakland, he jumped from team to team almost habitually (which may have been a sign of the times rather than a reflection on Barry, but it doesn't matter too much for our purposes).
Additionally, he was the original prickly Barry by the Bay, not exactly a warm and cuddly fan favorite as much as one who demanded adulation because of excellent play. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
No. 41—Gaylord Perry, P, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—1991 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—1972 AL Cy Young Award winner
—1978 NL Cy Young Award winner
—Five-time All Star (1966, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1979)
—Member of MLB's 300-Win Club
—Tossed a no-hitter on September 17, 1968 opposite Bob Gibson
The infamous spit-baller played Major League Baseball for 22 years so he actually spent more time playing against the San Francisco Giants than the decade he spent in the Orange and Black. Nevertheless, the Hall of Famer had some excellent years in San Francisco and formed a lethal one-two combination at the top of the rotation with Juan Marichal.
Unfortunately, those clubs kept finishing as also-rans until Perry moved on and found even greater glory with other franchises. Still, 10 wonderful years in one place earns you a lot of love and you can see it on display whenever the (now) big fella visits AT&T Park.
No. 40—Fred Dean, DE, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—2008 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Two-time Super Bowl Champion in 1982 and 1985
—Two-time All Pro (1980, 1981)
—Four-time Pro-Bowl selection (1979-81, 1983)
—2009 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
Dean originally broke into the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and eventually established himself as a ferocious pass rusher, forming one half of "The Bruise Brothers." However, a contract dispute gummed up the works and San Diego's loss was the San Francisco 49ers' gain. The big man would join the Niners in the middle of the 1981 season and immediately helped power the team to its first Super Bowl title.
A second would soon follow in the 1984-85 season, though Dean had lost a few steps by then and was nearing the end of his storied career.
No. 39—Dave Casper, TE, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—2002 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—1977 Super Bowl Champion
—Five-time Pro-Bowl selection (1976-80)
—Named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
—1973 NCAA National Champion with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
"The Ghost" spent about seven of his 11 years in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders. Those years were the ones that walked him through the doors at Canton. After being drafted in 1974, Casper would get traded in the middle of the 1980-81 season that saw Oakland win another ring, which seems like a rough way to end your tenure with a team.
Regardless, the tight end enjoyed many good times with the Silver and Black. Like most elite players, many of his best moments—including "The Ghost to the Post" and snagging the first touchdown of Super Bowl XI—were authored in the postseason.
No. 38—Billy Wilson, WR, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1957 AP First-Team All Pro
—Six-time Pro-Bowl selection (1954-59)
—1955 Pro Bowl MVP
Judged simply by his highlights, Wilson looks out of place.
But a three-year-old Wilson would flee the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression and land in the Bay Area, eventually attending Campbell High School. After a stint in the US Navy during World War II, the wide receiver galloped across the San Jose State gridiron well enough to catch the attention of the local San Francisco 49ers. He spend his entire 10-year career in San Francisco.
Though he doesn't look all that special on paper, consider he played in an era when passing wasn't the free-for-all it's become in the modern NFL.
Also consider three Hall of Famers—Bob St. Clair, Don Shula, and the late Bill Walsh—are all on the record in the deceased local legend's corner. Walsh even made a public charge to get Wilson enshrined, but the latter had to settle for the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.
No. 37—Dave Stewart, P, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—Three-time World Series Champion in 1981, 1989, and 1993
—1989 AL All-Star
—1989 World Series MVP
—Two-time ALCS MVP (1990, 1993)
—Tossed a no-hitter on June 29, 1990
Stewart is a Bay Area stud through and through.
He was born in Oakland, attended Saint Elizabeth High School in the same city, and then broke out at the Major-League level with the hometown Athletics. Though he spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, and Philadelphia Phillies, he didn't become an elite hurler until he wore the Green and Gold. The local legend would become a regular 20-game winner and vital part of the Oakland teams that were a postseason staple.
Even better, the right-hander would elevate his game in the playoffs and was a devastating weapon from the mound. Plus, he was a total bust for the Bums—like any loyal Bay Area ballplayer should be.
No. 36—Orlando Cepeda, 1B, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—1999 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—1967 World Series Champion
—1967 NL MVP
—11-time All Star (1959-62 for both games, 1963, 1964, 1967)
—1958 NL Rookie of the Year
"The Baby Bull" had his share of off-field problems, but—between the foul lines—he was a dream come true. Though he didn't win the World Series or MVP until moving on to the St. Louis Cardinals, his nine years with the San Francisco Giants were fantastic. Ten of the 11 All-Star appearances and the Rookie of the Year all came while Cepeda played by the Bay.
Despite sharing the diamond with mythical Giants like Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, the Puerto Rican still managed to grab a little of the spotlight for himself. Clashes with manager Alvin Dark probably brought his tenure with the club to a premature end, but it was fun while it lasted.
No. 35—John Brodie, QB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1970 AP NFL MVP
—Two-time All Pro (1965, 1970)
—Two-time Pro-Bowl selection (1965, 1970)
—1986 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
—Spent 18 years on the PGA's Champions Tour from 1981-98
You might say Brodie kept it all in the geographical family—he was born in San Francisco, grew up in Oakland, attended Oakland Technical High School, became an All American at Stanford University, and then spent 17 years with the San Francisco 49ers (1957-73). His career bona fides are somewhat limited by the playing time he lost sharing the backfield with Y.A. Tittle, but the local boy still established himself as one of the Niners' glitterati at QB.
A multifaceted athlete as his second career as a professional golfer proved, Brodie was most impressive on the football field. When he finally did retire, only Johnny Unitas and Fran Tarkenton had more career passing yards.
No. 34—Rollie Fingers, RP, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—1992 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Three-time World Series Champion in 1972-74
—1981 AL MVP
—1981 AL Cy Young Award winner
—Seven-time All Star (1973-76, 1978, 1981, 1982)
—Four-time Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981)
Fingers had his best individual year in 1981 for the Milwaukee Brewers, but he's revered in the Bay Area for his valuable contributions to the Oakland Athletic teams that won a trio of World Series rings. Of the 12 Fall Classic victories, the right-hander won two and saved seven, including two of the three clinchers. The New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera gets all the publicity for being a great postseason closer—and rightly so—but Rollie wasn't a bad precursor.
Generally acknowledged to be the pioneer of modern relief pitching, the man with the famous mustache became only the second reliever to be enshrined in Cooperstown.
No. 33—Catfish Hunter, P, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—1987 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Five-time World Series Champion in 1972-74, 1977, and 1978
—1974 AL Cy Young Award winner
—Eight-time All Star (1966, 1967, 1970, 1972-76)
—Tossed a perfect game on May 8, 1968
Hunter is another one of those Oakland Athletics who rode the triplet of World Series titles to Bay Area immortality. The perennial 20-game winner with the A's amped it up a bit for the Fall Classic, winning four games without suffering defeat as the club snatched three consecutive rings. A contract dispute sent Catfish packing to the New York Yankees where he'd win two more rings.
However, the dispute did no lasting damage to the relationship as Hunter refused to choose which cap he'd where on his Hall-of-Fame plaque—Yankees or Athletics.
No. 32—George Blanda, QB/PK, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1981 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Three-time All Pro (1967, 1970, 1973)
—Three-time AFL Champion in 1960, 1961, and 1967
—1963 AFL MVP
—Named to the AFL All-Time Team
Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, every year except one from 1949 through 1975, the last nine of which were spent with the Oakland Raiders. During that time, the superlative athlete dabbled at linebacker before establishing himself as a premier quarterback and place kicker. He would set a litany of records as a passer that would stand until modern chuckers like Dan Marino and Brett Favre erased them from the books.
Though Blanda never saw a Super Bowl title with the Raiders and wasn't even the starting quarterback, he managed to post quite a few memorable games as both the backup QB and kicker while Oakland came achingly close to the Promised Land.
No. 31—Reggie Jackson, RF, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—1993 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Five-time World Series Champion in 1972-1974, 1977, and 1978
—1973 AL MVP
—14-time All Star (1969, 1971-75, 1977-84)
—Two-time World Series MVP (1973, 1977)
If you need proof of the media's infatuation with the New York Yankees, look no further than Reggie Jackson. "Mr. October" seems synonymous with the Bronx Bombers, but he really spent more time in Oakland (1967-75), was drafted by the franchise (then in Kansas City), won an extra World Series ring with the Athletics, posted his lone MVP season there, and retired with the club that brought him into the Show.
Granted, his time across the Bay—both as a player and later as a coach—was marred with off-field controversies and hard feelings. But, judged strictly by on-field substance, Reggie's career was more Green and Gold than pinstriped.
No. 30—Leo Nomellini, OT/DT, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1969 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Six-time All Pro (1951-54, 1957, 1959)
—10-time Pro-Bowl selection (1950-53, 1956-1961)
—Named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
—1977 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
The Italian brute, who wrestled during the offseason as "The Lion," spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. What's more, he played every game for almost a decade and a half—that's incredible no matter the number of games on the schedule or the era of play. It boggles the mind when you consider those were the days when guys would play both sides of the ball. Nomellini did so and he did it well, earning All-Pro honors as both an offensive and defensive tackle.
Of course, none of that is surprising when you learn Nomellini never played high school sports, instead working at a foundry to help support his family, and served in the Pacific during World War II.
By comparison, the NFL must've seemed like a frolic.
No. 29—Jim Otto, C, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1980 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Three-time All Pro (1970-72)
—Three-time Pro-Bowl selection (1970-72)
—1967 AFL Champion
—10-time All AFL (1960-69)
—Named to the AFL All-Time Team
I was tempted to list all of Otto's surgeries and medical ailments amongst his highlights. Suffice it to say the native of Wisconsin paid a heavy price for starting in every single game for his 15-year Oakland Raider career. The center anchored what would become the franchise's greatest strength, though he would retire several years before the Silver and Black would achieve Super Bowl success.
As a consequence of the physical assault, his body broke down—he required nine knee surgeries during his playing days and 19 more in subsequent years. Add to that misfortune 12 other surgeries, a near-death experience on the operating table, the amputation of his right leg, a bout with prostate cancer (in remission), and the loss of his daughter to a blood clot.
It's obvious the man is a warrior in every sense of the word.
No. 28—Art Shell, OT, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1989 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Two-time Super Bowl Champion in 1977 and 1981
—Four-time First-Team All Pro (1973, 1974, 1976, 1977)
—Two-time Second-Team All Pro (1975, 1978)
—Eight-time Pro-Bowl selection (1972-78, 1980)
—Named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
Shell is considered by many to be the best offensive lineman from the talented group that contributed so mightily to the successful Raider teams of the 1970's. His performance in Super Bowl XI against the ferocious Minnesota Viking defensive end, Jim Marshall, is the stuff of legend in big-ugly circles and beyond. Though his adoration in the Bay Area lost a bit of luster during his head-coaching stint in 2006, Shell remains an iconic figure from the glory of his playing days.
Fun fact (though not for Shell, so much)—the big man owns the record as the longest-tenured diabetic in the NFL.
No. 27—Gene Upshaw, LG, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—Two-time Super Bowl Champion in 1977 and 1981
—1969 All Pro
—Five-time First-Team All NFL (1968, 1970, 1972, 1974)
—1968 Second-Team All Pro
—Seven-time Pro-Bowl selection (1969, 1973-78)
While Nomellini played in every game for 14 years, Upshaw had the nerve to miss a game in his run with the Oakland Raiders. In fairness to the recently departed, the one-game scar occurred in the final year of his 15-year career, after he'd started in 207 straight regular-season games.
Upshaw was, by all accounts, the leader of the Silver and Black offensive line that plowed the road for the most prosperous era of Oakland Raider football. The left guard excelled in all areas of line play, but was especially devastating in the running game where his size and speed were particular assets.
No. 26—Bob St. Clair, OT, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1990 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Nine-time All Pro (1953-56, 1958, 1960-63)
—Five-time Pro-Bowl selection (1956, 1958-61)
—Named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
Bob St. Clair only left the Bay Area when the University of San Francisco gave him no other choice.
Born in the City and a graduate of Polytechnic High School, St. Clair went on to play football for the Dons and was a member of the 1951 undefeated team. Much to his disappointment I'm sure, USF dropped the program, forcing him to finish his career at Tulsa. The San Francisco 49ers brought him back the brief hiatus and he would spend all of his 11 years in the NFL with the Niners.
Canton embraced him because of his offensive line play, but he was a versatile player—inserted on defense in goal-line situations and a monument on special teams (he blocked 10 field goals in 1956).
No. 25—Dave Wilcox, LB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—2000 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Two-time First-Team All Pro (1971, 1972)
—Two-time Second-Team All Pro (1967, 1973)
—Seven-time Pro-Bowl selection (1966, 1968-73)
Aptly nicknamed "The Intimidator," Wilcox dominated from his outside linebacker position. Known for his size, speed, and strength, the Oregonian also used his effective reach and soft hands to intercept 14 passes in his 11-year NFL career. Though many consider him to be the best outside linebacker of his generation, the individual brilliance was never emulated by the team.
The Niners struggled through the early days of Wilcox' career and hadn't yet finished their renaissance before he was forced to hang up his cleats.
No. 24—Jimmy Johnson, CB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1994 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Four-time All Pro (1969-72)
—Five-time Pro-Bowl selection (1969-72, 1974)
—Named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Jimmy Johnson in 1961 and he'd be a star for the next 16 years until retiring after the 1976 season, though not always at cornerback. The multi-talented athlete played both sides of the ball in college at UCLA—he also found success on the track while a Bruin—and the Niners gave his offensive tires a few kicks in his second year as a pro.
Ultimately, the powers-that-be returned him to defense where he'd become one of the best cover corners the League has ever seen (he manned the safety position for a time as well).
No. 23—Willie Brown, CB, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1984 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—1977 Super Bowl Champion
—Four-time Pro-Bowl selection (1970-73)
—Named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
—1967 AFL Champion
—Named to the All-Time AFL Team
The Hall-of-Fame cornerback started his career with the AFL's Denver Broncos before moving to the Oakland Raiders. The success he experienced in his AFL run carried over in spades to when the NFL absorbed it and Brown. An exquisite career in the Silver and Black would peak at Super Bowl XI. Though his best individual years were already behind him, he would set a then-NFL-record by returning a Fran Tarkenton interception 75 yards for six points.
Brown isn't the highest-ranking Raider on this list, but he was when The Sporting News assembled its slate of the 100 greatest football players.
No. 22—Hugh McElhenny, RB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1970 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Five-time All Pro (1952-54, 1956, 1957)
—Six-time Pro-Bowl selection (1952, 1953, 1956-58, 1961)
—1952 NFL Rookie of the Year
—Named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
—1981 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
"The King" was arguably the most popular running back of his generation, which is why he shared the nickname with a contemporary rock 'n' roller of some notoriety. McElhenny also wore the handle "Hurryin' Hugh," the multiple monikers were necessary because of his propensity to stun the crowd and defenders, alike, with speed plus unheralded elusiveness.
Sportswriters and teammates were constantly inspired to bouts of creativity by the superstar's gridiron exploits.
No. 21—Joe Perry, FB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—1969 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—1954 UPI NFL MVP
—Two-time All NFL (1953, 1954)
—Three-time Pro-Bowl selection (1952-54)
—Named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
Most NFL fans have probably never heard of Joe Perry, but students of the game's history won't be surprised to find him here. The fullback spent 14 of his 16 years in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and, in that time, evolved into one of the best ball-carriers professional football has ever seen.
"The Jet" set and held the NFL record for career rushing yards until Jim Brown set the new mark in October of 1963. Additionally, he was the first NFL back to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons, accomplishing the feat in 1953 and 1954.
No. 20—Brent Jones, TE, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—Three-time Super Bowl Champion in 1989, 1990, and 1995
—Three-time All Pro (1992-1994)
—Four-time Pro-Bowl selection (1992-95)
—2002 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
Jones represents yet another story of a local boy living his dream.
The future San Francisco 49er was born in Santa Clara, played baseball and football for Leland High School in San Jose, and then unfurled a stellar career at Santa Clara University. Though he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1986, he ended up with the Niners without ever playing a game for the team that drafted him.
Beloved by the fans for his quietly effective play and congenial demeanor, the tight end was an important cog in the San Francisco machine that dominated Super Bowls XXIV and XXIX. He even grabbed a meaningful touchdown in the laugher against the Denver Broncos, grabbing the game's second six from Joe Montana.
No. 19—Fred Biletnikoff, WR, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—1988 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—1977 Super Bowl Champion
—Six-time All Pro (1969-74)
—Six-time Pro-Bowl selection (1967, 1969-71, 1973, 1974)
—Super Bowl XI MVP
—1991 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
From 1965 to 1978, Biletnikoff essentially wrote page after page of the Oakland Raiders' record book in the "Wide Receiver" section. His string of 10 straight 40-catch seasons is a profound achievement considering the heavily run-oriented nature of professional football at the time. All the more so because he was considered small and slow for the position.
Apparently, the college football legend made up for those deficiencies with his other attributes. In addition to his Hall-of-Fame professional career, his time at Florida State was so stellar that the award given to the top NCAA wide receiver bears his name.
No. 18—James J. Corbett, Professional Boxer
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Career Highlights:
—1990 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
—Won the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in 1892 by knocking out John L. Sullivan
—Successfully defended his World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in 1894
—Fought Peter "The Black Prince" Jackson to a 61-round draw
—Arguably responsible for the evolution of boxing from brawl to art form
Now THAT'S a boxer.
OK, so times have changed...and changed and changed since "Gentleman Jim" ruled the boxing world with a more cerebral approach that utilized jabs and movement. But that's kind of the point—all of that change began with the San Francisco native.
Corbett gets such lofty placement because he was born in the Bay Area, he had to be an incredible athlete to go 61 rounds against "Peter the Great" plus another 21 rounds in triumph over Sullivan, he was a champion, and he was a revolutionary in more ways than one.
His fighting style changed boxing, but he also showed a willingness to fight anyone whose exploits inside the ring warranted the date. Case in point, he gladly accepted the fight against Jackson—a black man from Australia with a superlative resume—after the champ at the time, Sullivan, refused.
Corbett would then prove to be the better man inside the ring against John L., too.
No. 17—Jeff Kent, 2B, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—2000 NL MVP
—Five-time NL All Star (1999-2001, 2004, 2005)
—Four-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2000-2002, 2005)
—MLB's All-Time Home Run Leader at second base (351)
—Only second baseman in MLB history to have six consecutive years of at least 100 RBI (1997-2002)
Jeff Kent was part of a trade that cost the San Francisco Giants a fan favorite, he wasn't exactly honest about a broken wrist suffered in the offseason, he got in a shoving match with arguably the best baseball player the City has ever seen, and he finished his career by playing four years with the blood-rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
So you know the good times in Orange and Black were very good.
The 49ers gave it a good push with the five Super Bowl titles, but the Sucka Free remains a baseball town and Kent was reason No. 1b the 2002 squad almost delivered that elusive first World Series ring to the faithful (non-New York division). Despite the unhappy ending to that Fall Classic as well as Kent's stretch with the Orange and Black, the man remains one of the few former Bums who gets an ovation at AT&T Park.
There's no better way to explain the Bay Area's affection for the future Hall of Famer than that.
No. 16—Nate Thurmond, C/F, San Francisco/Golden State Warriors
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Career Highlights:
—1985 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
—Two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969, 1971)
—Seven-time NBA All Star (1965-68, 1970, 1973, 1974)
—Named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996
—1964 NBA All-Rookie Team
Some people are victims of their circumstances through no fault of their own. "Nate the Great" would fall under this heading due to his unfortunate time...or rather that of his parents. Thurmond would get a lot more all-time basketball love if he didn't suffer the indignity of being a contemporary of Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Even fighting those two immense shadows for sunlight, the long-time Warrior managed to produce an impressive footprint.
The first player to ever record a quadruple double, Thurmond is considered by many experts to be the best balance of offense and defense the Association has ever witnessed. Over 15 years, he posted career averages of 15.0 PPG, 15.0 RPG, and 2.7 APG to further evidence his versatility.
And his Bay Area barbecue is awesome.
No. 15—Roger Craig, RB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—Three-time Super Bowl Champion in 1985, 1989, and 1990
—Four-time All Pro (1985, 1987-89)
—Four-time Pro-Bowl selection (1985, 1987-89)
—1988 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
—Named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
Much like Nate Thurmond gets overlooked because of other-worldly athletes with whom he shared the sporting stage, Craig gets ignored because he counted Joe Montana and Jerry Rice amongst his teammates. When you share the same side of the ball with two of the greatest players your game has ever seen, there doesn't tend to be too much hype left when it's your time to shine.
But the running back did quite a bit of shining during his eight years with the Niners.
While Montana and Rice were setting the world afire, Craig was quietly greasing the wheels as the option that kept defenses honest. Despite heavy competition for the pigskin, the Iowa native managed to record some NFL firsts—he was the first player to score three touchdowns in one Super Bowl, doing so against the Miami Dolphins at Super Bowl XIX; he was the first player to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving during the 1985-86 season; he was the first player to make the Pro Bowl as both a running back and fullback; he was the first running back to break the 100-yard barrier in a Super Bowl; and he remains the only running back to ever lead the league in receptions, which he did with 92 grabs in the 1985-86 season.
Yet he's not in Canton. Odd.
No. 14—Dennis Eckersley, RP, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—2004 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—1989 World Series Champion
—1992 AL MVP
—1992 AL Cy Young Award winner
—Six-time All Star (1977, 1982, 1988, 1990-92)
—Two-time AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1988, 1992)
It's only fitting that Eckersley experienced some of his greatest moments on a baseball diamond with the Oakland Athletics. Fitting because "The Eck" was born in Oakland and was drafted to Major League Baseball directly out of Washington High School in Fremont. Granted, the side-winder didn't go directly to the Elephants nor was Oakland the only franchise that benefited from his considerable talents.
He spun a no-hitter as a Cleveland Indian (the team that drafted him) and won 20 games for the Boston Red Sox during his days as a starter. But his arsenal reached a new level when manager Tony LaRussa decided to make him a full-time reliever. Though Dennis is perhaps most famous for the home run he surrendered to Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series, the dude was plenty filthy in both pitching roles.
Only John Smoltz can hang with Eck in the 20-win/50-save club.
No. 13—Don Budge, Professional Tennis Player
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Career Highlights:
—1964 inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
—Two-time Wimbledon Champion (1937, 1938)
—Two-time US Open Champion (1937, 1938(
—1938 French Open Champion
—1938 Australian Open Champion
—1937 AP Male Athlete of the Year
Budge is widely considered to be one of the best tennis player of all time. His career started by the San Francisco Bay—he was born in Oakland and then attended UC Berkeley before dropping out to pursue his tennis career. Despite a professional career that was cut short by a shoulder injury suffered while in training for World War II, the Bay Area native assembled an outstanding career.
Budge spent five years as the No. 1-ranked player in the world and was the first person to record the tennis Grand Slam—a Wimbledon title, US Open title, French Open title, and Australian Open title—in a single calendar year.
No. 12—Juan Marichal, P, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—1983 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—10-time All Star (1962 in both games, 1963-69, 1971)
—Beat Warren Spahn and the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 with a 16-inning complete game
—Tossed a no-hitter on June 15, 1963
Marichal is another in the line of hard-luck all-timer greats, though a bit of that hard luck was of his own creation as it stemmed from the notorious incident in which the right-hander took a baseball bat to the head of Los Angeles Dodgers' catcher, Johnny Roseboro. Many baseball observers held the violence against the right-hander until Roseboro, himself, made appeals for forgiveness.
The rest of the tough luck came from sharing the era with Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson—two men who would collect a lot of votes for the best Major-League pitcher in the game's long history.
With those two luminaries vying for accolades, it's no wonder "The Dominican Dandy's" dossier is a little light. Of course, his 1983 Hall-of-Fame induction says all you need to know about the man's pitching prowess.
No. 11—Laird Hamilton, Professional Surfer
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Career Highlights:
—Helped invent and popularize tow-in surfing
—Helped invent and popularize kite-surfing
—Helped invent and popularize the foilboard
—Established himself as the greatest big-wave surfer in the sport's history with his drop in on "The Wave" at Tahiti's Teahupo'o Break aka CHOPU
Hamilton isn't a Bay Area product in the truest sense since he moved to Hawaii a few years after being born in San Francisco, but—when you represent the absolute and unquestioned pinnacle of your sport—just a few years is all it takes to qualify for lofty placement on this list.
I'm not a surfer so I can't truly appreciate what it is that Laird Hamilton does so well, but I am a mortal man so I can appreciate that the legendary innovator suffers no lack of courage (though maybe a slight deficiency in sanity).
Nor can I put into words what it is that garners the head-shaking admiration of even those who've never put toes on nose. But only because I'm not sure those words exist. Instead, just watch:
No. 10—Ronnie Lott, SS/FS, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—2000 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Four-time Super Bowl Champion in 1982, 1985, 1989, and 1990
—Eight-time First-Team All Pro (1981, 1983, 1986-91)
—10-time Pro-Bowl selection (1981-84, 1986-91)
—Named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
—Named to the NFL 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams
It kills me to put No. 42 this low in the Bay Area's sporting pecking order because he's one of my favorite football players of all time. The 10-year San Francisco 49er was a holy terror in the middle of the secondary, striking fear into the hearts of even the biggest/burliest offensive options. You could just picture his eyes rolling back into his head like a striking great white shark's as he prepared to bring the wood down field or at the line of scrimmage.
Yet, game after game, some fool receiver or back would ignore the memo about the dangers of touching the pigskin in the savage safety's vicinity. And the victim pay for his transgression in brain cells and blood.
As pretty a sight as Montana-to-Rice was, nothing tickled the fancy of this Niner fan like the sight of Ronnie Lott drawing a bead on his target. Who bets I'm not the only one?
No. 9—Bill Russell, C, Boston Celtics
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Career Highlights:
—1975 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
—11-time NBA Finals Champion in 1957, 1959-66, 1968, and 1969
—Five-time NBA MVP (1958, 1961-63, 1965)
—1956 Gold Medalist with Team USA
—Three-time All-NBA First Team (1959, 1963, 1965) and eight-time All-NBA Second Team (1958, 1960-62, 1964, 1966-68)
—12-time NBA All-Star (1958-69)
It seems like you could continue listing Russell's career accomplishment for days and days—you name it and he won it if the award existed during his era of activity.
The native Louisianan and his family were part of the migration to the Bay Area, more specifically to Oakland, as many came looking for work during World War II. Though a late bloomer, Russell began to establish himself as a force on the basketball court in his junior and senior years at McClymonds High School in the Easy Bay. He stayed in the area to hoop for the University of San Francisco where he would aid the Dons to National Championship in 1955 and 1956 as well as the historic 55-game winning streak.
In college in the City, Russell average over 20 points and 20 rebounds per game while also distinguishing himself on the track and in the high jump.
I hear he had a nice NBA career, too.
No. 8—Willie McCovey, 1B, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—1986 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—1969 NL MVP
—Six-time NL All-Star (1963, 1966, 1968-71)
—1959 NL Rookie of the Year
—1977 NL Comeback Player of the Year
—Member of MLB's 500-Home-Run Club
With all those hitting accolades and more in the long-time San Francisco Giant's storied career, it's ironic to think Willie Mac may be adored in the Bay Area as much for the two-feet of line drive he couldn't deliver. Of course, I'm referring to the infamous (in San Francisco) line drive that ended the 1962 World Series and gave the New York Yankees another title, but would've made the Gents champions had it found a safe landing.
"Stretch" would play 22 years—19 in Orange and Black—and finish with 521 dongs, good for a three-way tie at 18th on MLB's all-time home run list (he shares the plateau with Frank Thomas and Ted Williams). If you remove the Steroid Era sluggers, McCovey jumps to a two-way tie at No. 11 with "The Splendid Splinter."
But, oh, for those two extra feet...
No. 7—Steve Young, QB, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—2005 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Three-time Super Bowl Champion in 1989, 1990, and 1995
—Two-time AP NFL MVP (1992, 1994)
—Three-time First-Team All Pro (1992-94)
—Three-time Second-Team All Pro (1995, 1997, 1998)
—Seven-time Pro-Bowl selection (1993-99)
There aren't many reasons to spare sympathy for "The Stormin' Mormon," but you must feel a little for the guy. Look at all those sparkling deeds and, yet, he'll always be an also-ran in his own franchise. The southpaw signal caller is my favorite football player of all time, but I must admit that he suffers by objective comparison because he wasn't Joe Montana.
That's completely unfair, but it's inevitable when you replace a legend. Even when you become one yourself.
Never before or since has one such blinding talent followed another of even brighter proportions at the position—Young took over the helm and only the god-forsaken Dallas Cowboys' Triplets kept him from becoming the gold standard of professional quarterbacks.
As it stands, many observers will tell you No. 8 is the greatest QB of all time and they can make a strong argument.
No. 6—Rickey Henderson, LF, Oakland Athletics
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Career Highlights:
—2009 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—Two-time World Series Champion in 1989 and 1993
—1990 AL MVP
—10-time All Star (1980, 1982-88, 1990, 1991)
—1981 Gold Glove Award winner
—Holds MLB records for career stolen bases (1,406), career runs scored (2,295), career lead-off home runs (81), and single-season stolen bases (130) amongst many others
Do you see what I meant way back on the intro slide?
We're not even to the top five yet, and already we've covered a tennis player from the sport's highest echelon, the best big-wave surfer the planet's ever seen, one of the best NFL players of all time, and now we come across a MLB player of the same description.
However, unlike Steve Young, Henderson's is more or less a homespun myth.
"The Man of Steal" was born in Chicago, but his family moved to Oakland when he was seven and it was there the phenom would emerge. He played football, baseball, and basketball at Oakland Technical High School before hitting the professional ranks.
Forget about all the circus sideshow, forget the nomadic movement from franchise to franchise, and just focus on the baseball player. That distilled picture shows Henderson to be one of the finest athletes to ever play the game of baseball.
One who combined inhuman speed with considerable pop and a confounding attitude to become one of MLB's supreme agitators in every sense of the word.
No. 5—Willie Mays, CF, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—1979 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
—1954 World Series Champion
—Two-time NL MVP (1954, 1965)
—24-time All Star (1954-1958, 1959-62 in both games, 1963-73)
—12-time Gold Glove Award winner (1957-68)
—Named to the MLB All-Century Team
Though there will never be anything approaching a consensus in a subjective sport like Major League Baseball, "The Say Hey Kid" is one of the few players whose name will ALWAYS arise in a discussion regarding the greatest of all time. That tends to happen when your All-Star appearances outnumber the total years spent in the Show (24 to 22, respectively).
Known for his all-around, five-tool excellence, Mays is cherished from coast to coast since his prime coincided with the Giants move from New York to San Francisco. Additionally, his boyish exuberance on the diamond and unique skills made him a magnetic attraction wherever he went.
In a strange twist, if McCovey's line drive sneaks by Bobby Richardson (or burns a hole in his glove), Mays would be perched atop this list.
No. 4—Barry Bonds, LF, San Francisco Giants
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Career Highlights:
—Seven-time NL MVP (1990, 1992, 1992, 2001-04)
—14-time NL All-Star (1990, 1992-98, 2000-04, 2007)
—Eight-time Gold Glove Award winner (1990-94, 1996-98)
—12-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1990-94, 1996, 1997, 2000-04)
You knew he was coming sooner or later.
Look, you either care about the performance-enhancing stuff or you don't, and I don't. I've said it elsewhere, but let's assume Barry Lamar was juicing (I know, it's a crazy leap). Well, there's still the matter that (A) lots of guys were also doping and didn't hit 762 home runs; and (B) lots of the pitchers serving up the gopher balls were hopped up on something or another.
Regardless, Bonds demands the rarest of air because, though he was born in Southern California, he grew up in the Bay Area and starred at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo where he was a three-sport star in baseball, football, and basketball. The San Francisco Giants knew a local gem with Orange and Black in his blood stream when they saw one, but the two sides couldn't agree to a deal so No. 24 went to college at Arizona State and debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates before finally coming back home.
In San Francisco, fans would come to expect two things from Barry Bonds—record-setting performances and drama.
And a lot of both.
No. 3—Jim Plunkett, QB, Oakland Raiders
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Career Highlights:
—Two-time Super Bowl Champion in 1981 and 1984
—Super Bowl XV MVP
—1980 NFL Comeback Player of the Year
—1990 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame
—1970 Heisman Memorial Trophy winner
—Only NFL quarterback to start and win two Super Bowls who isn't in the Hall of Fame
I wanted to put Plunkett at No. 1; I even had him there until writing the last three slides.
The only player of Hispanic heritage to ever be selected first in the NFL Draft, Plunkett is perhaps the best college football player to ever play for the Stanford Cardinal. Though John Elway is also in the discussion, the Denver Bronco great didn't win the Heisman and he didn't lead the Cardinal to a Rose Bowl victory, both of which Jim did.
The feat takes on extra meaning when you mix in the fact that the QB was born in San Jose (or Santa Clara, depending on your source) and excelled in five sports at William C. Overfelt High School then James Lick High School in San Jo. Along with football, the young virtuoso was also an asset to the baseball, basketball, track, and wrestling programs.
Finally, Plunkett put the ultimate bow on his Bay Area career by playing briefly for the San Francisco 49ers and then leading the Oakland Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XV.
Unfortunately for the Cardinal and Raider star, his lack of commensurate overall production and career accolades keeps him at No. 3.
No. 2—Joe Montana, QB, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—2000 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Four-time Super Bowl Champion in 1982, 1985, 1989, and 1990
—Two-time AP NFL MVP (1989, 1990)
—Three-time First-Team All Pro (1987, 1989, 1990)
—Three-time Second Team All Pro (1981, 1983, 1984)
—Eight-time Pro-Bowl selection (1981, 1983-85, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993)
"Joe Cool" defies statistical description, which is pretty incredible when you consider the gaudy numbers the Pennsylvania native did put up in his illustrious career. Still, it'd be a waste of time to list them here because his true meaning can be summed up in simpler ways—by mentioning "The Catch," for instance.
Or simply by dropping a "Hey, isn't that John Candy?" to one of the San Francisco 49ers many faithful.
It seems like Montana's career by the Bay was a non-stop parade of breathtaking moments like the toss to Dwight Clark that finally beat the Dallas Cowboys and propelled the Niners to their first Super Bowl or the drive that sealed Super Bowl XXIII (the team's third title) against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"The Comeback Kid" basked in all the glamor that came with the position, but Montana was also one tough S.O.B.—he came back from a career-threatening back injury to regain his championship form as well he battled through numerous bumps and bruises throughout his career.
Still, It was his calm under the most intense pressure and his knack for authoring history that makes Joe Montana arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL. Though you'll get no arguments from the Bay Area.
No. 1—Jerry Rice, WR, San Francisco 49ers
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Career Highlights:
—2010 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
—Three-time Super Bowl Champion in 1989, 1990, and 1995
—11-time First-Team All Pro (1986-96)
—2002 Second-Team All Pro
—13-time Pro-Bowl selection (1986-96, 1998, 2002)
—Named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
While Joe Montana and Steve Young were waging their epic battle of "anything you can do, I can do better," the one constant element that brought both men to greatness was No. 80 at the wide receiver position. If we were ranking Bay Area athletes based on professional careers alone, Jerry Rice would have as much separation from the pack as he did on his pass routes in the prime of his career.
Only the fact that Rice isn't from the Bay Area keeps the matter at hand relatively close.
There simply isn't another Bay Area pro athlete that meant as much or was as supremely stupendous as "The San Francisco Treat."
Even the fans in Oakland have to (begrudgingly) give him their appreciation, both because he is unquestionably the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game of football and because he actually spent some time tracking the pigskin in Silver and Black.
But it's given begrudgingly because Rice will always be, first and foremost, a San Francisco 49er and a legendary one at that.
Football in the City may once again return to the championship form, but it will never equal its glory days that saw No. 80 take the NFL record book and run with it.
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