10 Best Players Born in Florida

Florida is a state that is chock full of athletic potential, so when trying to make a list of the ten best players for my "all-star athletes" series it was tough to narrow the list down. The quality of players on this list rivals any state and the sheer number of great players from Florida is beginning to rival that of California and Texas. With that said, let's take a look at the ten best players born in Florida.

Honorable Mentions

Here's a quick list of a few guys who just missed the cut:

Vince Carter

Daunte Culpepper

Al Harris

Devin Hester

Andre Johnson

Chris Johnson

Tracy McGrady

10(tie) Chipper Jones

Born: Deland

Sport:Baseball

Position: Third Base

Notable Achievements: Seven-time All-Star, Two-time Silver Slugger, 1995 World Series Champ, 1999 NL MVP

Chipper Jones has been the face of the Atlanta Braves franchise for the majority of his career. He also just might be the best switch hitter to ever play major league baseball. The guy is simply one of the best all-around players to pick up a bat. Add to that an MVP and a World Series championship and you have a player worthy of this list.   

10 (tie) Warren Sapp

Born: Orlando

Sport: Football

Position: Defensive Tackle

Notable Achievements: seven-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro, 2003 Super Bowl Champ, 1999 Defensive Player of the Year

Warren Sapp is one of the best in the history of the game at getting to the quarterback from the defensive tackle position. Sapp ranks No. 2 all-time in that category with 96.5 career sacks. His hard hitting style and verbal outbursts made him one of the most well liked players during the early 2000s. I mean, the guy's personal website is qbkilla.com, how can you not love him? His elite play and hilarious sense of humor get him on this list.

9) Roy Jones Jr.

Born: Pensacola

Sport: Boxing

Notable Achievements: 54-8 career record, 1988 Olympic Silver Medal, Held a record seven belts at one time.

Roy Jones Jr. is the one of the most impressive boxers to ever step in the ring. He was named the "Fighter of the Decade" during the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America. He was the first man in 106 years to move up from the middleweight division and capture a heavyweight title. He is simply one of the best boxers to ever lace up his gloves and that gets him a spot on this list. 

8) Dwight Gooden

Born: Tampa

Sport: Baseball

Position: Pitcher

Notable Achievements: 1985 Cy Young Winner, 1984 Rookie of the Year, three-time World Series Champ, four-time All Star.

Dwight Gooden's story reads almost like a tale of two pitchers. The guy began his career as fireball-throwing 19-year-old, who scared everybody with his amazing command of his fastball and curveball. In the middle and late '80s there was no better pitcher than Gooden. In fact, his 1985 season was one of the most dominant by anyone during the "Live Ball Era". Then Gooden got into drugs and his career took a nose dive. However, his early career achievements are enough to put him on this list.

7) Artis Gilmore

Born: Chipley

Sport: Basketball

Position: Center

Notable Achievements: 11-time NBA/ABA All-Star, 1972 ABA Rookie of the Year and MVP, five-time All-ABA team, five-time All Defensive team.

Arits Gilmore was finally elected to the basketball Hall of Fame this past year and deservedly so. Upon entering the ABA, Gilmore was a force to be reckoned with. At 7'2" Gilmore was an amazing center who averaged a double double during his career, along with 2.4 blocks. In many eyes, Gilmore was the ABA's second biggest star behind Julius Erving, or Dr. J. He continued his excellence in the NBA when his league folded in 1976. For that, Gilmore makes this list of Florida's best. 

6) Michael Irvin

Born: Fort Lauderdale

Sport: Football

Position: Wide Reciever

Notable Achievements: five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl Champion

Michael Irvin may have seen his fair share of controversy over the years, but his excellent play on the field gained him a birth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a main cog in the early 90s Dallas Cowboys' championship teams, as a member of the "Triplets". Sadly, his career was cut short because of a vicious hit in Philadelphia that damaged his spinal column. However, he did enough in his 11 years to earn a spot in Canton and, more importantly, a spot on this list. 

5) Deacon Jones

Born: Eatonville

Sport: Football

Position: Defensive End

Notable Achievements: Eight-time Pro Bowler, Eight-time All Pro, Two-time Defensive Player of the Year, 1980 Hall of Fame Inductee.

Deacon Jones is considered by many to be one of the greatest defensive players ever. He invented the term "sack" and he piled up a ton of them. Unofficially, Jones sacked the quarterback 26 times in 14 games during the 1976 season which, if sacks were officially recorded that year, would be an NFL record. The next year, he claims to have gotten 24 sacks, also an NFL record. That puts his two year sack total at 50 sacks, which is incredible. Add to that the fact that he also had four other seasons where he had over 18 sacks and you have one of the best ever. Really though, he would make this list based on nickname alone; you just don't get better than the Secretary of Defense.

4) Bob Hayes

Born: Jacksonville

Sport: Football/Track

Position: Wide Receiver

Notable Achievements: Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Three-time Pro Bowler, Three-time All-Pro, 2009 Hall of Fame inductee.

This Hall of Famer may not have the gaudy statistics that Deacon Jones piled up, but as a two sport athlete he really shines. His come from behind victory in the 1964 4x100 meters is one of the most exciting moments in US Olympic history. To be able to go from being one of the fastest men in the world to a being a Hall of Fame wide receiver shows how excellent of an athlete this guy was. His athletic prowess gets him a spot on this list.  

3) Ray Lewis

Born: Bartow

Sport: Football

Position: Linebacker

Notable Achievements: 12-time Pro Bowler, 10-time All-Pro, Super Bowl Champ, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Ray Lewis' list of notable achievements seems to go on forever. The man is most likely the best middle linebacker to ever play the game and certainly the best of this generation. He seems to do everything well and has anchored one of the NFL's best defenses for the past decade. To say that a Hall of Fame birth is awaiting him upon retirement is an understatement. He simply is one of the best football players ever.

2) Deion Sanders

Born: Fort Meyers

Sport: Football/Baseball

Position: Cornerback/Outfield

Notable Achievements: Eight-time Pro Bowler, eight-time All-Pro, two-time Super Bowl Champ, 1994 Defensive Player of the Year.

Deion Sanders, or "Primetime", was one of the first true entertainers on a football field. He could barely tackle, but he made up for it by being one of the best shutdown corners to ever play the game. He was a playmaker also, and his 19 defensive and return touchdowns stand as an NFL record. He wasn't too bad at baseball either. Even though he only played part-time because of his football career, he was still able to amass 186 steals and led the NL in triples during the 1992 season. His ability to play both sports at a high level gained him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past year and the second spot on this list.

1) Emmitt Smith

Born: Penscola

Sport: Football

Position: Running Back

Notable Achievements: Eight-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl Champ, 1993 MVP, NFL record for most career rushing yards.

Emmitt Smith is considered by many to be, at the very least, one of the top four best running backs of all time. He holds the record for most career rushing yards and did it while winning three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys. He also is one of only two non-kickers, the other being Jerry Rice, to score over 1,000 career points. There really wasn't anyone else that could've taken this spot from Emmitt because he really is one of the greatest players the NFL has ever seen.

Dur to the sheer quality of players, there's sure to be some disagreement with this list. Did I leave someone out? Is someone too high or too low? Tell me about it in the comments.