The 50 Greatest Sports Figures From Florida
There's a difference between loyalty to the home team--athletes
imported to play for our local colleges and pro franchises--and
the deep emotional bond we share with hometown heroes, the local
legends we knew back when. They are the boys and girls from next
door, or the next town. We watched them grow up, watched them
play when it was still play. Unfortunately, these luminaries are
almost inevitably dispersed because of sport's mercenary nature,
lured away by scholarships or contracts. Well, we're bringing
'em all back home for the millennium--not necessarily to where
they were born, but to where they first showed flashes of the
greatness to come. Thus, Broadway Joe is in Pennsylvania, not
Alabama or New York; and the Mailman is in Louisiana, not Utah.
The result: the top 50 from your state and, on the following
pages, a list of those from all 50 states. In short, the
ultimate home teams.
#1
Deion Sanders
FORT MYERS
All-state in three sports at North Fort Myers High; football
All-America at Florida State; best cornerback in NFL history; 183
steals in the majors.
#2
Emmitt Smith
PENSACOLA
Ran for 3,928 yards at Florida; NFL's alltime leader in rushing
TDs; helped lead Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles.
#3
Steve Carlton
MIAMI
Second-winningest lefty (329); second-most career strikeouts
(4,136); four Cy Young Awards.
#4
Chris Evert
FORT LAUDERDALE
Unflappable Ice Maiden used tennis's best baseline game to win 18
Grand Slam singles titles.
#5
Bob Hayes
JACKSONVILLE
At 1964 Olympics tied world record in 100 meters and anchored
record-setting 4X100 team; was in three Pro Bowls as Cowboys
receiver.
#6
Rowdy Gaines
WINTER HAVEN
World Swimmer of the Year in 1981; won three golds at '84
Olympics; set 14 world records.
#7
Deacon Jones
EATONVILLE
Premier defensive end with Rams coined the term sack after
bashing so many quarterbacks; seven-time All-Pro.
#8
Doris Hart
CORAL GABLES
Won 35 Grand Slam tennis titles and is one of two players, male
or female, to pull off hat trick--titles in singles, doubles,
mixed doubles--at all four majors.
#9
Kurt Thomas
MIAMI
At 1978 world gymnastics championships became first U.S. male in
46 years to win floor gold; won Sullivan Award in '79.
#10
Wade Boggs
TAMPA
Batted .300 in 15 of 18 major league seasons; retired in 1999
with 3,010 hits.
#11
Artis Gilmore
CHIPLEY
Led Jacksonville to NCAA final in 1970; was 11-time All-Star in
ABA and NBA; holds NBA record for career field goal shooting
(59.9%).
#12
Tim Raines
SANFORD
Seven-time All-Star has 2,561 hits and is fifth alltime in
steals with 807.
#13
Nancy Hogshead
JACKSONVILLE
Set national butterfly record as 14-year-old at Episcopal High;
took three golds and a silver at 1984 Olympics.
#14
Ted Hendricks
MIAMI
University of Miami defensive star went to eight Pro Bowls in 15
NFL seasons.
#15
Mitch Richmond
FORT LAUDERDALE
One of four players to average 21 points in each of first 10 NBA
seasons; Rookie of the Year in 1989 and six-time All-Star.
#16
Michael Irvin
FORT LAUDERDALE
Rewrote Miami receiving records and won national title in 1987;
Cowboys' alltime leader in catches (750) and receiving yards
(11,904).
#17
Jim Courier
SANFORD
One of six men in Open era to reach singles finals at all four
tennis majors; has two wins each at Australian and French Opens.
#18
Andre Dawson
MIAMI
Major league Rookie of the Year in 1977, MVP in '87 and
eight-time All-Star; hit 438 homers.
#19
Anthony Carter
RIVIERA BEACH
Three-time All-America at Michigan from 1980 to '82 holds NCAA
record for all-purpose yards; averaged 16.0 yards per catch in
nine NFL seasons.
#20
George Mira
KEY WEST
At Miami tied NCAA record for career completions in 1963;
two-time All-America.
#21
Bobby Allison
MIAMI
Won 84 NASCAR races, tying him for third on alltime list;
had one season title (1983).
#22
John Pennel
CORAL GABLES
Two-time Olympian broke IAAF pole vault record four times
between 1963 and '69; won Sullivan Award in '63.
#23
Dwight Gooden
TAMPA
Set rookie strikeout record as 19-year-old with Mets in 1984;
won Cy Young in '85; pitched no-hitter for Yankees in '96.
#24
Pete Pihos
ORLANDO
Top end of 1940s and '50s led NFL in receptions in each of his
last three seasons.
#25
Don (Big Daddy) Garlits
TAMPA
Won more events than any other drag racer (146) and 10 AHRA
world championships; first drag racer to break 180-, 200-, 240-,
250- and 260-mph barriers.
#26
David Duval
JACKSONVILLE
Eight wins on PGA Tour in last two years; 10th on Tour's alltime
money list after just five years.
#27
Alex Rodriguez
MIAMI
Led Westminster Christian High to 1992 national high school
baseball title; led AL in average, runs and doubles in first full
season ('96); set AL mark for homers by shortstop (42) in '98.
#28
Arnold Tucker
MIAMI
Winner of 1946 Sullivan Award; starred in Army backfield with Doc
Blanchard and Glenn Davis.
#29
Harold Carmichael
JACKSONVILLE
With Eagles caught a pass in then NFL-record 127 straight games;
four Pro Bowls.
#30
Jose Canseco
MIAMI
With A's in 1988 became baseball's first 40-40 man and won MVP;
431 career homers.
#31
Warren Sapp
PLYMOUTH
Won 1994 Lombardi Trophy at Miami; now one of NFL's most feared
defensive linemen with Buccaneers; went to Pro Bowl in '97 and
'98.
#32
Steve Garvey
TAMPA
Holds NL record for consecutive games played (1,207); 1974 MVP
won four Gold Gloves at first base.
#33
Gardnar Mulloy
MIAMI
Won four doubles titles at U.S. tennis championships;
became oldest top-ranked U.S. singles player in 1952, at 38.
#34
Rafael Palmeiro
MIAMI
Underrated first baseman is among 1990s big league leaders in
homers (328) and RBIs (1,068); has two Gold Gloves.
#35
Ottis Anderson
WEST PALM BEACH
From 1979 to '92 had six 1,000-yard seasons with Cardinals and
Giants; 12th-leading rusher in NFL history.
#36
Wes Chandler
NEW SMYRNA BEACH
Deep threat in Chargers' Air Coryell offense; had three 200-yard
games; played in four Pro Bowls in 13 NFL seasons.
#37
Al Lopez
TAMPA
Catcher hit .261 from 1928 to '47; eighth among managers with
.584 winning percentage (minimum: 1,000 games).
#38
Larry Little
MIAMI
Anchor of Dolphins' offensive line from 1969 to '80 was six-time
All-Pro and won two Super Bowl rings with Miami.
#39
Boog Powell
LAKELAND
Prototype slugger and 1970 AL MVP hit 339 homers in 17-year
career; four World Series with Orioles from '66 to '71.
#40
Dot Richardson
ORLANDO
NCAA softball player of the decade for 1980s; shortstop hit
winning homer in gold medal game at '96 Olympics.
#41
Nat Moore
MIAMI
Set Florida season rushing record as junior in 1972; retired as
owner of Dolphins' marks for catches, yards and TDs.
#42
Cris Collinsworth
TITUSVILLE
Sure-handed receiver on Bengals' 1981 and '88 Super Bowl teams;
had four 1,000-yard seasons; three Pro Bowls.
#43
Chipper Jones
JACKSONVILLE
State's high school player of the year in 1990; emerged as
game's deadliest switch-hitter during '99 MVP year with Braves.
#44
Jack Youngblood
MONTICELLO
All-America defensive end at Florida went to seven Pro Bowls;
played in 201 straight games in 14 years with Rams.
#45
Rick Casares
TAMPA
Star fullback at Jefferson High and Florida in 1950s; Bears'
third-leading alltime rusher.
#46
Derrick Thomas
MIAMI
Holds Alabama sack record (52); has made Pro Bowl in nine of 10
NFL seasons; had record seven sacks in 1990 game.
#47
Herb Score
LAKE WORTH
Indians hurler blew away AL with 36 wins in first two seasons;
wasn't the same after 1957 line drive to face.
#48
Glenn (Fireball) Roberts
APOPKA
Won Daytona 500 in 1962; had 32 victories on NASCAR circuit
from '50 to '64.
#49
Willie Galimore
SARASOTA
Three-time Black College All-America rusher at Florida A&M; Bears
star for seven years until he died in 1957 auto accident.
#50
Don Sutton
PENSACOLA
Righthander is third alltime in starts (756), fifth in strikeouts
(3,574); won 324 games in 23 major league seasons with five
clubs.
COLOR PHOTO: BILL FRAKES #2 Emmitt Smith