The 50 Greatest Sports Figures From Louisiana

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
Karl (Mailman) Malone
SUMMERFIELD
Averaged 20.9 points at Louisiana Tech; has won two NBA MVP
awards; named All-NBA first-team a record 11 times; 26.1 career
scoring average.

#2
Eddie Robinson
BATON ROUGE
Former Leland College quarterback won NCAA-record 408 games as
coach at Grambling (1941 to '97).

#3
Mel Ott
GRETNA
First National Leaguer to hit 500 homers; drove in 100 runs nine
times during 22-year career with Giants from mid-1920s to late
'40s.

#4
Terry Bradshaw
SHREVEPORT
Set national high school javelin record at Woodlawn; led Steelers
to four NFL titles; MVP of Super Bowls XIII and XIV.

#5
Bob Pettit
BATON ROUGE
Averaged 27.4 points at LSU; with Hawks in 1950s and '60s, played
in 11 straight NBA All-Star Games.

#6
Elvin Hayes
RAYVILLE
Scored 36.8 points a game as senior at Houston in 1967-68;
All-Star in each of his first 12 NBA seasons.

#7
Lou Brock
COLLISTON
After being traded to Cards in mid-1964, hit .348 and stole 33
bases to spark St. Louis to world championship; finished career
with 3,023 hits and 938 steals.

#8
Billy Cannon
BATON ROUGE
State's biggest folk hero led LSU to 1958 NCAA football crown;
won Heisman Trophy in '59.

#9
Robert Parish
SHREVEPORT
Averaged 21.6 points at Centenary; holds NBA record for games
played (1,611); nine All-Star Games and three titles with Celtics
(1981, '84, '86).

#10
Willis Reed
BERNICE
Led Grambling to NAIA title in 1961 and Knicks to two NBA
crowns; '70 league MVP.

#11
Charlie Joiner
LAKE CHARLES
Retired from Chargers in 1986 with NFL records for catches (750)
and receiving yards (12,146).

#12
Joe Dumars
NATCHITOCHES
Averaged 22.3 points at McNeese State and 16.3 points in NBA
(1986-87 to '88-99); six-time All-Star.

#13
Jim Taylor
BATON ROUGE
All-America fullback at LSU had five straight 1,000-yard rushing
seasons for Packers of 1950s and '60s.

#14
Ted Lyons
VINTON
Tossed no-hitter in 1926 for White Sox; won 260 games from 1920s
to '40s.

#15
Ron Guidry
LAFAYETTE
Louisiana Lightning went 25-3 with 1.74 ERA for world champion
Yankees in 1978; career winning percentage of .651 (170-91).

#16
Peyton Manning
NEW ORLEANS
National high school player of the year in 1993 at Isidore Newman
High; three-time AP All-America at Tennessee; excelling with
Colts in second NFL season.

#17
Vida Blue
MANSFIELD
AL MVP in 1971 when he went 24-8 with 1.82 ERA for A's; only
pitcher to win All-Star Game for each league.

#18
Eddie Delahoussaye
NEW IBERIA
Has ridden more than 6,000 winners, including back-to-back
Kentucky Derby champions in 1982 and '83.

#19
Steve Van Buren
NEW ORLEANS
Broke SEC rushing record as senior at LSU in 1944, his first year
as tailback; won four NFL rushing titles with Eagles.

#20
Bert Jones
RUSTON
Colts quarterback from LSU was NFL MVP in 1976 (3,104 passing
yards, 24 TDs); two-time All-Pro.

#21
Rod Milburn
APELOUSAS
Southern U hurdler won Olympic gold in 110-meter hurdles in
1972; won 78 straight races in '70 and '71.

#22
Lee Smith
CASTOR
Baseball's alltime save leader with 478; averaged more than 25
saves a year from 1983 to '95.

#23
Joe Ferguson
SHREVEPORT
Threw for 29,817 yards in 18-year NFL career (1973 to '90),
including a league-high 2,803 for Bills in '77.

#24
Doug Williams
ZACHARY
Current Grambling coach was All-America quarterback for Tigers in
1976 and '77; MVP of Super Bowl XXII with Redskins.

#25
Albert Belle
SHREVEPORT
Surly slugger starred at LSU and has averaged 39 home runs and
122 RBIs in nine full major league seasons.

#26
Leslie Gaudet
PINE PRAIRIE
Nice guys can win: In 1970 he retired as basketball coach from
Pine Prairie High with a national high school record 1,026
wins--and no technicals.

#27
Pam Kelly
CALDWELL
Three-time basketball All-America helped Louisiana Tech to four
Final Fours and 1981 and '82 national championships.

#28
Dalton Hilliard
PATTERSON
LSU's alltime leading rusher (4,050 yards); second-leading rusher
in Saints history (4,164 yards from 1986 to '93).

#29
John David Crow
SPRINGHILL
Won Heisman under Bear Bryant at Texas A&M in 1957; became first
1,000-yard rusher in Cardinals history, in '60.

#30
Skip Bertman
BATON ROUGE
Coached LSU baseball team to four College World Series titles in
1990s.

#31
J.R. Richard
RUSTON
Dominating power pitcher's career was cut short by stroke in
1980; led NL in strikeouts (313) and ERA (2.71) in '79.

#32
Charles (Cotton) Nash
LAKE CHARLES
First Kentucky hoopster to average 20 points in three straight
seasons; played pro basketball in 1967-68 and pro baseball in
'67, '69 and '70.

#33
Glenn (Slats) Hardin
BATON ROUGE
Four-time NCAA track champion at LSU won Olympic 440-meter hurdle
silver in 1932, gold in '36.

#34
Pat Henry
BATON ROUGE
LSU track coach has led Tigers to 19 national titles since 1988;
his runners have also won 55 individual and relay titles.

#35
Marshall Faulk
NEW ORLEANS
In 1992 became first back since '71 to win back-to-back NCAA
rushing titles; 1,000 rushing yards in five of six NFL seasons.

#36
Greg Procell
EBARB
Nation's alltime leading high school basketball scorer (6,702
points); averaged 46.7 points as senior at Ebarb High in 1969-70.

#37
Kim Mulkey
HAMMOND
Led Hammond High to four state hoops titles; guided Louisiana
Tech to two NCAA crowns; won Olympic gold in 1984.

#38
Jackie Smith
KENTWOOD
Northwestern State star was one of NFL's first great
pass-catching tight ends (480 catches for 7,918 yards from 1963
to '78).

#39
Joe Adcock
COUSHATTA
Slugged four homers in a game for Braves in 1954; had 336 career
homers, .277 lifetime average.

#40
Kathy Johnson Clarke
SHREVEPORT
All-America gymnast at Centenary won team silver medal and bronze
on balance beam in 1984 Olympics.

#41
Dub Jones
RUSTON
End during Browns' heyday of late 1940s and early '50s; shares
NFL record with six TDs in a '51 game against Bears.

#42
Johnny Robinson
BATON ROUGE
SEC tennis champion; played alongside Cannon in LSU backfield;
57 interceptions as NFL defensive back (1960 to '71).

#43
Hal Sutton
SHREVEPORT
Won PGA Championship in 1983 and topped Tour money list with
$426,668; has 11 career tournament victories.

#44
Alvin Dark
LAKE CHARLES
LSU star was NL Rookie of the Year in 1948 with Braves; as
manager, won 994 games and three pennants.

#45
Mickey Patterson
NEW ORLEANS
Became first African-American woman to win an Olympic medal when
she took the 220-meter track bronze in 1948.

#46
Bob (Butterbean) Love
BASTROP
Was NAIA All-America at Southern U in 1965; led Bulls in scoring
seven straight seasons (1969-70 through '75-76).

#47
Joe Brown
BATON ROUGE
Won lightweight belt in 15-round decision over Bud Smith in 1956
despite breaking right hand in second round.

#48
Kent Desormeaux
MAURICE
Won Eclipse Award as top jockey in 1989 and '92; took first two
legs of Triple Crown aboard Real Quiet in '98.

#49
Rich Jackson
NEW ORLEANS
Southern U grad was a four-time All-Pro defensive end for
Broncos from 1966 to '72.

#50
Gaynell (Gus) Tinsley
HOMER
First football All-America at LSU, in 1935 and '36; after being
two-time All-Pro end, returned to coach Tigers from 1948 to '54.

COLOR PHOTO: DAN BUDNIK #4 Terry Bradshaw