Jim Thorpe, Multisport athlete
Perhaps the 20th century's greatest athlete, Thorpe, who was born
in Prague, Okla., won the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912
Olympics. (His medals were revoked because he'd been paid for
playing semipro baseball.) He played pro football and major
league baseball.
Mickey Mantle, Baseball player
As an outfielder and first baseman for the New York Yankees from
1951 through '68, the Commerce Comet won seven World Series
rings, three AL MVP awards and the 1956 Triple Crown. Though knee
injuries took away his speed, he still had the power to hit 536
home runs.
Lee Roy Selmon, Football player
The defensive end from Eufaula won the Lombardi and Outland
trophies at Oklahoma and was the top pick in the 1976 NFL draft.
He had 78 1/2 sacks in nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Bucs. His
brothers, Dewey and Lucious, also played pro football and for the
Sooners.
Steve Largent, Football player
The Seattle Seahawks wideout retired in 1989 with six major NFL
receiving records, including most yards (13,089) and touchdowns
(100). Born in Tulsa, he went to Putnam City High in Oklahoma
City (where he played with future Jets quarterback Pat Ryan).
Johnny Bench, Baseball player
The Hall of Famer from Oklahoma City won 10 Gold Gloves and hit
389 home runs while catching for Cincinnati's Big Red Machine
teams, which won four pennants and two World Series. He was twice
named National League MVP.
Carl Hubbell, Baseball player
The lefty screwballer from Meeker won 253 games for the New York
Giants, including a big-league-record 24 games in a row in 1936
and '37. His most legendary feat was consecutively striking out
five future Hall of Famers in the '34 All-Star Game.
COLOR PHOTO: PETER READ MILLER (LARGENT)
COLOR PHOTO: ERIC SCHWEIKARDT (BENCH)
B/W PHOTO: TSN/ICON SMI (HUBBELL)
COLOR PHOTO: MANNY RUBIO (SELMON)
COLOR PHOTO: AP (MANTLE)
B/W PHOTO: DU CIO (THORPE)
