Welcome back to a continuation of our weekly blog detailing the greatest athletes at every number. Last week, we showcased athletes from #00 to #9, and now we’re getting into double digits. Back again for round 2, here are WLTL’s most iconic athletes at every number.
#10 - Lionel Messi (Honorable Mentions: Pele and Walt Fraizer)
He’s the goat. I mean, there isn’t a discussion at all. Lionel Messi began his career with the number 30 before switching to the number 19. In the 2008 season, Messi would finally inherit his now iconic #10 at both the club and international level after his teammate, Ronaldinho, retired from FC Barcelona. Save for a brief change back to his original #30 during his unsuccessful stint at PSG, Messi has worn the iconic 10 to 8 Ballon d’Ors, 4 UEFA Champions League Championships, and, of course, the iconic 2022 World Cup Championship. Lionel Messi holds his spot as one of the few players to be completely synonymous with a sport, and he has taken his place as undoubtedly the greatest soccer player of all time.
#11 - Isaiah Thomas (Honorable Mentions: Mark Messier and Mario Andretti)
The Chicago native just barely wins out #11, and he fought hard for this honor. Isaiah Thomas nearly was a DePaul Blue Demon, yet it was his mother who was convinced that getting him out to Bloomington and into Bobby Knight’s Indiana would be best for him. He took up the number 11 while at Indiana and led the team to a national championship victory in his sophomore year. He was drafted to the Detroit Pistons, where he became the face of the “Bad Boys” Pistons, and together with his best friend Bill Laimbeer and teammates Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman, led the team to back-to-back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990. Isaiah Thomas has his legacy cemented in Detroit, and he has taken his place as a legend, of not only the city, but the sport.
#12 - Tom Brady (Honorable Mentions: Jim Kelly and Terry Bradshaw)
“TB12”, one of the most iconic nicknames in the NFL, fittingly falling to the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady was selected 199th in the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He wanted his #10, which he wore in college with the Michigan Wolverines; however, the number was being used by 15th-year punter Lee Johnson, so Brady never requested a number trade even though Johnson admitted that he would’ve given it up if he asked. Instead, Brady took up #12 and shocked the NFL world when he took up the starting role in his 2nd season and led the team to 3 Super Bowl wins in his first 5 seasons. Brady is the proud owner of 7 Super Bowl rings and records upon records. Brady rewrote what it means to be a successful quarterback in the NFL, and it was out of the question that he would take the honor as our representative for #12
#13 - Dan Marino (Honorable Mentions: Wilt Chamberlain and Alex Rodriguez)
Growing up on his youth team, Dan Marino decided that since his dad was the coach, he would pick his jersey number last. It was this humble decision from a young boy that cemented an NFL legacy. After a talented tenure with the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, Marino chose to sign with the Dolphins rather than participate in the USFL. It was here, paired with Don Shula, that Marino would establish his iconic legacy. Though the Super Bowl always eluded him, Marino is considered by many to be the most individually talented quarterback of all time, and his throwing mechanics and decision-making skills are seen throughout the league today. Marino took the unlucky number and made it iconic.
#14 - Pete Rose (Honorable Mentions: A.J. Foyt and Bob Cousy)
At spring training in 1963, Pete Rose took the field dressed in the number 27. Then, on April 8th, he arrived at Crosley Field to find #14 hanging in his locker courtesy of Ray Evans, who believed that #27 wasn’t befitting of a second baseman like Rose. 62 years later, that Reds #14 is undoubtedly the most well-known number in the franchise. Rose won two World Series and 13 All-Stars with the Reds, and he appeared on the MLB’s All-Century Team. Pete Rose is one of the most controversial figures in baseball history, but he has cemented his legacy as the most iconic #14 in sports history.
#15 - Patrick Mahomes (Honorable Mentions: Bart Starr and Carmelo Anthony)
A current star quarterback taking the spotlight from an old legend. Mahomes wore #5 during his college career at Texas Tech. When he was drafted to the NFL, Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos held possession of the number, so Mahomes looked at other options, notably #4 or #7. In the end, Mahomes settled on #15 because he got to keep the 5, and he wore #15 for his high school basketball team. That red #15 has now been worn to 5 of the last 6 Super Bowls and acquired 3 Lombardi’s to boot. Mahomes is one member of this list who is still writing his legacy, yet what he has already accomplished has propelled him to becoming one of the most well-known quarterbacks in the NFL today and, when he finally trades in the jersey for a gold jacket, one of the most well-known of all time.
#16 - Joe Montana (Honorable Mentions: Brett Hull and Roy Keane)
#16 has had some notable players, however, the grand honors had to go to “The Comeback Kid”. Drafted out of Notre Dame as a 5th-year senior, Montana spent his freshman NFL season behind Steve DeBerg in San Francisco. Montana’s performances won him the starting job over DeBerg for the 1981 season, and just one year later, in a shortened 1982 season, Montana would lead the 49ers to their first Super Bowl victory. The tandem duo of Montana and superstar wide receiver Jerry Rice (who may make an appearance in this list in a few weeks) dominated the NFL and cemented the San Francisco 49ers as the team of the 80s with 4 Super Bowl victories in the decade. While things between Montana and the organization ended on a sour note, the 49ers #16 is forever synonymous with one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
#17 - Darrell Waltrip (Honorable Mentions: Doug Williams and Dizzy Dean)
The #17 is weirdly a number where there aren’t that many legends sharing it. While I personally love Doug Williams, I don’t believe I can rank him higher than Darrell Waltrip. While he was initially given number #95, Waltrip instead preferred #17 so he could emulate his hero David Pearson. Team shuffling led him to drive #88 and #11 (which he piloted to 3 Winston Cup Series Championships); however, it is his final tenure with Hendrick Motorsports that is undoubtedly his most iconic. Waltrip never won a championship in the #17, but he did notably win the 1992 Southern 500, the 1989 Coca-Cola 600, and, of course, the 1989 Daytona 500 in the unforgettable orange and white Tide #17 car. While many forget his driving career for his broadcasting one, Waltrip’s accomplishments behind the wheel deserve to be in the spotlight just as much.
#18 - Peyton Manning (Honorable Mentions: Denis Savard and Kyle Busch)
Like #17, #18 also has a dwindling number of icons in its history, however, one stands far above the rest to take the honors as the greatest #18 of all time. The Manning family are the Kennedys of the football world, and middle child Peyton wore #18 for an honorable reason. His older brother Cooper, a former wide receiver, contracted spinal stenosis and could no longer play football, so younger brother Peyton took up the number but went to a different position. Manning was dominant in both high school and college, with his #18 now retired by both his high school and the University of Tennessee. Manning went 1st overall to the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 draft, and from there, he went on to have one of the greatest statistical careers in NFL history. Like other legends such as Dan Marino before him, playoff success eluded Manning in his career, but he did manage to take home two Lombardi’s as a member of the Colts and the Broncos, wearing #18 all the way. Now, with his spot in Canton and a specialty broadcast of NFL games, Peyton has defined his legacy as one of the most influential quarterbacks of all time.
#19 - Steve Yzerman (Honorable Mentions: Johnny Unitas and Lance Alsworth)
The final number for this week is #19. It came close, but we ultimately decided to go with Steve Yzerman over Johnny Unitas. Yzerman chose #19 to honor his childhood hero, Bryan Trottier. Yzerman joined the Detroit Red Wings in 1983, and in 1986, he began his rise into superstardome in the NHL, making his first All-Star game in 1988. If you watched the NHL in the 1980s and 90s, you knew the name Steve Yzerman, and you knew that #19. Yzerman’s accomplishments as a Red Wing, helping them obtain 3 Stanley Cup victories in his tenure and later becoming an established executive within the organization, has made him Detroit royalty, and undubtably befitting of appearing as the face of the #19.
Commenti