This is a thread we have going at NinerNation and I thought it was interesting, so I thought I'd pose it over here.

In YOUR opinion, who are the 5 greatest athletes born/raised in your school's state? This can be athletic accomplishments combined with athletic ability, or however YOU choose to define it. For the purposes of this thread, it does not count if they moved to your state for college or professional sports, etc. Only natives of the state - we will count moving there very young and being raised there for their younger years.

For NC, my list is the following (in no order):

David Thompson
Michael Jordan
Richard Petty
Ray Floyd
Gaylord Perry

I haven't come up with one for VA, yet.

Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn,NY

My Virginia List:

Lawrence Taylor
Ralph Sampson
Allen Iverson/Lou Creekmur
Sam Snead
Arthur Ashe

or Moses Malone, Dell Curry, Alonzo Mourning, Nancy Liberman, Tiki & Rande Barber, etc.

It's pretty difficult to determine a cut-off. Also, do you eliminate for character issues (Iverson/Taylor)? Where do coaches fit?

(06-19-2015 03:19 PM)marlonfield Wrote:  Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn,NY

See the original post, though "we will count moving there very young and being raised there for their younger years."

He moved there when he was very young and has always considered himself a North Carolina native.

For instance, on SI's greatest athletes from every state, he is listed for North Carolina, not New York.

(06-19-2015 03:31 PM)TribeNiner Wrote:  My Virginia List:

Lawrence Taylor
Ralph Sampson
Allen Iverson/Lou Creekmur
Sam Snead
Arthur Ashe

or Moses Malone, Dell Curry, Alonzo Mourning, Nancy Liberman, Tiki & Rande Barber, etc.

It's pretty difficult to determine a cut-off. Also, do you eliminate for character issues (Iverson/Taylor)? Where do coaches fit?

You omitted the very greatest Virginia-born athletes -- who in fact is my nomination for athlete of the millennium ....



Secretariat.



No one else comes close to dominating his or her sport in the way that Big Red dominated horse racing.

(06-19-2015 03:41 PM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  

(06-19-2015 03:31 PM)TribeNiner Wrote:  My Virginia List:

Lawrence Taylor
Ralph Sampson
Allen Iverson/Lou Creekmur
Sam Snead
Arthur Ashe

or Moses Malone, Dell Curry, Alonzo Mourning, Nancy Liberman, Tiki & Rande Barber, etc.

It's pretty difficult to determine a cut-off. Also, do you eliminate for character issues (Iverson/Taylor)? Where do coaches fit?

You omitted the very greatest Virginia-born athletes -- who in fact is my nomination for athlete of the millennium ....



Secretariat.



No one else comes close to dominating his or her sport in the way that Big Red dominated horse racing.

Excellent point

Randy Moss and 4 nobodies.

But seriously, I don't feel like doing the research so maybe someone can make a better list, but after Moss, I'd add:

Jerry West
Hal Greer
Mary Lou Retton
Hack Wilson

The five greatest athletes (or historical Figures in athletics) born in Tennessee, might include:

1. First Black BB player at Vanderbilt and SEC: Perry Wallace, Nashville Native
2. QB Heisman Winner Nat'l Championship Coach: Steve Spurrier
Johnson City Native
3. Olympic Gold (3) Medal Winner and TSU Tigerbelle: Wilma Rudolph
Clarksville Native
4. Memphis and NBA Star: Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway
Memphis Native
5. Chicago Bears and Vandy QB Bill Wade
Nashville Native
Second Tier or Honorable Mention:
6. David Price- Pitcher Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Vandy Murfreesboro Native
7. Don Griffin- NBA Def. Rookie of the Year, two time Super Bowl Champ 49ers, MTSU All-American Murfreesboro Native
8. Sonny Gray-Pitcher Oakland A's, Vandy Smyrna Native
9. Clyde Lee- NBA 12 year career and SEC Player of the Year at VU
Nashville Native
10. Shawn Marion-NBA Journeyman, UNLV and Phoenix Suns
Clarksville Native

None of these dudes needs an introduction.

Jesse Owens
Bo Jackson
Henry Aaron
Willy Mays
Joe Webb

You could start a decent football team with these 5
Walter Payton
Jerry Rice
Brett Favre
Jackie Slater or Will Shields
Lem Barney or Willie Brown


Others:
Danny Manning
Spencer Haywood
Roy Oswalt
Ralph Boston

Reggie Collier, Wendall Ladner, Archie Manning, Walter Payton, Purvis Short/Brett Favre....

(06-19-2015 04:28 PM)Smaug Wrote:  None of these dudes needs an introduction.

Jesse Owens
Bo Jackson
Henry Aaron
Willy Mays
Joe Webb

One of those probably doesn't belong on that list.

(06-19-2015 04:16 PM)keebler645 Wrote:  Randy Moss and 4 nobodies.

But seriously, I don't feel like doing the research so maybe someone can make a better list, but after Moss, I'd add:

Jerry West
Hal Greer
Mary Lou Retton
Hack Wilson

I wouldn't call at least the top 4 nobodies, but I would add Hot Rod Hundley.

(06-19-2015 04:03 PM)TribeNiner Wrote:  

(06-19-2015 03:41 PM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  

(06-19-2015 03:31 PM)TribeNiner Wrote:  My Virginia List:

Lawrence Taylor
Ralph Sampson
Allen Iverson/Lou Creekmur
Sam Snead
Arthur Ashe

or Moses Malone, Dell Curry, Alonzo Mourning, Nancy Liberman, Tiki & Rande Barber, etc.

It's pretty difficult to determine a cut-off. Also, do you eliminate for character issues (Iverson/Taylor)? Where do coaches fit?

You omitted the very greatest Virginia-born athletes -- who in fact is my nomination for athlete of the millennium ....



Secretariat.



No one else comes close to dominating his or her sport in the way that Big Red dominated horse racing.

Excellent point

BIG RED!!!

Michael Johnson
Nolan Ryan
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Lance Armstrong
Earl Campbell

(06-19-2015 03:08 PM)TribeNiner Wrote:  This is a thread we have going at NinerNation and I thought it was interesting, so I thought I'd pose it over here.

In YOUR opinion, who are the 5 greatest athletes born/raised in your school's state? This can be athletic accomplishments combined with athletic ability, or however YOU choose to define it. For the purposes of this thread, it does not count if they moved to your state for college or professional sports, etc. Only natives of the state - we will count moving there very young and being raised there for their younger years.

For NC, my list is the following (in no order):

David Thompson
Michael Jordan
Richard Petty
Ray Floyd
Gaylord Perry

I haven't come up with one for VA, yet.

For NC you could consider Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Roman Gabriel, and Julius Peppers

(06-19-2015 03:08 PM)TribeNiner Wrote:  This is a thread we have going at NinerNation and I thought it was interesting, so I thought I'd pose it over here.

In YOUR opinion, who are the 5 greatest athletes born/raised in your school's state? This can be athletic accomplishments combined with athletic ability, or however YOU choose to define it. For the purposes of this thread, it does not count if they moved to your state for college or professional sports, etc. Only natives of the state - we will count moving there very young and being raised there for their younger years.

For NC, my list is the following (in no order):

David Thompson
Michael Jordan
Richard Petty
Ray Floyd
Gaylord Perry

I haven't come up with one for VA, yet.

David Thompson is the correct answer here.

(06-19-2015 04:56 PM)USMSTUD Wrote:  

(06-19-2015 04:28 PM)Smaug Wrote:  None of these dudes needs an introduction.

Jesse Owens
Bo Jackson
Henry Aaron
Willy Mays
Joe Webb

One of those probably doesn't belong on that list.

Still stings, huh?

(06-19-2015 04:16 PM)keebler645 Wrote:  Randy Moss and 4 nobodies.

But seriously, I don't feel like doing the research so maybe someone can make a better list, but after Moss, I'd add:

Jerry West
Hal Greer
Mary Lou Retton
Hack Wilson

Id lop off Mary Lou Retton and Hank Wilson and put on Hot Rod Hundley and Frank "Gunner" Gatski.

For Louisiana I'm going to say:

Peyton Manning
Bill Russell
Karl Malone
Terry Bradshaw
Mel Ott