This is a countdown the top 10 greatest athletes who ever played professional sports in New York City.
New York City has a rich history sports. From baseball, to football, to basketball, to hockey, New York has been privileged to be the home to some of the greatest athletes who have ever lived.
There can never be a definitive answer of who is the best when comparing athletes who play different sports, but I will use a number of criteria to make the best list possible. From the each player's stats, to the legacy they left behind in their city and their sport, I will construct a list that would make any New York sport's fan realize how lucky we have been to see some of the greatest to ever play.
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10) Brian Leetch
Brian Leetch played 16 of his 18 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers, including 1994 when the Rangers ended their 54 year Stanley Cup drought. Leetch wasted no time making his name known around the league, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy in his first season of 1989, an award giving to the NHL's best rookie.
The imposing defenseman won his fair share of individual awards while with the Blueshirts, but none more important than in 1994 when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, a trophy rewarded to the best player throughout the playoffs. He was the first American-born player to win the prestigious award.
The longtime Ranger captain from Corpus Christi, Texas also represented team USA in the Olympics, winning a silver medal in 2002. Leetch's legacy with the Rangers is unmatched, as he is has the most all-time assists for the team with 741, and played in the second most games as a Ranger, 1129.
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9) Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing was taken with the first pick of the NBA draft in 1985 and from the point carried the entire franchise on his back. The seven footer from Kingston, Jamaica was one of the most hyped players to ever come out of college, as Ewing was an unbelievable player while at Georgetown, winning a National Championship in 1985 and being named player of the year in 1985.
Ewing made 11 all-star teams throughout his career, and was a part of the 1992 Dream Team that won the gold medal at the Olympics and is considered the greatest basketball team ever assembled.
Ewing made it to two NBA Finals with the Knicks, in 1994 when they lost to the Houston Rockets, and again in 1999, losing to the San Antonio Spurs. Despite now winning a championship, Ewing is still a New York legend. In his best statistical year of 1990, Ewing average 28.6 point, 10.9 rebounds, and 4 blocked shot per game. Now that's production.
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8) Joe DiMaggio
Joltin Joe played his entire 13 year career with the Yankees which included winning nine World Series and three MVPs. The Center fielder's personal rivalry with Ted Williams is up there with Ali/Frazier and Bird/Magic as one of the greatest American sports has ever seen.
Despite missing three years of his prime due to serving in World War II, DiMaggio had a career that few players can match. He was named an all-star in each of his 13 seasons and is best remembered for getting a hit in 56 consecutive games.
Arguably his best season came in 1939 when he batted .381, hit 30 home runs, and drove in 130 runs while winning his first MVP. Did I mention he was married to Marilyn Monroe for a brief time?
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7) Joe Namath
As I said in the introduction, this list has a lot to do with the legacy the each player left behind. That is why 'Broadway' Joe Namath makes the list at number 8. Namath was one of the greatest characters American sports has ever seen. The quarterback out of the University of Alabama had a personality as big as his arm.
Namath will forever be remember for guaranteeing a victory over the heavily favorites, the Baltimore Colts, in the 1969 Super Bowl. Namath delivered, and will also be loved by Jet fans everywhere for bringing them their first and only Super Bowl in team history.
Namath's stats may not be among the best (he threw 47 more interceptions than touchdowns throughout his career) but his charisma and ability to play in big moments make him a New York legend.
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6) Tom Seaver
The greatest Met to ever live, Tom Terrific won three Cy Young awards and made nine all-star teams during his time in Queens.
Seaver is one of the most respected players in the long history of baseball, being voted in to the Hall of Fame by the highest perecentage ever, 98.84. The right hander is sixth all-time in stikeouts with 3,640, and is one of only 24 pitchers to win more than 300 games.
The peak of Seaver's career came in 1969 when he won his first Cy Young award while leading the 'Miracle' Mets to their first World Series. That year Seaver won 25 games and finished second in voting for MVP. In Seaver's 10 and a half years with the Mets he only had an era above three once, making him not only one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, but one of the most consistent too.
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5) Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor was one of the most intimidating and explosive defensive players the NFL has ever seen. The outside linebacker out of the University of North Carolina changed the way offenses operated during his 13 year professional career, which were all spent with the Giants.
L.T. won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was all named all-pro 10 times during his Hall of Fame career. Taylor's best season came in 1986, when he lead the NFL in sacks on his way to being named the league's MVP (no defensive player has won MVP since). The season was capped off with the Giant's first ever Super Bowl. Taylor would win another Super Bowl in 1990 before retiring after the 1993 season.
Taylor is considered one of the greatest defensive players to ever play in the NFL.
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4) Mickey Mantle
If this was a list of the most beloved New York Athletes ever, the Mick might find himself even higher than five. The legendary center fielder spent his entire 18 year career with the Yankees which included winning seven World Series.
Mantle is considered the greatest switch-hitter to ever play, and will forever be remembered for his 1956 season when he won the Triple Crown. That year he hit 52 home runs, batted .353, and had a career best 130 RBIs while going on to win his first of three MVPs.
In a time before steroids, Mantle was known for his towering homeruns, which he hit 536 of during throughout his career, good enough for 16th most all-time. The ever competitive Mantle is one of the greatest winners in American sports history, and was named to MLB's All-Century Team in 1999.
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3) Walt Frazier
Walt 'Clyde' Frazier will forever be loved by Knick fans for delivering the team's only two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. The 6'4 pointguard from Atlanta was as good defensively as he was offensivly, and he was pretty spectacular on offense.
Clyde made seven straight all-star teams from 1970 to 1976, including his best statistical year of 1972, where he averaged 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.
Frazier's greatest performance, came in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Lakers. Frazier was dishing and swishing, scoring 36 points to go along with 19 assists and 7 rebounds in what was possibly the greatest individual game ever played in the NBA Finals.
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2) Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig is often overlooked because he played alongside the greatest baseball palyer who ever lived, Babe Ruth, (I hope that doesn't give away who #1 is) but Gehrig is a baseball god in his own right.
The New York native who went to Columbia University is fifth all-time in RBIs, though he only played 17 seasons (everyone else in the top 10 played at least 20). In 1931 the lefty first basemen batted in 185 runs.. Yes 185 runs. He also batted in 173 runs twice, in 1927 and 1930. On top of that, he won the Triple Crown in 1930 when he hit 43 home runs while batting .379 to go along with 173 RBIs.
He was given the k 'The Iron Horse' because of his durability, as he played in 2,130 straight games from 1925 to 1939, a record that stood for more than 50 years before being broken by Cal Ripken Jr.
The slugger won six World Series and will forever be remembered for his heart-felt farewell speech in 1939 when he said he considered himself "the luckiest man on the face of the earth" despite being terminally ill.
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1) Babe Ruth
Who else? New York City is the greatest baseball city in America and Babe Ruth was it's greatest player. The Sultan of Swat, the King of Crash, the colossus of clout, the GREAT BABMINO! Now that I got that out of the way, I can tell you just why Ruth is the greatest New York athlete of all-time.
Baseball is America's pastime, and Ruth was the best to ever do it. Ruth is third all-time with 714 home runs and second all-time with a .474 career on base percentage. In Ruth's most impressive season of 1921 he batted .378, drove in 168 RBIs, and hit 59 homeruns, which was the record up until that point.
Ruth was also one of the most captivating figures not only in sports history, but in American pop culture history as well. In a 1930 interview when Ruth was asked about making $80,000 a year, more than President Hoover, Ruth responded as only he could, "I know, but I had a better year than Hoover."