famous athletes who wore number 2
While the number he wore, number 42, has always been special and acknowledged throughout the Majors Leagues, especially since Jackie Robinson's induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, the day has . Carlton Fisk may be the most famous player to don No. #1 of 83. Still, Peyton is one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks. But Ruth is maybe the best baseball player ever. There was no fixed numbering until the 90s. We dont think its too early to make the call here. Ward is also famous for his vicious blocks, which isnt something every receiver is known to want to do. He was also All-Pro in all five of those campaigns. As smooth and regal a player who ever wore a Celtics . I've known people who couldn't tell an infield fly from a household pest who nevertheless held the Yankee Clipper in awe." Bryant split his career between Nos. His career average: .344, tied for the seventh-best alltime. For this number, were including guys who wore 00, like Robert Parish. The Yankee Clipper has the numbers and the accolades: three MVPs, .325 average, nine World Series rings. He also wore it when he won four-straight Cy Youngs. 81. What a slouch! Parish earned those rings by taking on three of the league's legendary big men in the NBA Finals: Moses Malone in '81, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in '84 and Hakeem Olajuwon in '86. He was an unstoppable force. The best defensive player in the history of the game, Ozzie is No. For these purposes, is the number they are most known for. And yet, impressive as they are, numbers don't begin to measure his baseball instincts, his charisma or his grace on his sport's biggest stages. He helped them win three World Series while also winning a Cy Young for himself. Always free! Uniform numbers hold a special place in telling the story of the sport, so we thought wed take a look at the best players (Hall of Famers in most instances) who wore each uniform number. Nash was not just a first overall pick, but the first pick in Columbus Blue Jackets history. Why he's here: Not much to choose from. As most baseball fans know, April 15, 1947 is a special day in MLB history. Why hes here: Because it's the Internet, and the Internet loves Bartolo. Several of the greats share the same number (Looking at you, No. Honorable mentions: Nolan Ryan, Orlando Cepeda, Willie Randolph. Oh, and he won four Super Bowls. The Pittsburgh hero led the NL in batting average four times, led the Pirates to a World Series championship twice and won the NL MVP in 1966. Honorable mentions: What did we just say? When was the last time Mean wasnt attached to his name? Why he's here: Belle wore No. 56 is even close. Another 87 with injury issues, Rob Gronkowski, deserves a mention, and not just because he has a WWE title to his name now. Why he's here: Remember Mannywood? Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 4:39AM. 31 is also often worn by goalies, but none was going to overthrow the Mad Dog. From Diana Taurasi at No. Pel was so much more. 83? He has been ranked world No. In those seven seasons he had 574 receptions for 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns. Prior to that, he made seven Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams and won two MVPs. Roosevelt Brown; 80. The ESPN World Fame 100 is our annual attempt to create a ranking, through statistical analysis, of the 100 most famous athletes on the planet.. We started with Forbes' annual list of the highest . 77 for just one season, but he's Pudge. Nobody was close to the "Dominator.". 3, he didnt have much of a chance. Guidrys name is forgotten in Yankees lore, which is fair given how many legends they have. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Orr hurt his knee, while Gehrig tragically developed ALS, known colloquially to this day as Lou Gehrigs disease. Blyleven had to wait a long time after he retired, but he was eventually elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011. The Hall of Famer was perhaps the best tackle of the 80s, which is something Cincinnati can take credit for. Andy Robustelli's years of faithful service merit him keeping his left hand on this number, but another Giant, Amani Toomer, gets to keep his right . So check out the list of athletes who wore 2 and help decide who deserves to rank the highest for wearing this iconic jersey number. Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff/MCT/Sipa USA, Julian H. Gonzalez/Detroit Free Press/MCT/Sipa USA, Tim Groothuis-Witters Sport/USA TODAY Sports, Photo by Malcolm W. Emmons/Sporting News via Getty Images, Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS/Sipa USA, Damian Strohmeyer / Hulton Archive / Getty Images, Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT/Sipa USA, Mark Cornelison/Lexington Herald-Leader/KRT, Michael Zagaris/MLB Photos via Getty Images, Susan Tripp Pollard/Contra Costa Times/MCT/Sipa USA, Mark Cornelison/Lexington Herald-Leader/MCT/Sipa USA, Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Sipa USA, Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/MCT/Sipa USA, Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Sipa USA, Ian McVea/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Sipa USA, Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT/Sipa USA, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. He was also an incredible player, winning Rookie of the Year and MVP during his career. 53, thats not going to happen for any young Dodgers players. 70. However, we are of the belief that Messi, Barcelona and Argentinas legend, is the best of the bunch. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Not only did he compile a 2.75 career ERA in the regular season, but the lefty had a 2.71 ERA in 22 World Series starts, and was a huge reason those Yankees teams won the championship six times. 2:07. We considered Doak Walker, mostly for his college career as he only played a few seasons in the NFL. Still, Kuechenberg made six Pro Bowls as a guard for the Dolphins, including on the legendary undefeated Miami squad. Why he's here: The Pirate starting pitcher wore No. Martinez had a 1.74 ERA in 2000. Bearing in mind LeBron wore No. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Why he's here: A few years ago, he looked like a budding superstar. Instead he became one of the best pass rushers in the league. Detroit sports fans are going to be feeling pretty good here. He created the archetype of the modern slugger, and his exploits on and off the field made him the perfect Jazz Age superstar. The seven-footer teamed with Larry Bird and Kevin McKale in the iconic frontcourt that led the Celtics to three NBA titles in the 1980s. Were talking about numbers. In 1999 he was named Athlete of the Century across all sports by the International Olympic Committee. Chris Morgan is a sports and pop culture writer and the author of the booksThe Comic Galaxy of Mystery Science Theater 3000andThe Ash Heap of History. He once led the NHL in goals scored and hit the 40-goal threshold three times. Full Site Menu. Petty is one of three drivers to win the NASCAR season title seven times, and he also won the Daytona 500 seven times. Honorable mentions: Steve Carlton, Roy Halladay. Sandberg made 10 consecutive All-Star teams from 1984-93 and was named the 1984 NL MVP as he helped the Cubs make the playoffs that season for the first time since 1945. The man known simply as The Man, Musial won three MVP awards, finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting in 11 other seasons, was an All-Star 20 times, helped the Cardinals to three World Series titles and he finished his career with 3,630 hits (still fourth all-time) and 725 doubles (third all-time). Were we really going to go with Mark McGwire? Athletes who wore #34 Stats Can you name the Athletes who wore #34 on their Jersey? Johnny Unitas wore the No. The NFL and NHL have alsohad their fair share of famous athletes who wore 2 on their jersey like Matt Ryan and Brian Leetch. Rivers hasnt been to a Super Bowl, and the odds are that he wont do it at this point, even after joining the Colts. 31. Honorable mentions: Kirby Puckett, David Ortiz, Felix Hernandez, Fernando Valenzuela. 91 for his entire seven-year career. This was one of the easiest choices we made. Which got us thinking about the greatest athletes -- across all sports -- who wore each number, from 00 to 99. #1 of 217. Teammates back-to-back here. Why hes here: The Cobra was a legitimate star in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning an MVP, two batting titles and three Gold Gloves. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Petty is simply known as The King, which may say it all. However, we couldnt deny Mantle. Even though he retired early, making him something of a trendsetter, he remains one of the all-time leaders in career rushing yards. Hockey? When you have a nickname like that, youve earned the right to be considered the greatest athlete to wear the No. He won 266 games and threw three no-hitters in his 18-year career with the Indians, and that total would have undoubtedly been higher had he not missed three-and-a-half seasons (when he was 23 to 26 years old) serving in the military during World War II. There is great, and then there is Joe DiMaggio. 96 for four seasons. When Geno was left off the NHLs top 100 players list, it caused an uproar. *Years refers to the time the player spent with the primary team listed with this number. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. Why he's here: Six All-Star appearances, a 2.35 ERA, 349 saves and a World Series ring. Why hes here: First, sneak a peek at the honorable mentions for No. He made seven straight Pro Bowls in the 2000s and was named to the All-Decade team by the Hall of Fame as well. 22 currently, but he isn't the only one sporting that number. Hasek won six Vezinas, but on top of that he won the Hart twice. 72 for his entire 13-year tenure with the White Sox. Names that come to mind are Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg, Troy Vincent, David Beckham, Bob Gainey, and Ron Lancaster. But he also captured the American imagination -- for his grace in the field, for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941, even for his rocky marriage to Marilyn Monroe. Lemieux is the rare player who is considered one of the top-10 athletes in his sport but also makes you ask, What could have been?. Why hes here: Ruth was, without a doubt, the single most transformative player in baseball history. Hockey is also strongly represented with Brett Hull and Mike Bossy among others to sport the number in the NHL. 13. 24. He made five Pro Bowls and led the league in sacks once. All Rights Reserved. The Russian fell just under 500 goals in his career, but it didnt keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Roberto Clemente almost made the cut as well. 7 in promotional photos. LeBron James made a bold choice of wearing the same number as the man he was considered the heir apparent to. Oh, and he won six Super Bowls alongside Bill Belichick. Why he's here: There's a reason MLB retired No. 67 for five seasons, far more than any other player. All rights reserved. Eventually, Johnson would take the title of the top driver on the NASCAR circuit. 81 for more than a season. Even though contracting HIV cut Magics career short, he played 11 full NBA seasons, making the All-Star Game in all those campaigns. Bettis is in the Hall of Fame, as is pitcher Gaylord Perry, but Perry wore a few numbers in his career. 47. Weve got two Penguins legends sandwiching a largely forgotten NFL guard. Hes spent his entire career with the Eagles, and hes been named an All-Pro for each of the last three seasons. Why hes here: The Big Hurtwas one of the top right-handed hitters in history, leading the league in OPS four times and slugging 35 or more homer eight times. That is to say, Michael Jordan did indeed wear 45, but who thinks of him in that number? We are on a bit of a run of terrifying defensive linemen, but thats numbers in the 90s for you. Why he's here: The 2015 AL Cy Young winner is the easy choice after just four MLB seasons. Years active: 2011-present 9 to Maya Moore at No. The long-time reliever is the best of a mediocre bunch. Find out more. This was a neck-and-neck battle between Randle and Dwight Freeney, but in the end the guy currently in the Hall of Fame gets the nod.