# What one athlete would you award a championship to? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 2, 2017, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621 "2017-08-02T12:06:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/41 "2017-08-03T12:23:04Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I think there are a lot of potentially good answers to this one, but the first person who popped into my head was Barry Sanders. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Jim Kelly > [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I’m not a Bills fan, but that’s a good pick. A guy who came so close so many times and has also dealt with a lot of personal stuff. > > Other players that came to my mind were Karl Malone and Charles Barkley. Bernie Kosar, as a selfish Browns fan. Carl Yastrzemski also gets honorable mention. The first name in football that popped into my head was Dan Marino and I hate the Dolphins… and the Bills for that matter 😉 > [@Velocity](#): > > Tony Romo, Jim Kelly or Ai Fukuhara. I gotta ask, you’re not serious about Romo are you? As a Cowboys fan myself, I don’t know that he did enough in his career to be even in the discussion. For the NHL (barring current players) I would have liked to see Tony Esposito, Dale Hawerchuck, Daniel Alfredsson, Marcel Dionne, and Adam Oates hoist the Cup at some point in their careers. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/42 "2017-08-03T12:33:24Z")
Dale Murphy. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/43 "2017-08-03T13:20:26Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Trump’s new White House special counsel is named Ty Cobb. Thanks for that. [Here’s his Wikipedia page, Ty Cobb (attorney)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty_Cobb_(attorney)). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/44 "2017-08-03T13:22:23Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > I gotta ask, you’re not serious about Romo are you? As a Cowboys fan myself, I don’t know that he did enough in his career to be even in the discussion. Agreed. Romo was good, but I doubt he’s in many discussions of the ‘great’ QBs. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/45 "2017-08-03T22:02:03Z")
Barry Bonds ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/46 "2017-08-04T00:10:24Z")
To add to the NHL’ers: Jean Ratelle and Brad Park. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > **Todd Martin** deserved one Grand Slam championship. A player would have to crack _at least_ the top 20 to qualify in my books. Martin’s best was 30th. I’ll say cool that he was the most gray-haired player I’ve ever seen play pro tennis. Sure, a 411-234 career record is mighty impressive (with eight career titles), but the first criterion I mentioned is _by far_ the most important. also: > [@dalej42](#): > > Tony Gwynn. A great hitter that was stuck on mediocre Padres teams for years. > [@Telemark](#): > > Ted Williams. Fran Tarkenton? ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/47 "2017-08-04T07:05:43Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > Felipe Massa I’m curious why you think that. Massa always seemed like a Rubens Barichello type driver – good, but not exactly championship material. Also benefited from being with the tops teams for much of their careers. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/48 "2017-08-04T12:55:57Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > Fran Tarkenton? Sure. 0-4 in Super Bowls, long before Jim Kelly went 0-4 in Super Bowls, and before Elway went 0-3. Fran Tarkenton was a feisty winner. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/49 "2017-08-04T22:17:02Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Fran Tarkenton was a feisty winner. And a trooper of an SNL host. ---
**Author:** ![Santelia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Santelia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santelia)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/50 "2017-08-06T10:43:11Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > A player would have to crack _at least_ the top 20 to qualify in my books. Martin’s best was 30th. 30th in doubles. 4th in singles (according to wikipedia). ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/51 "2017-08-06T20:28:01Z")
> [@Santelia](#): > > 30th in doubles. 4th in singles (according to wikipedia). :smack: Indeed. And totally deserving, then. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/52 "2017-08-06T20:39:07Z")
Roy Jones Jr. was [robbed of a gold medal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJYBV9BXQNY) at the Olympics is Korea (no two ways about it). That said I think he had a fairly successful boxing career after the Olympics. Still, he deserves that gold medal. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/53 "2017-08-08T20:07:19Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > I’m curious why you think that. Massa always seemed like a Rubens Barichello type driver – good, but not exactly championship material. Also benefited from being with the tops teams for much of their careers. Oh, that’s part of the reason… because he had to drive for himself AND Schumacher for many seasons. But the real reason is that he had the championship slip from his fingers mere moments after celebrating that he’d won it. I believe it was 2008 in the ultimate round of the championship at Interlagos. It was raining cats and dogs and Filipe had just won the race, clinching the championship. That is, until the last corner of the last lap when Hamilton passed a car to finish with enough points in that race to crown Hamilton as the champion, leaving Massa and all the Ferrari boys weeping in the pits. Also, while Filipe was racing in 2009 he was injured, assuring he wouldn’t ever be championship material. So I’d like to give him that 2008 championship. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/54 "2017-08-09T00:36:46Z")
My first thought was Ernie Banks, mentioned once upstairs. Though I;ve never been a Cubs fan. Tony Gwynn works for me, too. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/55 "2017-08-10T02:12:59Z")
Only one vote so far for Dan Marino? My vote goes to Mike Scott. IMHO he was one Kevin Bass base hit in game 6 of the 1986 NLCS short of taking the Astros to a World Series victory. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/56 "2017-08-10T15:59:07Z")
Stirling Moss ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/57 "2017-08-10T23:06:18Z")
No question about it: Takanohana at the _Aki basho_ in 2002. The great \*yokozuna \* had sat out the previous 7 tournaments (more than a year) recovering from knee surgery and his return was mandated by the Sumo Assoc. Surprising everyone, he finished second with a record of 12-3. It would be the last _basho_ he would complete before retiring. I can’t think of any _rikishi_, or anyone in any sport showing greater fighting spirit – and courage – and that’s what being a grand champion is all about. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/58 "2017-08-13T07:12:29Z")
The late-'90s Indiana Pacers, led by Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Dale Davis, Derrick McKey, and Mark Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/59 "2017-08-14T01:59:12Z")
Ted Williams ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621/60 "2017-08-18T18:46:16Z")
For women Shirley Babashoff, who in the 1976 summer Olympics pointed how how chemically enhanced athletes from behind the Iron Curtain were. Naturally she was denounced by the media as a crybaby and a sore loser, who didn’t look at the muscles and masculine voices of the commie athletes. Babashoff did win a gold medal in the swimming relay but four silvers in individual events. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-one-athlete-would-you-award-a-championship-to/792621.md?page=4)