The first name in football that popped into my head was Dan Marino and I hate the Dolphins… and the Bills for that matter 
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.
Dale Murphy.
Thanks for that. Here’s his Wikipedia page, Ty Cobb (attorney).
Agreed. Romo was good, but I doubt he’s in many discussions of the ‘great’ QBs.
Barry Bonds
To add to the NHL’ers: Jean Ratelle and Brad Park.
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:
Fran Tarkenton?
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.
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.
And a trooper of an SNL host.
30th in doubles. 4th in singles (according to wikipedia).
:smack: Indeed. And totally deserving, then.
Roy Jones Jr. was robbed of a gold medal 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.
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.
My first thought was Ernie Banks, mentioned once upstairs. Though I;ve never been a Cubs fan.
Tony Gwynn works for me, too.
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.
Stirling Moss
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.
The late-'90s Indiana Pacers, led by Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Dale Davis, Derrick McKey, and Mark Jackson.
Ted Williams
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.