Sure, Jeter is a tad overrated because he spent his entire career playing for the Yankees and was their captain. Why he's here: A few years ago, he looked like a budding superstar. Mogilny was one of the first players to defect from the Soviet Union to play in the NHL, and he made his mark early. His highlight reel is unparalleled. The iconic athletes are also indelibly linked to a number, or numbers, they wore. Subban would have been a more fun player to go with, and early in his career when he was winning the Norris he seemed on pace. So when New York pulled off the massive deal to get Rodriguez, he switch to No. Though he often battled injuries, Larkin was an All-Star 12 times, won the 1995 NL MVP and hit .338 in his 17 career postseason games for Cincinnati. To celebrate the NFL's 100th season, the USA TODAY Sports Network is . 84 when he was with the Vikings. Utah Jazz ( 12) Cory Alexander. He twice held the record for most touchdown passes in a season, one he still holds as of this writing. 23, we rank the best all-time WNBA players by jersey number. Did you know that he still has more RBI than anybody in MLB history, or that hes third in hits? His on-base percentage: .482, the best ever. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. 35 the entire time. The No. 13 and, as legend has it, playfully posed with black cats before the 1951 playoffs began. Sometimes Owens personality overshadowed his play. Not a lot of great choices here, but Stieb was a solid player. Why hes here: Clearly, baseballs all-time hit king 4,256 of them, to be precise is eligible for this list. All rights reserved. Mike Singletary was a formidable linebacker patrolling the field in the NFL. By the time he was finished, Robinson had a pair of MVP awards for Cincinnati in 1961 and for Baltimore in 1966and he had collected 586 career home runs. In particular, Moss wore No. Why he's here: He's the only player to wear No. We considered Doak Walker, mostly for his college career as he only played a few seasons in the NFL. Abdul-Jabbar has more points than anybody in NBA history. The Hall of Famer was perhaps the best tackle of the 80s, which is something Cincinnati can take credit for. Honorable mentions: Jeff Kent, Mark Langston, Dusty Baker. Those were the first of 159 sacks he managed in his career, almost all of them coming while wearing the No. Why he's here: The recently retired Hunter earned five All-Star selections and nine Gold Gloves over his 19-year career. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. Josh Beckett wore No. Nobody was as defensively formidable as Robinson in his heyday. If you are of a certain age, you probably remember Upshaw primarily as an executive with the NFLPA. Munoz played 13 seasons, and the only seasons he missed the Pro Bowl were his first and last. If 18 was an obvious choice, 19 was a brutal one. Why hes here: The Hall of Famer won the Cy Young in both leagues, registered 314 wins and struck out 3,534 batters. The Hall of Fame second baseman hit arguably the most famous home run in the sport's history: the walk-off shot in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Stevie Y played his entire career in Detroit and finished career with 692 goals and 1,063 assists. 81 for more than a season. Since the other choices at 14 werent incredibly obvious, Bob Cousy, Pete Rose, et al, we decided to honor Cruyff here. Martinez had a 1.74 ERA in 2000. Even then, though, Woodson is one of the most underrated players in NFL history. His 71 interceptions are third all time in NFL history, and the league wasnt super pass happy for his whole career. Then again, he played only nine seasons. When he was only 23 years old he scored a staggering 76 goals in a season. Ralph Branca - Baseball. Do you have a sports website? #1 of 83. But lets shout out two other quarterbacks who wore 12: Terry Bradshaw and Joe Namath. He led the league in receiving touchdowns three times and finished his career with 1,078 receptions. Jim Reineking. In Game 7 of the 1934 World Series, Dean threw nine shutout innings to help Gashouse Gang to the championship. 3? Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey might be the most famous NFL athlete wearing No. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Return to Top; Players. Allen Iverson was a dynamic NBA player. We wanted to take a panoramic look across the entire world of sports to find the best athlete to wear every number. Still, Peyton is one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks. Honorable mentions: Bob Howry, Joba Chamberlain. in 1941 he batted .406; no one has hit .400 since. Here are seven amazing athletes besides LeBron James to wear that number. 12 when he signed with the rival Yankees as a free agent after the 1992 season, and thats the number he wore the final seven seasons of his Hall of Fame career. A lot of these athletes have worn other numbers as well. Why hes here: Because he's Tom friggin' Seaver, that's why. At this point he is no longer the player he used to be, but Witten can only add to his legacy at this point as one of the best tight ends ever. Branca, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, wore no. On top of that, Gehrig was the first player to have his number retired. 2. This was an easy choice. Carl Yastrzemski, Willie Stargell, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Gary Carter and Joe Morgan are all players worthy of selection. This was a battle between two running backs, namely Faulk and Adrian Peterson. On top of that, Guidry won five Gold Gloves. The Swede was the best offensive defenseman in the NHL, routinely racking up over 60 points. Rivers has thrown for almost 400 career touchdowns and has made eight Pro Bowls. With the Patriots, though, he won three MVPs and made 14 Pro Bowls. MLB Players Who Wore Number 60 | Baseball-Reference.com No NBA player has ever wore No. Troy Polamalu, who wore 43, was a great safety, but hes not The King.. Honorable mentions: Tom Candiotti, Charlie Hough. There was no fixed numbering until the 90s. Why hes here: Ripken started his career with a bang he won the AL rookie of the year in 1982 and the AL MVP in 1983 and spent the rest of his time with the Orioles fashioning a no-doubt Hall of Fame career. MLB Players Who Wore Number 60 | Baseball-Reference.com Frivolities Index MLB Players Who Wore Number 60 This page is missing Negro League uniforms because we do not have that data at this time. Honorable mentions: Luis Aparicio, Edgar Martinez, Carl Hubbell. Mantles Yankees played in the World Series 12 times they won seven of those and The Mick hit 18 homers in 65 games, a record that will never be broken. The best player on the greatest dynasty in professional sports was Bill Russell. *Years refers to the time the player spent with the primary team listed with this number. In 2015, he was an All-Star and won AL Comeback Player of the Year. Hall of Famers by Jersey Number | Pro Football Hall of Fame - pfhof Honorable mentions: Ted Simmons, Luis Tiant, Don Mattingly. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Why hes here: Marichal was a stalwart in the San Francisco rotation from the moment he arrived in the big leagues he struck out 12 and threw a one-hit shutout in his debut. Why hes here: One of the most underrated players of his era, Stieb was one of the top AL pitcher of the 1980s, even if no one knew it at the time. Ranking the greatest athletes from every sport to ever don those magic jersey numbers. Before that, though, he had a long, successful career on the field. Alex Rodriguez may have a bit of the taint of PEDs on him, but he would be a fine choice. This was a battle of three linebackers: two in the Hall of Fame and one headed there. Dan Marino wore 13 and had an amazing career even if he didnt win a Super Bowl. 90. Why he's here: Rincon wore No. There has been some great players to wear the number 4 jersey, such as Dolph Schayes and Joe Dumars, but Adrian Dantley's career edges out the two, making him the best player to wear the #4 jersey. 70. Mark Messier would also make a fine choice. More than 48,000 runners took on the race from Greenwich to The Mall - up . No, seriously. Fun fact: Kramer also served as the Green Bay kicker for three seasons. Hasek won six Vezinas, but on top of that he won the Hart twice. He was a cultural icon, a one-man metaphor for excellence in any field. He was forced to retire at 30 -- but he left behind a sport changed forever. For a more in-depth look at the debate over these picks, along with who was chosen for Nos. Honorable mentions: Warren Spahn, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa. Iconic NFL players with number 20 jerseys include Barry Sanders, Ed Reed, and Brian Dawkins, all Hall of Fame-level players whose career highlights are among the greatest moments in football history . He was great, but hes not "the Admiral." MORE: Best current players at each jersey number, 1-97. 11-99, and why, grab a copy at your nearest book store or go to SI.com/anygivennumber. Even though he retired early, making him something of a trendsetter, he remains one of the all-time leaders in career rushing yards. The Say Hey Kid won two MVPs and 12 Gold Gloves, and he made 24 All-Star Games wearing No. The competition was slim, so you could say Johnson lapped them all. He's sixth in career hits and has a career batting average of .310. Why he's here: Two seasons at No. 46 for an extended period. 61 at times but not with the Red Sox. 25 while also setting the record for most home runs in a season. Brown played tackle for the Giants from 1953 until 1965, being named an All-Pro six times en route to the Hall. Peppers was excellent for a long time as well, as he notched 11 sacks in 2017 as a 37 year old. McDavid is in only his fifth season, but hes already the best player in the NHL. Hes not in the Hall of Fame yet, but he will be one day soon (he was just 23 votes shy of being part of the Class of 2016). Honorable mentions: Ichiro Suzuki, Willie McGee, Trevor Hoffman. The two-time MVP was a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection. 96 for four seasons. MLB History: Top Five Players to Wear Number 42 32. 74 for his entire six-season career. Damon hit 235 homers and stole 408 bases in his career. Back in the day in soccer, starters wore Nos. Joe DiMaggios 56-game hitting streak might never be topped. The No. That doesnt mean being the all-time NFL leader in rushing yards isnt amazing. 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