Arizona's 10 Greatest Athletes
Note that the football team was officially called the Phoenix Cardinals from 1988 to 1992, and the hockey team was officially called the Phoenix Coyotes from 1996 to 2014.
Honorable Mention to Pat Tillman, safety, Arizona Cardinals, 1998-2001. We'll never know how good a career he would have had if he hadn't enlisted in the U.S. Army following the 2001 season, itself following the 9/11 attacks.
We do know what he did on the playing field, helping the Cards to their 1st Playoff game win in half a century as a rookie in the 1998 seasons, and making the Pro Bowl in the 2000 season. And we know what he did on the battlefield -- and what was done to him, both there and in the offices of the Pentagon.
Honorable Mention to Phoenix Suns players in the Basketball Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make the Top 10: Connie Hawkins, Dennis Johnson, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill. Any of them would be in the Top 10 if they'd played all or most of their careers with the Suns. Paul Westphal, who played on the 1976 NBA Western Conference Champions and was head coach of the 1993 edition, is not in the Hall of Fame, but should be.
So far, only 2 players for the Arizona Coyotes have made the Hockey Hall of Fame, and, between them, they played less than 3 full seasons in Arizona: Mike Gartner and Brett Hull. No, you can't count Wayne Gretzky: He was an owner and a head coach, but not a player for them.
Dishonorable Mention to Curt Schilling, pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks, 2000-03. Beyond his reprehensible personality, he wasn't with the Snakes for all that long. And, until we get a definitive answer, his association with both the Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox will have us wondering if he used PEDs.
10. Keith Tkachuk, center, Phoenix Coyotes, 1996-2001, plus 1992-96 with the team as the Winnipeg Jets. A 5-time NHL All-Star, the 1st 3 with the Coyotes, he scored 538 goals, 179 with Phoenix; and had 527 assists, 115 with Phoenix.
The Coyotes retired his Number 7. He probably should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but he's not.
9. Jeremy Roenick, center, Phoenix Coyotes, 1996-2001, with a brief return in 2006-07. He made 9 NHL All-Star Games, including 2 with the Coyotes. He scored 513 goals, 141 with Phoenix; and had 703 assists, 210 with Phoenix.
The Coyotes retired his Number 97. He probably should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but he's not.
8. Teppo Numminen, defenseman, Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, 1996-2003, plus 1988-96 with the team as the Winnipeg Jets. He played 21 seasons in the NHL, longer than any other player from Finland. Although a defenseman, he scored 117 goals and had 520 assists. He made 6 All-Star Games, all with the Coyotes (but 1 while they were still in Winnipeg).
The Coyotes retired his Number 27. He probably should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but he's not.
7. Adrian Wilson, safety, Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-12. There's something about the Cardinal franchise that has led them to always produce good defensive backs. In Chicago, there was Paddy Driscoll, Ernie Nevers, Marshall "Biggie" Goldberg, Charlie Trippi, Paul Christman and Dick "Night Train" Lane. In St. Louis, there was Larry Wilson, Roger Wehrli and Roy Green. And in Arizona, there's been Aeneas Williams and Adrian Wilson.
A 5-time Pro Bowler, he made 27 interceptions, caused 14 fumbles, recovered 8, and had 4 defensive touchdowns. The Cardinals have named him to their Ring of Honor, and he becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year.
6. Kurt Warner, quarterback, Arizona Cardinals, 2005-09. One of football's biggest "rags to riches" tales, the former University of Northern Iowa quarterback had washed out with the Green Bay Packers in 1994, and was playing arena football in his home State and worked in a supermarket when the St. Louis Rams offered him a lifeline in 1998.
He led the Rams all the way to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV, and into Super Bowl XXXVI, being named NFL MVP both seasons, 1999 and 2001. A 4-time Pro Bowler, he was signed by the Cardinals, and got them into Super Bowl XLIII, their 1st NFC Championship, and their 1st NFL Championship Game under any name in 60 years.
He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Football Ring of Fame and the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor.
5. Aeneas Williams, cornerback, Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 1991-2000. He was an 8-time Pro Bowler, 6 times in Arizona. He made 55 interceptions, and had 9 defensive touchdowns. He never got to a Super Bowl until he reached the St. Louis Rams, where he was a teammate of Kurt Warner.
He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team, the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor, and the St. Louis Rams' 10th Anniversary Team.
He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame and, while still active, to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. His Number 34 has been retired by Auburn University, the Sixers and the Suns, who also named him to their Ring of Honor. He played on the U.S. Olympic "Dream Team" in Barcelona in 1992 and "Dream Team II" in Atlanta in 1996, winning 2 Gold Medals.
The Coyotes have announced that they will retire his Number 19. He will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.
2. Steve Nash, guard, Phoenix Suns, 1996-98, and a return 2004-12. An 8-time NBA All-Star, 6 of them with the Suns, he led the league in assists 5 times, and won back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and '06. Three times, he got the Suns to the Western Conference Finals, but never won them.
The Suns retired his Number 13, and named him to their Ring of Honor. He finally won an NBA title last season, as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors.
1. Randy Johnson, pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks, 1999-2004, with a return in 2007-08. Roberto Alomar is, so far, the only other player in the Hall of Fame who played so much as a single pitch for the Diamondbacks. If "The Big Unit" had spent his entire career in Arizona, he'd be an easy choice at Number 1.
He was the reason the team went from expansion team to Playoff team to World Champion so fast. His relief of Curt Schilling in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series not only ended the Yankee Dynasty as much as Mariano Rivera's shocking meltdown and Luis Gonzalez' blooper, but it saved Schilling's reputation as a big-game pitcher.
He won 303 games, going 118-62 for the Diamondbacks. He is a member of the 3,000 Strikeouts Club and the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Diamondbacks retired his Number 51.