Top 10 Athletes from Louisiana
We think of Louisiana as a football State, but they've got 4, nearly 5, of the NBA's official 50 Greatest players. And that's not counting Bill Russell, who was born but not raised there; or Pete Maravich, who went to Louisiana State University but didn't grow up there.
Honorable Mention to Karl Malone of Summerfield. He was a 14-time NBA All-Star, a 2-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and a 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist. Number 32 retired by Louisiana Tech and the Utah Jazz. Basketball Hall of Fame. Named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. Statue outside the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.
10. Billy Cannon of Baton Rouge. He led Louisiana State University to the 1958 National Championship, and won the 1959 Heisman Trophy. He was the 1st-ever pick in the 1st-ever American Football League Draft. He justified that by helping the Houston Oilers win the 1960 and 1961 AFL Championships -- still the only time the Oilers/Titans franchise has gone as far as the rules of the time have allowed them to go.
He won another AFL Championship with the 1967 Oakland Raiders. Number 20 retired by LSU. College Football Hall of Fame.
9. Bob Pettit of Baton Rouge. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star, a 2-time NBA MVP, and the 1st NBA player to score 20,000 points. (This wouldn't be a big deal today. It was a huge deal then, in 1965.) He won the 1958 NBA Championship with the St. Louis Hawks. After they moved to Atlanta, they retired his Number 9. Basketball Hall of Fame. Named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
8. Robert Parish of Shreveport. He was a 9-time NBA All-Star, and while he never won an MVP, the Boston Celtics would not have won the 1981, 1984 and 1986 NBA Championships without him. He won another title as a backup on the 1997 Chicago Bulls -- making him the only man to win the NBA with both Boston and Chicago.
He played in more games than anyone in NBA history, and was long believed to be the league's oldest player ever before someone rediscovered an older one in the league's early days. The Celtics retired his Number 00. Basketball Hall of Fame. Named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
7. Elvin Hayes of Rayville. Basketball Hall of Fame. The Big E reached the 1968 NCAA Final Four with the University of Houston. He was a 12-time NBA All-Star, and helped the Washington Bullets, the team now known as the Washington Wizards, reach the NBA Finals 3 times, winning the 1978 NBA Championship. Number 44 retired by UH, Number 11 retired by the Wizards. Named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
6. Eli Manning of New Orleans. Since he immediately followed his brother Peyton, the comparison to their father Archie wasn't nearly as prominent, so he could go to Archie's alma mater, the University of Mississippi, and just play ball.
He did all right there, and was named Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2003. With the New York Giants, he's a 4-time Pro Bowler, and not only led them to 2 Super Bowl wins, both upsets of the cheating New England Patriots, but was named the MVP of both games. He is the greatest quarterback New York City has ever had. Don't tell me that Phil Simms was better. Don't tell me that Joe Namath's 1 Super Bowl was more important; even if that's true, that doesn't make him better.
Eli will easily get his Number 10 retired, and barring doing something massively stupid, will be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
5. Mel Ott of Gretna, just outside New Orleans. The 1st great slugger in the National League in the post-1920 Lively Ball Era, he was the NL's all-time home run leader from 1937 until 1966, finishing his career with 511. Until 2001, he was the NL's all-time leader among lefthanded hitters. Due to the short right-field fence at the Polo Grounds, he hit 323, or 63 percent of his total, at home. This also means that he has more home runs hit in New York City than any other player – ahead of Mickey Mantle with 270 and Babe Ruth with 266.
He missed the 1st All-Star Game in 1933, but then making every one through 1944, for a total of 11. His lifetime batting average was .304, and he had 9 100-RBI seasons. He helped the New York Giants win 3 Pennants, and his home run won the clinching game of the 1933 World Series. The Giants retired his Number 4, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1999 was named to The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
4. Lou Brock of Collinston, which isn't far from Hayes' hometown of Rayville. An 8-time MLB All-Star, he collected over 3,000 hits, and set records (which still stand, at least within the National League) for stolen bases in a season and a career. He led the St. Louis Cardinals to the 1964 (won), 1967 (won) and 1968 (lost) World Series.
The Cardinals retired his Number 20. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame and The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
3. Peyton Manning of New Orleans. Putting aside the return of an allegation made against him in college, which, if true, would make him even less moral than his rival Tom Brady... So much has been made of the games Peyton has lost that we forget just what he has won.
He is a 14-time Pro Bowlers, a 5-time NFL MVP, and the 2013 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. No quarterback has won more games, or thrown for more yards in a season or in a career, or has thrown more touchdown passes in a season or in a career. He went to 4 Super Bowls, and along with Norm Van Brocklin (1951 Los Angeles Rams and 1960 Philadelphia Eagles), is 1 of only 2 quarterbacks to lead 2 different teams to an NFL Championship: The 2006 Indianapolis Colts and the 2015 Denver Broncos.
His Number 18 has been retired by the Colts. Barring an epic calamity, he will be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He was named to the NFL Network's 100 Greatest Players in 2010.
And yet, he still doesn't make the top 2. Maybe if Brady hadn't been a part of so much cheating...
2. Willis Reed of Bernice, which isn't far from Malone's hometown of Summerfield. May 8, 1970. That alone made him a legend. But that wasn't all he did. He was a 7-time NBA All-Star, captained the Knicks to the 1970 and 1973 NBA Championships, was named the Finals MVP both times, and remains the team's all-time greatest center. (Do I have to remind you that, while Patrick Ewing predicted titles, Willis actually won them?)
His Number 19 was the 1st retired by the Knicks, and he was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
1. Terry Bradshaw of Shreveport. The "dummy" put up a very smart legacy. He was named to 3 Pro Bowls, and was NFL MVP in 1978. He shared Sports Illustrated's 1979 Sportsman of the Year with another Pittsburgh icon who won a World Championship that year, Willie Stargell.
