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20th Century Top 50: Pennsylvania
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|
Rank |
Profile |
|
1 |
Wilt
Chamberlain , Overbrook
Averaged 30.1 points and NBA career-record 22.9 rebounds per game, including
50.4 ppg and 25.7 boards for Warriors in 1961-62. |
|
2 |
Arnold
Palmer , Latrobe
Most popular golfer of all time has 60 Tour wins, including four Masters, two
British Opens and one U.S. Open
title. |
|
3 |
Johnny
Unitas , Pittsburgh
Passed for 3,137 yards and 27 touchdowns at Louisville; became a legend
with Colts, whom he led to two NFL
titles. |
|
4 |
Josh
Gibson , Pittsburgh
Hit some 800 home runs in 17 Negro leagues seasons, including a purported 75
for the Homestead Grays in
1931. |
|
5 |
Joe
Montana , Monongahela
Led 49ers to four Super Bowl wins from 1982 to '90; NFL's top-ranked passer five
times. |
|
6 |
Bill
Tilden , Germantown
First American to win Wimbledon singles crown; world's top-ranked player
from 1920 to
'25. |
|
7 |
Honus
Wagner , Chartiers
Hit .338 as a Louisville Colonels rookie in 1897; had 17 consecutive
seasons hitting .300 or better; led NL in batting eight
times. |
|
8 |
Dan
Marino , Pittsburgh
Set NFL career records for completions, attempts, passing yards and passing
TDs. |
|
9 |
Stan
Musial , Donora
Won three MVPs and appeared in 24 All-Star Games for the Cardinals; had
a .331 career
average. |
|
10 |
Christy
Mathewson , Factoryville
Four-time 30-game winner, nine-time 20-game winner; went 373-188 over
17-year career that began in
1900. |
|
11 |
Joe
Namath , Beaver Falls
Guaranteed Jets win in Super Bowl III, precipitating merger of AFL and
NFL. |
|
12 |
Larry
Holmes , Easton
World heavyweight champ from 1978 to '85; defended title 20 times; career record
of
67-6.
|
|
13 |
Tony
Dorsett , Aliquippa
Won Heisman Trophy and led Pitt to national title in 1976; in 12 NFL seasons
had 12,739 rushing yards, fourth
alltime. |
|
14 |
Eddie
Plank , Gettysburg
Lefthander won 20 or more games eight times; went 26-6 for the Athletics in
1912; had a 326-194 career
record. |
|
15 |
Reggie
Jackson , Wyncote
Mr. October was a 12-time All-Star who hit 563 home runs; played in five
World Series; led American League in homers three times, RBIs once.
|
|
16 |
George
Blanda , Youngwood
Placekicker and quarterback for 26 NFL seasons retiredat age 48; threw for
26,920 yards and 236 touchdowns; kicked for 2,006
points. |
|
17 |
Nellie
Fox , St. Thomas
Twelve-time All-Star led AL second basemen in fielding percentage six
times. |
|
18 |
Earl
Monroe , Philadelphia
NBA Rookie of the Year with Bullets in 1968; won league championship five years
later with
Knicks. |
|
19 |
Roy
Campanella , Philadelphia
Negro leagues star followed Jackie Robinson to Dodgers in 1948; three-time
National League
MVP. |
|
20 |
Betsy
King , Reading
Has won 31 golf tournaments, including two U.S. Opens. First on the alltime
LPGA money
list. |
|
21 |
Billy
Conn , Pittsburgh
World light heavyweight champ from 1939 to '41; nearly upset heavyweight Joe
Louis in
1941. |
|
22 |
Charley
Trippi , Pittson
Had 3,506 yards and 23 TDs rushing, 2,547 yards and 16 TDs passing, and 1,321
receiving yards on 130 catches for Cardinals from 1947 to
'55. |
|
23 |
Mario
Andretti , Nazareth
Four-time USAC-CART national champion; only driver to win Daytona 500, Indy 500
and Formula One world
title. |
|
24 |
Fred
Biletnikoff , Erie
All-city in football, baseball and basketball at Tech Memorial; set Raiders
marks for receptions and
yards. |
|
25 |
Joe
McCarthy , Germantown
Guided Yankees to six World Series titles from 1936 to '43; first manager to win
four Series in a row
(1936-39).
|
|
26 |
Mike
Powell , Philadelphia
Broke Bob Beamon's 23-year-old long jump world record at the 1991 world
championships; won long jump silver medals in 1988 and '92
Olympics. |
|
27 |
Lenny
Moore , Reading
In 12 seasons with Colts, Moore had more than 12,000 yards of total offense and
113 touchdowns; five-time
All-Pro. |
|
28 |
Ernie
Davis , Uniontown
Star running back at Syracuse; in 1961, became the first black to win the
Heisman
Trophy. |
|
29 |
Ed
Walsh , Plains
Major league record of 195-126; last pitcher to win 40 games in a year (40-15
for White Sox in
1908). |
|
30 |
Chuck
Bednarik , Bethlehem
Two-time All-America at Penn and a seven-time All-Pro with Eagles at center
and linebacker; in 1960 led Philly to NFL title as two-way
player.
|
|
31 |
Mike
Piazza , Norristown
Seven-time All-Star catcher hit 40 homers and had 124 RBIs for Mets in 1999,
tying career highs in those
categories. |
|
32 |
Bill
Hartack , Belsand
In the 1950s and '60s he rode five Kentucky Derby winners, three Preakness
winners and one Belmont
victor. |
|
33 |
Paul
Costello , Philadelphia
First rower to win gold medals in one event in three consecutive Olympics
(double sculls: 1920, '24 and
'28). |
|
34 |
Jack
Kelly , Philadelphia
From 1909 to '24 won every major sculling event, including Olympic gold
and the world
championships. |
|
35 |
Rube
Waddell , Bradford
Went 27-10 for 1905 Athletics, the last of four straight 20-win seasons; won 193
career
games. |
|
36 |
Art
Rooney , Pittsburgh
AAU middleweight and welterweight champ in 1920s; in '33 founded Steelers,
who won four Super Bowls under his
ownership.
|
|
37 |
Willie
Mosconi , Philadelphia
Won World Pocket Billiards title 15 times between 1940 and '57; holds
unbroken exhibition run of 526
balls. |
|
38 |
Mike
Ditka , Carnegie
All-America tight end at Pitt was four-time All-Pro with the Bears; coached
Chicago to Super Bowl XX
win. |
|
39 |
Vic
Seixas , Philadelphia
Wimbledon champion in 1953, French and U.S. titlist in '54; won 13 Grand
Slam doubles
titles. |
|
40 |
Harry
Greb , Pittsburgh
Light heavyweight champ in 1922, middleweight champ in '23; had 299 fights
(264-23-12), the last 90 despite being blind in one
eye. |
|
41 |
Emlen
Tunnell , Radnor
With Giants from 1948 to '58 he set club career marks for interceptions and
punt
returns. |
|
42 |
Leon
Hart , Turtle Creek
Playing at Notre Dame in 1949, he became first lineman to win Heisman
Trophy; two-time All-Pro with
Lions.
|
|
43 |
Leroy
Kelly , Philadelphia
Browns running back from 1964 to '73, ran for 7,274 yards and 90 touchdowns; led
NFL in punt-return yards in
'65.
|
|
44 |
Jim
Kelly , Pittsburgh
National semifinalist in Punt, Pass and Kick at 10; holds Bills career records
for passing yards (35,467) and TDs
(237). |
|
45 |
Dick
Groat , Swissvale
All-America at Duke in baseball and basketball in 1950s; earned fame as 1960
National League MVP with
Pirates.
|
|
46 |
Ken Griffey
Sr. , Donora
All-Star MVP in 1980 had 2,143 career hits and a .296 average but may be
best known as Junior's
dad. |
|
47 |
Herb
Adderley , Philadelphia
Packers, Cowboys defensive back played in four Super Bowls and five Pro
Bowls; had 48 career interceptions.
|
|
48 |
Walter
Tewksbury , Tunkhannock
Won two gold (200 meter and the 400 hurdles), two silver (60 and 100) and a
bronze (200 low hurdles) at the 1900 Olympic
Games. |
|
49 |
Herb
Pennock , Kennett Square
Went 241-162 in 22 major league seasons, including 21-9 for 1924 Yankees. |
|
50 |
Suzie McConnell
Serio , Pittsburgh
Cleveland Rockers guard is two-time Olympian and '98 All-WNBA first team; set
NCAA alltime assist mark at Penn
State. |
