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20th Century Top 50
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|
Rank |
Profile |
|
1 |
Deion
Sanders, Fort Myers
All-state in three sports at North Fort Myers High; football All-America at
Florida State; best cornerback in NFL history; 183 steals in the
majors. |
|
2 |
Emmitt
Smith, Pensacola
Ran for 3,928 yards at Florida; NFL's alltime leader in rushing TDs; helped lead
Cowboys to three Super Bowl
titles.
|
|
3 |
Steve
Carlton, Miami
Second-winningest lefty (329); second-most career strikeouts (4,136); four Cy
Young
Awards.
|
|
4 |
Chris
Evert, Fort Lauderdale
Unflappable Ice Maiden used tennis's best baseline game to win 18 Grand Slam
singles
titles. |
|
5 |
Bob
Hayes, Jacksonville
At 1964 Olympics tied world record in 100 meters and anchored record-setting
4¥100 team; was in three Pro Bowls as Cowboys
receiver. |
|
6 |
Rowdy
Gaines, Winter Haven
World Swimmer of the Year in 1981; won three golds at '84 Olympics; set 14 world
records. |
|
7 |
Deacon
Jones, Eatonville
Premier defensive end with Rams coined the term sack after bashing so
many quarterbacks; seven-time
All-Pro.
|
|
8 |
Doris
Hart, Coral Gables
Won 35 Grand Slam tennis titles and is one of two players, male or female, to
pull off hat trick -- titles in singles, doubles, mixed
doubles -- at all four
majors. |
|
9 |
Kurt
Thomas, Miami
At 1978 world gymnastics championships became first U.S. male in 46 years to win
floor gold; won Sullivan Award in
'79. |
|
10 |
Wade
Boggs, Tampa
Batted .300 in 15 of 18 major league seasons; retired in 1999 with 3,010
hits.
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|
11 |
Artis
Gilmore, Chipley
Led Jacksonville to NCAA final in 1970; was 11-time All-Star in ABA and NBA;
holds NBA record for career field goal shooting
(59.9%). |
|
12 |
Tim
Raines, Sanford
Seven-time All-Star has 2,561 hits and is fifth alltime in steals with
807.
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|
13 |
Nancy
Hogshead, Jacksonville
Set national butterfly record as 14-year-old at Episcopal High; took three golds
and a silver at 1984
Olympics.
|
|
14 |
Ted
Hendricks, Miami
University of Miami defensive star went to eight Pro Bowls in 15 NFL
seasons. |
|
15 |
Mitch
Richmond, Fort Lauderdale
One of four players to average 21 points in each of first 10 NBA seasons;
Rookie of the Year in 1989 and six-time All-Star.
|
|
16 |
Michael
Irvin, Fort Lauderdale
Rewrote Miami receiving records and won national title in 1987; Cowboys' alltime
leader in catches (750) and receiving yards
(11,904). |
|
17 |
Jim
Courier, Sanford
One of six men in Open era to reach singles finals at all four tennis majors;
has two wins each at Australian and French
Opens. |
|
18 |
Andre
Dawson, Maimi
Major league Rookie of the Year in 1977, MVP in '87 and eight-time All-Star; hit
438
homers. |
|
19 |
Anthony
Carter, Riviera Beach
Three-time All-America at Michigan from 1980 to '82 holds NCAA record for
all-purpose yards; averaged 16.0 yards per catch in nine NFL
seasons. |
|
20 |
George
Mira, Key West
At Miami tied NCAA record for career completions in 1963; two-time
All-America.
|
|
21 |
Bobby
Allison, Maimi
Won 84 NASCAR races, tying him for third on alltime list; had one season
title
(1983).
|
|
22 |
John
Pennel, Coral Gables
Two-time Olympian broke IAAF pole vault record four times between 1963 and
'69; won Sullivan Award in
'63. |
|
23 |
Dwight
Gooden, Tampa
Set rookie strikeout record as 19-year-old with Mets in 1984; won Cy Young
in '85; pitched no-hitter for Yankees in
'96. |
|
24 |
Pete
Pihos, Orlando
Top end of 1940s and '50s led NFL in receptions in each of his last three
seasons. |
|
25 |
Don (Big Daddy)
Garlits, Tampa
Won more events than any other drag racer (146) and 10 AHRA world championships;
first drag racer to break 180-, 200-, 240-, 250- and 260-mph
barriers.
|
|
26 |
David
Duval, Jacksonville
Eight wins on PGA Tour in last two years; 10th on Tour's alltime money list
after just five
years.
|
|
27 |
Alex
Rodriguez, Miami
Led Westminster Christian High to 1992 national high school baseball title; led
AL in average, runs and doubles in first full season ('96); set AL mark for
homers by shortstop (42) in
'98.
|
|
28 |
Arnold
Tucker, Miami
Winner of 1946 Sullivan Award; starred in Army backfield with Doc Blanchard and
Glenn
Davis.
|
|
29 |
Harold
Carmichael, Jacksonville
With Eagles caught a pass in then NFL-record 127 straight games; four Pro
Bowls. |
|
30 |
Jose
Canseco, Miami
With A's in 1988 became baseball's first 40-40 man and won MVP; 431 career
homers.
|
|
31 |
Warren
Sapp, Plymouth
Won 1994 Lombardi Trophy at Miami; now one of NFL's most feared defensive
linemen with Buccaneers; went to Pro Bowl in '97 and
'98.
|
|
32 |
Steve
Garvey, Tampa
Holds NL record for consecutive games played (1,207); 1974 MVP won four Gold
Gloves at first
base.
|
|
33 |
Gardnar
Mulloy, Miami
Won four doubles titles at U.S. tennis championships; became oldest
top-ranked U.S. singles player in 1952, at
38. |
|
34 |
Rafael
Palmeiro, Miami
Underrated first baseman is among 1990s big league leaders in homers (328) and
RBIs (1,068); has two Gold
Gloves.
|
|
35 |
Ottis
Anderson, West Palm Beach
From 1979 to '92 had six 1,000-yard seasons with Cardinals and Giants;
12th-leading rusher in NFL
history. |
|
36 |
Wes
Chandler, New Smyrna
Deep threat in Chargers' Air Coryell offense; had three 200-yard games; played
in four Pro Bowls in 13 NFL
seasons.
|
|
37 |
Al
Lopez, Tampa
Catcher hit .261 from 1928 to '47; eighth among managers with .584 winning
percentage (minimum: 1,000
games).
|
|
38 |
Larry
Little, Miami
Anchor of Dolphins' offensive line from 1969 to '80 was six-time All-Pro and won
two Super Bowl rings with
Miami.
|
|
39 |
Boog
Powell, Lakeland
Prototype slugger and 1970 AL MVP hit 339 homers in 17-year career; four World
Series with Orioles from '66 to
'71.
|
|
40 |
Dot
Richardson, Orlando
NCAA softball player of the decade for 1980s; shortstop hit winning homer in
gold medal game at '96
Olympics. |
|
41 |
Nat
Moore, Miami
Set Florida season rushing record as junior in 1972; retired as owner of
Dolphins' marksfor catches, yards and
TDs. |
|
42 |
Cris
Collinsworth, Titusville
Sure-handed receiver on Bengals' 1981 and '88 Super Bowl teams; had four
1,000-yard seasons; three Pro
Bowls.
|
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43 |
Chipper
Jones, Jacksonville
State's high school player of the year in 1990; emerged as game's deadliest
switch-hitter during '99 MVP year with
Braves.
|
|
44 |
Jack
Youngblood, Monticello
All-America defensive end at Florida went to seven Pro Bowls; played in 201
straight games in 14 years with
Rams. |
|
45 |
Rick
Casares, Tampa
Star fullback atJefferson High and Florida in 1950s; Bears' third-leading
alltime
rusher.
|
|
46 |
Derrick
Thomas, Miami
Holds Alabama sack record (52); has made Pro Bowl in nine of 10 NFL seasons; had
record seven sacks in 1990
game.
|
|
47 |
Herb
Score, Lake Worth
Indians hurler blew away AL with 36 wins in first two seasons; wasn't the same
after 1957 line drive to
face.
|
|
48 |
Glenn (Fireball)
Roberts, Apopka
Won Daytona 500 in 1962; had 32 victories on NASCAR circuit from '50 to
'64. |
|
49 |
Willie
Galimore, Sarrasota
Three-time Black College All-America rusher at Florida A&M; Bears star for
seven years until he died in 1957 auto
accident. |
|
50 |
Don
Sutton, Pensacola
Righthander is third alltime in starts (756), fifth in strikeouts (3,574); won
324 games in 23 major league seasons with five
clubs. |
