ESPN.com just concluded a pretty cool fan poll on each of its five city sites. They wanted to put together inaugural five-man classes for the "City Hall of Fame" from Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York. This, obviously, is a monumental task that I think, for the most part, the fans did a good job with. In case you haven't seen them, here are the classes:
Boston-Red Auerbach, Larry Bird, Bobby Orr, Bill Russell, Ted Williams
Not surprisingly, it's got a bunch of Celtics. And a Boston Hall of Fame wouldn't be complete without Bobby Orr and Ted Williams.
Chicago-Ernie Banks, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, Michael Jordan, Walter Payton
Like Boston, there were some obvious ones from Chicago (Banks, Jordan and Payton). I'm not sure how you get three Bears and none of them are George Halas, though.
Dallas-Troy Aikman, Tom Landry, Nolan Ryan, Emmitt Smith, Roger Staubach
Evidently people in Dallas really like the Cowboys. Although, as far as I know, Nolan Ryan never played for them.
Los Angeles-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson, Sandy Koufax, John Wooden
This might've been the easiest vote of them all. All five were obvious choices.
New York-Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth
Just as they like their football in Dallas, we like our baseball in New York. So, not surprisingly, it's five baseball players: the four greatest Yankees ever and the man who changed sports in America.
There were a number of different ways I could handle this one. I first considered revealing my choices for the Class of 2012 in each of the five City Halls of Fame before opting to induct inaugural classes in six other great sports cities: Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington. ESPN.com's only criterion was no active athletes, so I followed that same rule.
ATLANTA
Hank Aaron (Braves, 1966-74): 755 career homers ranks second all-time; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1982
Bobby Cox (Braves Manager, 1978-81, 1986-2010): fourth-winningest manager in history; led Braves to 14 straight division titles (1991-2005) and 1995 World Championship
Greg Maddux (Braves, 1993-2003): just beat out Evander Holyfield for the final spot; anchored that ridiculous rotation during the '90s dynasty
Deion Sanders (Falcons, 1989-93; Braves, 1991-94): probably the best player in Falcons history; oh, and he's the only man ever to play in both the Super Bowl and World Series; Football Hall of Fame, 2011
Dominique Wilkins (Hawks, 1982-94): overshadowed by Jordan and Bird, but the reason the Hawks were good in the '80s; played college ball at Georgia; Basketball Hall of Fame, 2006
DETROIT
Dave Bing (Pistons, 1966-75): barely gets the edge over Joe Dumars as the Piston; one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players and current mayor of the city; Basketball Hall of Fame, 1990
Hank Greenberg (Tigers, 1930, 1933-41, 1945-46): would've been even better if not for World War II; two-time World Series champion; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1956
Gordie Howe (Red Wings, 1946-71): about as obvious a selection as there can be; the third member of hockey's "Holy Trinity"; Hockey Hall of Fame, 1972
Al Kaline (Tigers, 1953-74): another easy one; called "Mr. Tiger" for a reason; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1980
Barry Sanders (Lions, 1989-98): there were plenty of Lions to choose from, but he's probably the best; Football Hall of Fame, 2004
HOUSTON
Craig Biggio (Astros, 1988-2007): gets the call over Bagwell because he was the face of the Astros for 20 years; will probably become the Astros' first Hall of Famer when eligible
Earl Campbell (Oilers, 1978-84): No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year in 1978; one of the best power runners in NFL history; Football Hall of Fame, 1991
George Foreman (Boxing): Big George is from Houston, so that's his qualifying city; became heavyweight champion in 1971; came out of retirement and won it again in 1994
Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston, 1981-84; Rockets, 1984-2001): led "Phi Slamma Jamma" Cougars to three straight Final Fours and Rockets to back-to-back NBA titles; Basketball Hall of Fame, 2008
Nolan Ryan (Astros, 1980-88): our first two-city Hall of Famer; spent more time with the Astros than any other team; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1999
PHILADELPHIA
Chuck Bednarik (Penn, 1946-48; Eagles, 1949-62); the NFL's last two-way player; a three-time All-American at Penn; led Eagles to 1960 NFL championship; Football Hall of Fame, 1967
Bobby Clarke (Flyers, 1969-84): won two Stanley Cups as a player; led the Flyers to the Finals three more times as GM; currently team's Senior VP; Hockey Hall of Fame, 1987
Julius Erving (76ers, 1976-87): this list wouldn't be complete without Dr. J; 1983 NBA champion; one of NBA's 50 Greatest Players; Basketball Hall of Fame, 1993
Robin Roberts (Phillies, 1948-61): still arguably the greatest pitcher in Phillies history; the lone bright spot on the team when it wasn't very good; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1976
Mike Schmidt (Phillies, 1972-89): maybe the greatest third baseman ever; led Phillies to first World Championship (1980) and another pennant three years later; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1995
SAN FRANCISCO
Rick Barry (Warriors, 1965-67, 1972-78; Oaks, 1968-69): best known for shooting free throws underhand; ABA champion during only season in Oakland; Finals MVP when Warriors won 1975 title; Basketball Hall of Fame, 1987
Barry Bonds (Giants, 1993-2007): like him or not, you've got to admit this Barry is one of the best ever; holds the all-time (762) and single-season (73) home run records; also a seven-time MVP (five with the Giants), including four in a row from 2001-04
Willie Mays (Giants, 1958-72): after Ruth, the greatest all-around player in history and without a doubt the greatest living ballplayer; 660 career home runs (fourth all-time); MLB All-Century Team; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1979
Joe Montana (49ers, 1979-92): one of the NFL's all-time greatest quarterbacks; three-time Super Bowl MVP as 49ers won four titles in eight years; Football Hall of Fame, 2000
Jerry Rice (49ers, 1985-2000; Raiders, 2001-04): the greatest receiver in NFL history; holds every NFL receiving record; Football Hall of Fame, 2010
WASHINGTON
Sammy Baugh (Redskins, 1937-52): revolutionized the quarterback position; also played defensive back and punter; considered one of the NFL's all-time greats; Football Hall of Fame, 1963 (inaugural class)
Patrick Ewing (Georgetown, 1981-85): one of the greatest players in college basketball history; led Georgetown to three NCAA championship games and the 1984 title; will eventually be named to the New York Hall of Fame, too; Basketball Hall of Fame, 2008
Joe Gibbs (Redskins Coach, 1981-92, 2004-07): won three Super Bowls and went to the playoffs 10 times in 16 seasons; retired to run successful NASCAR team; Football Hall of Fame, 1996
Walter Johnson (Senators, 1907-27): one of the greatest all-time pitchers, stuck playing for a really bad team; second all-time with 417 wins and first all-time with 110 shutouts; 1924 World Series champion; Baseball Hall of Fame, 1936 (inaugural class)
Sonny Jurgensen (Redskins, 1964-74): still franchise's all-time leader in numerous passing categories; Football Hall of Fame, 1983
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