Listosaurus Rex

ESPN recently put together a list of the greatest seasons of all time for individuals in college football history. Here is their top ten:

1. 1988 Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
2. 1924 Red Grange, Illinois
3. 1963 Roger Staubach, Navy
4. 1976 Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh
5. 2005 Vince Young, Texas
6. 1968 Al Worley, Washington
7. 1980 Herschel Walker, Georgia
8. 1984 Doug Flutie, Boston College
9. 1980 Hugh Green, Pittsburgh
10. 1948 Doak Walker, SMU

When it comes to college football, I’m not much of a stat hound or history buff, so I don’t have particularly strong reactions here. The one thing that surprised to see Vince Young so high. That was a great season for him, but top five all time high? Eh. Better than defensive back Al Worley’s astronomical interception-record setting season that they discuss for slot six? Not sure I buy it.

For me, it’s impossible to see Doug Flutie 1984 without thinking of The Hail Mary, and sure enough, it’s mentioned. Talk about a great ending to a football game.

If you want to read the writer’s reasoning for each pick, check out the site.

This list got a lot of attention a few years ago when it came out as a TV special, and even won the Peabody Award. It’s still worth a good look.

ESPN picked the fifty greatest athletes of the 20th century. Here is their top ten:

1. Michael Jordan
2. Babe Ruth
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Jim Brown
5. Wayne Gretzky
6. Jesse Owens
7. Jim Thorpe
8. Willie Mays
9. Jack Nicklaus
10. Babe Didrikson

There will always be people you could make arguments for ranked higher than they are, like Lawrence Taylor at #40, and Barry Sanders and Cal Ripken, Jr. being excluded completely, but it’s hard to take issue with that top ten. It’s easy to make cases for any of MJ, Babe Ruth, Gretzky, Ali, or Owens as being number one on that list. Jim Brown, though an apparent demigod on the field, didn’t play long enough in my opinion to be as high as he is, but I can see the reasoning of putting him where he is.

The list is a spectacular, sentimental set of feature articles of these great athletes, and is absolutely worth a read for any sports fan who has never scanned the list before.

It’s entirely uplifting and inspiring to read about so much greatness, particularly from the people at the top of the list: the Bambino redefining American sports, Ali sticking up for what he believed in, Gretzky acting with great character while dominating a sport in a way no man has except maybe Ruth, Jesse Owens struggling through American racism but being awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, and Jordan being a champion in every sense of the word.

I’m glad to see that the writers didn’t weight the recent athletes too much heavier than ones from years past. It’s a great, refreshing mix.

One thing I wonder is who now might have a shot at being the list at the end of the 21st century. Certainly Tiger Woods. Lance Armstrong would have been a lock if it weren’t for the steroids issue, and likewise Barry Bonds would have a very good shot if it weren’t for all the scandal. Maybe Peyton Manning or Tom Brady if they keep it up? We’ll just have to wait 90+ years to see.

Ultimately, the list is an enlightening look at what makes an athlete great, complete with lots of great, well-informed writing and some brilliant perspective. Take a look if you’ve never seen the list before.