Before resuming the reverse countdown of the 30 U.S. cities with the best Mount Rushmore of great team-sports athletes, a nod to big, mean (on the gridiron, seldom in person) men.
In all of sports, no position group has inspired better nicknames than the defensive line. Mere mention of the monikers brings back memories of quarterbacks getting up slowly, first on one knee, seeing stars.
This isn’t a ranking of the best front fours in NFL history, but to get a nickname to stick requires dominant play. These groups, listed from fourth-best to best nickname, met the standard. They are listed as you saw them from left to right on your TV screen (right end, right tackle, left tackle, left end):
New York Sack Exchange: Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam, Mark Gastineau.
Fearsome Foursome: Lamar Lundy, Roosevelt Grier, Merlin Olsen, Deacon Jones.
Steel Curtain: Dwight White, Ernie Holmes, Mean Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood.
Purple People Eaters: Jim Marshall, Alan Page, Gary Larsen, Carl Eller.
And now, (drum roll, please) the top 10 U.S. cities’ top four athletes:
10. Pittsburgh: Mario Lemieux, Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner, Terry Bradshaw
Tough, tough town and the teams reflect that. The Penguins tend to play heavy hockey. The Steel Curtain. Mean Joe Greene.
9. Philadelphia: Wilt Chamberlain, Mike Schmidt, Julius Erving, Steve Carlton
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recently ran a 50-year anniversary story on the Marquette team that won the NIT when Al McGuire turned down an invitation to the NCAA to avenge previous slights. Scouting wasn’t as sophisticated back then and McGuire, an exceptional game coach, didn’t need to see much of a player to make the right adjustments.
Marquette forward Hugh McMahon shared with the Journal-Sentinel a memory of Marquette’s first-round game against UMass: “This guy’s playing lights out. He could run. He could jump. He could shoot. And Al calls timeout and asks (assistant coach) Hank Raymonds: ‘Who the hell is this guy? How come we didn’t recruit him?’ ”
Dr. J averaged 25.7 points and 20.9 rebounds that season, but after his quick start the adjustments slowed him and he finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
8. Cincinnati: Oscar Robertson, Johnny Bench, Frank Robinson, Pete Rose
Robinson is the most underrated player in baseball history. He won a Triple Crown and hit 586 home runs in an era well before steroids distorted stats. Twice the NL MVP, F. Robby was a 14-time All-Star and won NL Rookie of the Year honors at age 20.
7. Detroit: Gordie Howe, Barry Sanders, Ty Cobb, Al Kaline
Gale Sayers once told me that Sanders is the only running back he would pay to watch. Although Sayers grew up in Nebraska, he was born in Wichita, Kansas. So was Sanders. Their highlight tapes are similarly entertaining, the best in sports this side of Bobby Orr’s.
Baseball is mourning the loss of Kaline. He was one of the nicest men ever to play the game. That sentence never has been typed about Cobb.
6. Los Angeles: Sandy Koufax, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant
So tough leaving off Jerry West, a great defender, clutch shooter and the NBA’s logo.
5. Chicago: Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Bobby Hull
Payton, aka “Sweetness,” died way too young at 45. Sayers’ football career died way too soon. He played four games after the age of 26 and still led the league in rushing twice and in average yards per game three times. He averaged five yards per carry for his career.
4. Cleveland: Jim Brown, LeBron James, Otto Graham, Bob Feller
Brown not only is the greatest football player ever, he’s the best all-around athlete. In his first of two seasons on the Syracuse University basketball team, he averaged 15 points. He so dominated lacrosse that the rules were changed to require players to keep the arm, stick and ball moving at all times. It was known as “the Jim Brown Rule.” He also was a track star, led the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine seasons, averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his career and rushed for 17 touchdowns in 14 games in his final season. Not only that, he was great in “The Dirty Dozen.”
3. San Francisco: Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana
Interviewing Bobby Bonds alone in the Pirates’ dugout during an off day in the postseason, I found it interesting that Barry’s dad spent most of the time talking about how unfair it was for him to be compared to Mays and for Barry to be compared to his dad. Bobby told me what an awful thing that is to do to an athlete. I then asked him if his son Bobby Jr., six year’s Barry’s junior, played baseball. “Yes, he does,” Bobby Sr. said. “He’s going to be at least as good as Barry, probably better.” See, everybody does it.
2. New York: Babe Ruth, Lawrence Taylor, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig
New York is, always has been and always will be a baseball town, although the hockey crowds certainly do bring the passion. The Giants, Knicks and even far more so Jets are long overdue to get their acts together.
1. Boston: Bill Russell, Tom Brady, Bobby Orr, Ted Williams
The greatest team-sports champion in history. The greatest of all time quarterback. The greatest hockey player not named Wayne Gretzky. The greatest hitter who ever lived. Everyone must let this foursome play through.