Sports icons, a running list

I'm a bit late to the thread, so all I've got to add is one (you can look it up if it doesn't ring a bell):

Pheidippides.

 

He's known nationally mainly because of his sons, but Archie Manning is more or less a god from New Orleans all the way up to Memphis ...

Also from the world of Southern college football, I'd submit the following (some of which have already been named):

Coaches
Bear Bryant
Vince Dooley
Bob Neyland
Steve Spurrier
Darrell Royal
Frank Howard
Bobby Bowden
Howard Schnellenberger
Frank Broyles
Pat Dye
Shug Jordan
Gene Stallings
John Vaught
Bobby Dodd
John Heisman

Non-coaches
Billy Cannon
Tommy Nobis
Earl Campbell
John David Crow
Peyton Manning
Eli Manning
Brett Favre
Lee Roy Jordan
Joe Namath
Kenny Stabler
Bo Jackson
Tucker Frederickson (there are old-time Auburn fans who swear he was better than Bo).
Pat Sullivan
Herschel Walker
Charley Trippi
Danny Wuerffel
Emmitt Smith
Deion Sanders

Broadcasters
Keith Jackson
Larry Munson
John Ward
John Forney
Jim Fyffe

 

Murph quote, upon seeing the very Balkan-looking Vlade Divac for the first time:
"I don't think he can play day games."

 

Four pages into this thread and nobody has posted Jerry Grote?

 

Man, whenever I get down on myself, I think, "At least I'm not Anthony Young." Then I realize that he made pretty good coin for being a glorified BP pitcher.

 

Ernie Grunfeld

 

What about Bernie?

 

It's you.

 

I'd almost be interested to know which two ...

 

Pele and Maradonna. I guess my list of "icons" would be much smaller than most around here. If you show the average person on the street a picture of Jordan or Tiger or Babe Ruth, they'll know who it is. George Best? I'm not so sure.

 

When Grote came to the Dodgers as a September addition, another veteran writer told me that Grote possibly was the biggest asshole in baseball. In his month with the team, that proved to be right.
Then he announced his retirement "so I can spend more time with my family" and a few months later, he was divorced. I guess wifey thought he was an asshole, too.

 

Yeah, I missed a few.

I also have to add Al Shaver to the MN list.