Pittsburgh has been called the “City of Champions,” winning a total of 17 titles between the three professional sport’s teams. All that winning has led to plenty of memorable players, but the question remains: who is the best ever to grace the Steel City?
When doing this list it became clear that there would be an abundance of great players to choose from. That made picking just 10 extremely difficult. Even the smallest of margins separated a lot of these people. In order to climb the rankings winning is first and foremost. As well, the player had to be a star, not a passenger for their title. Cough* Jerome Bettis. Finally, the player needs a personality that personifies the city. The list will be made up of players from not only the three professional teams but also the college, The University of Pittsburgh. Some guys you love may not have made the cut, as it was impossible to include everyone. A list of the greatest Cleveland athletes would have been much easier.
10. Dan Marino
Marino may never have won a Super Bowl, but he was in Miami for that time. At Pitt, he finished as high as fourth in the Heisman voting and lost just six games in four years as a starter. What really catapulted Marino into the top 10 was the fact that he went to high school in Pittsburgh at Central Catholic. Nothing like some home grown talent.
9. Troy Polamalu
The Tasmanian devil was a blur of hair throughout his 12-year NFL career. During that time, he was an eight-time Pro-Bowler, four-time First Team All-Pro and won the defensive player of the year award. Polamalu also provided one of the most memorable moments in Steelers history with his game-sealing pick six of Baltimore’s Joe Flacco in the 2008 AFC Championship game.
8. Larry Fitzgerald
In two years at Pitt, “Fitz” absolutely dominated, especially so in his second season. During that season, he led the NCAA in yards and touchdowns, with 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he was robbed of a Heisman trophy, coming in second place. He is still remembered as one of the greatest ever to put on a Panther jersey.
7. Terry Bradshaw
To characterize Bradshaw in one word, that word would be winner. The 1970’s Steelers dominated a decade, winning four Super Bowls. Bradshaw was the key to that success, taking home two Super Bowl MVPs. As well, he called all of his own play, putting even more pressure on him.
6. Bill Mazeroski
Some moments just live in Pittsburgh sports history, while others go down into all-time history. In game seven of 1960 World Series, Mazeroski hit the first and only walk-off home run in game seven of the World Series. Ironically, his glove, eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, and not his bat is the primary reason he is in the Hall of Fame.
5. Willie Stargell
For 20 years he put on a Pirate’s jersey, in every single one he represented his city perfectly. The seven-time All-Star had his defining moment or moments during the 1979 season. In that year, he won the NL MVP, NLCS MVP and World Series MVP. The Pirates famously came back from a three games to one deficit to the Baltimore Orioles to capture Stargell’s second title.
4. Mario Lemieux
Number 66 for the Penguins is as decorated as they come, not only winning two titles as a player but one more as the owner. He still is the only person to ever win the Stanley Cup as a player and owner. But the part about Lemieux that pushed him into the top five was the fact that he battled back from Hodgkin’s lymphoma to return to the NHL.
3. Jack Lambert
“A face only a mother could love and the city could embrace” was the quote by Pittsburgh’s Bob Pompeani. That perfectly sums up how to describe Lambert. He would do anything to win and truly was the heartbeat of the city. Without him, it would not have been possible for the Steelers of the 70’s to dominate like they did.
2. “Mean” Joe Greene
When speaking about Greene you always have to put in the mean part before his name. He was just that, a mean man on the football field. That is why Greene dominated the game like never seen before or since. When you are asked to think of the Steel Curtain, Mean Joe Greene is front and center.
1. Roberto Clemente
The Great One has to be number one when making a list of the top athletes of Pittsburgh. Here are some of his memorable accomplishments from his career: 12 time All-Star, 12 time Gold Glove Award winner, 1966 NL MVP, 3,000 career hits, two World Series Championships and a four-time winner of the best batting average in the league. All of that still pales in comparison to the type of person he was. On December 31, 1972, he died in a plane crash while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, now that is greatness.
Many people like Lynn Swann, Mike Webster, Sidney Crosby and Ben Roethlisberger, among others, missed the cut. However, that is the beautiful thing about Pittsburgh, it is so overloaded with all-time greats limiting it to just ten is impossible. And that is exactly why Pittsburgh is the City of Champions.
