What athlete do you associate with each number?

I think Buck Williams wore 52.
Another memorable 55 - Chris Hanburger, LB, Redskins

And 17 Billy Kilmer. HOF?

Agreed on Len Bias. I will never forget that. He was awesome at MD, and the Celtics looked primed to win more championships in the late 1980s and 1990s. Sad. Very sad. Still bums me out to this day.

 

Likely the Tampa Tribune (RIP). I recalk that and will try to find a link.

Agree on Sweetness, but Bo was NOT overrated. The best athlete I have ever seen. And it's not close.

 

Dwight Stephenson - 57

Hockey types of a certain vintage will associate 20 with Vladislav Tretiak or later, Ed Belfour

 

21- Roberto Clemente (F Deion)
22- Clyde Drexler
55- Orel Hershiser (how is this not retired by the Dodgers)
00- Kevin Duckworth (RIP)

 

But he is known as a Bruin and Bourque was the better 77. And if you disagree, I will climb into the stands and beat you with a shoe.

 

I hadn't really considered Bourque.

As a kid, Espo was the only guy wearing 77, so I assigned this one long ago.

 

Sorry, but in terms of actual accomplishments, he absolutely is wildly overrated. More so than all but a tiny handful of athletes in history. Just look at his meager numbers. Dude had only one season where his production could be characterized as above average, and even in that one season he failed to rush for four digits. Never in history has more fuss been made over a runner having 600 yard seasons.

And, btw, his college career was also far less than it's cracked up to be. Ranks only 70th in D1 career rushing yards, was essentially worthless as a receiver, and his underwhelming Heisman season was by far one of the least productive of any runner to ever win the award. He was extremely lucky to get the award over Chuck Long in the closest vote in history. It was one of those "well, nobody's had a true standout Heisman caliber season so let's just vote for the most famous guy..." years.

Mythmakers like Nike, Tecmo Bowl and ESPN did a superb job of convincing the world that Bo was more than he actually was.

 

Stunned to be at page 5 of this thread and no mention of the greatest pitcher of all time: 32-Sandy Koufax

 

1: Oscar Robertson

 

There are just too many 32s. Don't know how it became the numeric nexus of athletic superstardom. And longevity plays a huge part in number association.

And 66 will always by Ray Nitschke to me.

 

34: Bryce Harper. Duh.

 

Which makes sense. It is going to be tough to agree on quite a few numbers. Lemieux will always be 66 to me, but I'm part of the generation of Penguins fans that wouldn't give a damn about hockey if he hadn't come to Pittsburgh. Aside from being one of the top five players ever in his sport, he saved Pittsburgh hockey twice, first as a player and then as an owner. Does that mean it is wrong to think of 66 as Nitschke? Of course not. Our sporting perceptions are simply set in different times and places.