15 Athletes Who Should Be In Their Sport’s Hall of Fame
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Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is every athlete’s biggest dream. It means not only were you a great player, but you are highly respected by your peers and the media. Who deserves to be in their sport’s Hall of Fame versus who doesn’t is a hotly debated topic year in and year out. Here are 15 athletes I think belong in their sport’s Hall of Fame.
15. Terrell Davis
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15. Terrell Davis
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The only reason Terrell Davis is not in the Hall of Fame is that his career lasted just seven years. Davis produced more than enough in those seven seasons to warrant a bust in Canton. “T.D.” is one of only twelve players in league history to win both a Super Bowl MVP and regular season AP MVP award in their careers.
14. Barry Bonds
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14. Barry Bonds
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This might cause an uproar among the “no one in the steroid era deserves to be in the Hall of Fame,” crowd, but Bonds was simply too dominant to leave out. The all-time career home runs leader had a few of the greatest offensive seasons the sport has ever seen. I implore you - look at his stats again, they’re insane. Steroids or not, Barry Bonds is one of the greatest players in MLB history.
13. Roger Clemens
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13. Roger Clemens
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Just like Bonds, we know Clemens took performance-enhancing drugs. Also just like Bonds, we know Clemens is one of the greatest players to ever stand between the foul lines. The power-throwing right-hander played for an incredible 24 seasons, won a record seven Cy Young awards, two World Series, 354 games, and has the third most strikeouts in baseball history.
12. Jo Jo White
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12. Jo Jo White
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It’s getting ridiculous that Jo Jo White still isn’t in the Basketball Hall of Fame. White won two championships with the Celtics in 1974 and 1976, for which he was named Finals MVP. In addition to his brilliant NBA career, White led the USA Olympic basketball team to the Gold Medal in 1968.
11. Paul Kariya
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11. Paul Kariya
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Injuries, specifically concussions, riddled the diminutive forward’s career and ultimately led to his retirement after missing the entire 2010-11 season. Kariya was a highly gifted playmaker and scorer who could light the lamp in a blink of an eye. He finished his career with 989 points in 989 games with 402 goals.
10. Pete Rose
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10. Pete Rose
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Due to his gambling on the sport, baseball’s all-time hits leader isn’t even eligible for the Hall of Fame. Ultimately, I believe induction into a sport’s most prestigious club should be based on performance on the field. Rose played the game as hard as anyone has ever played any sport and deserves a place in Cooperstown.
9. Charles Haley
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9. Charles Haley
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Haley has the distinction of being the only player in NFL history to win five Super Bowls. The pass rush specialist’s teams won the division in 10 of Haley’s 12 years and appeared in six NFC Championship Games in a seven-year span. Haley finished his career with 100.5 sacks and was twice named NFC Defensive Player of the Year.
8. Jeremy Roenick
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8. Jeremy Roenick
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“JR” is one of the greatest Americans in hockey history. A couple of the main arguments against Roenick is that he stuck around a year or two too long to pile up his points total and was a little too into himself for some people’s liking. Not winning a Stanley Cup, gold medal, or an MVP trophy certainly hurts as well.
7. Jeff Bagwell
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7. Jeff Bagwell
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Bagwell is the best offensive player in Houston Astros history and has gotten close to making the cut in recent years. In addition to the consistent power he produced in the 90s, Bagwell is one of only thirteen players in the 400 home run, 200 steals club. In the 15 years that he played, he had 1529 RBIS, 2314 hits and 449 home runs. Seriously though, he belongs just for his batting stance alone.
6. Rudy Tomjanovich
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6. Rudy Tomjanovich
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Many people forget Tomjanavich had a successful career as a player before starting his legendary coaching career. Rudy was a five-time all-star and the third-leading scorer in Rockets history. After his playing days were up, he coached Houston to two championships and the USA Olympic basketball team to gold in 2002.
5. Mark Recchi
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5. Mark Recchi
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In addition to his offensive prowess, Recchi was a winner. The playmaking forward won three Stanley Cups, each with a different team. Recchi hit the triple-digit point plateau three times in his career and was the 13th player in league history to ever score 1,500 points in a career. In 2011, Recchi became the oldest player to ever score in a Stanley Cup Finals game.
4. Marvin Harrison
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4. Marvin Harrison
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The Colts wide receiver was the biggest snub of the 2014 Hall of Fame class. Harrison ranks third all-time in career receptions, fifth in receiving touchdowns, and seventh in receiving yards. He finished his career with an average of 5.8 catches per game, the highest in history among all non-active players.
3. Mike Piazza
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3. Mike Piazza
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Piazza is another example of a player who remains out of the Hall of Fame due to steroid accusations. He’s the greatest hitting catcher of all-time and that fact alone warrants a selection to Cooperstown. I know he was a below-average defensive player, but Piazza hit 30 or more home runs in nine out of ten years and had a batting average over .300 in ten-straight seasons.
2. Phil Housley
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2. Phil Housley
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Offensively minded and skilled defenseman have long been a highly sought after commodity in the NHL. Housley was that and more during his career, but has gotten a little lost in the shuffle due to playing in an era with defensive legends like Ray Bourque, Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, and Paul Coffey. He also holds the dubious record of having played in the most games without winning a Stanley Cup.
1. Tim Raines
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1. Tim Raines
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Raines is only one of eight players in MLB history to have reached base over 4,000 times, stolen over 500 bases, and scored more than 1,500 runs. When looking over some other players in the Hall of Fame, it’s hard to find an argument against including Raines with them. Playing much of his career in the small baseball market of Montreal clearly has hurt Raines’ candidacy.
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