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I started watching Chicago sports when I was about seven
or eight years old in the early 60s.
Just to clarify, that’s 1960s, not 1860s. I remember the Bears 1963 championship and
the 1963 Loyola Ramblers winning the NCAA basketball title. After that, I remember I lot of
futility. Eventually things got
better. It’s against this backdrop I’ve
put together this list of the most influential Chicago athletes in the last 50
years. By influential I mean the ones
that have had the most effect on the sports culture of Chicago. Frankly, for a bunch of years Chicago was a
loser when it came to sports. These guys helped overcome that. Once again, this list is a list of the most influential,
not the greatest, though these guys were all pretty much great players. Let’s get started.
10. Jim
McMahon: Jim
wasn’t a great QB, but he was a pretty good one when he was healthy. Frankly the Bears defense carried them to the
1985 Super Bowl win, but Jim McMahon and the Bears offense carried their weight. The Punky QB’s personality was the right fit
for that 85 Bears team. That Bears team
from the mid 80s should have won more than one Super Bowl, but the Bears finally
broke a 22 year championship drought and McMahon was a key.
9.
Duncan Keith: The
Blackhawks won Stanley Cups in 2010, 2012 and 2015. Keith was a key member in all of those Cup
wins. He won the Conn Smythe Award as
the playoffs MVP during the 2015 playoffs.
He was a great player who elevated his game during crunch time. His workload and performance were memorable,
especially in the 2015 playoffs. He
scored the game winner in game six of the Finals against the Tampa Bay
Lightning.
8.
Scottie Pippen: I
think Michael Jordan was the greatest athlete and biggest winner in the history
of Chicago sports. Having said that, I’m
not sure how many championships the Bulls and Jordan win without Pippen. His skill set and temperament were just right
to mesh with Jordan. They were both the
better for their time together.
7.
Patrick Kane: Kane was also part of those
three Hawks Cup winners mentioned previously.
Kane just has a knack for scoring big goals, particularly in the playoffs. His overtime goal against the Philadelphia
Flyers in game six of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals ended a 49 year championship
drought for the Hawks. He was also the
Conn Smythe winner of the 2013 playoffs.
Kane was both great and clutch.
That’s a combination Chicago hadn’t been used to since the days of MJ.
6.Walter Payton: I
figure Sweetness was probably the second greatest athlete in Chicago history
but is sixth on this list due to conditions beyond his control. Walter played on some Chicago teams too bad
for even him to carry and other teams so good they could probably have won
without. Still, his impact on the Bears
gets him to number six on this list.
5.
Anthony Rizzo: The
Cubs have had a losing culture over the years.
Rizzo has helped change that.
Anthony was the first building block Theo Epstein put in place for what
was ultimately the Cubs team that broke an 108 year championship drought. Before 2016 all Cubs fans had to talk about
were good teams that eventually broke their hearts. Rizzo and company changed that.
4.
Paul Konerko: The
Sox have had a few better hitters than Paulie.
Dick Allen and Frank Thomas come to mind, but Konerko has a special spot
in White Sox and Chicago history. The
White Sox brought an 88 year championship drought of their own, based in large
part because of the way Paul produced in the 2005 postseason. Konerko’s grand
slam in game one of the 2005 World Series set the tone for the Sox sweep.
3. Jonathan Toews: I loved to watch Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita
in the 1960’s and 70s. I still wonder
how those Blackhawks teams didn’t win a Stanley Cup after 1961. There was so much talent there. By contrast, Jonathan Toews is also an
extremely talented player, but he also had a knack of winning. Toews is my favorite Blackhawk because he
does whatever it takes to win. Win a
faceoff, kill a penalty, score a power play goal, score a pretty goal, score an
ugly goal, forecheck, backcheck, Toews
could do it all and do it when it was needed most. It’s no wonder The Captain is held in such
high regard by Chicago fans.
2.
Jon Lester: When Jon signed with the Cubs
as a free agent, it marked a turning point in the development of the franchise. Lester has certainly produced on the field
with the Cubs and was a key in ending the team’s championship drought. Theo Epstein has had a mixed bag in signing
free agents with the Cubs, but signing Lester was a home run.
1.
Michael Jordan: MJ
did more to change the culture of professional sports in Chicago than any guy
in Chicago history. Before the Bulls and
MJ started putting up championships in the 90s, Chicago had seen one Bears championship
in the 60s, no championships in the 70s and another Bears championship in the
80s. That’s a lot of sports futility. Not only did Jordan change that, he got Chicago
sports fans to the point that Bulls fans expected their team to win. That was an amazing accomplishment based on
Chicago sports history.
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