OT: Greatest Pittsburgh Sport Star
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The Greatest Pittsburgh Athlete should have been our own, Danny Marino. If Bob Smizik and company hadn’t badmouthed him, and made up stories about him throughout 1982, the Steelers draft him in 1983, and the Steelers are serious contenders to win Super Bowls in 1984, 1989, and 1992-1997.
For baseball, Paul Waner, lifetime 0.333, 2309 RBI's, 3152 hits. dude was a player... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Waner
Actually now that we have expanded this Bruno Sammarito. Yes it was fake wrestling but it was still real. Btw I never saw Mario play. I was deployed and only the my dad sending me the PG sports pages did I know about him.
He was. I knew his sister when he was in HS (she taught with my ex). She always said he was obsessed with working out and wrestling. I'd say it paid off for him.
J
JGregor
Guest
The category is “Pittsburgh greatest sports star”.
Not necessarily the greatest in their sport. It’s Pittsburgh that is key.
Clemente brought Latin players and Latin Americans to revere the Pirates and the name recognition to Pittsburgh more so than any other Pittsburgh sports star. Puerto Ricans and other Latin Americans know of Clemente and the Pittsburgh Pirates. His humanitarian quest was aided by his sport star recognition.
Also the way he played the game with all out fiery intensity on every play. I remember being between home and first base watching Clemente in 1959, before he was recognized as a major star, hitting a routine ground ball to second, and I watched him running to first, hustling like it was so important, and the first baseman momentarily dropped the ball and then picked it up, but Clemente beat it out. It was bang bang. Only his speed and hustle made it. There is no better example as to why you hustle on every play. It was just a regular season game and only a regular game at bat. But not for Clemente. Watch him run the bases, see him in the field catching and throwing the ball. One of only two players (willie Mays bring the other) to score from first base on an infield hit without there being an error. ** In BB history no right fielder has more assists (266 with 12 gold gloves) Not even the great Al Kaline is close (RF with 10 gold gloves, 22 yr career 170 Assists).
And BB was the national pastime and most popular sport.
** I can explain how it happened since I witnessed it and read about it in the papers the next day.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are arguably the best run and most popular sports franchise today.
And this is since the 1970’s with the four Super Bowl championships and the many great players on those teams. Today fans all over America are Steeler fans. Away games are like home games with the stadiums packed with Steeler fans and their terrible towels waving. When You ask them why are they Pittsburgh fans they say because of Terry Bradshaw and since the 1970. And while there are many greats on the ‘70 Steelers. The one player who you could not substitute for and without him you don’t win those championships is Terry Bradshaw.
Joe Greene was great as was many on the defense that was very important to those victories. But without the dynamic play of Bradshaw you don’t win all those championships. Handing off to Franco with the blocking of Bleier and the OL, the receiving of the HOF WR’s, Swann & Stallworth, and the great defenders, it was a truly a great team. Bradshaw was the dynamic catalyst that made it happen. And Pittsburgh Steelers fans across the country and the subsequent winning years with Cowher & Tomlin continued the fan legacy that started with Noll and the 1970’s.
Not necessarily the greatest in their sport. It’s Pittsburgh that is key.
Clemente brought Latin players and Latin Americans to revere the Pirates and the name recognition to Pittsburgh more so than any other Pittsburgh sports star. Puerto Ricans and other Latin Americans know of Clemente and the Pittsburgh Pirates. His humanitarian quest was aided by his sport star recognition.
Also the way he played the game with all out fiery intensity on every play. I remember being between home and first base watching Clemente in 1959, before he was recognized as a major star, hitting a routine ground ball to second, and I watched him running to first, hustling like it was so important, and the first baseman momentarily dropped the ball and then picked it up, but Clemente beat it out. It was bang bang. Only his speed and hustle made it. There is no better example as to why you hustle on every play. It was just a regular season game and only a regular game at bat. But not for Clemente. Watch him run the bases, see him in the field catching and throwing the ball. One of only two players (willie Mays bring the other) to score from first base on an infield hit without there being an error. ** In BB history no right fielder has more assists (266 with 12 gold gloves) Not even the great Al Kaline is close (RF with 10 gold gloves, 22 yr career 170 Assists).
And BB was the national pastime and most popular sport.
** I can explain how it happened since I witnessed it and read about it in the papers the next day.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are arguably the best run and most popular sports franchise today.
And this is since the 1970’s with the four Super Bowl championships and the many great players on those teams. Today fans all over America are Steeler fans. Away games are like home games with the stadiums packed with Steeler fans and their terrible towels waving. When You ask them why are they Pittsburgh fans they say because of Terry Bradshaw and since the 1970. And while there are many greats on the ‘70 Steelers. The one player who you could not substitute for and without him you don’t win those championships is Terry Bradshaw.
Joe Greene was great as was many on the defense that was very important to those victories. But without the dynamic play of Bradshaw you don’t win all those championships. Handing off to Franco with the blocking of Bleier and the OL, the receiving of the HOF WR’s, Swann & Stallworth, and the great defenders, it was a truly a great team. Bradshaw was the dynamic catalyst that made it happen. And Pittsburgh Steelers fans across the country and the subsequent winning years with Cowher & Tomlin continued the fan legacy that started with Noll and the 1970’s.
Without the slander Marino would have been off the board way before the Steelers picked.
I thought about that. And I think his poor senior year caused more of a drop in draft value. I think the local writers effected the local Steelers opinion of him more than any other team.
Was Roberto Clemente as popular when he was alive as he is now? I'm too young to have remembered seeing Roberto Clemente play. I have to go to the statistics. Willie Stargell's stats are slightly better, in my opinion. I remember the end of Willie Stargell's career. I don't know if there was a bigger star than Willie Stargell in 1979. If there was his name was Terry Bradshaw. Terry Bradshaw led his team, the most popular team in the city, to four Super Bowls. Mario Lemieux would be the obvious choice but he was just a hockey player.
I was at the end of Clemente career but my dad raved about him. I might be wrong but I think he broke the Latin barrier much like Jackie Robinson. Mario is great and has made Pittsburgh his home.
So the original post says "star" .
If that means by celebrity? I'd go
1. Mario. Top 2 in his sport, then influential owner. Only counter argument is the NHL is smaller than the other team sports.
2. Clemente. Maybe the most widely respected Latino baseball player of all time, almost considered a martyr now.
3. A bunch of guys who had big media presence and did tv commercials and so on...Stargell, Bonds, Swann, Bradshaw, Greene
If "star" means how good they were at their sport?
1. Mario. See above.
2. Honus Wagner. Underrated locally because of the time passage, the best ever at his position and from 1901 to 1912 or so he was the best player in the NL in terms of WAR, offensive WAR, and entirely elite as a fielder.
3. Harry Greb. No offense to Billy Cohn or Michael Moorer or Paul Spadafora but Greb was our best by far. Bert Sugar ranks him 5th all time pound for pound, Max Kellerman ranks him 4th. At a minimum, easily a top 10 boxer ever with 261 wins. In 1919 alone he went 45-0, defeating some African American greats that many white boxers refused to fight.
I didn't include local talent who didn't compete here as pros...Dorsett, Marino, Swin Cash, Stan Musial, etc.
If that means by celebrity? I'd go
1. Mario. Top 2 in his sport, then influential owner. Only counter argument is the NHL is smaller than the other team sports.
2. Clemente. Maybe the most widely respected Latino baseball player of all time, almost considered a martyr now.
3. A bunch of guys who had big media presence and did tv commercials and so on...Stargell, Bonds, Swann, Bradshaw, Greene
If "star" means how good they were at their sport?
1. Mario. See above.
2. Honus Wagner. Underrated locally because of the time passage, the best ever at his position and from 1901 to 1912 or so he was the best player in the NL in terms of WAR, offensive WAR, and entirely elite as a fielder.
3. Harry Greb. No offense to Billy Cohn or Michael Moorer or Paul Spadafora but Greb was our best by far. Bert Sugar ranks him 5th all time pound for pound, Max Kellerman ranks him 4th. At a minimum, easily a top 10 boxer ever with 261 wins. In 1919 alone he went 45-0, defeating some African American greats that many white boxers refused to fight.
I didn't include local talent who didn't compete here as pros...Dorsett, Marino, Swin Cash, Stan Musial, etc.
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I would put Arnold Palmer at #3.
So there you have it.
1. Mario
2. Barry Bonds
3. Arnold Palmer
Just because you don’t like it doesn’t make it a niche sport. Do you consider golf, soccer, and auto racing niche sports also?
1. Kurt Angle
2. Mario
3. Roberto
How did you all forget about Kurt Angle. Angle has won 21 total championships and overall is a 13-time world champion He is the only pro-wrestler in history to have won the WWE Championship, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the IGF's IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Kidding Mario by a long shot.
2. Mario
3. Roberto
How did you all forget about Kurt Angle. Angle has won 21 total championships and overall is a 13-time world champion He is the only pro-wrestler in history to have won the WWE Championship, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the IGF's IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Kidding Mario by a long shot.
Mario Lemieux
Roberto Clemente
Tony Dorsett
Arnold Palmer
Not bad, Pittsburgh could also make quite the honorable mention list: Donald, Crosby, Marino, Fitz, Honus Wagner, Bradshaw, Greene, Jagr, Revis, and that’s just off the top of my head.
Roberto Clemente
Tony Dorsett
Arnold Palmer
Not bad, Pittsburgh could also make quite the honorable mention list: Donald, Crosby, Marino, Fitz, Honus Wagner, Bradshaw, Greene, Jagr, Revis, and that’s just off the top of my head.
You don't think the slander from the Pittsburgh sports writers and the enabler in State College could have swayed at team like Kansas City to pass on Marino? Look at who they ended up picking! Sure a team like the Jets passed because they're the Jets, but the lies are the biggest factor he fell that far.
Remember they pushed that Marino's poor season was due to drugs, not the actual reasons he had a so so season, he had no weapons on offense and an inept coaching staff.
I'm 73 years old. Yes, Roberto Clemente was VERY popular "back then". His death was a tragedy and shook a lot of people when it happened. I was one of those who felt the loss. My wife, 71, concurred with this also.
Clemente had some critics in the late 50s, early 60s. Besides some racism as one of the first black latin players, some thought he was an aloof hypochondriac. He was very popular by the late 60s, however.
Because he didn't play for a Pittsburgh team, or because Latrobe is too far away?
Not too many guys are identified as more of a Western Pennsylvanian than him.
I like all of those sports. That doesn't mean they can't be niche sports.
How far away from Pittsburgh is still Pittsburgh?
Stan Musial was from Donora.
Your age group is the one I'm interested in hearing from. In 1971 did you prefer Clemente or Stargell?
I preferred Clemente. But Stargell was a much better all-around player when he was young than people give him credit for. He had a very strong arm in LF. People tend to remember the older, heavier Pops playing 1B.
Yep fair question. I live in the city but am not a snob about this topic -- I think for TV era sports, it is based on how far Pittsburgh TV stations reach even if that is beyond a typical commute. Which may include Altoona? Not sure.
I love Bradshaw and think he's the greatest QB in franchise history - but you ask any of the former Steelers who was the unparalleled leader and greatest Steelers - they'll say Joe Green.
Yeah, there aren't many folks who would pick Brad over Joe Greene. Its not even close. Greene was the greatest player on the greatest team, the team leader and the first guy the press went to for interviews and advertising etc.
Lemeiux has been on the most magazine covers, most interviews and had the most books written about him, than any other PGH athlete. He's the most recognized PGH athlete in the world. Even non hockey fans know the name.
Greene may actually have been a better DT than Mario was a hockey player. No way to definitely prove that, though.
I remember George Perles being interviewed on the radio after the Steelers first Super Bowl. He said he loved Greene more than his wife. Sounded like the coaches only had to provide the technical aspects of coaching, Greene provided the motivation, discipline, etc. Perles said if there was a problem with any player they would just tell Greene. They would see Greene with the player pushed into a corner of the locker room, with Greene explaining things to him. The coaches would never have a problem with the guy after that.
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