Eck was the AL MVP and Cy Young winner in 1992 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. Her career winning percentage of .835 is the highest percentage recorded by any collegiate softball coach with 800 career wins. Photo Credit: Tyler Gallo, By Tyler Gallo, Sports EditorJanuary 20, 2021|241 Views. 12? 44. 84 for two seasons with the Rangers. This is a stacked number, but its still such an easy choice to go with Mays, who is in the conversation about the greatest players in the history of the sport. Vizquel, as well as fellow Venezuelan shortstop Ozzie Guillen, each claimed they wore 13 to honor Concepcin, a nine time All-Star who was the shortstop on the Big Red Machine Cincinnati teams of the 70s. In case you're wondering if numbers matter, do recall what Sports Illustrated wrote about Walker in 1993: "He wears number 33 and he was married on Nov. 3 at 3:33 and his phone number has as many threes in it as he can get the phone company to give him, and he takes three swings in the batter's box before he hits, six if he feels tight, or nine or 12, any multiple of three. You can also see here that the double-zero is rarer than the regular zero; although Bobby Bonds, Jack Clark and Don Baylor all wore it briefly -- very briefly -- no one's donned it since Brian Wilson with the Dodgers in 2014. 89 when he debuted in 2020, there's no longer any such thing as an unused number. Honorable mentions: Mike Schmidt, Don Sutton, Lou Brock. He finished with a 2.86 regular-season ERA, and in 17 games (15 starts) in the postseason, he posted a 2.61 ERA and helped the Orioles to three World Series titles (the only three in franchise history, it should be noted). Pretty impressive. Why hes here: The Big Hurtwas one of the top right-handed hitters in history, leading the league in OPS four times and slugging 35 or more homer eight times. Why hes here: One of the most underrated players of his era, Stieb was one of the top AL pitcher of the 1980s, even if no one knew it at the time. In 67 career playoff games, Rose hit .321 and helped his teams to three World Series titles (1975-76 with the Reds and 1980 with the Phillies). 5. 35 the year he stole 130 bases), so the full value of his career isn't applied here. 13. Honorable mentions: Mel Ott, Paul Molitor, Duke Snider. 66. 39837 WARNotable names: Dave Parker, Roy Campanella, Mike Greenwell, Kevin Kiermaier, Parker wore 39 for six teams over 19 seasons, but he's best-known for doing it with the Pirates. What's most interesting about this group are the two numbers that are a little different -- 99 and 0. Why he's here: Only three players have ever worn No. As for her single-season achievements, her 280 strikeouts in 1998 stood as a record until 2015, when Nicole Sleith shattered it with 296. Think we left someone off? She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, and the last player to wear #16 was Mary Funderlich in 2015. Ryan only wore 30 for the Mets and Angels, not at all for the Astros or Rangers, with whom he spent 14 seasons wearing 34. Hes not in the Hall of Fame yet, but he will be one day soon (he was just 23 votes shy of being part of the Class of 2016). These players have left a lasting impression on their respective teams. Follow every game: Latest NBA Scores and Schedules, GALLERY: Top pro athletes bynumber, from 00 to 99, Jim Otto, NFL; Robert Parish, NBA; Ken Burrough, NFL, Russell Westbrook, NBA; Al Oliver, MLB; Gilbert Arenas, NBA, Oscar Robertson, NBA; Warren Moon, NFL; Ozzie Smith, MLB; Billy Martin, MLB; Pee Wee Reese, MLB, Derek Jeter, MLB;Moses Malone, NBA; Brian Leetch, NHL; Rusty Wallace, NASCAR;Al MacInnis, NHL, Babe Ruth, MLB; Dwyane Wade, NBA; Allen Iverson, NBA; Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR;Bronko Nagurski, NFL; Harmon Killebrew, MLB; Candace Parker, WNBA;Diana Taurasi, WNBA, Lou Gehrig, MLB;Brett Favre, NFL;Bobby Orr, NHL; Mel Ott, MLB; Duke Snider, MLB, Paul Molitor, MLB, Joe DiMaggio, MLB; Johnny Bench, MLB; Hank Greenberg, MLB; Paul Hornung, NFL; Brooks Robinson, MLB; George Brett, MLB; Nicklas Lidstrom, NHL;Dawn Staley, WNBA, Bill Russell, NBA; Julius Erving, NBA; Stan Musial, MLB; Al Kaline, MLB, Mickey Mantle, MLB; John Elway, NFL; David Beckham, soccer; Tiny Archibald, NBA;Phil Esposito, NHL, Cal RipkenJr., MLB; Yogi Berra, MLB; Troy Aikman, NFL; Steve Young, NFL;Carl Yastrzemski, MLB; Joe Morgan, MLB; Willie Stargell, MLB;Kobe Bryant, NBA, Ted Williams, MLB; Gordie Howe, NHL; Bob Pettit, NBA; Bill Elliott, NASCAR; Rocket Richard, NHL; Bobby Hull, NHL; Drew Brees, NFL; Roger Maris, MLB, Walt Frazier, NBA; Fran Tarkenton, NFL; Pele, soccer;Diego Maradona, soccer;Guy Lafleur, NHL; Chipper Jones, MLB; Lionel Messi, soccer, Isaiah Thomas, NBA; Mark Messier, NHL; Elvin Hayes, NBA; Yao Ming, NBA; Cale Yarborough, NASCAR;Teresa Weatherspoon, WNBA, Tom Brady, NFL; Joe Namath, NFL; Terry Bradshaw, NFL; John Stockton, NBA;Jim Kelly, NFL; Ken Stabler, NFL; Roger Staubach, NFL; Roberto Alomar, MLB, Wilt Chamberlain, NBA; Dan Marino, NFL; Alex Rodriguez, MLB; Steve Nash, NBA; James Harden, NBA, Pete Rose, MLB; Bob Cousy, NBA; A.J. Schwanke-List may be one of the best pitchers the Colonials have ever had. Why he's here: A first-ballot Hall of Famer with two Cy Youngs and more than 300 wins, Glavine laps the field at No. First, she competed at Western Illinois and UCLA. In May 2020, she won the gold medal as the inaugural top individual points leader after joining the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. 1 1. He's in the top 10, but again, the Yankees didn't add numbers until 1929, by which time he was already 34 years old and 470 homers into his career. Forty-nine: The official number of knuckleballers everywhere. Foster, a five-time All-Star, led the league in RBIs in three consecutive seasons from 1976-78. Why he's here: Six All-Star appearances, a 2.35 ERA, 349 saves and a World Series ring. Now we're talking, so far as all-time stars go. George Herman Ruth, better known as The Babe, the Sultan of Swat, or the Great Bambino was the greatest hitter during one the greatest eras in the history of baseball. 441,090 WARNotable names: Henry Aaron, Willie McCovey, Roy Oswalt, Paul Goldschmidt, Jake Peavy. No. Why hes here: Ripken started his career with a bang he won the AL rookie of the year in 1982 and the AL MVP in 1983 and spent the rest of his time with the Orioles fashioning a no-doubt Hall of Fame career. 91 for his entire seven-year career. That was pretty awesome for a couple of years. Her number was retired forever during the programs 4/21/18-4/22/18 series against Bryant, in addition to the teams locker room being dedicated to her. No. The sport was never the same. She is the only Colonial to surpass 100 career walks (101), and just the second to pass 100 career RBI (144). Gehrig finished with 493 homers and a .340 career batting average, and he was even better in the World Series the Iron Horse hit .361 and popped 10 homers in 34 games as his Yankees claimed the title six times in seven tries. Cat Osterman is the4-time All-American and 2-time medal-winningOlympian, 6-time professionally unretired All-Star, left-hand softball pitcher, and former Softball Assistant Coach. It's not a coincidence that as we're in the midst of a glut of high 30s and mid 40s here, 13 stands out like a sore thumb. 291,384 WARNotable names: Adrin Beltr, Rod Carew, John Smoltz, Mickey Lolich, Ken Singleton, No. Because he wore 24 the most during his career, that number gets full credit for the season, while 14 gets nothing.). This association with inexperienced players taints all of these numbers. Osterman has also been named the NCAA History No 1. After checking out the photo gallery, readthe list of top athletes at every number. 1: Jose Cardenal. This part of the list is led by No. Don't say you weren't warned. The top 35 names on our No. No. 281,526 WARNotable names: Bert Blyleven, Cesar Cedeno, Wilbur Wood, Buster Posey, Nolan Arenado, Sometimes there's a great story behind a number, and sometimes, as Arenado noted, it's just what happens. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his nine NFL seasons, led the league in rushing eight times, and earned four MVP awards. Drew. 111,837 WARNotable names: Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin, Luis Aparicio, Toby Harrah, Carl Hubbell. LISTING OF PRIMARY NUMBERS IN CAPS; Secondary Numbers in lower case Baseball history is marked by iconic numbers. Ranking second in runs (118), triples (11), and RBI (102), holding the RBI record until Kali Byers came to town, as well as fifth in stolen bases (41) and eighth in hits (179). Linsey Fagan Perhaps the most famous Penn State player in history finds his name in this week's Nos. 12 would have to be in the discussion for being No. 9 Penn State won 35-28. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. She was named to the All-NEC Tournament Team twice. Honorable mentions: Chipper Jones, Ron Santo, Andre Dawson. He's already the greatest player ever to wear it. 1, which is almost universally worn by speedy middle infielders or defensively gifted center fielders, befitting the origins of uniform numbers as matching lineup positions. She also recorded a 1.35 ERA that season, good for the third-best all-time. Who was most important while wearing each number? In 2015, he was an All-Star and won AL Comeback Player of the Year. Why hes here: Only Babe Ruth could have possibility overshadowed one of the greatest sluggers of all time. Honorable mentions: Kirby Puckett, David Ortiz, Felix Hernandez, Fernando Valenzuela. No. 54 list are arms, until you get to Junior Flix, an outfielder who wore it for a single season as a rookie for the 1989 Blue Jays. Honorable mentions: Billy Williams, Chase Utley, Amos Otis. Numbers are now considered a common feature for uniforms in every team sport. Rose played 24 seasons, and wore No. In 2006, Enquist decided to retire from UCLA. 49753 WARNotable names: Ron Guidry, Tom Candiotti, Charlie Hough, Tim Wakefield, Larry Dierker. But do they know who the players were who wore those numbers? Grace wore 17 for most of his 13 seasons with the Cubs, but it's pretty clear he's not going to be the most famous North Sider with the number. There are 101 different options, counting 0 and 00 separately. Henry Aaron didn't, but 1.4 WAR of his legendary career counts here anyway, because he wore it for his rookie season in 1954 before switching to his now-iconic 44. Why he's here: The middle reliever is the only player in history to post a postive WAR while wearing No. Honorable mentions: Phil Niekro, Mike Mussina, Cole Hamels. Honorable mentions: Nolan Ryan, Orlando Cepeda, Willie Randolph. Robinsons #42 will never be worn by another Major League baseball player. No. He played more games at first base than anyone. No, let's talk about the numbers themselves. 51549 WARNotable names: Randy Johnson, Ichiro Suzuki, Bernie Williams, Willie McGree, Trevor Hoffman. 12 when he moved on to the Yankees and Devil Rays. Paul Goldschmidt, the 2022 NL MVP, wore 44 with Arizona, but he took 46 upon his trade to the Cardinals, saying that it was the closest number to 44 available, because 44 was taken at the time and 45 was retired for Bob Gibson. Byers was the greatest power hitter in Colonials history, swatting a school-record 35 home runs in her time with the Colonials, and playing during the golden era of 2005 and 2006. 41998 WARNotable names: Tom Seaver, Eddie Mathews, John Lackey, Darrell Evans, Pat Hentgen, Seager is so synonymous with 41, the only number he wore for any of the four teams he played for, that in 2022, his hometown of Fresno, Calif., honored him by renaming part of Highway 41 the "Tom Seaver Memorial Highway. Nomar . That began with Al Oliver, and others like Adam Ottavino, Oddibe McDowell, Junior Ortiz and Rey Ordez have followed suit. At every turn, Ronaldo has succeeded and proved to be the best. Honorable mentions: Andy Benes, Bud Black. The number 9 is the second most common and second most prolific with four club top scorers managing a total of 38 goals. Of course, Juan Soto -- who made sure to keep it when he was traded from Washington to San Diego -- has plenty of time yet to make up the gap. In many other sports, numbers of club legends are retired from use and placed in the rafters to be revered by generations of fans. This article was originally published in July 2020, and was updated in December 2022. 15 for 15 of his 18 Major League seasons. 321,123 WARNotable names: Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax, Roy Halladay, Milt Pappas, Jon Matlack. He then cemented his status as a hockey legend when he secured ownership of the Penguins and stopped them from moving to Kansas City. Why? Honorable mentions: Kershaw, Larry Walker, Luis Tiant. Johnson can now be considered one of the most successful athletes of all time. So when New York pulled off the massive deal to get Rodriguez, he switch to No. Elway retired following two consecutive Super Bowl wins and appeared in five Super Bowls. His #13 is retired by both the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Miami Dolphins, and he is the greatest quarterback to ever wear the number. In his 22-year career, the right-hander with a devastating curveball won 289 games, struck out 3,701 (that total is still fifth all-time) and pitched nearly 5,000 innings in the majors (4,970, to be exact). Hall of Fame center Moses Malone's pro career spanned two decades, over which he played for nine different teams. 77 for just one season, but he's Pudge. Alex Bregman is storming up this list; he wears 2 in part to honor Jeter, and in part because he was drafted second overall in 2015. Dr. 61,881 WARNotable names: Stan Musial, Al Kaline, Sal Bando, Willie Wilson, Tony Oliva, Steve Garvey. No. Ranking the 25 best NCAA softball players in 2020 Gabbie Plain went 24-2 with a 1.24 ERA last season and will have to step up in Washington's rotation after Taran Alvelo's graduation. Berra and fellow Yankee Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey each wore 8 in pinstripes; it was retired in honor of each of them in 1972. The team wonthe national championship of 1999. Here are the players who didn't get the nod for this number: Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera and pre-Giants Barry Bonds. Worldwide, however, this is the number that millions see on Ohtani's back. Why hes here: Ford was a stalwart in the Yankees rotation during the franchises glory years (well, one of their stretches of glory years). Your email address will not be published. Honorable mentions: Jeff Kent, Mark Langston, Dusty Baker. 99 for the Dodgers after being traded in July. Today, the number is best remembered for Clemente, who briefly wore No. Because beyond them, it's relatively thin. FL Teams. He destroyed the idea that a team needed a great big man to win a title, regularly wowing audiences. Dickinson is, perhaps, the greatest all-around player the softball program has ever had, spending 1999-2002 in the red, white, and blue and dominating while doing it from both sides of the ball. 99, here are the Cubs' all-time jersey picks: No. Why he's here: Fielder has worn No. He is the only player in the history of the league to receive this honor. 81,559 WARNotable names: Carl Yastrzemski, Cal Ripken, Jr., Joe Morgan, Gary Carter, Yogi Berra, Willie Stargell. In 2008, Enquist was honored with induction at the International Womens Sports Hall; the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2006; UCLA Hall of Fame in 1993; and the Unified Capistrano School, 2000. Why hes here: Armed with a sweet swing and an unparalleled batting eye, Carew won seven AL batting titles and hit at least .330 in 10 different seasons. Neither did we. 81 for more than a season. 13987 WARNotable names: Alex Rodriguez, Omar Vizquel, Dave Concepcin, Lance Parrish, Manny Machado. 181,487 WARNotable names: Mel Harder, Johnny Damon, Ben Zobrist, Gene Tenace, Jason Kendall. No. from 1997 to 2002 she played for the UCLA Bruins asthe catcher position. 41,693 WARNotable names: Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Luke Appling, Duke Snider, Paul Molitor. 24. She holds theNCAAcareer records fortotal basesand intentional walks as well as thePac-12career records forbatting averageandslugging percentage. Why he's here: A two-time Cy Young winner who lead his league in ERA and strikeouts three times each, Santana was the clear choice here. No. 50, before a slight uptick at 99. Look at a graph that is actually showing you uniform numbers, ranked, by WAR. These numbers can be passed down from one club legend to the next, as the tradition is in soccer. Why he's here: Remember Mannywood? She was also a coach on the Colonials staff until 2014. She was also the first woman in a national regular-season game to be a game analyst. And even though Barry Bonds eventually eclipsed Babe Ruths career home run total, the number 714 still holds a special place in baseball lore. No player has worn #7 since before 2007. Michael Jordan's #23 is the most iconic number in the history of sports. He was also the second most prolific passer in NFL history, with 51,475 career passing yards, despite only leading the NFL in passing yardage once. This one starts out hot -- just look at all those Hall of Famers -- before falling off somewhat. Malone was a 12-time All-Star and won a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers . No. Bonds won five of his seven NL MVPs with the Giants and broke pretty much every home run and walks record while wearing No. Why does Verlander wear 35? Maybe it's No. Honorable mentions: Jim Thome, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire. Cristiano Ronaldos image is inseparable from his favored #7. 25-29 jersey range. 7 and 9. 99 [3.5 WAR] here. 45813 WARNotable names: Bob Gibson, Pedro Martnez, Steve Rogers, John Candelaria. That's going to make this something more of a "very good estimate" than "an exact accounting," but let's put two rules into place to account for that: If a player gets traded and changes numbers in a season, each number gets the appropriate WAR credit. Boggs wore the 26 for his 11 seasons with Boston, but took No. Voiselle, a 1940s-era pitcher, wore 96, an unheard-of number back in those days, for a very good reason: To honor his hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina. Damon hit 235 homers and stole 408 bases in his career. No. for Team USA. Aside from the final stop of his football career in Baltimore, he wore #21 for his other four teams. The lanky right-hander won the AL Cy Young three times and finished in the top five of the voting five other times in his 19-year career. Everything about the modern NBA is made, to some extent, in Michael Jordan's image. Tweet us @USATODAYSports and let us know. Porcello, a New Jersey native, traded it to Hunter in exchange for a donation to a Hurricane Sandy relief program. Ortiz had No. MJ also helped bring basketball to the . Best all-time MLB players at each jersey number, 1-99, Best current players at each jersey number, 1-97. 3 for six seasons, during which time he accumulated 48.9 WAR, less than a third of his career total of 162.7 WAR.). Michele Smith is a former international pro-left-handed hitting fastpitch softball pitcher for the U.S. Olympic Softball Team, All-American collegiate, two-time medal-winning Olympian who currently works as a sports commentator.Smith helped Team USA back-to-back gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and 2000 Sydney, Australia Olympic Games. Jordan adopted the number in high school because his brother wore his preferred #45. The next eight numbers were all honored on October 6, 2018, in a ceremony that honored the remaining softball players enshrined in the RMU Athletics Hall of Fame. There are stories in each of those numbers. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. In the power categories, its pretty much Mickey Mantle (Hall of Famer), Eddie Murray (Hall of Famer), Chipper Jones (soon-to-be-Hall of Famer) and then Beltran. We can split the same credit for No. Despite the less-popular numbers here in this group, there's still a number of huge stars to have worn them. Winning two titles with the Knicks in 1970 and 1973, Frazier had his fair share of winning during his playing days. Perfect? 22 for his brief 13-game cup of coffee in 1972, but when outfielder Roger Freed was traded to Cleveland after the season, Schmidt claimed his iconic No.