"Best From a State" Rankings

[1.97hjsteve]

Too lazy to do a thorough critique myself, but a few years ago I had fun examining Sports Illustrated's "top 50" athletes from all 50 states, culling out ( of course 0 the T&F ones for comparisons.

Did anyone else do this thoroughly ?

I just remember some ridiculous ones, like Blaine Lindgren being ahead of Jay Silvester in Utah, and I bdelieve Parry O'Brien did not make the California list. Yes, it's a big state so a tough list to make, but not even in the top 50 ?

Did Anybody out there either do an analysis, or want to start one now ?

[jsquire]

Re:

I studied the Ohio rankings, and I remember that they ranked Dave Wottle while passing over Harrison Dillard.

Ohio is quite regionally diverse, and generally produces quality athletes across a broad spectrum (even if we don't rack up the All-Americans like some states).

[parkerclay]

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/featur ... ates/main/

Here is the article. I'd love to also do a greatest athlete by country. Here's a few off the top of my head (men only for now):

USA - Carl Lewis
Czech Rep - Zatopek
Finland - Nurmi
UK - Daley Thompson
Ukraine - Bubka
Ethiopia - Geb
Kenya - Keino
Australia - Herb Elliott
NZ - John Walker
Cuba - Sotomayor
Russia - Brumel
Jamaica - Herb McKenley
Uganda - Akii-Bua

[jsquire]

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>NZ - John Walker

I'll argue that Snell was the greatest Kiwi, and not by only a little.

Some more nations:
Algeria: Noureddine Morceli
Argentina: Juan Carlos Zabala
Austria: Sepp Zielbauer
Bahamas: Troy Kemp
Barbados: Obadele Thompson
Belarus: Igor Astapkovich
Belgium: Gaston Roelants
Bermuda: Brian Wellman
Brazil: Adhemar Ferreira da Silva
Bulgaria: Khristo Markov
Burundi: Venuste Nyongabo
Canada: Donovan Bailey (although some would argue Ben Johnson, since he was railroaded; those people also think Kennedy was assassinated by Martians)

[Guest]

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>those people also think Kennedy was assassinated by Martians)

He wasn't?

[jsquire]

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More nations:

Cayman Islands: Kareem Streete-Thompson
Chile: Manuel Plaza
China: Ni Ziqin
Colombia: Queribin Moreno
Cote D'Ivoire: Gabriel Tiacoh
Denmark: Wilson Kipketer
Djibouti: Ahmed Salah

One of our social studies teachers is fond of finding someone suitably clueless and asking him to "go to the font of the class [where the maps are], turn around, and show the class Djibouti".

Dominican Republic: Felix Sanchez
Ecuador: Jefferson Perez
Egypt: Hatem Mohammed Mersal
Estonia: Erki Nool
Ethiopia: Clay said Geb, but Bikila might be better
France: Guy Drut
Germany: Udo Beyer (West: Harald Schmid)
Ghana: Josh Owosu

[parkerclay]

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Germany is a tough one..I also was thinking Harbig, Riedel or Schult

[Guest]

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You are correct about Snell...he totally slipped my mind

[Guest]

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Italy . . . Mennea

[gh]

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Doesn't hold a candle to Adolfo Consolini.

[Guest]

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I admit, I had to Google that one, GH.

[Guest]

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Do we count Kitei Son ('36 marathon gold) as Korean or Japanese?

[1.97hjsteve]

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Hey what happened to " States" ?

[gh]

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If you want to see his name next to a nation, better make him Korean, because Chuhei Nambu is the best Japanese. (Googling yet? :-)

[Guest]

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well, I can't take the pennsylvania list all that seriously, when kobe bryant isn't in the top 50, philly boy he was...

interesting list too...

back in 1991, I saw a headline in the Philadelphia Daily News...

Phialdelphia Athlete sets new long jump record...

scratching my head, I thought, Carl Lewis wa born in Philly...

turns out Mike Powell was and live here till about age 6 or so...

probably woudl add Leoru Burrel to the top 50 list too, how many 100 meter world record holdrs are NOT on any given states top 50