Am I seriously the only one who is on the Carl Lewis train? 9 gold medals doesn't impress you people?
Nope, you are correct. He and George Foreman deserve more love. Maybe not top-4 love, but love. Anyone mentioned AJ Foyt? Vince Young?
Dream and Earl are the no brainers Ryan Biggio AJ Foyt Car Lewis Clyde Rudy T As far as current players only JJ Watt has a chance to eventually be on this list. I would pick Biggio or Ryan as the 3rd so the Astros have someone
I've just never really considered him a "Houston" sports legend. Aside from going to U of H does he have any connection to the city? He also spent his career representing the USA, not Houston. If he were raised here then it would be a different discussion, and he would clearly be top 4 IMO. I would consider Clyde, Foyt and Foreman before I would go with Carl Lewis.
If JJ Watt retired TODAY, would he be on your list? I cannot believe there are so many lists that have Biggio and not Bagwell. At the very least, you would need both of them. I think 99% of people would put Bagwell ahead of Biggio until 2007 which is more than 15 years after they first started playing together. I don't think the two extra years Biggio had at the downside of his Career put him above Baggs. A lot of you are being influenced by the fact that Biggio is a hall of famer and Bagwell is not which has nothing to do with how they played and what they did. It has to do with a bunch of members of the media and other old baseball guys think. Biggio being in the 3,000 hit club is nothing to turn your nose at but that doesn't make him a better player or more of a legend than Baggs. Crazy. I would say: Hakeem, Drexler, Earl, Bagwell/Biggio if a weird The Fly type fusion. Extra points to the only champions Houston has ever known. (unless you want to count the AFL or mighty WNBA).
Like I said earlier, I'd probably pick Biggio over Bagwell to put on a mountain, but Bagwell was hands down the better player. I think longevity and personality is what gives Biggio the nod over Bagwell despite being the inferior player.
I guess it depends on how to define the framework of "Houston Sport's Mount Rushmore" I'm defining it as the 4 most successful athletes that were iconic to this city - such that when you bring up Houston sports to nonHoustonians - these are the 4 players that embody the city's long history of sports. That is why I went with Hakeem, Earl, Nolan, Bagwell I don't think most nonHoustonians even know that Lewis or even Foreman are from Houston. and that is because they participated in individual sports and never had "Houston" on their back - but either USA (Lewis) or their own name on their trunks (Foreman). Neither represented the city in their athletic endeavors.
