Really hard to choose. Football is just too much of a team sport that it is impossible to win by yourself, even though Earl was pretty close to that. The Oilers had a decent defensive team and a one-man offense. And the only thing they couldn't get over was those damned Steelers. In baseball, a pitcher can dominate a game like no other team sport does. Ryan did just that. But a starting pitcher can only contribute 1 out of 4 games at most. And the pitcher can't control how much his teammates score. So that also makes it impossible for a baseball player to win by himself. (BTW, Ryan wasn't better than J. R. Richard. Who knows what would have been if J. R.'s career didn't end prematurely like that.) Only basketball players can truly dominate in a winning way. And that's why Hakeem could get us those championships and Earl and Ryan could not.
It's gotten to be hip among media <s>idiots</s> members to say that Nolan wasn't a great pitcher, because of secondary stats and won-loss record, but I can promise you that no hitter that went against him thought he was anything less than elite. When baseball players were polled back in the 90s about the greatest pitcher ever, over half chose Nolan. He might not be the greatest ever, but he's among the top few. He's certainly the most dominant ever.
this is why the other clutchfans rate this thread pretty low. its about Houston. Yeah, I guess its offensive to talk about Nolan Ryan and Earl Campbell. God forbid you guys throw something out there like Ernest Givens or Charlie Kerfeld!
Man, Ernest Givens is one of my favorite football players. Damn that Buffalo game. The Oilers were going to win the Superbowl with that Run and Shoot gang.
True. This really should've been a hangout thread. I love Hakeem, but Earl was just dominant when he played, so I chose him. Oddly enough, I collect all sorts of Earl stuff, but not Hakeems. Not sure why.
as of today, the rockets remain the only major pro sports team of this city that has brought the people of the city glory. and that, makes a huge difference.
Earl is a friend of mine and some of my family back in Austin, so it's hard for me not to pick him. That, and he's the greatest football player to ever lace up his cleats in Houston (a football town, like it or not). Spoiler Then again, Olajuwon has the hardware. Spoiler I never really accepted Ryan as a true Houston athlete, for one reason or another. I don't know. So, for me, it's a wash between the Tyler Rose and the Dream.
Earl was great and will always remembered as one of the GOAT... best year almost had 2000yds. Absolute beast. They don't make them like that anymore. however, Hakeem had *two of the 5 quadruple doubles in NBA history and brought Houston two championships. Not including all the hard fought years he had to deal with before then. *unofficially
