Thx, Nick. I always assume Jordan is going to be one of the names people object to (too low) but, yes, I see Jordan, Bird and Magic as a group--not specifically the Dream Team group but that's part of it--who helped rejuvenate professional hoops when people had otherwise seemed to lose interest. I have Wilt, Russ and Kareem not too far behind, once again as types and as individuals, representing the big post (and the big black post) but as well as they're remembered, that is all tempered by the fact that they weren't as widely admired in their own day.

As to Dempsey, I met Jack and have a photo of me and my parents with him in that restaurant. And, hey, he made the top 20! How bad is that. It was hard for me to space out the great iconic athletes of the 1920s, it seemed like every sport had one, and it came out Ruth, Grange, Dempsey/Tunney, with Tilden and Lenglen, and Bobby Jones next.

It's pretty hard nowadays BTW to remember just how iconic the heavyweight champion of the world was, up until the d the gross proliferation of titles the past quarter century or so. Especially when black men held the title pre-integration. The highest rated "forgotten" is Jack Johnson, but when he won the title there were race riots across the land.

I expect grief about DiMaggio/Mantle and Mays as a group. People today don't see DiMag as the same generation but as a type "CF in NY" from 1941 to 1957 was a pretty big thing. Ditto Woods and Palmer, whom I label "the people's choice" versus Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus as "the connoisseur's choice." They're in the 20s.

Oh well, it was a fun little exercise one rainy afternoon. It goes all the way to #200. (100 = Gale Sayers and Walter Payton. 200 = Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivero, subject to review once all the evidence is in [e.g. retirement].)

And there's a team list through #50 (Yankees, Notre Dame football, Brooklyn Dodgers are still #3, Packers, Celtics, UCLA basketball, Globetrotters, Cowboys, Canadiens, Crimson Tide football).

Jones and Nicklaus are paired at #23, Petty and Foyt are #33, Lance is #48, Hogan, Nelson and Snead are "paired" at #60, Earnhardt is #95.

Sammy Baugh is #34. Staubach #93, Larary Mahan and Jim Shoulders are #137, Doak Walker 181.

Tied at 158
Billy Vessels
Tommy McDonald
Steve Owens
Greg Pruitt
Joe Washington
Billy Sims

Roberto Clemente is #57, just for the record, after Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson and just ahead of Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard.

I expect grief about DiMaggio/Mantle and Mays as a group. People today don't see DiMag as the same generation but as a type "CF in NY" from 1941 to 1957 was a pretty big thing.

I completely agree with that type of pairing, in fact I'd say it shows a lot of insight into the nature of iconic figures. The only real difference between Dimaggio and Mantle / Mays, or Palmer and Woods is the difference in the age groups who most identify with them, and many of your other pairings like Wilt / Russell are nearly inseparable from each other because of rivalry.