Although we considered both Ed "Too Tall" Jones, and Carlton "Pudge" Fisk for number 72 (Pudge was discounted because he also wore 27 for much of his career,) the best pro athlete to wear the jersey number 72 is Dan Dierdorf.
Many of us know Dan from his stint as the Monday Night Football Announcer, along with Al Michaels and Frank Gifford. However, he was also a pro football player, and a pretty good one at that. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996.
- 6-time Pro Bowler
- 3-time NFLPA NFC Offensive Lineman of the year (1976, 1977, 1978)
- 5-time All-Pro (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980)
Did you know......Dan was born in Canton, OH (and his bust now resides in the Pro Football Hall of Fame there?)
You can read Dan's introduction to the sports book Heroes of the Hall.
(photo courtesy of sportsecyclopedia.com)
Carlton Fisk should be there. He had #72 for 13 seasons in Chicago. He caught a 25 inning game wearing 72 and set then records for a catcher for home runs and games caught. Carlton showed enough passion and leadership that in addition to catching, he would occasionally play left field, first base and DH. He also called out Deion Sanders for not running out a fly ball out during a game. He embodied what being a team player was and led by example. All wearing #72. The only reason he went in as a Red Sox in the Hall Of Fame is because of the World Series home run. More was accomplished wearing #72.
ReplyDeleteI could also mention William "Refridgerator" Perry also wore #72, but he never quite captured the magic he did in his rookie year.
Ed ""To Tall" Jones
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