The SN Rushmore Project named four professional athletes from the 13 cities that have had at least four of the following five leagues for at least 20 years – NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WNBA. Although there were no hard and fast rules for the chosen athletes, our panel of experts considered individual résumés, team achievements and legacies in each city’s sporting landscape. Multiple players from the same franchise were allowed, and not every franchise needed to be represented. All sports fans have an opinion on this topic. That is ours.
A few cities in our Mt. Rushmore series sparked heated debates about which athletes to include, creeping into every office conversation for weeks (I’m looking at you, Philadelphia). Chicago took about 15 minutes. Producing some of the greatest professional athletes of all time can have that effect.
Jerry Reinsdorf may have inducted Harold Baines into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but no amount of lobbying from the Bulls and White Sox owners would change our top 4.
MORE: See The Sporting News Rushmore of all 13 cities
Michael Jordan is more synonymous with Chicago than deep-dish pizza. For half a century, Walter Payton has raised Chicago kids who have stuttering and stiff friends at neighborhood football games. Even those who missed seeing him play by decades know the name Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks. And Bobby Hull ended a 22-year Stanley Cup drought for what was originally six franchises with his dominance in the 1960s.
Chicago is one of the best sports cities in the world. It’s only fitting that these four world-class athletes grace Mount Rushmore.
MICHAEL JORDAN (Bulls, 1984-93, 95-98)
Everyone knows Jordan was a magical athlete and insane competitor. The list of achievements goes on and on – 6-0 record in the NBA Finals, six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs, 14 All-Star Games, 10 scoring titles. These accolades only scratch the surface of what many consider to be the greatest athlete of all time.
What struck KC Johnson, who covered Jordan daily for the Chicago Tribune during the Bulls’ second three-goal, was how well Jordan understood the mental side of the game. See the article : Richard Johnson 2022 of Sports Illustrated, recipient of the Edward Aschoff Rising Star Award.
“I think about what a smart basketball player he was,” Johnson says. “I think that is sometimes overlooked because everyone is only looking at their talent and their competitiveness. But his basketball IQ was ridiculous too, and I think that’s one of the reasons he got along so well with his coaches. If you look at the relationships he’s had not only with Phil [Jackson] but he’s had with Dean Smith since college, he’s always had the coaching position because of his respect for the game and his ability to see the game valued. ”
Jordan’s Bulls started the 90s with 3 goals thanks to his incredible hitting and high-flying dunks. The second three-peat was driven more by that brilliant basketball acumen than by sheer physical talent.
Jordan retained his spot as the league’s top scorer, but he did most of the damage at the bar. He used superb footwork and an unstoppable jump shot to dominate the league.
“He completely changed his game with that back-to-the-basket and post-arsenal that he had,” Johnson says. “He still had that athleticism and would remind you how great he was at it. But his ability to economically switch his game to other skills is truly remarkable. Not many players do that.”
It was obvious to anyone watching Jordan during this time that you were witnessing history. He took the game to places it never dreamed of and the outcome of the games was never in doubt when it was at its peak.
“I remember clearly remembering to [soak it in] to cover him because you’ve just seen such greatness and success at such consistent levels that you never wanted to take it for granted,” says Johnson. “You want it to remind you that these were incredible things that you witnessed.
TSN ARCHIVE: The Moment Michael Jordan Became the NBA’s Best Player (June 24, 1991)
WALTER PAYTON (Bears, 1975-87)
Sweetness set a number of records throughout his career. Read also : Russell Westbrook of the Lakers will decide on a final year, $ 47 million contract. His 16,726 yards, since rushed by Emmitt Smith, set then-records of 10 seasons of 1,000-yard rushing or more and 77 games of 100-yard rushing or more.
His 275-yard rush against the Minnesota Vikings in 1977 also set the single-game record at the time, and it was a week battling the flu. It’s a game Johnson remembers well. That’s because he stood heartbroken in the stands as a distraught 10-year-old and saw the Purple People Eaters’ vaunted defense failed to stop Vikings Payton.
“The crazy thing is that I grew up in Evanston as a Viking fan. So I was openly angry that Walter Payton was making NFL history.”
Not even the elite defense could stop Payton. They could stand in his way, but they couldn’t trip him.
“For me, his running style was a big reason why he bonded so well with the Chicago fandom, because while he was graceful, he also had quite a bit of power and strength and undeniability,” says Johnson. “He’s had a lot of runs where he’d be lugging a tackler or two.”
Back then, Chicago nurtured its reputation as a tough, hard-nosed city. The 1985 Bears, the last team to win the Super Bowl, featured robust defense, and Payton hit the ball 4.8 yards per carry on offense.
“He was a worker and connected to the city in that area,” Johnson says. “His off-season workouts were legendary. He used to go to that hill and exercise and run up and down the hill until he threw up. And he was very stoic. He could get into the end zone. And he just passed the ball to the official like hey, I’ve been here before. He didn’t have much partying about him. He just got the job done. And that, along with his talent, is one of the reasons why the fan base loves him so much. He was just a perfect fit for the franchise.”
Payton’s legacy as a humanitarian remains. The NFL Man of the Year award, given to the player who makes outstanding contributions to society off the field and conducts himself by example in uniform, was renamed the Walter Payton Award after his death in 1999.
“His son Jarrett is now a local media member,” Johnson says. “He’s always at the Super Bowl for the presentation. It was a nice touch to continue the legacy that Walter created here.”
Payton’s legacy lives on through the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation, which supports the emotional healing of neglected, abused and underprivileged children by providing tools and opportunities to build self-esteem and encouragement.
TSN ARCHIVES: Walter Payton’s Lessons in Greatness (November 15, 1999)
ERNIE BANKS (Cubs, 1953-71)
There is no Mr. Bull or Mr. Bear. There is no Mr. Blackhawk or Mr. White Sox.
There’s Mr. Cub and certainly no Chicago Mt. To see also : MSA welcomes a new visual arts teacher – General manager. Rushmore without the city’s most popular baseball player.
If you grew up in the Midwest before the advent of streaming television, remember watching the Cubs on television at daytime games. Johnson was part of that generation.
“I used to run home from school and watch the Cubs games on Channel Nine, WGN,” he says.
The biggest hit to banks? In his 19-year career, he never played in the postseason. But Banks was still a great player and filled the franchise with joy.
“Ernie was such a social guy,” says Johnson. “The hallmark of ‘Let’s Play Two’, which was always talking about how great it was to be in the stadium and what a great day it was to play. So that was all part of the Cubby story growing up because the Cubs were terrible. And yet they were still a lovable franchise, because of Wrigley Field and because of their announcers and that enthusiasm from Banks’ legacy. I grew up a huge Cubs fan and Ernie was a big part of that.”
There are certain iconic moments in sports where you remember exactly where you were when they happened. For Chicagoans in the ’70s, Banks’ 500th home run was one of those moments.
“I grew up knowing who he was. I remember my parents dumping me in front of the TV to watch a highlight of his 500th home run. I was almost three years old. And I believe it or not, I remember it because my parents made such a big deal out of it. And I remember the graphic flash photo and hey, hey, that was Jack Brickhouse’s signature call for a home run.”
The bank figures speak for themselves. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1977 after amassing 2,583 hits, 512 home runs, 2 MVPs, 14 All-Star Games, and a Golden Glove. Johnson fondly remembers his style of play.
“He was this rare guy who could hit by power or average, a wiry guy,” he says. “And I remember everyone was always talking about his wrists. His wrists were so strong. And that’s why he could hit as well as he did. Just a great player on both sides.”
TSN ARCHIVES : Ernie Banks Sums It All Up (September 3, 1958)
BOBBY HULL (Blackhawks, 1957-72)
Bobby Hull was once quoted as saying that hockey is “show business and we’re here to put on a show”. Nobody embodied this mindset quite like Hull.
It’s a mindset Johnson echoes after decades of covering the sport in Chicago.
“Until Jordan came along, [the Blackhawks] were the show in town at Chicago Stadium. They were the draw because they were a good team, a competitive team and they had Bobby Hull.”
With his flowing blonde hair and badass slap shot, “The Golden Jet” took Chicago by storm in the late ’50s and throughout the ’60s. Hull spent 15 seasons with the Blackhawks and truly gave fans an experience they would not forget. Not only was he named to the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players list in 2017, he’s long been considered one of the greatest left wingers of all time.
“The reason he was such a legend is not just because he’s one of the greatest left wingers of all time, but because of the ambassadorial role he’s shown representing the Blackhawks and the sport of hockey,” Johnson said. “He was legendary for Dies. After the games he signed autographs for hours. And he was this dashing, handsome, blond-haired farm boy. That’s why they call it the Golden Jet. He had this booming slapshot. Incredible player. But off the ice, he was just this down-to-earth, approachable fan favorite who had time for everyone. That’s why he bonded so deeply with the Blackhawks.”
His hair was an art in itself. But it was even more glorious when Hull carried the puck from end to end and used his speed to circle opponents. His goals certainly would have earned him a spot in SportsCenter’s top 10 night after night.
The shot was the most dominant part of Hull’s game. With the speed at which he could fire the puck and his “banana blade” that curved the stick nearly three inches, his shot was a goaltender’s nightmare.
“The idea wasn’t to stop this thing, it was to avoid getting killed,” Hall of Famer goaltender Glenn Hall told NHL.com. “Every once in a while Bobby would fire the puck and it would fly into the stands at the stadium. If the cleaning ladies were up there, you should have seen them disperse. They looked like Olympic sprinters.”
His wicked slapper helped him lead the NHL in goals seven times in his career, which is the second-highest of any player. Hull became the first player to score more than 50 goals in a season, a feat he accomplished twice in his NHL career while also scoring exactly 50 goals twice. He was instrumental in the team’s 1960-61 Stanley Cup win and brought the city its first Stanley Cup since the 1930s.
TSN ARCHIVES: Bobby Hull, the Golden Jet of Hockey (March 19, 1966)
