The Northeast has a very distinctive media market for sports, one that can give any player constant praise, and then the next day rip them to shreds. No place in the region is this more evident and pronounced on a national level than New York City. Over the years, the Big Apple has had a rich sports history and has been the home for some of the best players in all of the four major sports.
As alluded to, the fanbase and media for these teams have a distinct "die hard" mentality. It's one that allows them to fully embrace the best of the players who don their colors, and ridicule those who under-perform to no end. The players on this list are true athletic legends in the realm of professional sports in New York City, and as such their legacies are that much more interesting. Included are an elite combination of sack masters, home-run hitters, and goal scorers who best represented the city in their respective sports. Needless to say, there were a lot of options for this, but the twenty athletes included here probably won't raise an argument from any native New Yorker.
Ranked below are the top 20 greatest players in New York sports history.
39 20. Mark Messier
Messier only spent roughly half his career in New York, but he was certainly one of the most recognizable faces of the successful Rangers teams of the 1990s. He was a team captain, and scored the game-winning goal in game seven of the 1995 Stanley Cup, giving the Rangers the victory. Though statistically, he wasn't nearly as prolific a goal scorer as he was in Edmonton just several years prior, he was consistently reliable, and stepped up in big games. Taking his career in full, he was surely one of the best hockey talents to ever pass through New York, and helped them capture a title in the process. He entered the Big Apple at the right time, but his play ensured success on the ice for the team. One of the best to ever wear a Rangers uniform.
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37 19. Joe Namath
This one is a bit of a tricky case, as the QB position was vastly different when it came to expectations in the late 1960s, but "Broadway Joe" was a very good QB for his time, and remains one of the most iconic NFL figures of all time. He helped the Jets capture their only Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise. In the 1967 season, he tossed 4,000 passing yards; an almost unheard of feat for that era. Namath was gifted with a powerful arm, and took the NFL by storm for about five years on the field, and remained a legend off of it. Sure, the fact that he often threw more INTs than TD passes may be a red flag to some, but again, the era in which he played didn't necessarily demand differently for a QB. Without a doubt, the most notable Jets player in the history of the franchise.
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35 18. Darrelle Revis
Revis is probably the best CB of the last ten years, and still going strong as a member of the Jets. Despite a brief two-year absence in 2013 and 2014, when he went to the Buccaneers and Patriots respectively, he's spent his entire career in New York. In his seven seasons there, he's racked up 24 INTs, and that's with opposing offensive coordinators trying to limit his effectiveness, by trying to avoid throwing to his side of the field by design. As most current wide receivers throughout the league are aware of at this point, trying to take on "Revis Island" one on one is usually a losing prospect. Maybe the greatest player on the defensive side of the ball that the Jets have ever had, and he remains an elite player in the present day. When all is said and done, he could be ranked even higher after his retirement.
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33 17. Willis Reed
One of the most dominant big men of his time, Reed is seldom recognized for his abilities in the modern day. He spent his entire 10-year career with the Knicks, and won two NBA titles during his tenure. A perennial dual threat as a scorer and rebounder, his best statistical season came during the 1968-69 campaign, where he totaled 21.1 PPG and 14.5 RPG. Reed's dominance signaled one of the best eras in team history for the Knicks, who would only sparingly see the kind of success that Reed led them to. Though he is hardly mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, he really does deserve to be, at least on some level. One of the best players in the Knicks' franchise history, but there is one player glaringly above him, coming later on this list.
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31 16. Joe DiMaggio
DiMaggio was a powerhouse of a hitter for the Yankees during baseball's "golden age". Of course, everyone knows about the miraculous 56-game hitting streak, but that only scratches the surface of his greatness. The numbers are astounding, and serve as a testament to "Joltin' Joe's" consistency as an elite player. A career .325 batting average (including one season in 1939 where he hit a robust .381, a number near inconceivable today), a total of 1,537 RBIs and 361 home runs. Consider the fact that he also missed three years in the prime of his career due to military service in World War II, and his career was truly remarkable. Those numbers only would have increased, but as it stands, he's still one of the greatest players of all time. If the Yankees didn't have so many Hall of Fame talents, he'd be much higher up on this ranking.
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29 15. Mike Richter
An essential compliment to Messier's scoring capabilities during the 1990s Rangers teams was Richter's stellar play in net. One of the best goalies in league history, Richter has a career 2.89 GAA, and over 17,000 saves in sum. He played for the Rangers in part of three different decades, and was arguably the face of the franchise from the 1990s onward. Surely, without his puck-stopping skill, the team never would have achieved the success that they did, and to this day he remains a fan favorite. Though perhaps not on such an elite level as, say, Martin Brodeur, Richter is pretty close, and most importantly, his goaltending oversaw winning teams. Ultimately, he's arguably the best player in team history, and a fond memory for fans of the Stanley Cup-winning team in 1994. A beloved athlete throughout the city.
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27 14. Osi Umenyiora
Along with Michael Strahan, Umenyiora was part of a Giants defensive line that was able to rush the passer with elite efficiency. He netted at least six sacks in every season he was in New York, except his first, and racked up three seasons of at least 11.5 sacks. He even maintained this effective play in two seasons where he missed substantial time due to injury. In all, he spent nine seasons with the Giants, and the defensive line unit that he anchored was arguably the biggest reason the team was able to win two Super Bowls in a five-year span. Given the sum 75 sacks, combined with championship success, Umenyiora has to be considered one of the best players in team history. Since his departure from the team in 2012, the defensive line unit has been questionable, which further demonstrates his value to the team, and just how rare of a talent he was.
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25 13. Mike Piazza
One of baseball's ultimate long-shot stories, Piazza was the last player taken in the 1988 Amateur Baseball Draft. He started off with the Dodgers, establishing himself as one of the best hitting catchers in the game, before taking his talents to the Mets in 1998. He was a complete hitter; he had the ability to hit for power, average and knock in runs consistently. His defensive play might have held him back from a slightly higher ranking, but not putting him on this list would be criminal. With a career 427 home runs, and .308 batting average, he's probably the single best hitting catcher the sport has ever seen. He helped lead the Mets to a World Series appearance in 2000, which they ultimately lost to the Yankees in the "Subway Series". Without question, one of the most revered players in Mets history, especially post-1990.
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23 12. Odell Beckham Jr.
The fact that Beckham has only played two seasons of NFL football just shows the remarkable talent that he clearly has. In a total of 27 games played, Beckham has tallied 2,755 receiving yards, and 25 TD catches. It's simply unprecedented, and he's doing it with a QB in Eli Manning who while solid, is not elite. Barring any kind of career ending injury, it would be pretty difficult to think that he won't have a Hall of Fame career, even with such a small body of work to his name. Of course, given this small sample size, it's difficult to rank him any higher at the moment, but he predicts to be a terror on NFL secondaries for another ten years or so at least. That amount of time putting up similar numbers should allow him to break some records, and make him a top-five franchise player in the process. The most dynamic athlete New York has seen in several decades without question.
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21 11. Curtis Martin
One of the most overlooked RBs of all time, Martin only rushed for less than 1,000 yards once in his 11-year career. He spent eight of those seasons with the Jets, and was consistently effective presence in the backfield for nearly all of them. He was durable, only missing five games for the Jets, and in general doesn't get the credit that he deserves. The team had a bevy of QB rotation during Martin's tenure, and he was easily the most dependable player on the offensive side of the ball. A prototypical power runner, he also was decent in the receiving game, posting at least 40 receptions in every season he was in New York. He wasn't flashy, but he's definitely one of the greatest Jet players ever, and a staple whenever anyone thinks of the best RBs, in the early 2000s.