Let the debate begin. Who is the all time clutch athlete? This is probably one of the biggest, hardest and longest sports debates of all time. Every fan has an opinion and probably can make a case for their argument.
Clearly if we had a top ten list three very quickly make my list
- Tiger Woods
- Michael Jordan
- Larry Bird
Each of them was the best in their sport.� Each of them could finish a game or round of golf. Each of them could take over their sport at the end and always seemed to rise above everyone else. In sports that have teams it always appears that everyone looks to these people to take them home, win the game, win the trophy. It’s sort of "hey jump on my back and I will carry all of us across the finish line."
There have been great clutch hits/putts/throws, but some of those only happened once and that’s it. People like David Tyree who got the winning touchdown in last year’s Super Bowl.� That was clearly a great, clutch catch. However he would never make the list because his claim to fame is probably over. He did it once and that will be it.
- Who is on your all-time clutch list?
- Who do you want up at bat in the bottom of the 9th needing a base hit?
- Who do you want throwing the pigskin when it is 4th and 11?
- Who do you want at the foul line with no time on the clock and two foul shots needed to win the game?
I look forward to your comments.
Jeff Adler says:
John Riggins. If I was facing fourth down and one yard, I would want to give the ball to John Riggins.
Adam Vinatieri. If I needed a game winning field goal, Adam Vinatieri would be my choice. He kicked two in Super Bowls.
Adam Jolley says:
If I needed a base hit to win in the bottom of the ninth, I gotta go with Big Papi. This all assumes that there are no open bases and Manny Ramirez is on deck…ugh.
Basketball – I take Reggie Miller and Jerry West if I absolutely have to make a shot. I’d consider Rick Berry for free throws as well.
Football – gotta go with Joe Montana
How about a “non-clutch” team? Do we have room for A-Rod, Clemens, Tony Romo, Wilt Chamberlin, Ernest Byner or Jim Kelly?
Rick Johnson says:
Some athletes are up to the challenge of being clutch, but some athletes “try” to be the man and fail! I like Reggie Jackson in baseball and I have to agree with Adam and go with Joe Montana. I never liked the 49ers, but he always came through and made the right decisions.
Since I am a Steeler fan I like Santonio Holmes!!! What a catch!
Taylor says:
Vince Young, Rosebowl 2006. I was lucky enough to be at that game and that is by far the greatest sports moment I have ever witnessed. Though he hasn’t been as successful in the NFL, he is still an amazing athlete. Tiger Woods is always clutch…sudden death in the 2008 US Open! Even though the Cards lost last night, Larry Fitzgerald can turn it on! I will have to think about this some more, good question Merrill.
Matt Steinhaus says:
since all-time most clutch gets a bit prohibitive, a few not-so obvious or just beneath legendary because maybe they didnt do it nearly on the recurring level of an MJ, but the magnitude of what they did once or twice….
Robert Horry. guy made multiple huge shots on the biggest stage.
Kurt Gibson – even as an A’s fan, the one moment gets him there.
Tom Brady – cant stand him, but gotta give him his props.
and if all-time moments can be considered, im personally throwing Mario Chalmers out there.
Ginger Blazier says:
In the tennis world, Serena Williams and Raf Nadal come to mind for me. Endurance, committment, conviction are all qualities of these atheletes. I would definitely would love to have them on my team.
Paul Kirch says:
I think you have to give it to Tiger. Tiger Woods has had an amazing career with 65 PGA Tour Wins and 14 majors. He’s one PGA player of the year 9 times, all while competing against, arguably, the best golfers to every have played. Many of his wins were truly clutch, coming from behind to win. He is almost always picked to win any tournament he plays. And if he has the lead going into the last day, he almost always maintains it. There are a lot of great athletes and I was always a huge Michael Jordan fan. Still, when it comes to under pressure clutch play, you can’t bet against Tiger.
Bill Soule says:
David Ortiz in baseball and John Havlicek in basketball, both Boston teams.
Terry Bradshaw as my QB on 4th and long, hey, he won 4 Super Bowls and led his teams to 4, and knew how to pull it out.
At the foul line, Rick Barry, an all-around offensive threat.
Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys, to get the ball into the end zone on short and goal.
Watched the (based on a true story) movie, The Rookie, rated G, starring Dennis Quaid over the weekend with the family. Jim Morris pitching to Royce Clayton is clutch pitching. Highly recommend this movie for sports fans and drama lovers alike.
Merrill Dubrow says:
With 14 quarter comebacks since 2004 (most in the NFL) – actually the number now is 15 (with his Super Bowl comeback) we need to add Ben Roethlisberger to the list.
He was simply amazing. Santonio Holmes mad a great catch as well…… But he needs to do much more to get on the list.
Merrill
Ed Sugar says:
Gotta go old school in reverse other:
3. Johnny Unitas – the father of the 2 minute drill
2. Jerry West – “Mr. Clutch”, his nick name says it all
1. Yogi Berra – Hey, I am a Dodger fan, so tapping a Yanqui is very hard for me to do. But Yogi was probably the best everyday player in the clutch. Are there any Yanqui fans who share this same opinion?
Ken says:
I’m always curious about the props atheletes get for last minute heroics. And while most are part of team sports and you can’t necessarily blame the eventual hero of the game, doesn’t one have to ask…why was your team behind by 13 points with 4 minutes left in the game? Often times it was the fault of that same hero, a missed completion here, an interception there, 3 strike outs in a row with bases loaded. And while we all remember the clutch play, we also quickly overlook those times where the comeback fell short…I would bet all those players above had those games where they fell short, probably fell short more than not. Definitely the size of the stage will increase their legend…heck it’s the age of ESPN, they don’t often show the comeback that almost was too often. As a lifetime Cowboys fan I remember the SF playoff game, you know, “The Catch”. But I remember after “The Catch”, Danny White leading the Cowboys to mid field, only needing a field goal to win…eventually running out of steam and not leading them to the score. His fault? The teams fault? Doesn’t really matter because history only tells us that Joe Montana won the game at the end by making a great throw to Clark in the back of the end zone. So did he win the game or did the SF defense win the game?
Merrill Dubrow says:
Ken,
It is a good question. Some say Warner should have gotten the MVP even though his team lost because he was incredible in the 4th quarter but he tossed an interception that probably cost his team the game. Some people like Tiger woods, Larry Bird always seem to be clutch or at least most of the time. David Ortiz is another one – always big hits and I guess some might put Derek Jeter in that category.
For me if you are clutch you need to do it over and over again. David Tyree (last years hero) had a great catch – perhaps the best ever but he will never be a clutch performer in my mind.
Good discussion.
Merrill