My buddies and I are sitting around enjoying a couple cold beverages and talking Philly sports. What else is better than that? The following question led to some great debate.
What Philadelphia Non – Hall of Famer has had the greatest impact on sports in the city?
There were many names bounced back and forth, we tried to come up with one from each sport but it was awful hard to do so we agreed to settle on a few. We also talked about non-players like coaches, broadcasters, owners and general managers.
Now keep in mind that nearly everyones favorites are the HOF guys who are the best players, but this discussion/argument eliminates Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Harry Kalas, Dr J, Billy Cunningham, Wilt Chamberlain, Steve VanBuren, Chuck Bednarik, Reggie White, Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Ed Snider. You get the point.
The discussion left us with 4 Non – Hall of Fame men that we felt had the greatest impact on Philadelphia sports over their careers. Note, many may feel that Brian Dawkins may be on this list but we felt he was too current and he will be a Hall of Famer.
Dick Vermeil – Vermeil turned the Eagles from losers to winners and took them to the Super Bowl. The Eagles franchise, for the most part, has been above average ever since. It’s safe to say Vermeil turned Philadelphia in to a football town.
Dave Schultz – “The Hammer” of the Broad Street Bullies. Schultz brought the toughness to Philadelphia that has become the trademark of the city. He is still revered in the city while the Flyers have been one of the most consistently successful franchises since the arrival of “The Hammer”.
Pete Rose – We may be sneaking this one in since Pete should be in the Hall of Fame as a player. He taught the Phillies how to win like no one else. Without him the World Series championship of 1980 doesn’t happen. To this day Philadelphia fans are looking for the “Pete Rose kinda guy” that will kick teammates butts and get the most out of them.
Paul Owens – This was an interesting name, however, when you look at the facts you can’t argue that he belongs. Owens built the Phillies farm system by drafting Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone and Larry Bowa. He traded to get Tug McGraw, Garry Maddox and Bake McBride and pulled off the free agent signing of Pete Rose. Many forget that he made himself the manager in the middle of the 1983 season and led the “Wheez Kids” to the World Series. He was a member of the Phillies organization in some capacity from 1957 until his death in 2003.
There you have our 4. I’d like to say that’s all the beverages we had to come up with that list.
We’ve set up a poll to get your vote. Feel free to add the names of those that we missed. Click “other” in the vote box and add your choice by clicking on the “Respond” tab at the bottom and typing in your choice. Feel free to give your reasoning as well.
So who did I vote for?
My vote goes to Dave Schultz.
The toughness attitude that Schultz brought to Philadelphia is now known around the country and created the blue collar and tough guy attitude that the City of Philadelphia is know for. That attitude is being carried in to its 3rd generation. It’s carried in day-to-day life as well as by the fans of the other sports in the city. “The Hammer” gets my vote!!
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