Greatest One-Team Players since 1970

[IrishCanadian25]

Manning to the Broncos. Pujols to the Angels. LeBron to the Heat.

Free agency is awesome! It makes sports leagues relevant during that doldrumatic period between the hoisting of the championship trophy and the draft.

And then, there's Chipper Jones.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/21885/chipper-jones-ultimate-franchise-player

Chipper has been a Brave since Day 1, and he'll retire a Brave at the end of this season. We all thought Manning would retire a Colt, Favre a Packer, Pujols a Cardinal, but on all counts, we were wrong. Chipper, however, is different. He's a one-team guy. A franchise player. If he could have taken more money to play elsewhere, he chose not to. If the Braves could've gotten younger at 3rd base, they chose not to. Mutual loyalty.

In a sports world that is increasingly devoid of one-team superstars, I'm asking the question. In the last 40 years (and especially the last 20 years) who are the all time greatest players in all major sports to only play for one team / club?

Cal Ripken Jr. The ironman himself was a Baltimore Oriole his whole career. Hard enough back then. Now-a-days, anyone who spends their entire career with the O's is on suicide watch.

Derek Jeter. Contentious free agency period a year ago aside, he's likely going to retire in pinstripes, which will preserve his brand as one of the greatest personalities in NY Sports history.

Martin Brodeur. I assume he'll retire as a New Jersey Devil, and when he does, he will retire as the greatest goaltender of all time. The man who previously lay claim to that title, Patrick Roy, had a public blow up that sent him from Montreal to Colorado.

Tim Duncan. The Spurs drafted him to play with David Robinson, and Duncan won title after title. Not only that, but he displayed the sort of quiet humility that's been missing for a long time in sports today.

John Elway. Ok, ok, TECHNICALLY he wasn't supposed to be a Bronco. But he was, and he retired as possibly the greatest figure in Colorado professional sports history.

So I open it up to the floor - add whomever you think deserves to be on the list, and let's compile the all time greats.

 

[Davi323]

Two that immediately spring to mind:

They both played for the same team for a combined 43 years so far (one is still playing), and as teammates for a large part of that, won 4 Championships (3 together), one is already in the Hall of Fame and has his number retired, and the other will be joining him in both accomplishments as soon as he hangs it up.

Both are considered to be among the greatest players to ever have played in their sport, with 21 combined All-Star selections.

I am not going to give your their names, I will just give you their jersey numbers...shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

#19 and #5.

 

[D-Man]

Dan Marino

Unless my memory is shot and my research is wrong, I don't think he ever played for another team besides Miami. In my eyes, he is the epitome of a franchise player. The guy was a Dolphin from 1983-1999 and is widely renown as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. His career in football turned into becoming a cameo actor, a spokesperson in many commercials, and an all-around television personality.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Tom Brady

With three Superbowl wins and 5 AFC Championship victories, Brady's been "the guy" in New England for over a decade. I firmly believe that he'll be "the guy" and that Belichick will be coaching the team for as long as they both want. I don't see owner Robert Kraft axing either of them in any scenario. At all. They've proven time and time again with their countless 12+ win seasons that they are the lifeblood of the organization and can get the job done. Brady obviously has an ageless, Elway-like quality to him that will probably allow him to continue to produce at a high-level into his late 30's/early 40's. I can see him being in the league for another 5 to 6 years, all of those years being at the helm of the Patriots. When you bring in 3 Superbowls, revive a franchise, turn them into one of the most respected teams in all of pro sports, and still have a burning, obsessive desire to win, then I think you've crossed into the "untouchable" zone where only a few players have ever been/will ever be.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Two that immediately spring to mind:

They both played for the same team for a combined 43 years so far (one is still playing), and as teammates for a large part of that, won 4 Championships (3 together), one is already in the Hall of Fame and has his number retired, and the other will be joining him in both accomplishments as soon as he hangs it up.

Both are considered to be among the greatest players to ever have played in their sport, with 21 combined All-Star selections.

I am not going to give your their names, I will just give you their jersey numbers...shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

#19 and #5.

Let's see you're from Michigan, right? Steve Yzerman, one of the all time hockey greats, wore #19. So that's one.

#5 is a defenseman's #. Has to be Lidstrom.

Both are highly logical and TOTALLY accurate choices.

 

[BaconBits]

Derek Jeter takes this one far and away.

Nobody else that fits the category has the amount of wins or rings. Nobody else on the list is as clutch when the games count the most. Nobody else that could be mentioned has had the sustained success, while improving the whole time. Nobody else in the discussion has had to deal with the pressure cooker that is New York.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Derek Jeter takes this one far and away.

Nobody else that fits the category has the amount of wins or rings. Nobody else on the list is as clutch when the games count the most. Nobody else that could be mentioned has had the sustained success, while improving the whole time. Nobody else in the discussion has had to deal with the pressure cooker that is New York.

Woah there. While I agree with your overall point, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. While Jeter is a great example, I'm not sure he stands out that far and away from, let's say, a Tom Brady, guys that have given their franchises a great deal of success over the past decade too. While I agree that Jeter does have to deal with the pressure of playing in the NY market, which is clearly the hardest to play in, he also benefits from having the NY brass pay his salary and agressively bring in players with their hefty checkbooks and overall high-level of prestige. So you can't mention the negatives of NY without mentioning the positives that have directly allowed him to flourish in the past decade. As for improving the whole time, that's obviously not true. His numbers have been dropping off season by season, and he really hasn't been crucial to the team for a few years now, and it's only trending downward. Age catches up to a baseball player at his position very fast, although he's done wonders for a guy in his late 30's of course.

Don't get me wrong though- of course he's still on the list. He's probably my favorite Yankee of all-time, which says a lot. He's a true great, but just not that much better than any of the rest of these greats (which isn't a knock by any means).

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Derek Jeter takes this one far and away.

Nobody else that fits the category has the amount of wins or rings. Nobody else on the list is as clutch when the games count the most. Nobody else that could be mentioned has had the sustained success, while improving the whole time. Nobody else in the discussion has had to deal with the pressure cooker that is New York.

Marty Brodeur has won 3 rings for a team in a sport with a salary cap in a state not known for attracting great free agents.

Derek Jeter has won 5 rings on a perennial all star team in the Yankees that attracts top free agents with minimal effort and spends like Joan Rivers on plastic surgery.

Jussayin.

 

[Davi323]

Didn't all of Brodeur's Stanley Cup rings come before the NHL instituted a Salary Cap though? I agree with the overall point of NJ not really being an attractive market for free agents, but I don't think the salary cap point is valid, because it didn't apply when he won...His last Cup was in 2003, and the cap wasn't instituted until the 2005-06 season.

 

[King Patrick Star]

The Holy Trinity of Basketball . The Traffic Light color scheme if you will. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.

I know Jordan was on the Wizards, but to me, that was beyond the end of his career. I’m not even sure what the hell that was about, but I tend to revision history and just pretend he was never in Washington as a player.

As for Magic and Bird, well with the Lakers and Celtics as the most dominant teams ever in the NBA, these two had a lot to do with that.

 

[Big Sexy]

Barry Sanders- The greatest running back of all time spent his decade long career with the Lions and they were relevant for that decade mainly because of him. Lions fans have just now started to move on from Barry's retirement with the teams recent resurgence.

Isiah Thomas/Joe Dumars- One of the best and most underrated back courts of all time. They led the Pistons to 2 NBA titles and each won a Finals MVP award for their efforts.

John Stockton- Stockton is a top 5 point guard of all time and part of arguably the greatest one/two combo in NBA history. He never won a title but made two trips to the finals and is the NBA's all time assists leader.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Brilliant thread IC, made all the better by the infestation of junk proliferated by MR Ferguson at the moment. These are my one club sporting heroes...

Air Coryell was in full effect when I started following Gridiron and these guys (along with Charlie Joiner) were my heroes. True legends.

[YOUTUBE]WVYGLgDZLos[/YOUTUBE]​

Next up is my baseball hero. 12 years and two World Series wins with the Twins - Kirby Puckett (1960-2006), who knows what records he would hold today if it hadn't been for losing sight in one eye. RIP, big man!

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As far as the NBA is concerned, John Stockton was 'the man' when I followed basketball. The Mailman might have hit the scores but invariably it was Stockton who set them up.

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Now to association football, first off my hero and the man I pray will lift the league title before he retires.

[YOUTUBE]XU0gbKwX1Co[/YOUTUBE]​

Secondly, I hate the team but even the staunches Liverpool fan respects what the man has achieved and is still achieving at the age of 38.

[YOUTUBE]nEAouJwTYlU[/YOUTUBE]​

Finally, I'll include a player nicknamed 'Le God' by the fans of his club. This guy could have been as big as Pele or George Best but decided to remain loyal to the club he started his pro career despite the fact that it was a small club and never likely to challenge for the league championship. He could very reasonably be tributed with keeping them in the top division as long as they were.

[YOUTUBE]EtJeN96-6fw[/YOUTUBE]​

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Any sports greatest question where the answer can't be Michael Jordan is a great question.

Hockey

Has to be Mario Lemeiux. Only two championships but a clear number 2 all time behind Gretzky thus making him number 1 in this category.

Basketball

Stuck between Kobe, Duncan, Magic and Bird.

Magic and Bird's stories are incredible but it was at a time when the league was still growing. Jordan took the play to another level and Magic and Bird could not compete.

I think the first few of Kobe's titles and Duncan's title there was a lull in talent in the NBA but Kobe's last two titles with the amount of depth in the NBA today is amazing. Especially after all of the games he has played and his ability and success puts Kobe at number one.

Baseball
I don't know Jeter is getting mentioned ahead of Mariano Rivera (unless he was with someone other than the Yankees at the beginning of his career. I think of all of the other greats of the last 30 years (Mike Schmidt, Kirby Puckett, Tony Gwynn) and I just feel like Rivera is number 1 in this category.

Football
Barry Sanders wasn't the most successful guy teamwise but I can't think of anyone else I would rather pick while still be too cool to pick a QB (Marino, Elway, Brady). If I were really cool and wanted to sound marky I would pick Anthony Munoz.

Good question, I think I could be talked out of any of my choice except for Lemieux in Hockey.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

derek Jeter is overrated as fuck.

Had he been drafted by the Mariners, probably doesn't get 3,000 hits because he honestly hasn't been that good these last few years and would have lost playing time. He DEFINATELY doesn't get the gold gloves because he's not a good defensive SS. He probably doesn't stick at SS either. However, he's a handsome Yankee and was on teams when Steinbrenner had his shit together so he's seen favorably. A player "winning" rings is laughable considering Peyton Manning is probably the best quarterback of all time. Then you have Tom Brady who has more rings. However, when Brady was out, Matt Cassel looked awesome, not so good on the Chiefs. When Manning goes out, Colts go 1-15. Using a team stat like wins to value a player is insane.

Think about this, Chipper Jones is a career .300/.400/.500 guy. That means he's one of the most complete hitters of all time. Less than 30 guys have done that. He hits for average, power, and draws walks. If Chipper were drafted a Yankee, he's probably already getting parades.

Davi323, I have no idea who you're talking about.

 

[Davi323]

Davi323, I have no idea who you're talking about.

No worries, IC25 got it right...

Big Sexy, I wanted to include Barry Sanders, but it wouldn't have fit in with my Hockey theme I was doing...I knew someone would mention him though, so I didn't worry about it.

I would also like to mention Walter Payton. I have a constant internal struggle in deciding whether Barry > Sweetness, or Sweetness > Barry. If there was ever a running back in NFL history that could be better than Barry Sanders, it would have to be #34 for the Chicago Bears. As a Lions fan, that pains me a little, but Walter Payton had the same divine spark that Sanders had...He was special.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Walter Payton would be a high quality pick as well, especially with the parameters of going back to the 70's. I just don't feel I've watched enough of him (didn't watch or understand nearly about sports when I was a kid) to make that call.

Jim Kelly anyone? Anyone?

 

[Mustang Sally]

Lawrence Taylor (football).... Played whole career with NY Giants and redefined the linebacker position, causing offensive coordinators to alter their game strategies to deal with him. That's impact.

John Havlicek, Bill Russell, Larry Bird (basketball)....All Celtics. Got to be something behind that, no? None of them had the talent many other superstars possessed but more than made it up with hard work and disciplined play. Total NBA championships among them: 22.

Mickey Mantle (baseball)....He was a true legend even while not making the most of his incredible talent. As for being a one-team player, he was put on the waiver wire before his final season and several owners and GMs expressed reluctance at taking him because they couldn't see him as anything else but a Yankee.

 

[Davi323]

Walter Payton would be a high quality pick as well, especially with the parameters of going back to the 70's. I just don't feel I've watched enough of him (didn't watch or understand nearly about sports when I was a kid) to make that call.

Jim Kelly anyone? Anyone?

Walter was fun to watch...he really was the perfect blend of the different running styles. He had agility and elusiveness like Barry Sanders (though not to the same level) but he had the same kind of power as a Jerome Bettis type back. With Payton, you never knew if he was going to run around a defender or run over a defender, because he could do both equally well. I have never tried to hide the fact that I am a HUGE Barry Sanders slappy, but the fact that I can't automatically claim that Sanders is better than Payton was, despite my heavy pro-Lions/Sanders bias tells you something about how much I respect Payton, lol

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Didn't all of Brodeur's Stanley Cup rings come before the NHL instituted a Salary Cap though? I agree with the overall point of NJ not really being an attractive market for free agents, but I don't think the salary cap point is valid, because it didn't apply when he won...His last Cup was in 2003, and the cap wasn't instituted until the 2005-06 season.

Correct, but it doesn't make his accomplishments any less spectacular.

The Devils built their powerhouse teams off three things — strong drafting (Bill Guerin, Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Petr Sykora, Scott Gomez, etc.), the right trades (Um, Scott Stevens much?) and defensive hockey (thank you, Jaques Lemaire).

But regarding Brodeur himself, his defense and the defensive orientation of the clubs playing in front of him are certainly factors in his career, but you're still talking about a guy who has the most regular season wins in NHL history (651), the most shutouts (117), the most OT wins (45), the most consecutive 30-win seasons (12), the most consecutive 35-win seasons (11), the most 40-win seasons (8), etc.

He's the youngest goalie to reach 300, 400 and 500 career wins, is the only goalie to reach 600 and has played more game at his position than any other in history (1167 and counting).

Add to that 3 Stanley Cup rings, and yeah, he belongs in this conversation.

 

[Davi323]

Correct, but it doesn't make his accomplishments any less spectacular.

The Devils built their powerhouse teams off three things — strong drafting (Bill Guerin, Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Petr Sykora, Scott Gomez, etc.), the right trades (Um, Scott Stevens much?) and defensive hockey (thank you, Jaques Lemaire).

But regarding Brodeur himself, his defense and the defensive orientation of the clubs playing in front of him are certainly factors in his career, but you're still talking about a guy who has the most regular season wins in NHL history (651), the most shutouts (117), the most OT wins (45), the most consecutive 30-win seasons (12), the most consecutive 35-win seasons (11), the most 40-win seasons (8), etc.

He's the youngest goalie to reach 300, 400 and 500 career wins, is the only goalie to reach 600 and has played more game at his position than any other in history (1167 and counting).

Add to that 3 Stanley Cup rings, and yeah, he belongs in this conversation.

Oh, I wasn't discounting his success at all...I only brought it up because the salary cap was mentioned as a difference between Brodeur and Jeter, when at the time, it wouldn't have been a difference. Otherwise I agreed with IC25's post. Brodeur is one of the NHL's all-time greatest goalies.

 

[Alastor]

Basketball:
Besides the usual suspects, Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers is worth a mention. He made a struggling franchise regular contenders in the East, and had some pretty damn good highlight reels.

Football:
Ryan Giggs. Won almost everything there is to win in club football all in one club in a career spanning more than 2 decades. He is the one indispensable player in Alex Ferguson's reign at Manchester United.

Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi. Both were great defenders and leaders who played for AC Milan for over 20 years, and were teammates for a decade. Both were keys to the formidable defence of Milan during the early nineties. Both were defenders that were known to be adept at both attacking and defending. In a sports where jersey retirement is rare unlike American sports, both had their numbers retired in a historic club such as AC Milan.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

As a Red Wing fan I gotta go with Nicklas Lidstrom (yes I'm definitely showing a bias here).

Personally, I think Lidstrom is the greatest pure defensemen of all time. I'm certainly not calling him better than Bobby Orr but when it comes to pure defensive skills I can't think of anyone who was as consistently good as Lidstrom. When he retires they will probably have to rename the Norris trophy to the Lidstrom trophy because its coming to a point where that award is synonymous with Lidstrom.

He plays both sides of the puck extremely well and is a great team leader on top of it. The only European Captain to lead his team to a Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe trophy in '02, 7 Norris trophies, 6 Western Conference titles and 4 Stanley Cups, that's as good of a resume as you are ever gonna get from an athlete in any sport.

Here is a list of all the NHL records held by Lidstrom:

NHL

First European-born and trained Norris Trophy winner (2000–01).
First European-born and trained Conn Smythe Trophy winner (2001–02).
Fourth defenseman (and first European-born and trained defenseman) in NHL to win James Norris Memorial Trophy three years running (2001–2003, 2006–2008), and third seven-time Norris Trophy winner.
First European-born and trained captain of a Stanley Cup-winning team (2008).
First European-born and trained defenseman to reach 1000 points.
Sixth defenseman (and 28th player overall) to reach 855 career assists.
Most regular season games played by a player born in Europe, any position (1494).
Most regular season games played by a player in a career spent with only one team (record achieved during the 2011–12 season).
Most regular season wins played in (900).
Active leader in games played any position (1494).
Oldest player ever to record his first hat trick (40 years old)
Oldest defenseman ever to record a hat trick (40 years old)
Oldest Norris Trophy winner (41 years, 57 days) (2010–2011)

I may be Red Wing biased, but there's no debating when it comes to Hockey and Defense, Lidstrom's the man.

 

[NSL]

As a fan of teams that reside in the largest market in sports, it's hard to find many that have stuck around with one team. There's Brodeur and Jeter, sure, but they play for the enemy. I can't even go with guys like Leetch, or Messier. Or Hernandez or Franco. Maybe one day, I can put Eli in the discussion.

For now, it has to be LT, and I'm being very biased here. He is the absolute best OLB in the history of the game, and arguably the best LB period, but I'll never argue that Butkus doesn't also deserve the credit. LT changed the way not only defense is played, but offenses as well. In the modern game, there's shutdown guys like Revis or Harrison, but teams still go with what works for them. You couldn't do that against LT.

If I'm not allowed a bias, I'll swallow my pride and go with Brodeur, for all the reasons stated...

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

A couple of soccer players have been mentioned, so to reciprocate the general "Huh? What? Who?" feeling I've had with some of the names, allow me to share some names that have not only been loyal to their team but have been huge influences too.

From the early 1990s through to the current era, Manchester United have dominated the English football scene thanks to one of if not the greatest domestic manager there has ever been, Sir Alex Ferguson. His steely temperament, footballing philosophy and mind games have all played their part in his being dubbed "the Godfather" of the Premier League.
Part of his philosophy has been the constant blending of youth with experience to ensure the ongoing success of the Red Devils. A soccer pundit, who has strong ties with Liverpool (United's biggest rivals) declared in 1995 after United were beaten with a very young team that, "you can't win anything with kids." Several months later, the kids lifted the Premier League crown once again, and the group of young players were dubbed Fergie's Fledglings. Among the Fledglings was one David Beckham. Though Beckham would leave United in 2003, three of the group would stay with the club and garner more trophies; Gary Neville (retired), Paul Scholes (returned from retirement in January) and Ryan Giggs.
Consistently encapsulating aspects of the teams philosophy, (Neville's competitive spirit, Scholes pulling the strings and setting the tempo, Giggs adapting to change, having once been a flair player is now a tempo setter like Scholes) these 3 men have given the manager foundations to build and improve upon for nigh on 20 years now. During this time, United have won 11 Premier League titles, 2 European Champions League trophies, as well as several domestic cups too, with a potential 12th League title on the horizon.

Lionel Messi's goal scoring exploits for Barcelona have been a hot topic in European this football, as at the tender age of 24, he is now the clubs leading goal scorer. For the past 3 years there have been constant debates over who the better player is; Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for rivals Real Madrid and boasts an incredible goal scoring record too. The major point in the debate seems to be that without the supporting cast of Barcelona, Messi would not be able to score as many as he has done. One of the major influences on Messi's form has been down to 2 men, Xavi Hernandes and Andres Iniesta who have been with Barca from the academy stages.
Xavi has been playing for 15 years and played with some of the greatest players to grace the pitch; Luis Figo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Fernando Torres, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, and not looked out of place with any of them.
His vision, passing, movement and consistency have not gone unnoticed as he has been nominated for the Ballon D'or several times, losing out to Messi on 2 occasions. Due to his longevity and avoidance of major injuries, he is now Barcelona's leading appearance maker.

 

[King Patrick Star]

The Holy Trinity of Basketball . The Traffic Light color scheme if you will. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.

I know Jordan was on the Wizards, but to me, that was beyond the end of his career. I’m not even sure what the hell that was about, but I tend to revision history and just pretend he was never in Washington as a player.

As for Magic and Bird, well with the Lakers and Celtics as the most dominant teams ever in the NBA, these two had a lot to do with that.

One name I would like to add to this list is The Rock. He was with the WWE from cradle (literally) to grave (figuratively speaking of his Wrestling career). That’s “loyalty”. I guess John Cena would count too, but only time will tell.

Other names in “actual” sports include:
Tom Brady
Dirk Nowitzki
David Robinson
Tim Duncan
John Stockton