The List: Readers' most beloved football players
From the Page2 mailbag
Who is the most beloved football player of all-time?
Walter Payton
Joe Montana
Brett Favre
John Elway
Pele
Doug Flutie
Roger Staubach
Dan Marino
Barry Sanders
Darrell Green
On Monday, Page 2 ran its list of the most beloved football players in history. We asked for your take, and you filled our mailbag with plenty of choices for your favorite NFL player of all-time.
OUR TOP 10
Here's how the Page 2 staff ranked the most beloved football players in history:
1. Walter Payton
2. Doug Flutie
3. William Perry
4. Paul Hornung
5. Joe Namath
6. Emmitt Smith
7. Earl Campbell
8. Joe Greene
9. Brett Favre
10. Roger Staubach
Honorable mentions: Darrell Green, Brian Piccolo, Kurt Warner, Gale Sayers, Frank Gifford, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Alex Karras, Franco Harris, Art Donovan, Don Meredith, John Riggins, Tony Siragusa, Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb
After going through more than 1,300 letters, we've listed a rundown of the Top 10 vote-getters, along with some of the best letters about each player. Be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll at left as we crown the most beloved football player ever.
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1. Walter Payton
(164 letters)
How can you not love one of the most talented and charismatic athletes ever? Off the field, he was the perfect image of what you want an athlete to be ... outgoing, but not brash, funloving but not out of line, upfront but not rude. "They call me Sweetness, and I like to dance. Running the ball is like making romance." Sweetness was second to none, on the field and in fans hearts.
Michael Seman
Hinsdale, Ill.
Walter Payton was in a class by himself. He would knock a defender flat on his back, and then help him back to his feet. He was notorious among teammates and officials for his good-natured practical jokes. After each touchdown, no dances or showing off -- he just flipped the ball to one of his linemen to let them spike it.
Walter Payton played the game hard and remained a true sportsman, I have never heard an opposing player, coach or fan say anything negative about Walter. In his last days, he gave us another reason to love him, showing us that he was truly a world-class human being.
Peter Kim
Denver
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2. Joe Montana (120 letters)
Your oversight of Joe Montana on both the Top 10 list and honorable mention transcends the bounds of human decency. I'm not sure a community has ever deified an athlete as fervently as "Super Joe" was feted here in the Bay Area, or, for that matter, his home region of Monongahela, Pennsylvania.
Joe Cool was deified by fans in the Bay Area.
Montana was so well-loved that fans tormented and slighted Steve Young for years, even after No. 8 was clearly one of the league's elite QBs, and Joe was a walking concussion or joint injury waiting to happen, more or less splitting time with crafty Rich Gannon on the Kansas City Chiefs.
On a more benevolent note, however, images of a scrambling Montana hitting a soaring Dwight Clark, threading the needle to John Taylor or heaving slant after slant to Jerry Rice will always stick out in the memories of millions of 49ers fans, reveling (or perhaps wallowing) in the nostalgia of 20 years of perennial Super Bowl contention.
Joe Eskenazi
Oakland, Calif.
How could you leave Joe Montana off your list? This guy had more "I'm going to Disney World!" commercials and Wheaties box appearances than any other football player in history, and he is easily one of the five most famous quarterbacks of all time.
Everyone loves this guy, even the weirdos who rooted for the Bengals back when "The Ickey Shuffle" was cool. ... Not that I was one of those or anything...
Nick West
Arlington, Va.
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3. Brett Favre (80 letters)
He's a kid in the body of a man. He still plays for the love of the game. I know he has a $100 million contract. He earned it.
The greatest part of watching Brett Favre is remembering the days when he used to throw off of his back foot constantly. Those days make the current Favre even easier to root for. He has grown both on and off the field, but has never lost his passion for what he does.
Packers quarterback Brett Favre still plays the game with a childlike enthusiasm.
Most athletes figure $100 million entitles them to a few days off. Take a look at the streak. Take a look at him running off of the field after his opening TD toss in Super Bowl XXXI. He looks like a little kid who doesn't know where to go or what to do, all he knows is that he's really excited. The best part is, that was only the second play of the game.
Ben Schmitt
Green Bay, Wisc.
Brett Favre is definitely the most beloved football player for millions of Packers fans and plenty of others. His pure joy and toughness on the field are reminiscent of backyard football, and you've got to love a guy who takes a hit and bounces back up smiling.
Off the field, Favre isn't perfect, but he's no thug, either. His flaws (including his battle with pain-killer addiction) make him much more real to the blue-collar fans in Green Bay. He's generous to fans and charities, and will spend the rest of his career loyal to Green Bay. ... Who does that today?
Jon Bemis
Lake Geneva, Wisc.
Favre, Favre, Favre ... The three-time MVP is a near deity around Green Bay, and how many millionaires do you know who mow their own lawn?
Samuel Carey
Minneapolis, Minn.
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