Three former Detroit Tigers and a Detroit Lions all-time great join a pair of University of Michigan legends on the list.
(CBS DETROIT) - ESPN has taken on the tall task of naming the top 100 athletes of the 21st century.
Three former Detroit Tigers and a Detroit Lions all-time great join a pair of University of Michigan legends on the list.
Here are all the former Detroit professional athletes, Michigan student-athletes and Mitten State natives to make the list.
A two-time American League MVP, the 12-time All-Star and Triple Crown winner began his career with the Florida Marlins in 2003, winning a World Series in his rookie year, before joining the Detroit Tigers in 2008. A native of Venezuela, Miguel Cabrera was a four-time AL batting champion and twice led the AL in RBI and home runs. Regarded as one of the greatest hitters of all time, Cabrera called it a career after the 2023 season and will forever remain a favorite of Tigers fans.
While Justin Verlander has gone on to find tremendous success with the Houston Astros, he began his career with the Detroit Tigers in 2005 and spent 13 seasons in the Motor City, winning American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2006, as well as Cy Young and AL MVP recognition in 2011, when he led all of baseball with 24 wins. He pitched two no-hitters for the Tigers (in 2007 and 2011). Verlander went on to win two World Series titles with Houston and rack up two more Cy Young Awards and an American League Championship Series MVP honor in 2017.
Max Scherzer spent five seasons (2010–14) in a Detroit Tigers uniform, including a 2013 season that saw him go 21-3 and win his first of three Cy Young Awards. A two-time World Series champion and eight-time all-star, he threw a pair of no-hitters with the Washington Nationals in 2015 and ranks in the top 10 in career strikeouts.
A member of the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, Calvin Johnson was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech. He spent nine seasons in the Motor City before retiring following the 2015 season. Johnson owns the NFL's single-season receiving yards record, having posted 1,964 yards in 2012. He was named to the Pro Bowl six times and led the NFL in receiving yards in 2011 and 2012 and receptions in 2012.
Olympian Michael Phelps checks in at No. 1 on ESPN's list. Phelps set a record with 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold medals. Phelps trained and attended classes at the University of Michigan over four years and later served as a volunteer assistant coach. He won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Grand Rapids native Floyd Mayweather, Jr., is ranked No. 50. Mayweather's professional boxing career spanned from 1996 to 2017 and saw him win world titles in five different weight classes. Mayweather finished his career undefeated at 50-0 with 27 knockouts and was at one time the highest-paid athlete in the world.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP Tom Brady checks in at No. 5. Drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft out of the University of Michigan, Brady is widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady owns close to a dozen NFL career records, including career quarterback wins, passing yards, completions and touchdowns.
Joining Brady on the list is fellow Wolverine Charles Woodson. The 1997 Heisman Trophy winner closes out the list at No. 100. A member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, Woodson led the Wolverines to the 1997 NCAA national championship before being taken by the Oakland Raiders with the fourth-overall pick in the 1998 draft. Woodson's professional career spanned 18 seasons, and he remains the only defensive player in the history of college football to claim the Heisman Trophy.
