As I've previously written, Boston has always dominated the sports world. It's been home to an array or legends, from Bobby Orr to Bill Russell to Ted Williams. If you made a list of the greatest athletes of all time, there would be an overwhelming amount of players from Boston teams near the top. With that being said, making a list of the top 10 ten from just my lifetime was a challenge in itself, and I'm sure some of you will disagree with it. But I’m gonna go for it anyway, starting with some much deserving “Honorable Mentions”:
Honorable Mentions:
Jason Varitek
Ray Allen
Randy Moss
Tedy Bruschi
Tim Thomas
10. Manny Ramirez
- 2x All-Star (1995, 1998–2008)
- 9x Silver Slugger Award (1995, 1999–2006)
- 2x Hank Aaron Award (1999, 2004)
- World Series MVP Award (2004)
- 2x World Series Champion with Boston (2004, 2007)
“I haven’t been right all year. I guess, you know, when you don’t feel good, and you still get hits, that’s when you know you are a bad man.”
- Manny Ramirez after hitting walk-off homer in 2007 ALDS
9. Troy Brown
- 3x Super Bowl champion with New England (2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05)
- Patriots' all-time leading punt returner (252 returns, 2,625 yards, 3 touchdowns)
- 2nd all-time in franchise history in receptions (557)
- 2nd all-time in franchise history in receiving yards (6,366)
“I'm not one who's big on accolades and all those things. I did my job and I'm proud of what I did and how I did it.”
- Troy Brown
8. Dustin Pedroia
- 2x World Series Champion with Boston (2007, 2013)
- 2007 American League Rookie of the Year
- American League Gold Glove Winner (2008, 2011, 2013, 2014)
- 4x American League All-Star (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013)
- 2008 American League Silver Slugger Award
- 2008 American League MVP
“It happens to everybody, man. He’s had 60 at-bats. A couple of years ago, I had 60 at-bats, and I was hitting .170, and everyone was ready to kill me, too. And what happened? Laser show. So, relax.”
- Dustin Pedroia when asked about a David Ortiz slump in 2010
7. Pedro Martinez
- 8× All-Star (1996–2000, 2002, 2005, 2006)
- World Series champion (2004)
- 3× Cy Young Award (1997, 1999, 2000)
- Triple Crown (1999)
- MLB All-Star Game MVP (1999)
- MLB wins leader (1999)
- 5× MLB ERA leader (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003)
- 3× AL strikeout leader (1999, 2000, 2002)
- Boston Red Sox #45 retired
“Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him. Maybe I’ll drill him in the a**.”
- Pedro Martinez when asked about the 86-year Red Sox World Series drought, “The Curse of the Bambino”
6. Rob Gronkowski
- Super Bowl champion (2014-15)
- 4× Pro Bowl (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
- 4× First-team All-Pro (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2014)
- NFL receiving touchdowns leader (2011)
"Who would have ever thought that five years ago, when I was on ESPN every weekend drunk, that I'd be accepting this award?"
- Rob Gronkowki saying the most Gronk thing ever after winning the Ron Burton Community Service Award in 2016
5. Kevin Garnett
- NBA champion with Boston (2008)
- NBA Most Valuable Player (2004)
- 15× NBA All-Star (1997, 1998, 2000–2011, 2013)
- 4× All-NBA First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2008)
- NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2008)
- 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000–2005, 2008, 2009, 2011)
“They say no matter how hard you work, there's always someone, somewhere working harder then you. Guess what.. I'm that someone.”
- Kevin Garnett
4. Patrice Bergeron (NHL’s most underrated superstar)
- Stanley Cup champion with Boston (2011)
- 2x Olympic gold with Canada (2010, 2014)
- 2x NHL All-Star (2015, 2016)
- 3x Frank J. Selke Trophy winner, best defensive forward (2012, 2014, 2015)
- King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner, leadership on and off the ice (2013)
"We all believed in ourselves. It was a matter of confidence and that creates a fine line between winning and losing.”
- Patrice Bergeron after winning the 2011 Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins
3. Paul Pierce
- NBA champion (2008)
- NBA Finals MVP (2008)
- 10× NBA All-Star (2002–2006, 2008–2012)
- All-NBA Second Team (2009)
- 3× All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2003, 2008)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1999)
“Just soaking up the history of the Boston Celtics has been the best thing that's happened to me as a player.”
- Paul Pierce
2. David Ortiz
- 10× All-Star with (2004–2008, 2010–2013, 2016)
- 3× World Series champion with Boston (2004, 2007, 2013)
- World Series MVP (2013)
- ALCS MVP (2004)
- 2× AL Hank Aaron Award (2005, 2016)
- 6× Silver Slugger Award (2004–2007, 2011, 2013)
- 7× Edgar Martínez Award (2003–2007, 2010, 2013)
- AL home run leader (2006)
- 3× AL RBI leader (2005, 2006, 2016)
“This is our f*****g city. And nobody is going to dictate our freedom!”
- David Ortiz after the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013
1. Tom Brady
- 4× Super Bowl champion with New England (2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2014-15)
- 3× Super Bowl MVP (2001-02, 2004-05, 2014-15)
- 2× NFL Most Valuable Player (2007, 2010)
- 11× Pro Bowl (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009–2015)
- 2× First-team All-Pro (2007, 2010)
- 2× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2007, 2010)
- 3× AFC Offensive Player of the Year (2007, 2010, 2011)
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2009)
- Bert Bell Award (2007)
- Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2005)
- 4× NFL passing touchdowns leader (2002, 2007, 2010, 2015)
- 2× NFL passing yards leader (2005, 2007)
- NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
“I think that at the start of a game, you’re always playing to win, and then maybe if you’re ahead late in the game, you start playing not to lose. The true competitors, though, are the ones who always play to win.”
- Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time
