Below are the greatest athletes Titletown has ever seen. Simply putting up great numbers does not get you on this list. The cultural impact and importance to the city matters. The titles and accolades won also matter.
Tom Brady, Patriots 2000-2019
Not only was he the greatest football player of all time but he was the face of Boston sports during their most dominant period of all time. For two decades of Boston dominance, when you thought of Boston sports, you thought of number 12 holding up the Lombardi Trophy. While him leaving was tough, it made you realize how important he was, and he will forever be a legend in Boston.
Bill Russell, Celtics 1956-1969
I could simply say 11 titles in 13 years and stop there. But that would not be enough to capture his greatness on and off the court. He helped to start the tradition of Boston being the City of Champions with his tremendous play. The NBA Finals MVP was named after him for a reason. He was an important member of the Civil Right Movement and won a Presidential Metal of Freedom for all of his accomplishments.
Bobby Orr, Bruins 1966-1976
He revolutionized his sport more than any other Boston athlete. Never before had the NHL seen a defensemen who could score like a forward and out skate everyone on the ice. Injuries robbed him of potentially going down as the greatest hockey player and Boston athlete ever. However, Boston will always remember this legend, and his flying Stanley Cup-winning goal will be in Boston sports bars until the end of time.
Ted Williams, Red Sox 1939-1942, 1946-1960
The greatest hitter who ever lived. This man hit .406 in 1941, won the Triple Crown in 1942, spent 3 years serving his country in World War 2, and then won MVP his first year back from military service in 1946. He also gave up most of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve in the Korean War. Despite sacrificing 5 years during the prime of his career, he still put up monster numbers.
Larry Bird, Celtics 1979-1992
Bird kept the Celtics title machine going. His shooting and passing ability as a forward was way ahead of his time. His clutch play and trash talk also endeared him to Boston fans. His legendary rivalry with Magic Johnson helped make the NBA mainstream and the name Larry Legend is well deserved.
David Ortiz, Red Sox 2003-2016
It’s no coincidence that Big Papi coming to the Sox immediately led to their string of 21st Century titles. He will forever be loved by Boston fans for his clutch hitting in big moments and he is easily one of the most clutch althetes in sports history. Whenever the Sox needed a big hit, he was there. His awesome speech and heroics during the 2013 World Series season after the Boston Marathon bombings forever etched him into Boston lore.
Ray Bourque, Bruins 1979-2000
The 2nd greatest defensemen in NHL history behind Orr. He is the Bruins all time leading scorer despite being a DMan. Boston loves this guy so much that he left the Bruins, won a cup with another team, and Bostonians celebrated it with him.
Rob Gronkowski, Patriots 2010-2018
Similar to Orr, his career was cut too short by injuries, but when he played he absolutely dominated. We have never seen a tight end like Gronk. He was a matchup nightmare in the receiving game and blocked like an offensive lineman. His hysterical party personality was the exact energy the buttoned up Patriots dynasty needed.
John Havlicek, Celtics 1962-1978
He helped the Russell Celtics win some of their later titles and even won two as the star of the team after Russell retired. His legendary steal will always be remembered, and Hondo is forever a Boston legend.
Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox 1961-1983
He took over left field the year after Williams retired and didn’t skip a beat. Yaz holds many Red Sox records including games played, hits, and RBIs.
The fact this was such a tough list to make shows how lucky Boston fans are to have had so many legends play in our city. There are many other deserving players who could have been included in this list. With current stars like Jayson Tatum and David Pastrnak, this list could include some new names in the somewhat near future.
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