C.J. 's Top 10 Athletes 10 - 8

Darren’s article about NBA superstars sparked some memories of my long lost youth. It got me thinking about my heroes of yesteryear. So in honor of my childhood idols, I thought I would make a list of the top 10 athletes that have influenced my life. Or in other words my 10 favorite athletes. You might notice that the list is dominated by the Jazz, the Rams, and the Mormons, but that is because the Jazz and Rams are my favorite teams and the Mormons are my favorite religion. The list was long and it was a tedious process eliminating the many athletes that influenced my life. Some of the candidates that were close but that I had to leave off of the list were Adrian Dantley, Marshal Faulk, Jeff Hornacek, Lance Armstrong, Ty Detmer, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Akeem Olajuwon, Jim McMahon, Andre Agassi, Megan Payne, Nolan Ryan, Evgeni Malkin, and Zinedine Zidane.

10 -Deron Williams – Perhaps it is a little early to include him on the list but I am putting him here with the hope the he will yet prove he deserves such a lofty ranking. He holds a special place for me because he returned the Jazz to prominence after their only losing season in the last 23 years. He is a clutch performer. He is in the argument for best point guard in the NBA at time that many consider to be the golden age of point guards. I wish that he would have kept his "No Guts No Glory" tattoos, that might have moved him up a few spots.

9- Kurt Warner – He almost lost his #9 ranking by participating in Dancing with the Stars. It probably cost him a few spots but he is still on the list. As a lifelong Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams fan there was nothing better than the Kurt Warner feel good story. From Dick Vermeil crying after Trent Green’s injury to Warner taking over and leading them all the way to the Super Bowl. I will never forget his magical pass to Isaac Bruce to defeat the Tennessee Titans. With spikey haired Brenda cheering him from the stands. The best part about Kurt Warner is that he came along during the fantasy football age. Not only did he lead my St. Louis Rams to a super bowl victory, he led the Dorny Rams to one of the most dominating fantasy football seasons in history. I was also happy for him that he continued his success in Arizona. This time with a suddenly hot, long blond hair Brenda cheering him on from the stands. I think we would all be proud if our sons grew up to be like Kurt Warner, minus the dancing.

8- Julius “Dr. J” Erving – Perhaps my first sports hero. Some of my earliest sports memories are watching the 76ers battle the Celtics on late night rebroadcasts of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Dr. J could things that no other player could do. He did it with a grace and smoothness that was awesome. There was a period of my life that I always choose to be #6 because of him. I got to see him in person near the end of his career. He almost signed with the Jazz before retiring , too bad that really could have moved him up the list.