Hamm, Jordan Named ACC's Greatest Athletes
March 13, 2003 | General
March 13, 2003
University of North Carolina alumni Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm were named the Greatest Male and Female Athletes of the Atlantic Coast Conference's first 50 years as announced by Commissioner John Swofford. The selections of Jordan and Hamm were determined by a vote of a 120-member blue-ribbon committee that was selected by the league's 50th Anniversary Committee.
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ACC's Top Male Athlete |
ACC's Top Female Athlete |
Jordan and Hamm were two of seven Tar Heels named among the 10 best men and women in ACC history. Jordan was joined by #7 Lawrence Taylor, the greatest outside linebacker in football history, and #9 Phil Ford, one of the finest point guards in college basketball history and UNC's alltime leading scorer.
Hamm was joined in the Top10 by #2 Marion Jones, #6 Sue Walsh and #10 Charlotte Smith.
Jones started as a freshman at point guard on Carolina's 1994 women's basketball NCAA title team and won five medals in track at the 2000 Olympics. She is the fastest women in the world.
Walsh is one of the most dominant swimmers in ACC and NCAA history, winning 10 NCAA titles. She is now an executive in the Educational Foundation.
Smith, an assistant coach at UNC, hit the game-winning shot to give the Tar Heels the 1994 NCAA crown and was a National Player of the Year.
One of the greatest women's soccer players in the world, Hamm led the Tar Heels to four NCAA National Championships - 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993 - and a combined 92-1-2 (.979) overall record in her four years in Chapel Hill. The Burke, Va., product missed the 1991 season while helping the United States win the first Women's World Cup in soccer. Hamm was the unanimous National Player of Year in 1992 and 1993 and ACC Player of Year in 1990, 1992 and 1993. The NCAA Tournament career and single-game record holder for goals, assists and points, Hamm led the nation in scoring in 1990, 1992 and 1993. In her junior season of 1992, Hamm set the NCAA single-season scoring record with 97 points on 32 goals and 33 assists. Hamm starred on U.S. National and Olympic Teams throughout her career and has scored more goals in international play than any player in history, male or female.
Likely the greatest player to ever play the game, Jordan was the Consensus National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year in 1984. A three-year starter at North Carolina from 1982 to 1984, the Wilmington, N.C., native earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 1982 and was a unanimous All-ACC selection and first-team All-American in 1983 and 1984. As a freshman, Jordan hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA championship game against Georgetown as the Tar Heels claimed their second national title and the ACC's third.
Jordan averaged 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in three years at Chapel Hill and played for U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning basketball teams in 1984 and 1992. The third overall selection in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, Jordan went on to become a bonafide superstar in the pro ranks being named the league's Rookie of the Year in 1985 and its Most Valuable Player in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1998. Jordan, a 10-time NBA scoring leader and the league's third all-time leading scorer with 31,826 points, led the Bulls to six NBA titles and was named NBA Finals MVP six times.
The ACC's 50th Anniversary Top 10 Male Athletes are listed below:
ACC Top 10 Male Athletes
1. Michael Jordan............ North Carolina
2. David Thompson......... NC State
3. Charlie Ward................ Florida State
4. Arnold Palmer.............. Wake Forest
5. Randy White................. Maryland
6. Ralph Sampson........... Virginia
7. Lawrence Taylor........... North Carolina
8. Tim Duncan................... Wake Forest
9. Phil Ford......................... North Carolina
10. Renaldo Nehemiah... Maryland
Michael Jordan, North Carolina (1982-1984)
Arguably the best player to ever play the game ... Consensus National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year in 1984 ... Sporting News National Player of the Year in 1983 ... All-American in 1983 and 1984 ... Hit the game-winning shot in 1982 NCAA championship game ... Averaged 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game ... Played for U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning teams in 1984 and 1992 ... Led Carolina to an 88-13 record.
Lawrence Taylor, North Carolina (1977-1980)
An outside linebacker who earned consensus All-America and the ACC Player of the Year honors in 1980 ... established a Carolina single-season record with 16 sacks in 1980 ... Carolina went 11-1 and won the ACC title in 1980 ... selected as the No. 2 overall player in the NFL Draft and played 13 seasons with the New York Giants ... elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Phil Ford, North Carolina (1975-1978)
One of college basketball's greatest point guards ... Perfected the "Four Corners" offense ... UNC's all-time leading scorer with 2,290 points and third in assists with 753 ... Averaged 18.6 points and 6.1 assists per contest ... Averaged 23.6 points per game in the ACC Tournament during his four-year career ... Was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team which won the gold medal in Montreal ... Wooden Award winner and three-time All-American (two-time consensus) ... ACC Player of the Year ... Three-time first-team All-ACC and two-time ACC Athlete of the Year ... MVP of ACC Tournament as a freshman ... One of five male athletes to win ACC Athlete of the Year honors twice.
The ACC's 50th Anniversary Top 10 Female Athletes are listed below:
ACC Top 10 Female Athletes
1. Mia Hamm.......... North Carolina
2. Marion Jones..... North Carolina
3. Dawn Staley........ Virginia
4. Julie Shea........... NC State
5. Joan Benoit......... NC State
6. Sue Walsh........... North Carolina
7. Alana Beard........ Duke
8. Jen Adams.......... Maryland
9. Vanessa Webb... Duke
10.Charlotte Smith.. North Carolina
Mia Hamm, North Carolina (1989-90, 92-93)
Arguably, the greatest women's soccer player in the world ... Played on NCAA championship teams in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1993 ... Missed the 1991 season while helping U.S. win the first Women's World Cup ... Led four Tar Heel teams to a combined 92-1-2 record ... Unanimous National Player of Year in 1992 and 1993 and ACC Player of Year in '90-92-93 ... Led the nation in scoring in 1990-92-93 ... Set NCAA season scoring record in '92 with 97 points ... Holds NCAA Tournament career and single-game records for goals, assists and points ... Has starred on U.S. National and Olympic Teams throughout her career ... Has scored more international goals than any player in history, male or female.
Marion Jones, North Carolina (1994-1995, 1997)
All-American (Basketball America) in 1997 ... 1997 ACC Tournament MVP ... All ACC-Tournament in 1995 ... All-ACC in 1995, '97 ... ACC All-Freshmen team 1994 ... 1995 NCAA West Regional All-tournament team ... Starting point guard on the 1994 NCAA Championship team ... Career scoring average (16.8) ranks third in UNC history ... In three years at UNC, ranks fifth on the school's career assists list, third in steals and seventh in blocks ... Also an All-American in track at UNC ... Won five medals (three golds) at the 2000 Olympics.
Sue Walsh, North Carolina (1981-1984)
Member of the 1978 World Games team & 1980 U.S. Olympic Team ... won 10 national championships (4 in 100 back, 3 in 200 back, 3 in 50 back) ... won 50-yard, 100-yard & 200-yard backstroke, 50-yard freestyle & the 200-yard & 800-yard freestyle relay at 1981 ACC Championships ... All-American in the 50-yard, 100-yard & 200-yard backstroke, 50-yard freestyle, 200-yard medley relay & the 200-yard & 800-yard free relays ... that 200 medley relay won the national title ... captured 5 ACC Championship Titles in 1982 & was an All-American in the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard IM, 200-yard medley relay and the 200-yard free relay ... in 1983 won six ACC Championship Titles and was named the ACC Meet Most Valuable Swimmer ... All-American in the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard IM, 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard and 400-yard free relays ... Six ACC Championship Titles in 1984 as well as the ACC Meet Most Valuable Swimmer for the second year in a row ... All-American in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke, 400-yard medley relay, and the 200, 400, and 800-yard freestyle relay events ... 27-time All-American ... captured 23 ACC Titles ...held the all-time record at UNC for the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke ... was American record holder in 50 free & 100 free ... two-time CoSIDA/Verizon first-team Academic All-American ... inducted into CoSIDA/Verizon Academic America Hall of Fame in 2002.
Charlotte Smith, North Carolina (1992-1995)
1995 ESPN National Player of the Year ... All-American by Kodak, Associated Press and the USWBA, 1995 ... Only UNC player to have her jersey retired ... 1994 Final Four MVP after hitting the winning shot in the NCAA championship game ... ACC Tournament MVP in 1994, '95 ... Two-time All-ACC ... Member of World University Games Team (1995), Jones Cup Team (1995), U.S. Select Team (1994), Junior National Team (1992) ... Third in career scoring (2,094) and second in career rebounding (1,200) at UNC ... Plays for the WNBA Charlotte Sting.