The v2 Hall of Fame

First topic message reminder :

Evening all.

With the continued growth of 606v2 and the v2 Journal, we have decided to start an official v2 Hall of Fame.

What does this mean, you might be asking.

Well, basically, we are going to honour the great sports persons in history by inducting them into the v2 record books. As time goes on, we will add more and more inductees, so that eventually it becomes a who's who of great sports stars.

We will endeavour to let the recipients know of their awards and try to get an official response (where possible).

Some sections have already started their own HoF but for the official v2 one, we wanted it to incorporate every sport.

So how is it going to work?

Well this thread is designed to act as a nomination thread, where for the next week (closing Sunday), we will take peoples nominations as to who they would like to see inducted. If you are going to nominate someone (or second a nomination) then please give us a reason why they should be considered. After this process has finished, we will announce a shortlist of the people we are considering, at which point, once again you will all be able to show your support and backing of the shortlisted candidates.

After this second round of debating, the admin and mod teams will decide who will be the first inductees.

In this first lot of inductees, we are looking to initiate 6 people. We will then add 6 more every 6 months in a similar process.

So get nominating - any sportsman, dead or alive. Just give us a name and a reason why they should be considered.

what about that swimmer that won everything(yes i am being lazy)

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:

crazygangwomble wrote:Can I nominate a few?
.....John Barnes - greatest footballer ever

Good player, but.....

I will actually change that to greatest British player ever

Barnes, lol-

gaza,shearer,giggs and rooney just in recent memory were/are better

Thorpe or Phelps for swimming

legendkillarV2 wrote:Michael Johnson was athletics!!!

Not Michael Jordan!

Oh yeah - i spotted Comaneci first and was just going to mention her, then noticed Redgrave. My eyes and brain mus have been befuddled and read Jordan not Johnson.

all 3 woudl deserve entry to the HoF at some point.

I agree with what you say about transcending sport, but also I think peformances deserve a meritted spot. For example Roger Bannister and the 4 minute mile. Even David Walliams for swimming the Thames, The channel and the body of see between Malta and Africa (forgot the name) Eddie Izzard for the marathons he did, forgot the number.

Can we do a celebrity wing like in the WWE?

mystiroakey wrote:Barnes, lol-

gaza,shearer,giggs and rooney just in recent memory were/are better

If you say so

John Barnes was a revelation for Liverpool in the 80's.

For someone who was percieved 'chunky' he had decent pace and a brilliant football brain.

Never really done it at international level though apart from THAT goal against Brazil.

Tennis - Rod Laver
Two Grand Slams, only male to complete one in open era, won on all surfaces, also won in doubles. Basically, could do it all; the fore-runner of the modern player.

Rugby - Michael Jones
Hard as nails, changed the role of the open side, World class blind side into the bargain.

Rowing - Steve Redgrave
Five, consecutive, Olympic Golds amongst other other glories. 'Nuff said?

Golf - Jack Nicklaus
The golfer by whom all others are judged. Ridiculously good with a record to match. Throughout the '70s, winner of 8 Majors and outside the top ten in Majors only 5 times out of 40 starts. 60s and early 80s similarly awesome. Conceded putt to Tony Jacklin in Ryder Cup of '69 resulting in tied Cup apparently commenting that he didn't want to give him the chance to miss. The Man.

Football - Maradona
Brilliant, if slightly flawed. Did it all with Argentina and lifted Napoli to their only two Serie A titles. Dragged a poor Argentina, virtually on his own, to the World Cup final in '90.

Athletics - Sergey Bubka
Game changer in the pole vault. Olympic Gold, six consecutive outdoor (four indoor) World Golds, virtually unbeatable in 80s/early 90s, took World Records for both indoor and outdoor from ~5.80 to ~6.15 which still stand. Gary Smith, of Sports Illustrated, apparently said: "Here is a man who has personally altered his art form, changed the way competitors prepare for it and perform it, even the way spectators perceive it." (Thanks to Wikipedia!)

Football - Pele, Maradona
Rugby Union - Gareth Edwards, Jonny Wilkinson, Jonah Lomu
Cricket - Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman
Boxing - Muhammed Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson
NFL - Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, Joe Montana (could go on for a while here)
NBA - Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson
Baseball - Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio
Tennis - Roger Federer, Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver
Athletics - Michael Johnson, Usain Bolt, Daley Thompson
Swimming - Michael Phelps

Others - Steve Redgrave, Phil Taylor, Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus

Gareth Davies?

Played and was great at League and Union.

Can we discount anyone that's currently participating in their sport (or even only have people that have been retired 3-5 years minimum), because otherwise it's just a popularity contest.

For tennis, I would vote in McEnroe as he changed the face of tennis so to speak.

If you want to think about cultural significance, how many people did impressions of Federer, Michael Jordan, Garteh Davies etc.?

McEnroe was a world wide phenomon who was instantly recognisable.

Adam D wrote:For tennis, I would vote in McEnroe as he changed the face of tennis so to speak.

If you want to think about cultural significance, how many people did impressions of Federer, Michael Jordan, Garteh Davies etc.?

McEnroe was a world wide phenomon who was instantly recognisable.

I 2nd that!

woods tops this i feel if we add cultural significance

And in a sport that is massive in terms of participation.

He got different creeds into the game, not to mention sex addicts.

Adam D wrote:For tennis, I would vote in McEnroe as he changed the face of tennis so to speak.

If you want to think about cultural significance, how many people did impressions of Federer, Michael Jordan, Garteh Davies etc.?

McEnroe was a world wide phenomon who was instantly recognisable.

Disagree.

Bjorn Borg changed the face of tennis.

He generated more followers than any other before or after him. You only have to watch past Wimbledons to see the effect that man had. He was mobbed and was the first that gave the sport an identity.

Any tennis fan will tell you that the first name that springs to mind would not be McEnroe, but Borg or Federer.

If you want to go cultural, men wanted to play like him and be him and women wanted to have him. Inspired wannabe guitarists who played air guitar with a wooden dunlop racquet with a hair band and long hair because they couldn't afford a guitar or hair cut.

McEnroe was coat-tailer at best.

ChequeredJersey wrote:I think he was arguing whether Rowing counts under Athletics? I dont see how Redgrave can be seen as not transcending his sport- 5 consecutive Olympic Golds across 24 years and pretty much the only rower that most people on the planet can name. 24 years of absolute dominance in his sport! Federer gets all the props for managing 5 in his!

No doubt Redgrave's achievements were extraordinary but you're somewhat off with your maths here. Redgrave won golds in 84, 88, 92, 96 and 2000, which is only 16, not 24. I say only 16, that's still bloody impressive!

John McEnroe?

I think Adam D has been listening too much to John McEnroe.

Top twenty tennis players? Probably not. Top twenty men? Just about.

Of the post-war era you'd have to say that it was the guys of the fifties and early sixties who really changed "the face of tennis"; then the Laver / Rosewall era who made tennis what it would become in the Borg / Lendl / McEnroe / Connors times.

McEnroe never won the Aussie Open or the French.

But he is the second-best commentator in his family.

yes but he is a legend and has appeared in curb your enthusiasm

John Elway

Gary Speed

delToro87 wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:I think he was arguing whether Rowing counts under Athletics? I dont see how Redgrave can be seen as not transcending his sport- 5 consecutive Olympic Golds across 24 years and pretty much the only rower that most people on the planet can name. 24 years of absolute dominance in his sport! Federer gets all the props for managing 5 in his!

No doubt Redgrave's achievements were extraordinary but you're somewhat off with your maths here. Redgrave won golds in 84, 88, 92, 96 and 2000, which is only 16, not 24. I say only 16, that's still bloody impressive!

How embarrassing

Muhammed Ali
Tiger Woods
Michael Jordan
Shawn Michaels
Vince McMahon
Roger Federer
Pele
The Rock
Cristiano Ronaldo
Phil Taylor
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Usain Bolt

You didn't make it clear how many to nominate?

We're including wrestlers? Really?

big daddy

The only wrestler that really merits a mention would be Kurt Angle. 1996 Gold Medal with a broken neck. That is a stunning effort whether you follow wrestling or not.

legendkillarV2 wrote:The only wrestler that really merits a mention would be Kurt Angle. 1996 Gold Medal with a broken neck. That is a stunning effort whether you follow wrestling or not.

Yeah, real WRASTLING!

Adam D wrote:I would have thought Jerry Rice and Joe Montana would have been the NFL picks.

Well I'm a Browns fan so I'm choosing Jim Brown over Niners players. For those doubting Brown, NFL.com ranked him second best player ever (after Rice), despite not playing in almost 50 years in which time many great running backs (most of whom will all say he was their inspiration) have come into the league most haven't come close to some of his most special records.

Derbyblue wrote:

Adam D wrote:I would have thought Jerry Rice and Joe Montana would have been the NFL picks.

Well I'm a Browns fan so I'm choosing Jim Brown over Niners players. For those doubting Brown, NFL.com ranked him second best player ever (after Rice), despite not playing in almost 50 years in which time many great running backs (most of whom will all say he was their inspiration) have come into the league most haven't come close to some of his most special records.

I've only seen clips of Brown but for me, Barry Sanders was the best.

Jim Brown also an All-American lacrosse player at SU.

Believe it or not, I was a Browns fan and would be happy to go with that nomination too but maybe at a later date.

Shane Williams. Do you really need me to tell you why?

Ayrton Senna

Barry Sheene, Daley Thompson

Yeah I go Daley Thompson.

Has any other sportsman caused more computer keyboard damage?

Hibbz wrote:Yeah I go Daley Thompson.

Has any other sportsman caused more computer keyboard damage?

Yes, my old spectrum took a right hammering.

Ian Botham - For Sporting achievements and continued work for Charity.

Ayrton Senna - Greatest F1 Driver of all time

Gareth Edwards - Greatest Rugby Player of all time.

Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson.

RDuncan8 wrote:We're including wrestlers? Really?

If we're nominating wrestlers, can we nominate actors too?

Kwinni was that Joe Jordan or Michael Jordan in your choice.

Bobby Jones
Sir Chris Hoy
Jesse Owen
Cassius Clay
Tendulka
Natravalova [can't spell it!]

The one with the teeth!

We can't be including pro wrestlers in this surely?

Royce Gracie- Without him there would be no MMA or UFC
Sugar Ray Robinson- The greatest boxer ever simple
Pele- Greatest footballer ever
Sampras- Domination of three of the four major titles for a decade

Heath Slater.

Because ED bribed me to say it.

Pele.

Gareth Edwards - for being a Wizard, a great Question of Sport captain, a gentleman and for bridging the Anglo-Welsh divide by being admired, respected and loved on both sides of the Dyke.

Tommy Bowe!!

Oh OK, a serious one...Shane Williams. A contemporary rugby legend who ended his career this year. What a way to end it with an award from 606v2!

Fernando Torres?

Daisuke Ohata, greatest scorer the try of all time. Better than Campese and Shane Williams and play only half the games!

Yep, against half the quality of opponent.