Players of the Century

A sixteen member Associated Press panel voted for the top one-hundred athletes — from any sport — of the twentieth century. The finallist was then broken down into top ten groups by sport. What follows below is the final list of ballplayers, selections that also received votes but did not make the top ten, and the panel members who chose the players that appear on this legendary list.

"I won't be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of six and sixteen wearing a glove and swinging a bat." - Babe Ruth
Players of the Century

by The Associated Press (2000)

Rank Name Points
1

Babe Ruth

59
2

Willie Mays

53
3

Hank Aaron

38
4

Ted Williams

33
5

Ty Cobb

26
6

Joe DiMaggio

24
7

Walter Johnson

22
8

Lou Gehrig

16
9

Jackie Robinson

15
10

Honus Wagner

11

Players of the Century by The Associated Press

 

Top Players of the Century

by The Associated Press

Panel Members

Donna Lopiano
Executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation.

Richard Lapchick
Director of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University.

Dan Jenkins
Longtime sports writer and author of numerous books.

David Wallechinsky
Author of The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, considered the definitive record books on the games.

Leonard Koppett
Baseball writer, starting in 1948 at New York Herald Tribune. Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

Roger Penske
Sports car driving champion and now one of the most successful team owners in racing history.

Marv Levy
Former NFL head coach. Coached Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls (1990-93).

Fuzzy Levane
In his 24th year as a scout for the New York Knicks, played in the NBA at its inception and later coached the Knicks and Hawks.

Don Weiss
Executive director of the NFL under Pete Rozelle. Former NFL public relations director and Associated Press reporter.

Anita Defrantz
First woman in the 103-year history of the International Olympic Committee to be elected vice president. IOC member since 1986.

Marv Albert
Longtime voice of the New York Knicks, currently in his 32nd season calling NBA games. Basketball Hall of Famer.

Gene Orza
Associate general counsel, Major League Baseball Players Association, 1984-present.

Judy Rankin
Former LPGA Tour professional and TV analyst for ABC Sports. Won 26 times on the LPGA Tour and became the first woman to surpass $100,000 in a season in 1974.

Barry MacKay
U.S. Davis Cup player, tournament promoter and television commentator.

Ed Bowen
President of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, author of eight books on horse racing.

Bill Shannon
Sports historian, director of the New York Sports Hall of Fame.



The other players and their totals were: Rogers Hornsby (nine), Frank Robinson (six), Negro League legend Josh Gibson (five), Sandy Koufax (five), Stan Musial (five), Roberto Clemente (three), Mickey Mantle (three), Christy Mathewson (two) and Warren Spahn (one).

Now you should take these names and compare them to the names that the fans made on the All-Century Team list to see the differences (if any).

Imagine for a moment being part of such a panel and having to decide who the ten greatest ballplayers were in a century of baseball history.