Photo by Daily Princetonian Staff
Bill Bradley '65 took a mediocre men's basketball program by storm, leading the team to three NCAA tournament appearances and one Final Four, setting numerous scoring records along the way.
Countdown of the 20 greatest athletes in Princeton history.
The Top 20 Greatest Athletes
No. 10: Wendy Zaharko '74
Countless athletes past and present have been considered dominant in their time. But rarely are the athletes so superior to contemporaries that they reach the point of competitive perfection. They enter a class of elite athletes who falter so rarely that it can only be described as shocking: tennis has ...
No. 9: Nelson Diebel '96
Search for Nelson Diebel '96 on Google Images and the first hit is an eBay auction of his Sports Illustrated for Kids trading card. For any other athlete, the card would be an honor in itself, but for Diebel it meant much more. It symbolized the extent to which he ...
No. 8: Robert Garrett, 1897
Way back in the day, in 1896, to be precise, a Princeton athlete picked up a discus and entered the throwing ring in Athens. Yes, these were the first modern Olympic games, but more importantly for the young athlete, this was his first time throwing the discus — ever. He ...
No. 7: Emily Goodfellow '76
For most students, playing one varsity sport is already an impressive achievement. For Emily Goodfellow '76, one sport was just not enough — and neither were two, for that matter.During her four-year tenure at Princeton, Goodfellow earned an astonishing 12 varsity letters by participating in three varsity sports, the greatest ...
No. 6: Lynn Jennings '83
Though Lynn Jennings '83 would go on to capture three cross country world championships and nine national titles and set 10 American records after graduating from Princeton, her success didn't come without a fight. As a Tiger, she struggled to live up to her own high expectations.It was obvious from ...
No. 5: Chris Young '02
On Oct. 7, San Diego Padres' pitcher Chris Young '02 played in Game Three of the National League Divisional Series. He threw for six and two-thirds innings without surrendering a run and struck out nine St. Louis Cardinal batters on the way to a 3-1 Padres' victory. Not bad for ...
No. 4: Hobey Baker '14
If ever there were a legendary Princeton athlete, that athlete was Hobey Baker '14. With his dazzling good looks, unmatched athletic skill and impeccable gentlemanly conduct both on and off the playing field, Baker, a two-sport star in hockey and football, truly was the stuff of legends and is one ...
No. 3: Yasser El Halaby '06
When you're talking about the greatest athletes of all time at Princeton, it's often someone from way back. From back when Princeton won national football titles, back before nearly anyone can remember.Not this one.People who had no idea what squash was came to see him play because they simply knew ...
No. 2: Dick Kazmaier '52
Good athletes are perfectionists who work tirelessly on the details until they become second nature. Great athletes are unassuming leaders who encourage others to succeed while downplaying their own contributions. But true champions must also have another characteristic: nerves of steel during crunch time.During the 1951 season, with America watching ...
No. 1: Bill Bradley '65
The full scope of the legacy of Bill Bradley '65 isn't captured by his plaque in the Basketball Hall of Fame or his retired New York Knicks' jersey hanging next to Patrick Ewing's from the rafters of Madison Square Garden. It isn't even captured by the faded "Bill Bradley for ...
No. 20: Keith Elias '94
Today marks the debut of The Daily Princetonian's series counting down The Top 20 Greatest Athletes in Princeton history. Over the next 20 issues, we will count down the top athletes ever to don the Orange and Black — one per day — until Dec. 13, when we arrive at ...
No. 19: Kirsty Hale '99
Virtually every great sports team over the years has had a goto guy, a player who would invariably get the ball in crunch time. Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana were all relied upon for their strong play while leading their respective teams to success. From 1996-1998, Kirsty Hale ...
No. 18: Chris Ahrens '98
Princeton crew is no stranger to top athletes. Tigers routinely fill the U.S. Olympic boats, and the program is known internationally for its strength. Perhaps the most gifted of all the athletes to ever grace the boathouse is Chris Ahrens '98.Ahrens reportedly began rowing at the age of seven with ...
No. 17: Ryan Boyle '04
Princeton has a storied tradition when it comes to men's lacrosse over the past decade and a half, and many great players share a responsibility for the Tigers' six national championships since 1992.But few stand out like Ryan Boyle '04, one of the greatest attackmen ever to grace the turf ...
No. 16: Geoff Petrie '70
While other NBA All-Stars of yesteryear — from Kevin McHale to Isiah Thomas to Michael Jordan — have made rocky transitions to the front office, Geoff Petrie '70 never missed a beat. The former Princeton standout-turned-Portland Trail Blazer has twice won the NBA's Executive of the Year Award as the ...
No. 15: Theresa Sherry '04
In high school, exceptional two and even three-sport athletes regularly populate student bodies. While such large time commitments aren't easy in high school, they are still possible. In college, however, that traditionally isn't the case. Juggling multiple sports — and continuing to shine among the much deeper field of collegiate ...
No. 14: Esmerelda Negron '05
Though it can be shown in any number of ways — from broken records to Ivy League championships — there remains one undeniable fact about the collegiate career of Esmeralda Negron '05: she is the best player in the history of the Princeton women's soccer team.Negron, a forward in all ...
No. 13: Jed Graef '64
Princeton is home to one of the nation's most successful swimming and diving programs, laying claim to 19 Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL) dual-meet championships, including nine straight from 1984-1993. The program has also produced 22 individual national champions as well as four Olympic medalists. One of those was Jed ...
No. 12: Kelly O'Dell '84
The honor of being named to an All-Ivy team in any sport takes hours of dedication and sacrifice, as well as a good dose of natural talent. To be named first-team All-Ivy League in multiple sports is almost unprecedented. Yet it is a feat that Kelly O'Dell '84 accomplished for ...
No. 11: Jesse Hubbard '98
Memorial Day Weekend, 1996. Princeton's men's lacrosse team, a soon-to-be-storied squad with two championships in its past, is fighting for its second NCAA lacrosse championship in a close battle against the University of Virginia.With the score tied 12-12 at the end of regulation, the referees whistle for overtime. At the ...
