SportsCentury

SportsCentury is an ESPN biography program that reviews the people and athletic events that defined sports in North America throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1999, ESPN counted down the Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century, selected from North American athletes and voted on by a panel of sports journalists and observers, premiering a new biography highlighting each top athlete every week throughout the year. The episodes for the top two athletes, Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth, appeared on a special combined edition broadcast on Christmas Day on ABC. The top two names were announced in no particular order, and the final positioning was announced at the conclusion of the two episodes. An additional list of numbers 51-100 were announced on the ESPN SportsCentury website. Themed specials such as Greatest Games, Greatest Coaches, Greatest Dynasties, and Most Influential Individuals were premiered throughout the year, as well as six SportsCenter of the Decade programs. After the initial run was complete, the episodes were rerun at various times on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic. The original plan for the series was to expand to include #51-#100. Ultimately, the series featured nearly every athlete from #51-#100, and numerous other personalities, especially those who were recently deceased, or notable for more recent accomplishments.

Documentary

Seasons

0. Casey Stengel

Air Date: 2000-10-03

1. 1900-49

Air Date: 1999-01-21

The SportsCentury begins with this two-hour reflection of the major sports events that endeared themselves to the American conscience in the first half of the 20th Century. Dave Anderson, Dick Schaap, and Curt Gowdy sit around newspaper offices as the ""hosts"" in this newsreel-type retrospective.

2. No. 50 -- Chris Evert

Air Date: 1999-01-22

3. No. 49 -- O.J. Simpson

Air Date: 1999-01-29

4. No. 48 -- Pete Sampras

Air Date: 1999-02-05

5. No. 47 -- Edwin Moses

Air Date: 1999-02-12

6. No. 46 -- Eric Heiden

Air Date: 1999-02-19

7. No. 45 -- Bill Tilden

Air Date: 1999-02-26

8. SportsCenter of the Decade: 1950s

Air Date: 1999-03-09

9. No. 44 -- Bobby Jones

Air Date: 1999-03-12

10. No. 43 -- Julius Erving

Air Date: 1999-03-19

11. No. 42 -- Sandy Koufax

Air Date: 1999-04-02

12. No. 41 -- Wilma Rudolph

Air Date: 1999-04-09

13. No. 40 -- Lawrence Taylor

Air Date: 1999-04-16

14. No. 39 -- Walter Payton

Air Date: 1999-04-23

15. No. 38 -- Ben Hogan

Air Date: 1999-04-30

16. No. 37 -- Mickey Mantle

Air Date: 1999-05-07

17. SportsCenter of the Decade: 1960s

Air Date: 1999-05-21

18. No. 36 -- Oscar Robertson

Air Date: 1999-05-14

19. The Greatest Coaches of the Century

Air Date: 1999-05-22

20. No. 35 -- Secretariat

Air Date: 1999-05-21

21. Most Influential People in Sports

Air Date: 1999-05-23

Counts down the ten non-athletes who left the greatest impact on the sports world in the 20th Century. Profiles include: Walter O'Malley, Branch Rickey, Pette Rozelle, David Stern, Roone Arledge, and Marvin Miller.

22. Greatest Dynasties

Air Date: 1999-05-30

The teams that dominated their sportâ€“the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics, MontrÃ©al Canadiens, UCLA Bruins, Notre Dame Fighting Irishâ€“are profiled. So are the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Bulls, and San Francisco 49ers.

23. No. 34 -- Lou Gehrig

Air Date: 1999-05-28

24. No. 33 -- Mark Spitz

Air Date: 1999-06-04

25. Greatest Games

Air Date: 1999-06-05

26. No. 32 -- Johnny Unitas

Air Date: 1999-06-11

27. No. 31 -- Bobby Orr

Air Date: 1999-06-18

28. No. 30 -- Larry Bird

Air Date: 1999-06-25

29. SportsCenter of the Decade: 1970s

Air Date: 1999-07-09

30. No. 29 -- Arnold Palmer

Air Date: 1999-07-02

31. No. 28 -- Red Grange

Air Date: 1999-07-09

32. No. 27 -- Jerry Rice

Air Date: 1999-07-16

33. No. 26 -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Air Date: 1999-07-23

34. No. 25 -- Joe Montana

Air Date: 1999-07-30

35. No. 24 -- Sugar Ray Robinson

Air Date: 1999-07-30

36. No. 23 -- Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Air Date: 1999-08-06

37. No. 22 -- Joe DiMaggio

Air Date: 1999-08-20

38. SportsCenter of the Decade: 1980s

Air Date: 1999-09-17

39. No. 21 -- Gordie Howe

Air Date: 1999-09-03

40. No. 20 -- Ty Cobb

Air Date: 1999-09-17

41. No. 19 -- Martina Navratilova

Air Date: 1999-09-24

42. No. 18 -- Bill Russell

Air Date: 1999-10-01

43. No. 17 -- Magic Johnson

Air Date: 1999-10-08

44. No. 16 -- Ted Williams

Air Date: 1999-10-08

45. No. 15 -- Jackie Robinson

Air Date: 1999-10-15

46. No. 14 -- Hank Aaron

Air Date: 1999-10-29

47. No. 13 -- Wilt Chamberlain

Air Date: 1999-10-29

48. No. 12 -- Carl Lewis

Air Date: 1999-11-05

49. No. 11 -- Joe Louis

Air Date: 1999-11-19

50. No. 10 -- Babe Didrikson

Air Date: 1999-12-03

51. No. 9 -- Jack Nicklaus

Air Date: 1999-12-03

52. No. 8 -- Willie Mays

Air Date: 1999-12-10

53. No. 7 -- Jim Thorpe

Air Date: 1999-12-10

54. No. 6 -- Jesse Owens

Air Date: 1999-12-17

55. No. 5 -- Wayne Gretzky

Air Date: 1999-12-17

56. No. 4 -- Jim Brown

Air Date: 1999-12-24

57. No. 3 -- Muhammad Ali

Air Date: 1999-12-24

58. No. 2 -- Babe Ruth

Air Date: 1999-12-26

59. No. 1 -- Michael Jordan

Air Date: 1999-12-26

60. SportsCenter of the Decade: 1990s

Air Date: 2000-03-26

61. Yogi Berra

Air Date: 2003-10-13

62. Derek Jeter

Air Date: 2003-10-17

63. Brian Piccolo

Air Date: 2001-11-02

A profile of the late Brian Piccolo, the 1964 ACC Player of the Year at Wake Forest and later a member of the Chicago Bears, where he formed a friendship with Gale Sayers that was depicted in the 1971 film “Brian's Song.” Piccolo died of cancer in 1970.

64. Brian Piccolo

Air Date: 2001-11-02

102. No. 50 - Chris Evert

Air Date: 1999-01-22

103. Joe DiMaggio

Air Date: 2000-07-10

104. Willie Mays

Air Date: 2000-07-25

105. Billy Martin

Air Date: 2000-08-07

106. Don Larsen

Air Date: 2000-10-23

0. Roger Maris

Air Date: 2000-12-04

1. Brett Favre

Air Date: 2002-01-28

2. Nancy Lopez

Air Date: 2002-08-05

3. Chris Webber

Air Date: 2002-04-26

4. New York Yankees, Part One

Air Date: 2003-10-06

The most-recognized team in professional sports always gets the undeserved breaks. This episode, the first SportsCentury devoted to a team, is certainly no exception. Jeremy Schaap sends more excess glory on the team that won an all-sports record 26 world championships, all in the 20th Century.

20. Anna Kournikova

Air Date: 2002-05-28

21. Yogi Berra

Air Date: 2002-10-14

1. Chris Evert

Air Date: 2003-04-04

2. Chris Evert

Air Date: 2003-08-25

3. New York Yankees: Part 2

Air Date: 2003-10-07

1. Lyle Alzado

Air Date: 2003-09-26

2. Ball Four

Air Date: 2003-10-24

3. John Wooden

Air Date: 2003-09-26

4. New York Yankees, Part Two

Air Date: 2003-10-07

A nation of American baseball fans have grown to hate the Yankees. Their dreams were realized when the team went from dynasty to dumpster between 1965 and 1972. Then came George Steinbrenner, a native Clevelander who, despite turmoil and controversy, returned the Yankees to gloryâ€“twice.

5. Roberto Clemente

Air Date: 2003-10-20

6. Dennis Rodman

Air Date: 2003-10-27

7. Pelé

Air Date: 2003-11-06

8. Jerry's Cowboys

Air Date: 2003-11-10

Jerry Jones took over the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 to restore the glory of ""America's Team."" It worked, as the Cowboys went on to win three Super Bowls in four years. But when it was over, it was really over. The 'Boys were suddenly back where they started, and worse.

9. Mark Gastineau

Air Date: 2003-11-17

10. Barry Sanders

Air Date: 2003-11-24

For all the accolades he earnedâ€“the 1988 Heisman Trophy, a 2,000-yard rushing season in the NFLâ€“Barry Sanders was a lone man who did not seek the spotlight.

11. Latrell Sprewell

Air Date: 2003-12-01

For one incident with the Golden State Warriors, Latrell Sprewell became the most hated and reviled player in the eyes of the NBA, or so the legend would have it.

12. Al Davis

Air Date: 2003-12-08

13. Terry Bradshaw

Air Date: 2003-12-15

14. Seabiscuit

Air Date: 2003-12-29

15. 1981 AFC Playoff: Dolphins vs. Chargers

Air Date: 2004-01-05

16. Bart Starr

Air Date: 2004-01-12

From a lifetime of tragic turns, Bart Starr emerged with visions that will endure forever. Five NFL Championships in seven years and victories in the first two Super Bowls made him the Packers' model quarterback.

17. Tom Landry

Air Date: 2004-01-19

As the coach of ""America's Team,"" Tom Landry stood for all the old American values. These were carried out with efficiency as the Dallas Cowboys won their way to 20 straight winning seasons.

18. Bears' 46 Defense

Air Date: 2004-01-29

19. Jeff Gordon

Air Date: 2004-02-09

20. Mark McGwire

Air Date: 2004-02-16

21. Disciples of Jackie Robinson

Air Date: 2004-02-23

22. Steve Carlton

Air Date: 2004-03-01

23. Villanova vs. Georgetown

Air Date: 2004-03-22

24. Rick Pitino

Air Date: 2004-03-29

25. Phil Jackson

Air Date: 2004-04-12

He has been despised by every fan of every NBA team that has never won the World Championship or died trying. To be sure, Phil Jackson does not have as much an in-your-face attitude as the men he coaches. But after a triad of threepeats, is Jackson finally up Shaq's creek without a paddle?

26. Sammy Sosa

Air Date: 2004-04-12

27. Don King

Air Date: 2004-05-14

28. Steffi Graf

Air Date: 2004-06-21

29. Kevin Garnett

Air Date: 2002-04-15

One of the young stars in the NBA was drafted at a young age. Kevin Garnett has become without question the biggest attraction on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

30. Dennis Eckersley

Air Date: 2004-07-19

31. Pedro MartÃnez

Air Date: 2004-07-26

32. Mia Hamm

Air Date: 2004-08-09

33. Andy Roddick

Air Date: 2004-08-26

34. Sam Huff

Air Date: 2004-09-03

1. 1999 Ryder Cup

Air Date: 2004-09-15

2. Peyton Manning

Air Date: 2004-11-08

3. Shaquille O'Neal

Air Date: 2004-12-24

4. Don Shula

Air Date: 2005-01-31

He is the winningest coach in NFL history, with 347 victories. But how will Don Shula be remembered?

5. Mike Krzyzewski

Air Date: 2005-03-23

Duke is the Yankees of men's college basketball, winning its way to high tournament space year after year. While its coach did not top ESPN's 25th-anniversary list of the Best Coaches, Mike Krzyzewski is clearly the coach for his sport.

6. Phil Mickelson

Air Date: 2005-04-04

7. Pat Tillman

Air Date: 2005-04-22

8. Tony Stewart

Air Date: 2005-05-23

9. Alonzo Mourning

Air Date: 2005-05-31

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Rating

0.0/10

Release Date

1999-01-21

Episodes

123 (5 seasons)

Status

Ended

Cast