The Greatest Athletes Ever

Best Athletes

The greatest&nbsp;athletes of all time: a list of the most dominant, iconic, famous&nbsp;players in the history of&nbsp;sports. This list gathers sports stars from across every professional league, as well as amateur athletes who may have never competed professionally, in one overall list. Though it may be challenging to compare performance in a variety of different competitive arenas requiring different skill sets, this list nevertheless attempts to distinguish the top, highest-performing and most successful athletes ever to play. The sports stars that rise to the top can be considered to be the best athletes of all time.

Aspects to consider in picking a best athlete of all time would include, obviously, that player&#39;s raw talent and born ability. Some individuals seem to prodigally gifted in their sport of choice, and it&#39;s hard to discount the importance of this kind of natural talent. However, it&#39;s also important to evaluate hard work, discipline and a commitment to the game. Some athletes may not have the natural, genetic ability to dunk a basketball or hit a home run, but nonetheless have trained to the point of reaching these goals all the same. (They may not be the greatest athlete of all time at all sports, but they have mastered their activity.)

Finally, it can be a challenge to compare an athlete who competed in a solo competition with a member of a well known sports organization or club. How do you look at the achievements of, say, a boxer like Muhammad Ali alongside an athlete like Michael Jordan, who had to not only perform to his own best abilities but work as a cohesive unit along with other members of his team? These are the questions that must be answered when compiling a list of the world&#39;s greatest all-time athletes.

For more sports news and athlete trade rumors, vote on this list of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/sports-news-blogs/blog-loblaw">sports news sites</a>.

Ingemar Stenmark

The Best Athletes Of All Time

Person In Sports

Best Athletes of All Time | List of the Most Dominant Athlete in Every Sport

Ranker Community

Here are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-current-nba-players?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best NBA players</a> from Kentucky.&nbsp;Featuring Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this list of&nbsp;basketball players&nbsp;who were born in Kentucky includes Rajon Rondo, D&#39;Angelo Russell, Allan Houston, and Wes Unseld. Who is the greatest NBA player&nbsp;from Kentucky?

Vote up the top Kentucky NBA players, and add your favorite players if they&#39;re missing from the list.&nbsp;

The Best NBA Players from Kentucky

Basketball Player

The 50+ Greatest NBA Players from Kentucky, Ranked By Fans

Ranker NBA

The best all time players from every MLB team, from the Tampa Bay Rays to the San Francisco Giants.

MLB Players Ranked by Team

Boston Red Sox

Baseball

The Boston Red Sox are one of the most famous and most popular teams in Major League Baseball history, whether&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-boston-red-sox-pitchers-ever/ranker-baseball" target="_blank">top Red Sox pitchers</a>&nbsp;or top hitters. The number of all-time greats to play for the Red Sox is only comparable to their longtime hated rivals the New York Yankees. The names on this list are impressive, and you&#39;ll find many of them on the list for the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-baseball-players-of-all-time" target="_blank">greatest baseball players of all time.</a> Among the best Boston Red Sox of all time&nbsp;are all-stars, MVPs, batting champs, hall of famers and World Series winners. After an 86-year wait, the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino when they won the World Series in 2004. The Curse of the Bambino&#39;s central figure, Babe Ruth, widely considered one of the best hitters to ever play the game, was originally on the Red Sox before they traded him to New York in 1918. The trade flipped history as the Red Sox gave their best player to the rival Yankees and baseball history was forever changed.

Ted Williams is widely considered to be one of the greatest Red Sox of all time. In his 19 years, Williams won the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/2020-al-mvp-predictions/pedro-cerrano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">American League MVP</a> twice, batting champion six times (a career average of .344), a two-time Triple Crown winner and All-Star seventeen times. Williams could have had an even better career numbers wise had he not served in the U.S. military during World War II. He is also the last player to hit over .400 in a season, which was in 1941.&nbsp;

During the latter years, players like Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon and Dustin Pedroia are a handful of Red Sox who are considered some of the best players in franchise history. These players played critical roles in the team&#39;s recent championships.

These are the greatest Boston Red Sox of all time. If there&#39;s a name missing from this list, feel free to add him. Here&#39;s your chance to select who should be named the greatest Red Sox player of all time.

Dustin Pedroia

The Best Boston Red Sox Of All Time

Baseball Player

The 100+ Best Red Sox Players Ever, Ranked By Fans

Ranker Sports

Lists about America's pastime, including rankings of MLB players by every position. 

Play Ball!

The best baseball players not in the hall of fame are here on this list, though the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/2020-baseball-hall-of-fame-ballot/ranker-baseball" target="_blank">2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot</a> has&nbsp;room for some of these stars.&nbsp;In order to be considered as slighted by the baseball hall of fame, a player must be non-active and have had the ability to appear on the hall of fame ballot at least once. Some of these men are considered to be among the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-baseball-players-of-all-time">greatest baseball players of all time</a>, yet remain off of the &quot;official&quot; list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-50-current-best-baseball-players?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best MLB players</a> ever at the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown.

What keeps a player out of the baseball hall of fame? Some of these players- like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire- have been involved in PED (performance enhancing drug) scandals, others broke the cardinal rule of not betting on the sport (Pete Rose), and still others were involved in a baseball player scandal, like Shoeless Joe Jackson who is said to have contributed to his team throwing the World Series. Some of the best baseball players are simply not on the list because they haven&#39;t yet acquired the 75% vote necessary for induction.

Who should be in the baseball hall of fame? What top baseball players are not in the hall of fame? Who are the best players not in the baseball hall of fame? These are the questions addressed here in the list of the greatest baseball players not in the hall of fame. If your favorite player isn&#39;t on the list, make sure to add them so others can agree or disagree.

If you&#39;re keeping track of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-50-current-best-baseball-players">best current baseball players</a> make sure to check on that list and vote for your favorite baseball all-star.

Jack Morris

The Best Baseball Players NOT in the Hall of Fame

Breaking down the best NFL players by their position, including quarterbacks, wide receivers, and linebackers.

The Best NFL Positions

This list of the greatest quarterbacks of all time only includes the best NFL quarterbacks to ever play professional football. Who are the best quarterbacks of all time? That is a question that experts have been tackling since the NFL first started in the 1920s. Defining who the best quarterback of all time&nbsp;isn&#39;t easy since every fan has a different criteria that defines who is the best NFL quarterback. If you like championships, then famous quarterbacks like Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning,&nbsp;and Bart Starr are clearly top 10 QBs. If you like gaudy numbers then you&#39;re more likely to be a fan of Dan Marino&nbsp;and Brett Favre as top ten choices.

The top quarterbacks of all time are known for their excellent skills and leadership on the field. The quarterback position is the most important in football. The position entails being a coach on the field who can call and adjust plays on a whim and being able to dissect the defensive coverage by taking a peek at what they&#39;re showing, all while having the ability to avoid the oncoming pass rush and make accurate throws. Sounds easy right? These gentlemen, who are considered the best NFL quarterbacks&nbsp;of all time, have the rare ability to do all of these things in a matter of seconds.

Vote for whoever you think should get the title of best quarterbacks in NFL history. If you see someone who is missing, feel free to add them to this ultimate list of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time.&nbsp;

Ken Stabler

The Best Quarterbacks Of All Time

Football player

Best Quarterbacks of All Time | List of Top QBs in NFL History

Boxing: The Perfect Sport

Combat Sports

This list of the best boxers of all time is ranked by boxing fans worldwide. The goal is to determine the greatest boxers ever. The list establishes individual rankings of specific boxers and helps answer the question, &quot;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-boxers-of-the-20th-century/ranker-sports?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Who is the greatest boxer</a> of all time?&quot; This list includes some real legends of the boxing world.

Who are the best boxers of all time? Anyone can vote on the greatest&nbsp;boxers of all time, which means these boxers are truly fan favorites. From Olympic legends like Sugar Ray Leonard to sports idols like Muhammad Ali, there are numerous choices to examine when contemplating the question of who is the greatest boxer of all time. Vote now to help determine the greatest pound for pound boxers of all time.

George Foreman

The Best Boxers of All Time

Boxer

Best Boxers of All Time | List of Top Famous Boxing Legends

Basketball

Here are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-current-nba-players?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best NBA players</a> from Wisconsin.&nbsp;Featuring Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-male-basketball-players/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of basketball players</a> who were born in Wisconsin includes Latrell Sprewell, Nick Van Exel, Fred Brown, and Caron Butler. Who is the greatest NBA player&nbsp;from Wisconsin?

Vote up the top Wisconsin NBA players, and add your favorite players if they&#39;re missing from the list.&nbsp;Then head over and check out some more top athletes from Wisconsin with a list of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-nfl-players-from-wisconsin/ranker-nfl" target="_blank">best NFL players from Wisconsin</a>.

The Best NBA Players from Wisconsin

The 50+ Best NBA Players from Wisconsin, Ranked By Fans

The shortest players in major league baseball have made almost as big an impact on the game as their taller counterparts. Some of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-50-current-best-baseball-players" target="_blank">the best players in baseball right now</a>, including MVPs like Mookie Betts and Jose Altuve, are under 6 feet tall.

But who is the best baseball player shorter than 6 feet? Who stands tallest among baseball&#39;s smallest players?&nbsp;Jose Altuve is the shortest player in baseball at 5-foot-6, but there are more than 100 MLB players under 6 feet. Who tops the list? Vote below, then head over and check out the top <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/tallest-baseball-players-right-now-ranked/ranker-baseball" target="_blank">tallest players in baseball right now</a>&nbsp;and check out the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/shortest-current-nfl-players/ranker-nfl" target="_blank">shortest players in the NFL</a>.

The Best Current Baseball Players Under 6 Feet Tall

Every Baseball Player Shorter Than 6 Feet Tall, Ranked

Ranker Baseball

Breaking down the best wrestlers by federation, belt, decade, and more.

The Greatest Wrestlers, Ranked

The greatest pro wrestlers of all-time include WrestleMania winners, WWF and WWE champions, and TNA favorites. The entertainment of professional wrestling may be staged but all of these professional wrestlers are easily some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/toughest-professional-fighters-in-history/the-round-mound">toughest professional fighters</a> inside of the ring or out. This list of all pro wrestlers can be ordered according to their popularity. Just vote for your favorites.

Combining Greco-Roman wrestling with boxing, freestyle wrestling and theater, professional wrestling dates back nearly a century. At first, professional wrestling was more about the actual competition rather than the script. In the past, it was Lou Thesz who was the most-feared wrestler around. Thesz, who had no trouble going off-script to win a match and keep his title, is considered the first true wrestling superstar, an innovator of the business, and the original pro wrestler.&nbsp;

So who is the greatest pro wrestler ever? How about the best WWE wrestlers? This list will answer these&nbsp;questions&mdash;and your vote matters. From old school legendary wrestlers to famous wrestlers right now, this list of the biggest pro wrestlers includes former superstars, cool characters, and stars of current circuits.&nbsp;

Thesz continued to dominate until the next era of wrestlers entered in the 1950s and 1960s. Top contenders like Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers helped the sport of professional wrestling grow with their flashy and flamboyant performance styles as well as more often than not came out on top of their matches.

Moving into the &#39;70s, 1980s, and 1990s, wrestling evolved into a performance. The uniforms the wrestlers wore became flashier and the scripted aspects began to increase, as did the fan following. Some of the best wrestlers of all time came from that golden era such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ric Flair, and Bret Hart. With business booming, professional wrestling only continued to grow in recent years with big names like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock using their WWE fame to launch their careers. Many of these big names are considered to be classic legends&nbsp;in the wrestling world.&nbsp;

Professional wrestling may not be for everyone but with a long history of success and a wildly popular following, the likes of WWE and TNA are not going away anytime soon. Any one of the current wrestlers competing today could become the next greatest professional wrestler of all time but until then, we can only enjoy watching them compete to become that.

This list is more than just the 100 <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/most-overrated-wrestlers?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest wrestlers of all time</a> - we&#39;ve got &#39;em all! Add any <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/interesting-pictures/robert-wabash?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">that might</a> be missing and be sure to vote for all your favorites! And if you&#39;re having trouble keeping up with all the wrestling jargon, check out a list of all the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/pro-wrestling-terms-slang-glossary/ranker-wrestling" target="_blank">pro wrestling terms you need to know</a> to sound like an expert.

Kurt Angle

The Greatest Pro Wrestlers of All Time

Athlete

The 100+ All-Time Best Pro Wrestlers From WWE, WWF & More, Ranked By Fans

Blake Edwards

Here are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-current-nba-players?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best NBA players</a> from North Carolina.&nbsp;Featuring Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this list of basketball players who were <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-from-north-carolina/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">born in North Carolina</a> includes Chris Paul, John Wall, Brandon Ingram, and James Worthy. Who is the greatest NBA player&nbsp;from North Carolina?

Vote up the top North Carolina NBA players, and add your favorite players if they&#39;re missing from the list. Then head over and check out some more North Carolina star athletes with the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-nfl-players-from-north-carolina/ranker-nfl" target="_blank">best NFL players from North Carolina</a>.

The Best NBA Players from North Carolina

The 50+ Greatest NBA Players From North Carolina, Ranked By Fans

Here are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-current-nba-players?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best NBA players</a> from California.&nbsp;Featuring Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-male-basketball-players/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of basketball players</a> who were <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/olympic-athletes-born-in-california/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">born in California</a> includes Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Reggie Miller, Damian Lillard, and many more NBA players from Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, and San Francisco. Who is the greatest NBA player&nbsp;from the state California?

Vote up the top California players on NBA teams, and add your favorite players if they&#39;re missing from the list.&nbsp;

The Best NBA Players from California

The 50+ Greatest NBA Players from California, Ranked By Fans

Wrestlers

The '80s. The &quot;Golden Era&quot; of wrestling. Why was it so great? Probably because of these WWE (then WWF) Superstars. And that's probably why this list exists. Because it is worth talking about the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-wwe-superstars-of-all-time/ranker-wrestling?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest WWE Superstars</a> of the 80s forever. It's like Hulkamania, YOU CAN'T STOP IT, BROTHER! IT DOESN'T DIE! It's like the spirit of the Ultimate Warrior. THE SPIRIT OF THE WARRIOR WILL RUN FOREVER!!! It's the greatest WWE Superstars of the '80s! They're the cream of the crop! Dig it?! OOOOHHHHHHH YYEEEEEEEAAHHHHH!!!This generation of wrestlers made professional wrestling a global phenomenon and for that we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Unless you aren't a fan of wrestling. In which case, you can leave. Why are you here?Anyway, I'm lookin' at you, Rankers. I'm staring you down right through the videoscope, completely ignoring whatever Mean Gene just asked me... Who do you think is the top WWE wrestler of the 1980s? Vote for your favorite now or I'll find you and put you in the camel clutch! While you're at it, go ahead and vote for the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-wwe-wrestlers/ranker-wrestling?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top WWE wrestlers</a> currently in the ring.

Harley Race

The Best WWE Superstars of the '80s

Best WWE Superstars of the 80s | Top 1980s Wrestlers

Ranker Wrestling

Here are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-top-nba-players-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best NBA players</a> from Ohio.&nbsp;Featuring Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-current-nba-players?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of basketball players</a> who were born in Ohio includes John Havlicek, C. J. McCollum, and Akron basketball players&nbsp;LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Who is the greatest NBA player&nbsp;from Ohio?

Vote up the top Ohio NBA players, and add your favorite players if they&#39;re missing from the list. Then head over and check out some more top athletes from Ohio with a list of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-nfl-players-from-ohio/ranker-nfl" target="_blank">best NFL players from Ohio</a>.

The Best NBA Players from Ohio

The 50+ Greatest NBA Players From Ohio, Ranked By Fans

Breaking down the best NBA players by each position, including point guard, center, and forward.

NBA Greats

List of the greatest NBA basketball players of all time who never won a championship ring. Though winning a championship is the ultimate goal of any team in any league, often circumstances conspire to keep even the most elite athletes from actually making it to that pinnacle of achievement. Thus, it has become a known and accepted truth that there must be other ways to measure the greatness of a basketball icon other than counting up their actual championship record. A number of lesser players whose names have been all but forgotten to history have collected more rings than legends like Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and Reggie Miller.But what other measurements can be used to evaluate the dominance of a given player, if not by the rings on their fingers? Perhaps participation in NBA All Star competitions? Their central importance to a particular team or city? It'd be hard to argue against the greatness of six-time NBA All Star Shawn Kemp, nor to deny his integral position on the '90s Seattle Sonics. Yet in may ways because of the dominance of Michael Jordan's Bulls dynasty, Kemp was never part of a championship team.&nbsp;Below, vote for your favorite players who never managed to clinch a championship victory. And if you think a key player has been left off the list, add them by making your own re-ranked version. Thanks to your votes, we'll create a list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-top-nba-players-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best NBA players</a> without a ring.

Allen Iverson

The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings

The 100+ Best NBA Players Without A Ring, Ranked

Here are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-current-nba-players?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best NBA players</a> from Illinois.&nbsp;Featuring Hall of Fame greats, superstars, and active players, this list of&nbsp;basketball players&nbsp;who were born in Illinois includes some of the most famous athletes in sports, including&nbsp;Chicago native NBA players Anthony Davis, Dwyane&nbsp;Wade, Isiah Thomas, and Derrick Rose. Who is the greatest NBA player&nbsp;from Illinois?

Vote up the top Illinois NBA players, and add your favorite players if they&#39;re missing from the list.&nbsp;

The Best NBA Players from Illinois

The 50+ Best NBA Players from Illinois, Ranked

If you don't honor their faces and bodies, who will?

Celebrating Handsome Fellas

Who&#39;s the best looking MLB player? It&#39;s time to settle the debate as we rank the hottest MLB players right now in 2020. Not including retired players or those playing overseas, this list of the most attractive baseball&nbsp;players features cute faces, nice bodies, and great smiles. Whether you&#39;re looking for sexy&nbsp;or handsome, these good looking MLB stars give fans more reasons to watch the game (or stalk them on Instagram).&nbsp;

Vote up the MLB players who are a home run, and add any other lookers who deserve a spot on this list.

The Most Attractive MLB Players Today

Person

The 40+ Hottest MLB Players Right Now In 2020

Sammie B

Athlete lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for hundreds of athlete lists and rankings.

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Athletes lists on Ranker

Athletes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Magic Johnson

LeBron James

Barry Sanders

Calvin Johnson

Dick Lane

Larry Bird

Julius Erving

Chris Mullin

Zinedine Zidane

Ronaldo

Alessandro Del Piero

Lists that rank the best players, positions, and more from the world's most popular sport.

Soccer: The Beautiful Game

90s Sports

Who are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-soccer-players/ranker-sports?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best soccer players</a> of the &lsquo;90s? Soccer is an beloved world sport with international stars such as Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Paolo Maldini. Even if you don&rsquo;t follow the sport, you may have heard of these top soccer players of the &lsquo;90s. But who do you think is the best soccer player between the years of 1990 to 2000?

If you enjoy watching soccer, then you definitely need to check out highlight reels and replays of some of these famous footballers. Even though some of them may be off the field now, the players on this list represent the best of that era. In fact, some of them could probably still beat active roster players on the field right now.

Who do you think is the best soccer player from that era? Vote up the ones you think deserve that top distinction or add player you think should be in contention for being among&nbsp;the top soccer players of the &lsquo;90s.

Cafu

The Best Soccer Players of the '90s

Having the number one&nbsp;overall pick in the NBA Draft could set your team up for success for more than a decade. However, not all no. 1 picks are created equal (as this list shows) and teams can regret passing up on superstars such as Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant. We've compiled a list of all the number one overall draft picks in NBA Draft history to see who is voted the best top overall first round pick of all time.&nbsp;

The Best No. 1 Overall NBA Draft Picks of All Time, Ranked

Ranking All Number One Picks In NBA History, Best To Worst

surag

NBA Players Over the Decades

80s Sports

Small forward is arguably the most challenging positions in all of basketball. Requiring the speed of a shooting guard with the power of a power forward, it requires brains and brawn in order to become one of the greats. If&nbsp;you're looking for the best 80s small forwards, this list is perfect for you! Take a look at this list of the top 1980s <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-nba-small-forwards/ranker-nba?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">NBA small forwards</a> and vote for the ones you like! Don't think someone should be on this best NBA SFs 1980s list? Vote them down!One can't talk about the best SFs of the 80s and 90s without bringing up the legend, Larry Bird. but there are plenty of others as well! Clyde Drexler is considered to be one of the greatest NBA small forwards of the 1980s, as is the estimable Detlef Schrempf. With this list of NBA small forwards from the 80s, you really can't go wrong.So take a look at this list of 1980s small forwards and vote for your favorites! Then take a look at some of our other lists across the decades and see how your favorites stack up!&nbsp;

David Thompson

The Greatest Small Forwards of the 1980s

Best '80s Small Forwards | Greatest 1980s NBA SFs

Breaking down the best all time football players from all 32 NFL teams.

NFL Players Ranked by Team

Lists that rank the greatest players and coaches in the history of the NFL franchise.

Detroit Lions

This is a list of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-detroit-lions-running-backs/ranker-nfl?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best Detroit Lions</a> of all time. Formed in 1929 in Portsmouth, Ohio, the team known as the Lions put down roots in Detroit in 1934. Despite the failings of the past half century, the Lions have won four NFL championships with the last being in 1957. Despite having only one playoff win since then, the Lions have had several Hall of Fame players on its roster, including debatebly the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-nfl-running-backs-of-all-time"> best running back of all time</a>. There is a long period where the Lions didn&#39;t have any of the best players in team history, but in recent years, the Lions have made up for their lean years by drafting some of the best young talent in football.

The 1950s and early 1960s were a prosperous time for the Lions. With quarterback Bobby Layne at the helm, these Lions teams featured some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-football-players-ever">best players ever</a>. Doak Walker, Dick &quot;Night Train,&quot; Lem Barney and Joe Schmidt all played for the Lions during this time. In 1989, the Lions drafted running back Barry Sanders, who is not only one of the most popular star players the Lions have ever had, but one of the best ever. Those Lions teams also had great Lions players like Herman Moore as well. Today, Lions stars Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh all have potential to be some of the best players in Lions history.

This is the list of the greatest Detroit Lions of all time. If you think someone should be on this list of the best Lions of all time, then feel free to add him to the list. Vote or rerank this list of the greatest Detroit Lions ever, then head over and check out the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-detroit-lions-kickers-ever/ranker-nfl" target="_blank">top Lions kickers ever</a> and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/every-detroit-lions-tight-end-ranked/ranker-nfl" target="_blank">best Lions tight ends</a>.