About this season
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.
Episodes (34)
1. Lyle Alzado
Aired 26 September 2003 • 30 min
2. Ball Four
Aired 24 October 2003 • 30 min
3. John Wooden
Aired 26 September 2003 • 30 min
4. New York Yankees, Part Two
Aired 7 October 2003 • 30 min
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 glory–twice.
5. Roberto Clemente
Aired 20 October 2003 • 30 min
6. Dennis Rodman
Aired 27 October 2003 • 30 min
7. Pelé
Aired 6 November 2003 • 30 min
8. Jerry's Cowboys
Aired 10 November 2003 • 30 min
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
Aired 17 November 2003 • 30 min
10. Barry Sanders
Aired 24 November 2003 • 30 min
For all the accolades he earned–the 1988 Heisman Trophy, a 2,000-yard rushing season in the NFL–Barry Sanders was a lone man who did not seek the spotlight.
11. Latrell Sprewell
Aired 1 December 2003 • 30 min
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
Aired 8 December 2003 • 30 min
13. Terry Bradshaw
Aired 15 December 2003 • 30 min
14. Seabiscuit
Aired 29 December 2003 • 30 min
15. 1981 AFC Playoff: Dolphins vs. Chargers
Aired 5 January 2004 • 30 min
16. Bart Starr
Aired 12 January 2004 • 30 min
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
Aired 19 January 2004 • 30 min
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
Aired 29 January 2004 • 30 min
19. Jeff Gordon
Aired 9 February 2004 • 30 min
20. Mark McGwire
Aired 16 February 2004 • 30 min
21. Disciples of Jackie Robinson
Aired 23 February 2004 • 30 min
22. Steve Carlton
Aired 1 March 2004 • 30 min
23. Villanova vs. Georgetown
Aired 22 March 2004 • 30 min
24. Rick Pitino
Aired 29 March 2004 • 30 min
25. Phil Jackson
Aired 12 April 2004 • 30 min
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
Aired 12 April 2004 • 30 min
27. Don King
Aired 14 May 2004 • 30 min
28. Steffi Graf
Aired 21 June 2004 • 30 min
29. Kevin Garnett
Aired 15 April 2002 • 30 min
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
Aired 19 July 2004 • 30 min
31. Pedro MartÃnez
Aired 26 July 2004 • 30 min
32. Mia Hamm
Aired 9 August 2004 • 30 min
33. Andy Roddick
Aired 26 August 2004 • 30 min
34. Sam Huff
Aired 3 September 2004 • 30 min