SeaTown Sports Top 100 (#50-#41)
Brian and Kevin count down the top 100 professional Seattle sports athletes of all time.
In celebration of surpassing 100 subscribers, SeaTown Sports is counting down the top 100 professional Seattle sports athletes of all-time. This list will not include individual athletes like Apolo Ohno or Michael Chang and it does not include any college stars who did not play in Seattle professionally (think Steve Emtman or Kelsey Plum). Also, you won’t see any Seattle Kraken athletes on the list. We just haven’t seen any individual performers at a high enough level in the past three seasons in the deep. Kevin and Brian hope this list provides an opportunity for fun discussion as our readers keep engaging with us moving forward.
#50 - Bob Rule, Sonics
Key Accomplishments: 1x All-Star, 1x All-Rookie Team, averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds in his years as a Sonic before tearing his achilles.
You may have never heard of Bob Rule. I did not until we started our research for this list. He played only three full seasons even though he was in Seattle from 1967 to 1972.
During his first three and only full seasons in Seattle, Rule put up the following stat lines:
1967-68: 18.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg
1968-69: 24 ppg, 11.5 rpg
1969-70: 24.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg
There were only five players that were top ten in scoring in both the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons: Elvin Hayes (Hall of Fame); Jerry West (Hall of Fame); Billy Cunningham (Hall of Fame); Oscar Robertson (Hall of Fame); and Bob Rule.
Perhaps one of the greatest what-ifs in Sonics history is what if Bob Rule had never torn his achilles in 1970. Over the team’s first three games before the injury, Rule was averaging 32.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Rule returned for the 1971 season, but never really returned to his former self and did not come close to putting up the same numbers as he did between 1967 and 1970.
#49 - Dave Krieg, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: 3x Pro Bowl, 3rd all-time passing yards, 2nd in touchdowns, 3rd in completions in Seahawks history, AFC Championship in 1983.
Krieg took over the reins from Jim Zorn as the Seahawks starting quarterback in 1983, and promptly led the team to the AFC Championship. That playoff run included an upset road victory over Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins.
The following season in 1984 was perhaps Kreig’s best in his Seahawks career as he threw for 3,671 yards and 32 touchdowns. Most importantly, the Seahawks finished with a 12-4 record and earned a wild-card playoff berth. In the playoffs, Krieg led the team to an upset victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders.
#48 - Eugene Robinson, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: 2x Pro Bowl, 1x 2nd-team All-Pro, 2nd all-time in tackles and interceptions in Seahawks history, 1x NFL interceptions leader.
Robinson was one of the NFL’s top safeties when he played for the Seahawks from 1985 to 1995. During this decade of play, Robinson became one of the most reliable and productive defensive players in the league. He was known for his exceptional ball-hawking skills, amassing 42 interceptions in Seattle, which still ranks him No. 2 all-time in Seahawks history.
#47 - Fredd Young, Seahawks
Key Accomplishments: 4x Pro Bowl, 2x 1st-team All-Pro, 1984-85 Special Teams Seahawks Player of the Year.
Fredd Young was a standout linebacker for the Seahawks from 1984 to 1987, quickly establishing himself as one of the league's premier defensive players. Known for his hard-hitting style, Young earned Pro Bowl selections in each of his four seasons with the Seahawks, a testament to his dominance on the field.
A college teammate convinced Frederick “Fred” Young to go by “Fredd” with the second “D” representing his ability to hit opposing players so hard it made them stutter. If you’re wondering how he won Seahawks Special Teams Player of the Year, look at the highlight video above to see him block a punt and then blow up a poor kick returner Kam Chancellor-esque.
#46 - Clint Dempsey, Sounders
Key Accomplishments: 5th in Sounders history in goals and assists, 1x MLS Cup Champion, 1x Supporters Shield Winner, 1x U.S. Open Cup Winner, National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Should Dempsey be higher on this list? Not only is he arguably the most well-known Sounders player in its history, but, he is also one of the most well-known American soccer players among mainstream sports fans. Despite this notoriety, Dempsey only spent 28% of his professional career in Seattle, playing the rest of his career for the New England Revolution, and overseas for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.
Dempsey appeared in six seasons for Seattle from 2013 to 2018, but not all of those were full MLS seasons: in 2013 he started in the middle of the season in August; in 2016 he suffered an injury in August and was sidelined the rest of the season; in 2018 he retired in the middle of the season in August.
So, Dempsey’s truncated time in Seattle explains why, despite his status as perhaps the greatest U.S. men’s national team player ever, he sits at No. 47 on this list.
In Seattle, he led the Sounders to Supporters Shield and U.S. Open Cup titles in 2014 and helped Seattle win its first-ever MLS Cup in 2016. He also scored many many goals, a video of all 57 goals is included above for your viewing pleasure.
#45 - Jay Buhner, Mariners
Key Accomplishments: 1x All-Star, 1x Gold Glove, 5th in AL MVP in 1995, 7th in Mariners’ history position players WAR, 3rd in home runs, 5th in hits, 3rd in RBI, 3rd in walks, 5th in doubles in Mariners’ history.
Buhner enters the SeaTown Sports 100 as the third Mariners Hall of Famer, joining Alvin Davis (#80) and Dan Wilson (#51).
Buhner was a mainstay in the Mariners lineup during much of his 14 seasons in Seattle. His best years came during arguably the most dominant era of the Mariners’ offense, from 1995 to 1997. He churned out three straight seasons of 40 or more home runs, and at least 109 RBIs. Though he led the American League in strikeouts in 1996 and 1997, he hit a respectable .271 and .243 in those seasons.
Along with his bat, Buhner was good defensively as well. He earned a gold glove in 1996 and consistently showed up on highlight reels alongside his teammate, and best friend, Ken Griffey Jr.
#44 - Jordan Morris, Sounders
Key Accomplishments: 1x Best 11, 2nd in Sounders history in goals, 8th all-time in assists in Sounders history, 1x CONCACAF Champions League Best 11, 1x MLS Rookie of the Year, 1x MLS Comeback Player of the Year, 1x CONCACAF Champions League Winner, 1x Gold Cup Winner, 2x MLS Cup Champion.
Morris likely will move up this list. He is only 29 years old, and could play for five to seven more seasons. The Seattle native is in his ninth season with the Sounders. Excluding his injury seasons of 2018 and 2021, Morris has netted 10 goals or more in all but two seasons, and will all but surely hit the double-digit mark again this year.
This consistent goal-scoring will help him surpass his teammate Raul Ruidiaz who is first all-time with 80 goals and is nearing retirement at 34 years old.
#43 - Kim Little, Reign
Key Accomplishments: 2014 NWSL MVP, 2x Best 11, 1x 2nd team Best 11, 19th all-time in goals scored in NWSL history, led league in scoring in 2014 (16 goals), 4th in Reign history in goals.
When Kim Little arrived with the Reign in late 2013, she joined a team on the brink of reaching new heights with new manager Laura Harvey. (Note: Harvey coached Little at Arsenal before). It did not take Little long to make an impact as she recorded a brace in her first appearance. She finished her first season with the Reign with 16 goals and 7 assists while receiving Player of the Month honors three times. Needless to say, Little was named the NWSL MVP as the Reign finished 13 points above the second place team.
In just three years in Seattle, Little was named NWSL Best XI twice and 2nd team once. If Little didn’t return to Arsenal following the 2016 season, she may have finished in legendary status in Seattle sports history.
#42 - Jamie Moyer, Mariners
Key Accomplishments: 1x All-Star (age 40!), 3rd in pitcher WAR, 2nd in wins, 3rd in strikeouts, 2nd in games started in Mariners’ history, won 20+ games twice for the Mariners.
Jamie Moyer’s longevity is nothing short of amazing. Moyer pitched a remarkable 25 seasons, spending 11 of those seasons in Seattle. As a Mariner, Moyer was a workhorse. He had seven seasons of 200 innings pitched or more, finishing top ten in the American League in innings pitched in four of those seasons. In his lone All-Star season of 2003, Moyer compiled a 21-7 record and a career-low 3.27 ERA.
The Mariners traded Moyer to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006 when he was 43 years old. He continued his career in Philadelphia for four more seasons and then made a brief comeback with the Colorado Rockies in 2012. By 2012, Moyer was 49 years old with his fastball velocity averaging 78 MPH. He ranks as the 11th oldest player to ever play.
#41 - Dale Ellis, Sonics
Key Accomplishments: 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA 3rd Team, NBA Most Improved Player (1986-87), ranks 4th in three-pointers and 9th all-time in points scored in Sonics history.
Dale Ellis had an exceptional career with the Sonics, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in the franchise's history, ranking ninth all-time in Sonics history in points scored. After being traded to Seattle in 1986, Ellis quickly emerged as a key player for the Sonics, ending the season averaging over 24 points per game, earning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. Ellis's scoring prowess continued to grow, and in the 1988-89 season, he averaged a career-high 27.5 points per game, earning his first and only All-Star selection.
Whoa. Big names on this list! Erm, "You may have never heard of Bob Rule."... yes I fall into that category. Thank you for educating me latsgoooooooMartaaaaaa!!!!