In preparation for Once And For All week on 94WIP, which begins May 18th, we have been spending the last week deciding which teams and players are the most debated or controversial in Philly sports history.
The lesson? Very few players have escaped the wrath of the fanbase and media during their time in the city.
These five, somehow, did:
Brian Dawkins: If they ever build a Mt. Rushmore of Philadelphia athletes, there is little doubt who the first player carved into immortality would be. Dawkins won over the city almost immediately with his hard-hitting, intense style of football that captured how fans would like to think they would play if they got to suit up in midnight green for a Sunday. Despite being on teams that often came up short in the playoffs, Dawkins never caught heat from the fans, and to this day remains one of the most popular jerseys you see at Lincoln Financial Field.
Chase Utley: There are very few things fans in Philadelphia obsess over like hustle. If you are labeled a guy that doesnt try hard, there is almost no coming from it. If you are the poster child for giving your all on every play, you escape criticism forever, and that is certainly the case with Utley. Viewed as a player that gave 110% each time he ran to first, Utley backed up that hustle by being one of the best players on the team during their World Series win in 2008. Although it was ultimately topped by Jason Kelces epic Super Bowl parade speech, Utley's labeling of the Phillies as World (expletive) Champions only added to the legacy he built during his time in Philadelphia.
Julius Dr. J. Erving: Philadelphia is a huge basketball city at heart, and the teams acquisition of Dr. J In 1976 was a big reason why. Dr. J immediately turned the Sixers into a 50-win team and started a string of epic battles with some of the bestteams in league history, like Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. The battles that Dr. J and his teammates had to go through together grew a special bond between him and the city, something you don't see as often today with players changing team so frequently. When Dr. J finally broke through in 1982, beating the Lakers in the NBA Finals, it cemented his place as one of the most beloved athletes in the citys history. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who has something bad to say about Dr. J.
Bernie Parent: Speaking recently during his Sunday show with Glen Macnow, Ray Didinger said that the stretch of play Bernie Parent put together from 1973 to 1975 was some of the best goal tending he has ever seen in the history of the league. It is hard to argue. Parent played 141 games over those two seasons, winning the Vezina Trophy both seasons while also coming in first in goals-against average. The images of him playing in the old-school goalie mask still resonate with fans, and Parent has become a staple in the Philadelphia community, still rooting for the Flyers and interacting with fans whenever he can.
Reggie White: The Minister of Defense became one of the best defensive ends to ever play the game in Philadelphia. White finished with double-digit sacks in each of his eight seasons with the Eagles, and in one of the more impressive accomplishments in league history, finished with more sacks in an Eagles uniform (124) than games played (121). Even though he would go on to win a Super Bowl in Green Bay, White will always be remembered as an Eagle, and one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the city.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
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Once And For All: 5 players we never debated - Sports Radio 94 WIP
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