Page 2
As ESPN celebrates the past 25 years in sports, Page 2 celebrates those athletes who transcended their teams and sports, who amazed us with the greatest individual seasons over the past 25 years.
The concept? Simple. Which athlete had the best season? We spent hours checking the numbers, analyzing their value, adjusting for the context of their stats (for example, NBA games see fewer points scored now than in the 1980s while baseball games see more home runs and higher ERAs). We factored in playoff heroics as merited. We jigged and jimmied, knocked a few athletes off at the last minute and added more deserving candidates.
And we arrived at our list of the 100 greatest individual seasons of the past 100 years.
Enjoy -- and let the debate begin.
(Note: Sports considered include NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college football, college basketball, golf, tennis and NASCAR. One rule: no athlete could have more than three seasons on the list.)
Complete list: 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | 76-100
| ESPN25: 100 GREATEST INDIVIDUAL SEASONS | |||
 82 catches, 1,483 yards, 18.1 per catch, 17 TDs |
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2.09 GAA, 13 shutouts, NHL MVP, Olympic gold medal Hasek was so good in '98 that he led the underdog Czech Republic to Olympic gold, defeating Russia 1-0 in the gold medal game. |
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1,359 rushing, 5.4 ypa, 830 receiving, 26 TDs, MVP The ultimate two-way running/receiving threat, Faulk's 2000 campaign was more than gaudy stats -- he found the end zone 26 times and led the Rams into the playoffs. |
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24-4, 1.53 ERA, 276.2 IP, 198 H, 8 SHO, 268 K's, CY Young The young Doc, just 20 years old, was a thing to watch, blowing the ball past hitters with his high heat and then making batters' knees buckle with that big curveball. |
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 23-8, 2.26 ERA, 267 IP, 208 H, 8 SHO, World Series MVP |
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3 Grand Slams wins, won 16 of 17 tournaments, 86-1 record Trivia question: Who beat Navratilova in 1983? Kathy Horvath, in the fourth round of the French Open. Navratilova won six consecutive Grand Slam events from '83-84, a time when was simply unbeatable. |
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29.7 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 57.4 FG%, 3.8 apg, 3.0 bpg, MVP, Finals MVP This is the Shaq we'll never see again: he was healthy (played 79 games) and driven to dominate (which he did). He won his only MVP award and in the Finals mauled the Pacers for an average of 38.0 points in a six-game victory. |
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 27.3 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 3.7 bpg, 3.6 apg, MVP, Finals MVP |
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23-4, 2.07 ERA, 213.1 IP, 160 H, 37 BB, 313 K's, Cy Young The American League ERA in 1999 was 5.07 ... Pedro was a mind-boggling three runs better than average. |
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2,008 yards rushing, 5.1 ypa, 217 receiving, 23 TDs, MVP As if 2,000 yards wasn't enough of a statement, Davis turned it up a gear in the playoffs, rushing for 199, 167 and 102 yards as the Broncos won the Super Bowl for the second straight year. |
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 87 goals, 118 assists, 205 points, NHL MVP |
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.328, 64 HR, 160 RBI, 146 runs, .437 OBP, .737 SLG A remarkable season -- 425 total bases, the most in the majors since Stan Musial in 1948; the most RBI in the National League since Hack Wilson set the all-time record of 191 in 1930 -- and he finished second in the MVP to Barry Bonds. |
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.299, 70 HR, 147 RBI, 130 runs, .470 OBP, .752 SLG Perhaps the most memorable season on the list. What's sometimes forgotten is that Sosa had momentarily passed McGwire for the home-run lead on the final weekend, and Big Mac responded with a homer on Friday, two on Saturday and two more on Sunday to finish with 70. |
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32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 5.5 apg, 49.5 FG%, Finals MVP |
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.370, 46 HR, 110 RBI, 198 walks, .582 OBP, .799 SLG, MVP The best thing a hitter can do is not make an out. Bonds made an out less often than any hitter in major-league history. He set all-time records for on-base percentage (shattering Ted Williams' mark) and OPS (edging out himself and Babe Ruth). Postseason totals: 8 HR, 16 RBI, 27 walks. The Giants fell one victory short, but it wasn't Bonds' fault. |
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23.9 ppg, 12.2 apg, 6.3 rpg, 52.2 FG%, MVP, Finals MVP Pat Riley asked Magic to score more in '87 and he did, setting a career best in scoring average. More importantly, in the series that would determine the team of the '80s, the Lakers knocked off the Celtics, as Magic averaged 26 points and 13 assists, and hit his famous "baby skyhook" to win Game 4 at the buzzer. |
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 2,850 rushing yards, 7.3 per carry, 44 TDs, Heisman |
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5,084 yards, 9.0 ypa, 48 TDs, 17 INT, 108.9 QB rating, MVP Marino's record-setting season burst upon the NFL scene out of nowhere. He had played great as a rookie, but the Dolphins had always been a running team under Don Shula. But Marino's records for yards and TD passes still stand, 20 years later. Yes, Miami lost the Super Bowl -- and that's why Marino is only No. 8. |
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32.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, 2.9 spg, 53.8 FG% Jordan didn't win the MVP this season, either? Well, the MVP voters were wrong. This was MJ at the peak of his athleticsm, doing everything on the court (easily setting career-highs in rebounds and assists). The Bulls hadn't yet matured into NBA champions (they lost in the East finals to Detroit), but don't blame Jordan: he averaged 34.8 points in 17 playoff games. |
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 3,969 yards, 8.6 ypa, 35 TDs, 10 INT, 112.8 QB rating, MVP |
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 Won 4 Grand Slam events, Olympic gold, 72-3 record |
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73 goals, 135 assists, 208 points, MVP, playoff MVP He's had more goals (92 in '82), more assists (163 in '86), and more points (212 in '86), but watching Gretzky and his Oilers teammates skate up and down the ice in the '85 Stanley Cup playoffs was the Great One at his most dominating. He tallied a remarkable 47 points in 18 playoff games, an NHL record, as the Oilers won the Cup. |
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31.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.5 apg, 53.9 FG%, MVP, Finals MVP Which Jordan year was most dominating? Statistically, it was probably 1989. But by 1991 he had figured out that little extra something that led the Bulls to their first NBA title. In the playoffs, he knocked off the Ewing Knicks, Barkley Sixers, two-time champion Pistons and Magic Lakers. In the Finals, MJ was the consummate team player, averaging 31.2 points and 11.4 assists |
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9 tournament wins, three majors (U.S. Open, British, PGA) I won't argue if you want to put this No. 1: he won the U.S. Open by 15 shots, the British Open by eight, and the PGA in a playoff over Bob May. Hmm. Maybe if he had won that Masters in 2000 instead of 2001. |
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 .328, 73 HR, 137 RBI, 177 walks, .515 OBP, .863 SLG, MVP |
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