In lieu of talking about the Royals for a third straight article (I will get to the draft and what I think about it I promise, more than likely tomorrow or Wednesday) I wanted to talk about something that's perplexed me for a long time. Kansas City has had a host of different coaches, players, personalities, and personnel that have shaped the landscape of Kansas City sports, from youth and high school up to the pros. A common trend in the sports blogging world is to name your "Mt. Rushmore" of sports, meaning you name the top 4 influences for the respective topic. Example: The Mt. Rushmore of KC BBQ is Arthur Bryants, Gates, Joe's, and Jack Stack. In terms of popular opinion, these are probably the top 4 KC BBQ places based on notoriety, taste, quality, and other factors. Yes there are others that have a large impact on the community, but those are probably the 4 most influential. Below, I listed out two Mt. Rushmores for the Chiefs and Royals, as well as an overall KC sports Mt. Rushmore. Let me know if you have any thoughts or opinions on these, or if you'd want to create your own with KU, MU, Sporting KC, K-State, or others I would love to take a look at it and feature it in a future ScorchCast!
Chiefs Mt. Rushmore: Lamar Hunt, Andy Reid, Len Dawson, Hank Stram
The Chiefs one was extremely tough to narrow down. There's a lot of people affiliated with the organization that could have been picked here, but I chose a very classics heavy Mt. Rushmore here. Lamar Hunt is pretty much the only obvious one, Reid and Stram are the Super Bowl coaches and Reid brought this team from the bottom to the top when he was hired on, and then Len Dawson just BARELY beats out Patrick Mahomes. In a few years that may change, but Dawson was the original Chiefs marquee quarterback and had a long broadcasting career for the Chiefs as well.
Honorable Mentions: Mitch Holthus, Patrick Mahomes, Tony Gonzalez, Travis Kelce, and others that I'm not going to list out because the list would get too long. Think of this as a sort of second team Mt. Rushmore...
Royals Mt. Rushmore: Ewing Kaufman, George Brett, Brett Saberhagen, Denny Matthews
This one was closer than anticipated, but in my opinion easier to differentiate than the Chiefs one due to 1. Shorter History and 2. Less extravagant history. The two obvious ones are Ewing Kaufman and George Brett, Kaufman being the founder of the Royals and Brett being the greatest player. Then we get into a bit hairier territory, Brett Saberhagen is probably the best pitcher ever for the Royals, but guys like Dan Quisenberry, Wade Davis, Yordano Ventura, and honestly a few others in those years leading up to the 2015 World Series make a name for themselves. The difference is, those guys played on losing teams for a LONG time, or were relievers, so I went with Saberhagen as a sort of safe choice. Finally, Denny Matthews has been the voice of the Royals for decades now, the dude deserves a spot here.
Honorable Mentions: Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez, Dan Quisenberry, Mike Sweeney
Overall KC Mt. Rushmore: Ewing Kaufman, Lamar Hunt, Buck O'Neil, Len Dawson
Again, another extremely tight one with a lot of options, as KC sports spans multiple sports, teams, and identities. I chose these 4 however because of their impact and influence on Kansas City. When I think of KC sports though, these 4 pop into my head. Everyone except Buck O'Neil has been talked about already, but Buck O'Neil is here because of his impact and influence not only with the KC Monarchs, but on Kansas City as a whole. The man made incredible efforts to show his appreciation for this city, including multiple charitable endeavors, being an active community member, and overall becoming a face of not just KC sports, but Kansas City in general. Shoot, we got a whole bridge named after him. Dude's gotta be important right?
Honorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes, Satchel Paige, George Brett, Tom Watson
Again, let me know if you disagree with these, if you'd change a few or if you agree you just wanted to make a comment or share a story. Give me your Mt. Rushmores as well for different sports, teams, or cities, it doesn't have to be KC-centric! Best replies will get featured on the ScorchCast and will get a shoutout!
Burn Notice: 10/10 Kansas City's finest, hopefully I won't be burned over the stake for my opinions...
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