Ten Most Influential New York Athletes Since 1969

Remember, it’s the most influential, not the best.

After putting together a list of the ten most influential athletes in Chicago sports, I thought I’d do the same thing for New York sports. This isn’t a list of the greatest New York athletes, though all the guys on this list were great, it’s about who impacted their teams, team culture, and fans the most. That’s obviously subjective, but hey, it’s my list. And here we go.

Brian was obviously one of the greatest Rangers in team history, but there’s even more to his selection. Leech was the Conn Smythe winner of the 1994 NHL playoffs. The playoffs where the Rangers won the first Stanley Cup in 54 years. Brian racked up 34 points in 23 games during the Rangers playoff games. Just an awesome performance.

I’ve got to say, I’m not a huge fan of Eli. Having said that a QB who leads his team to two Super Bowl wins has a pretty good chance of being on this list. While Eli wasn’t a great player, he did influence the Giants franchise in a good way. It was kind of the right guy at the right time type of situation.

Reed gets on this list largely by virtue of scoring the first four points of the 1970 NBA Finals that saw the Knicks defeat the Lakers to win the NBA title. Of course, Reed was hobbled by a thigh injury. The fact that Reed was able to play at all was remarkable. While Willis was a great player for the Knicks, he’ll be remembered for those four points in game seven.

Taylor was the greatest defensive player I ever saw. He was a big influence on the Giants just by the excellence of his play. The fact he played on two Super Bowl winners shows just how much he impacted the franchise.

The Yankees are one of the most, if not the most, storied franchises in history. To be able to stand out as a member of the franchise takes some doing. The way Jeter comported himself on the field and the fact that he just seemed to make winning plays gets him a spot on this list. He was obviously a great…

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