One of the first elite Mixed Martial Arts fighters in the UFC, Randy Couture is the first fighter to have won World Titles in multiple weight classes.

We can't imagine the racism that Jack Johnson endured during his lifetime. Nobody should have to.

One of the most explosive running backs in NFL history, Gale Sayers was a two-time All-American at Kansas who still boasts the rookie record for Touchdowns (22). A two-time Rushing Champion, Sayers received MVP votes in his first five seasons with the Chicago Bears and was considered the best RB in the game following Jim Brown's retirement. Sayers's ability to change speeds at a dime made it difficult for him to grab, and once he had an open field, it was light out. Sadly, as he was the only significant offensive weapon that the Bears had, all attention was on Sayers, making his accomplishments more impressive.

One of the most intimidating men ever to stand on a pitcher's mound, Bob Gibson played his entire 17-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he won two World Series rings, and it is not a stretch to say that St. Louis not would have those titles without him.

If Babe Ruth was the most important American athlete of the 1920s, was Jack Dempsey far behind?

In 1952, Seymour Siwoff bought the Elias Sports Bureau, which had been keeping statistics in baseball since 1913. Siwoff, who, like many were enamored with statistics, appreciated the phenomenal work of Elias but felt it could be much more.

Frank “Bucko” Kilroy played 13 seasons in the NFL, all for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won two NFL Championships and was a three-time Pro Bowl Selection. When his career ended in 1956, Kilroy became an assistant coach for the Eagles before moving into scouting. After two years as a scout for Philadelphia, he moved on to similar roles with Washington and Dallas. With the Cowboys, Kilroy helped convince ownership that drafting Roger Staubach would be well worth it, despite the years that the quarterback would have to miss due to military commitments.

Jack Kent Cooke is one of the few owners to have won championships in more than one of the big four of North American sports.

Rube Foster is one of the rare nominees who could be looked at in our three main categories, player, coach, and contributor.

Bert Bell was the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles (1933-40) and later the co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles (1941-46), but this nomination is predominantly based on his role as the NFL Commissioner.