Genres
Networks
SportsCentury
Overview
SportsCentury is an ESPN biography program that reviews the people and athletic events that defined sports in North America throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. In 1999, ESPN counted down the Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century, selected from North American athletes and voted on by a panel of sports journalists and observers, premiering a new biography highlighting each top athlete every week throughout the year. The episodes for the top two athletes, Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth, appeared on a special combined edition broadcast on Christmas Day on ABC. The top two names were announced in no particular order, and the final positioning was announced at the conclusion of the two episodes. An additional list of numbers 51-100 were announced on the ESPN SportsCentury website. Themed specials such as Greatest Games, Greatest Coaches, Greatest Dynasties, and Most Influential Individuals were premiered throughout the year, as well as six SportsCenter of the Decade programs. After the initial run was complete, the episodes were rerun at various times on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic. The original plan for the series was to expand to include #51-#100. Ultimately, the series featured nearly every athlete from #51-#100, and numerous other personalities, especially those who were recently deceased, or notable for more recent accomplishments.
Top Cast
Seasons
Season 1 (1999)
No overview available.
70 episodes
Episodes
Episode 0: Casey Stengel
2000-10-03Episode 1: 1900-49
1999-01-21The SportsCentury begins with this two-hour reflection of the major sports events that endeared themselves to the American conscience in the first half of the 20th Century. Dave Anderson, Dick Schaap, and Curt Gowdy sit around newspaper offices as the ""hosts"" in this newsreel-type retrospective.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 2: No. 50 -- Chris Evert
1999-01-22Episode 3: No. 49 -- O.J. Simpson
1999-01-29Episode 4: No. 48 -- Pete Sampras
1999-02-05Episode 5: No. 47 -- Edwin Moses
1999-02-12Episode 6: No. 46 -- Eric Heiden
1999-02-19Episode 7: No. 45 -- Bill Tilden
1999-02-26Episode 8: SportsCenter of the Decade: 1950s
1999-03-09Episode 9: No. 44 -- Bobby Jones
1999-03-12Episode 10: No. 43 -- Julius Erving
1999-03-19Episode 11: No. 42 -- Sandy Koufax
1999-04-02Episode 12: No. 41 -- Wilma Rudolph
1999-04-09Episode 13: No. 40 -- Lawrence Taylor
1999-04-16Episode 14: No. 39 -- Walter Payton
1999-04-23Episode 15: No. 38 -- Ben Hogan
1999-04-30Episode 16: No. 37 -- Mickey Mantle
1999-05-07Episode 17: SportsCenter of the Decade: 1960s
1999-05-21Episode 18: No. 36 -- Oscar Robertson
1999-05-14Episode 19: The Greatest Coaches of the Century
1999-05-22Episode 20: No. 35 -- Secretariat
1999-05-21Episode 21: Most Influential People in Sports
1999-05-23Counts down the ten non-athletes who left the greatest impact on the sports world in the 20th Century. Profiles include: Walter O'Malley, Branch Rickey, Pette Rozelle, David Stern, Roone Arledge, and Marvin Miller.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 22: Greatest Dynasties
1999-05-30The teams that dominated their sport–the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics, Montréal Canadiens, UCLA Bruins, Notre Dame Fighting Irish–are profiled. So are the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Bulls, and San Francisco 49ers.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 23: No. 34 -- Lou Gehrig
1999-05-28Episode 24: No. 33 -- Mark Spitz
1999-06-04Episode 25: Greatest Games
1999-06-05Episode 26: No. 32 -- Johnny Unitas
1999-06-11Episode 27: No. 31 -- Bobby Orr
1999-06-18Episode 28: No. 30 -- Larry Bird
1999-06-25Episode 29: SportsCenter of the Decade: 1970s
1999-07-09Episode 30: No. 29 -- Arnold Palmer
1999-07-02Episode 31: No. 28 -- Red Grange
1999-07-09Episode 32: No. 27 -- Jerry Rice
1999-07-16Episode 33: No. 26 -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1999-07-23Episode 34: No. 25 -- Joe Montana
1999-07-30Episode 35: No. 24 -- Sugar Ray Robinson
1999-07-30Episode 36: No. 23 -- Jackie Joyner-Kersee
1999-08-06Episode 37: No. 22 -- Joe DiMaggio
1999-08-20Episode 38: SportsCenter of the Decade: 1980s
1999-09-17Episode 39: No. 21 -- Gordie Howe
1999-09-03Episode 40: No. 20 -- Ty Cobb
1999-09-17Episode 41: No. 19 -- Martina Navratilova
1999-09-24Episode 42: No. 18 -- Bill Russell
1999-10-01Episode 43: No. 17 -- Magic Johnson
1999-10-08Episode 44: No. 16 -- Ted Williams
1999-10-08Episode 45: No. 15 -- Jackie Robinson
1999-10-15Episode 46: No. 14 -- Hank Aaron
1999-10-29Episode 47: No. 13 -- Wilt Chamberlain
1999-10-29Episode 48: No. 12 -- Carl Lewis
1999-11-05Episode 49: No. 11 -- Joe Louis
1999-11-19Episode 50: No. 10 -- Babe Didrikson
1999-12-03Episode 51: No. 9 -- Jack Nicklaus
1999-12-03Episode 52: No. 8 -- Willie Mays
1999-12-10Episode 53: No. 7 -- Jim Thorpe
1999-12-10Episode 54: No. 6 -- Jesse Owens
1999-12-17Episode 55: No. 5 -- Wayne Gretzky
1999-12-17Episode 56: No. 4 -- Jim Brown
1999-12-24Episode 57: No. 3 -- Muhammad Ali
1999-12-24Episode 58: No. 2 -- Babe Ruth
1999-12-26Episode 59: No. 1 -- Michael Jordan
1999-12-26Episode 60: SportsCenter of the Decade: 1990s
2000-03-26Episode 61: Yogi Berra
2003-10-13Episode 62: Derek Jeter
2003-10-17Episode 63: Brian Piccolo
2001-11-02A profile of the late Brian Piccolo, the 1964 ACC Player of the Year at Wake Forest and later a member of the Chicago Bears, where he formed a friendship with Gale Sayers that was depicted in the 1971 film “Brian's Song.” Piccolo died of cancer in 1970.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 64: Brian Piccolo
2001-11-02Episode 102: No. 50 - Chris Evert
1999-01-22Episode 103: Joe DiMaggio
2000-07-10Episode 104: Willie Mays
2000-07-25Episode 105: Billy Martin
2000-08-07Episode 106: Don Larsen
2000-10-23Season 2 (2002)
No overview available.
7 episodes
Episodes
Episode 0: Roger Maris
2000-12-04Episode 1: Brett Favre
2002-01-28Episode 2: Nancy Lopez
2002-08-05Episode 3: Chris Webber
2002-04-26Episode 4: New York Yankees, Part One
2003-10-06The most-recognized team in professional sports always gets the undeserved breaks. This episode, the first SportsCentury devoted to a team, is certainly no exception. Jeremy Schaap sends more excess glory on the team that won an all-sports record 26 world championships, all in the 20th Century.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 20: Anna Kournikova
2002-05-28Episode 21: Yogi Berra
2002-10-14Season 3 (2003)
No overview available.
3 episodes
Season 4 (2003)
No overview available.
34 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: Lyle Alzado
2003-09-26Episode 2: Ball Four
2003-10-24Episode 3: John Wooden
2003-09-26Episode 4: New York Yankees, Part Two
2003-10-07A nation of American baseball fans have grown to hate the Yankees. Their dreams were realized when the team went from dynasty to dumpster between 1965 and 1972. Then came George Steinbrenner, a native Clevelander who, despite turmoil and controversy, returned the Yankees to glory–twice.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 5: Roberto Clemente
2003-10-20Episode 6: Dennis Rodman
2003-10-27Episode 7: Pelé
2003-11-06Episode 8: Jerry's Cowboys
2003-11-10Jerry Jones took over the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 to restore the glory of ""America's Team."" It worked, as the Cowboys went on to win three Super Bowls in four years. But when it was over, it was really over. The 'Boys were suddenly back where they started, and worse.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 9: Mark Gastineau
2003-11-17Episode 10: Barry Sanders
2003-11-24For all the accolades he earned–the 1988 Heisman Trophy, a 2,000-yard rushing season in the NFL–Barry Sanders was a lone man who did not seek the spotlight.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 11: Latrell Sprewell
2003-12-01For one incident with the Golden State Warriors, Latrell Sprewell became the most hated and reviled player in the eyes of the NBA, or so the legend would have it.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 12: Al Davis
2003-12-08Episode 13: Terry Bradshaw
2003-12-15Episode 14: Seabiscuit
2003-12-29Episode 15: 1981 AFC Playoff: Dolphins vs. Chargers
2004-01-05Episode 16: Bart Starr
2004-01-12From a lifetime of tragic turns, Bart Starr emerged with visions that will endure forever. Five NFL Championships in seven years and victories in the first two Super Bowls made him the Packers' model quarterback.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 17: Tom Landry
2004-01-19As the coach of ""America's Team,"" Tom Landry stood for all the old American values. These were carried out with efficiency as the Dallas Cowboys won their way to 20 straight winning seasons.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 18: Bears' 46 Defense
2004-01-29Episode 19: Jeff Gordon
2004-02-09Episode 20: Mark McGwire
2004-02-16Episode 21: Disciples of Jackie Robinson
2004-02-23Episode 22: Steve Carlton
2004-03-01Episode 23: Villanova vs. Georgetown
2004-03-22Episode 24: Rick Pitino
2004-03-29Episode 25: Phil Jackson
2004-04-12He has been despised by every fan of every NBA team that has never won the World Championship or died trying. To be sure, Phil Jackson does not have as much an in-your-face attitude as the men he coaches. But after a triad of threepeats, is Jackson finally up Shaq's creek without a paddle?
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 26: Sammy Sosa
2004-04-12Episode 27: Don King
2004-05-14Episode 28: Steffi Graf
2004-06-21Episode 29: Kevin Garnett
2002-04-15One of the young stars in the NBA was drafted at a young age. Kevin Garnett has become without question the biggest attraction on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 30: Dennis Eckersley
2004-07-19Episode 31: Pedro MartÃnez
2004-07-26Episode 32: Mia Hamm
2004-08-09Episode 33: Andy Roddick
2004-08-26Episode 34: Sam Huff
2004-09-03Season 5 (2004)
No overview available.
9 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: 1999 Ryder Cup
2004-09-15Episode 2: Peyton Manning
2004-11-08Episode 3: Shaquille O'Neal
2004-12-24Episode 4: Don Shula
2005-01-31He is the winningest coach in NFL history, with 347 victories. But how will Don Shula be remembered?
Runtime: 30 minEpisode 5: Mike Krzyzewski
2005-03-23Duke is the Yankees of men's college basketball, winning its way to high tournament space year after year. While its coach did not top ESPN's 25th-anniversary list of the Best Coaches, Mike Krzyzewski is clearly the coach for his sport.
Runtime: 30 min