Best 6 professional athletes to ever emerge from Georgia

Georgia has contributed richly to American sports history. From hosting some of the most epic sports events the North American continent has seen, Georgia has also pumped out premium athletes Uncle Sam is proud to call his.

Talking about the latter, would you love to know about some of the most illustrious sporting icons to have ever emerged from Georgia?

1. Calvin Johnson Jr. (American Football)
Calvin Johnson Jr began his professional career in 2007 after getting drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 2007 NFL Draft’s second round. The wide receiver had a blissful nine-year career with the Detroit Lions, starting 130 out of 135 games.

It was in the 2008 season that Calvin started making an impact. In this 2008 season, he recorded 12 touchdowns and 78 catches for 1,331 yards. Calvin consistently recorded 1,000 receiving yards or more from 2008 through 2015.

Fans and punters thrived on Calvin. Many times, he would dramatically snatch the game for his team. You can read more here.

Inevitably, Calvin Johnson Jr ended his career with many accolades to his name. In 2010, he won the scoring championship.

In 2011 and 2012, he won the league pass receiving yardage championships and also won the pass reception championship in 2012.

Furthermore, Calvin won the NFC Offensive Player of the month in November 2012 and October 2013. He also won the Bobbly Layne Offensive MVP Award from 2008 to 2013.

Calvin retired in 2015 but still holds the Detroit Lions’ career records for receptions and receiving yards, 11,619 and 731, respectively.

2. Champ Bailey (American Football)
Champ Bailey was a standout athlete in different sports during his days of little beginning. He was outstanding both on the football field and the basketball court.

He also placed third at the 1998 SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships while holding the school record for long jump.

After high school, Bailey went on to the University of Georgia and continued his impressive run of form. This resulted in him getting drafted in the 1999 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, and subsequently, the Denver Broncos. Bailey also briefly played for the New Orleans Saints in 2014.

One of the best defensive backs that the NFL has seen, Bailey is best remembered for many things. First, in a 2006 playoff, he made an impressive play in the End Zone with a 100-yard interception of a Tom Brady pass, ultimately ending the New England Patriots’ dominance.

In 2004, Bailey made a career-high 81 tackles and also helped the Washington Redskins secure the Super Bowl berth in the 2005 season.

Also, he featured in the 2006 Pro Bowl, earning All-Pro honors. That same year, he was the runner-up for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Champ Bailey retired in 2014 and is currently a successful businessman and public speaker.

3. Walt Frazier (Basketball)
In the 1950s, Walt Frazier started in high school, at Howard High School as a quarterback for the football squad and a catcher for the baseball team. However, he later took interest in basketball, learning the game even at the height of racial division in his locality.

Frazier accepted a basketball scholarship offer from Southern Illinois University. He proceeded to the school and led the team to win the National Invitation Tournament that year.

In the 1966 NBA Draft, Frazier got drafted by the New York Knicks as their first-round pick. He went on to captain the team from 1967 to 1977. Also, he helped the team reach the Eastern Division finals in the 1968/1969 season, averaging 17.5 points.

Frazier also helped the Knicks set a new NBA record, an 18 consecutive game win in the 1969/1970 season.

During his time with the Knicks, Frazier averaged an impressive 19.3 points per game. Afterward, he moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers, playing there for three seasons.

Walt Frazier retired in 1979 with an overall average of 20.7 points per game in 93 playoff games and 18.9 points per game in 825 regular-season games.

4. Sugar Ray Robinson (Boxing)
Sugar Ray Robinson was born on May 3, 1921, as Walker Smith Jr. It didn’t take long before he developed an interest in boxing, thanks to living next door to former heavyweight champion Joe Louis.

In fact, in 1936, he used the Amateur Athletic Union card of another boxer called Ray Robinson to access the ring for his first career fight.

After that, he changed his boxing name to Ray Robinson with an additional Sugar, given to him by Gainford, who described him as sweet as sugar.

Sugar Ray Robinson made his professional debut in 1940, winning his first forty matches. During his 25-year career, he won the welterweight and middleweight championships. In addition, he recorded an impressive 175 victories too before retiring in 1965.

5. Hulk Hogan (Wrestling)
Hogan was born on August 11, 1953, as Terry Gene Bollea. He developed an interest in wrestling in high school but still went on to study at the University of Florida though he never received his degree. Instead, he spent his time working out in a gym owned by wrestlers Jerry and Jack Brisco.

Bollea’s talent caught the eyes of WWE promoter, Vincent McMahon in 1979, allowing him to join WWE with the stage name Hulk Hogan.

He made his debut in 1980, fighting and winning Andre the Giant and captivating the hearts of many spectators.

Since then, Hulk Hogan has gone on to win 12 world championships, six with the World Championship Wrestling and six from the WWE.

6. Jackie Robinson (Baseball)
Jackie Robinson holds a beautiful piece of American history as the first African American professional baseball player.

He clinched this feat on April 15, 1947, when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Major League. Before that time, black baseball players only played in the Negro league.

Robinson played in six World Series, also helping his team win the 1955 championship. In addition, he won many awards in his decade-long career.

These included the Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year.

In 1962, Jackie Robinson got inducted into the league’s hall of fame, six years after retiring. Thanks to his achievements, the league adopted an annual tradition called Jackie Robinson Day, once a year, starting on April 15, 2004. During this annual event, every player in the league wears Jackie’s shirt number, No. 42.