Three Tennessee Athletics legends earned a spot in the Top 60 of ESPN’s “Top 100 Professional Athletes Since 2000” list that was released in chunks over the summer.
Tennessee earned a nod thanks to a Hall of Fame quarterback and two iconic Hall of Fame players from the Pat Summitt Era.
Peyton Manning comes in at No. 26, Tamika Catchings lands at No. 34, and Candace Parker rounds out Tennessee’s trio at No. 60 in the rankings.
Manning comes in as the fourth highest-ranked NFL player and the third highest-ranked quarterback on the list, trailing No. 5 Tom Brady, No. 18 Patrick Mahomes, and No. 20 Aaron Donald.
Manning is credited for being a Hall of Famer in 2021, a two-time Super Bowl Champion, a five-time NFL MVP (most all-time), a 14-time Pro Bowl selection, and a seven-time First Team All-Pro.
“His masterpiece might have been the 2013 season, when the Broncos broke the league’s scoring record with 606 points and Manning set records with 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdowns, including seven in the season opener,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote about the former Tennessee QB. “The Broncos topped 40 points six times and 50 points three times.”
Less than 10 spots behind Manning is the first Tennessee women’s basketball player on the list with LVFL Tamika Catchings. Catchings is the second highest-ranked WNBA player on the list behind No. 21 Diana Taurasi.
Catchings is credited with a laundry list of accomplishments including 2012 WNBA Champion, 2012 Finals MVP, 4x Olympic gold medalist, 2011 WNBA MVP, 5x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 10x WNBA All-Defensive Team, 7x WNBA First Team, 2002 WNBA RotY, Basketball Hall of Famer, and the WNBA leader in steals.
“Skilled as Catchings was, she is likely remembered for her motor more than any other great women’s basketball player,” ESPN’s Michael Voepel wrote of Catchings. “That’s evident in her constant presence on WNBA All-Defensive teams. Catchings was the No. 3 draft pick in 2001 because she was coming off a knee injury that cut short her senior season at Tennessee. She sat out that WNBA season but rewarded the Indiana Fever for their patience by becoming the face of the franchise.”
Lastly, Tennessee icon and Pat Summitt Era legend Candace Parker lands as No. 60 in the rankings. Parker is the fourth highest-ranked WNBA player on the list with only Maya Moore splitting the two former Lady Vols at No. 36.
“Parker was known for being able to play any position, but at 6-foot-4 she was lethal as a post player with a diverse skill set,” Voepel wrote of Parker. “In college, Parker led Tennessee to coach Pat Summitt’s last two NCAA titles, in 2007 and 2008. The No. 1 WNBA draft pick by the Sparks in 2008, Parker had an epic first pro season: She was MVP and Rookie of the Year (no other player has done that) and won Olympic gold.”
Like Catchings, Parker also has a massive list of accomplishments to her name to earn a Top 60 ranking. Parker’s accomplishments include 3x WNBA Champion, 2016 Finals MVP, 2x Olympic gold medalist, 2x WNBA MVP, 7x All-WNBA First Team, 2008 WNBA RotY, 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, 2x NCAA Champion at Tennessee, 2x Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and the 2007 Wade Trophy winner.
As far as honorable mentions go, there are two other names who did not play at Tennessee but do have some sort of connection if you squint a little.
Former Tennessee baseball commit and Nashville native Mookie Betts comes in at No. 73 while friend of Tony Vitello and Tennessee Baseball supporter Bryce Harper lands at No. 79 in the rankings.
Check out ESPN’s full Top 100 Athletes Since 2000 list by clicking here.
