Top 5 Non-Star Athletes

[Dave Gray]

Answering the other thread got me thinking...  What are your top 5 athletes that aren't stars.  I'm thinking about role-players.

[Dave Gray]

Reggie Roby
Shane Battier
Udonis Haslem
Patrick Cobbs
Jeff Conine

[Sunstroke]

Thunder Dan Majerle
Kurt Bevacqua
Udonis Haslem
Bip Roberts
Jesse Sapolu

[DaLittle B]

Oronde Gadsden
Keith Byars
Brad Muster
Tom Rathman
The Professor-Kyle Hendricks?  <-I know this isn't what you're going for,(He was up for Cy Young Award in 2016,Gm1 starter against the Nats Friday),but If I said name the Top 50 pitchers in the Game of Baseball today...Very few people would put a guy with an 88mph fast ball/change up artist on the list)

Most of the Cubs are out winning the Ws last year...Can't say Javy Baez,Nor Willson Contreras (2nd favorite current Cub,behind Rizzo)

3 Fullbacks from my youth,some of my 1st football coaches influenced me,and it's still stuck today.

[Tenshot13]

Oronde Gadsden
Keith Byars
Brad Muster
Tom Rathman
The Professor-Kyle Hendricks?  <-I know this isn't what you're going for,(He was up for Cy Young Award in 2016,Gm1 starter against the Nats Friday),but If I said name the Top 50 pitchers in the Game of Baseball today...Very few people would put a guy with an 88mph fast ball/change up artist on the list)

Most of the Cubs are out winning the Ws last year...Can't say Javy Baez,Nor Willson Contreras (2nd favorite current Cub,behind Rizzo)

3 Fullbacks from my youth,some of my 1st football coaches influenced me,and it's still stuck today.

Agree on Gadsden.  I still remember his horizontal one handed grab.  Pretty sure it was in Marino's last game against the Jags.

Brock Marion

BJ Armstrong

Jay Buhner

Andy Van Slyke

[Phishfan]

Agree on Gadsden.  I still remember his horizontal one handed grab.  Pretty sure it was in Marino's last game against the Jags.

I'd counter by saying that I'm almost positive it was the Raiders.

Robert Horry
OJ McDuffie
Jim Jenson
Dante Calabria (bet you have to look him up)

I'll come back on the last one
Kurt Rambis

[DaLittle B]

It was the Jets...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Z3jrQs73U

[Tenshot13]

It was the Jets...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Z3jrQs73U

My memory is a little foggy, but that isn't the one I was thinking of...the one I'm talking about, he was completely reclined backwards and caught the ball behind his head one handed.  I thought it was over the middle though.

Just saw the Raiders catch and it very similar to what I was thinking, so it might be that.

[masterfins]

Dennis Rodman
Graig Nettles
Zach Thomas
Kevin McHale
Wes Welker

[Tenshot13]

Dennis Rodman
Graig Nettles
Zach Thomas
Kevin McHale
Wes Welker

I didn't include Zach Thomas because he's a borderline HOF.  If he's aloud, he takes BJ Armstrong's place on my list.  Probably my favorite player of all time next to Marino.

[Sunstroke]

Dennis Rodman
Graig Nettles
Zach Thomas
Kevin McHale
Wes Welker

Kevin McHale is in the Hall of Fame.
Craig Nettles should be in the Hall of Fame.
Zach Thomas should be in the Hall of Fame
Rodman averaged 20-something rebounds and 3-4 hair colors per game for years, and is enshrined in the Hall of Whackos

You and I apparently have much different thresholds for "Non-star athletes"    

[Phishfan]

Kevin McHale is in the Hall of Fame.

And was once named one of the 50 greatest players of all time (in 1996) so he definitely belongs in the star category.

[DaLittle B]

My memory is a little foggy, but that isn't the one I was thinking of...the one I'm talking about, he was completely reclined backwards and caught the ball behind his head one handed.  I thought it was over the middle though.

Just saw the Raiders catch and it very similar to what I was thinking, so it might be that.

Both were pretty damn cool catches after watching them both on youtube...

[EKnight]

Kevin McHale is in the Hall of Fame.
Craig Nettles should be in the Hall of Fame.
Zach Thomas should be in the Hall of Fame
Rodman averaged 20-something rebounds and 3-4 hair colors per game for years, and is enshrined in the Hall of Whackos

You and I apparently have much different thresholds for "Non-star athletes"    

Rodman never had a single season with 20+ rebounds per game, let alone years of them. He may actually have been the best rebounder ever, but there’s no need to inflate his stats.

[masterfins]

Kevin McHale is in the Hall of Fame.
Craig Nettles should be in the Hall of Fame.
Zach Thomas should be in the Hall of Fame
Rodman averaged 20-something rebounds and 3-4 hair colors per game for years, and is enshrined in the Hall of Whackos

You and I apparently have much different thresholds for "Non-star athletes"    

In choosing my "non-star" athletes I focused more on the OP's guideline of being a "role player", not on some little known player.  McHale was the 6th man for Boston to start his career; Bird was the star player for those Celtics teams.  Without Bird McHale is an average player.  Same for Rodman, he was not the star player on either the Pistons or Bulls teams he played on.  Graig Nettles was a great defensive player, but he would not be considered the "star" player of the Yankees' Pennant Teams he played on.  Zach Thomas wouldn't be in the top five players if you were listing the star players on the Dolphin Teams he played on.