I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
TOP ATHLETES FROM LONG ISLAND
Sports
Shirly Gottlieb
Long Islanders are proud to hail from Long Island, and they are even prouder of the famous athletes that also call Long Island their home. There are plenty of well-known athletes from Long Island. The list below includes just six of them.
1. Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio is from Smithtown, a village in Suffolk County, and was born in 1965. After a successful three years at Seton Hall University, Biggio was a first-round pick by the Houston Astros in the MLB draft in 1987. Biggio was the starting catcher and a star batter. Although Biggio retired in 2007, he remains the only player in MLB history to have accomplished 3,000 hits, 600 doubles, 400 stolen bases, and 250 home runs, earning him a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His son, Cavan Biggio, currently plays for the Toronto Blue Jays.
2. Sue Bird
The author’s personal favorite, Suzanne Bird, grew up in Syosset. Bird has a long list of accolades: two NCAA titles while at the University of Connecticut, three time WNBA Champion, and five-time Olympic Gold Medalist, to name a few. Sue Bird is one of the best female basketball players in the world. Bird, currently 40 years old, was drafted in 2002, by the Seattle Storm with the number one overall pick. She is also the all-time WNBA leader in assists and career starts.
3. Crystal Dunn
Raised in Rockville Centre, Crystal Dunn is a highly rated versatile soccer player. Dunn was the New York Gatorade Player of the Year in high school, and won the NCAA Championship while at the University of Chapel Hill. Crystal Dunn also earned the Hermann Trophy, given to the country’s best collegiate soccer player. In the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Dunn holds the record of youngest player to win MVP at 23. Dunn was a member of the U.S roster for the World Cup in 2019 and played a crucial role in helping her team earn gold. She also led the team to winning bronze in the Tokyo Olympics this past summer.
4. Julius Erving
Julius Erving, an extremely well-known basketball legend, was born and raised in Roosevelt, Nassau County. Erving, often referred to as Dr. J, was an influential star player in the now defunct American Basketball Association and the NBA. Picked in the first round in the 1972 NBA drafts, this small forward has two ABA championships, an NBA championship, is an 11 time NBA All-Star, and a basketball Hall of Famer.
5. Carl Yastrzemski
Yastrzemski is a famous baseball player. He grew up in Bridgehampton, Suffolk County. He played 23 years with the Boston Red Sox of the MLB, and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yaztrzemski won the Triple Crown award in 1967, meaning he led the league in all three categories of batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. Yastrzemski was selected to 17 All Star Games and has won 7 Gold Gloves, an annual award given to the best MLB player in each position on the diamond. His uniform number has been retired by the Boston Red Sox.
6. Jacob Steinmetz
Jacob Steinmetz, a recent HAFTR graduate and hailing from the Five Towns, Nassau County, was recently drafted into the MLB as the 77th overall pick. Steinmetz is the first observant Modern Orthodox baseball player to be drafted into the MLB. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and currently plays in the rookie leagues. Steinmetz is a pitcher, and records pitches in the high nineties.