Arizona Holds Notable Athletic Performances, Titles and Names

   As a state whose place in the world of sports is most likely associated with golf, it's only natural to start with the Phoenix Open.  Since its inception in 1932 and return from hiatus in 1939, the tournament has gone by a lot of names:  The Arizona Open, the Phoenix Open, the FBR Open, and most recently, The Waste Management Phoenix Open,.  One thing that hasn't changed, however, is the fact that, year-in and year-out, it is one of the world's most attended golf events.  

   Baseball and Arizona have a uniquely bonded history.  Even though it has been a popular destination for minor league baseball since the early 1900s, and a spring training hub since 1946, somehow it wasn't granted a MLB team of its own until 1998.  The Diamondbacks, of course, would go on to give the state its first, and only men's, professional sports championship victory in 2001.  

   The Phoenix Suns are Arizona's first team, both literally and philosophically.  Well-known for its close-but-no-cigar runs, the Suns own the third oldest championship drought in NBA at 43 seasons, the longest for a franchise without a championship.  From Finals agony at the hands of Michael Jordan in '93 and Jo Jo White in '76 to the menace that was the teams of Texas stifling conference runs in the 2000s, post-season heartache is as much in the roots of the franchise as the colors purple and orange.

   The Arizona Cardinals, formerly Phoenix Cardinals, came to the state of Arizona by way of St. Louis and Chicago.  After ten seasons without a winning record the team finally broke-through in 1998 with its first playoff appearance on the arm of Sun Devil's alumnus Jake Plummer.  It wasn't until nine years later that they reached the Super Bowl in a crushing loss with 35 seconds left on the clock.

   The Phoenix Mercury may not get the attention of the boys, but they have done something none of them have been able to equal – winning two championship.  As one of only three remaining charter WNBA franchises, the Mercury have been a flagship organization for the league.  

   Hockey in the desert?  The Coyotes answered the call and quickly molded themselves into one of the most entertaining events in town.  After relocating from the economically suffering city of Winnipeg, who have since regained NHL statues with the reborn Jets, the franchise has struggled to be the big-ticket event Jerry Colangelo promised the league.  Despite having names like Roenick, Tkachuck, Gartner and the "Bulin Wall", the team failed to win a single playoff series and fell on hard times over the past decade, losing city and fan support along the way.

   While team sports haven't delivered much in terms of championships, the list of individual native-born champion athletes is an impressive one.  

   Three time Super Bowl champion, Darren Woodson, was born in Phoenix and played for the Sun Devils in college.  One of the game's most versatile safeties, Woodson was feared as much for his vicious hits as he was his ability to step up and shut-down receivers in man-to-man coverage.  

   Curley Culp.  Born and raised in Yuma, Culp went on to star on both sides of the trenches for Arizona State's football team before his illustrious pro career that includes five Pro Bowl invitations.

   Ian Kinlser, Tucson native and second baseman for the Texas Rangers, has played in two consecutive World Series to go along with a young career already rich in accomplishment.  

Ty Murray may not be a household name for most, but the nine-time World Champion rodeo cowboy has an embarrassment of riches on his résumé, including a marriage to pop-turned-country music star, Jewel.  

   Randall McDaniel, Phoenix native and ASU alumnus, was not only one of the most dominant offensive lineman of his time, but of all-time.  Physically, McDaniel was unlike the vast majority of offensive guards, a position most often associated with protruding guts and cankles.  He was a preternatural athlete at the position, often found pulling outside the tackle and leading his running back up the field and throwing blocks on the second level of even the swiftest defenses.  

  Though born in Tucson, it was Atlanta and the 1996 Summer Olympics where Kerri Strugg went from great to legendary.  Standing on a third-degree sprained ankle, Strugg charged, tumbled and twisted her way into Olympics history as she clinched the US women's gymnastics team's first and only all-around gold.