Ten 30 for 30s I'd Like To See

Last week, I ranked the top 30 for 30s so far. If you missed it, click here. This week I give you the top 30 for 30s that I'd like to see. Here are 10 documentaries that I would love to see done and why they would make great documentaries.

10. T-Mac

Tracy McGrady is an NBA Hall of Famer that will be remembered by some as a guy that couldn't advance past the first round. He made teams perennial playoff teams, but was stuck in that round. It wasn't until signing with the Spurs in 2013 (his last NBA season) that he finally got minutes outside of the 1st round. He never did get a championship ring as San Antonio lost in the NBA Finals that year. A lot to enjoy here from one of the biggest personalities in league history.

9. The Peter Warrick Story

This is probably actually higher on the list, but how can Warrick not be #9. The best wide receiver in college football history, the Dillard's incident, being selected #4 overall, long career, but not legendary as some predicted. There are so many interesting storylines with Peter Warrick to discuss.

8. Jeffrey Maier from Baltimore Perspective

Jeffrey Maier grabbed a ball that was a routine fly ball and interfered in play giving Derek Jeter a home run somehow. This story has always been glossed over in sports while we vilify Bartman for going after a ball in foul territory. I would really like to see this story from a Baltimore perspective with some insight from the guy right under the fly ball, Tony Tarasco. 

7. TO Show

Terrell Owens is one of the greatest receivers of all-time. However, some have nicknamed him team obliterator because of their perception that he ruins team chemistry. It would be really neat to see what teammates truly thought about him and the good and bad of his career.

6. The Sam Bowie Story

This guy was picked in between Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan. What it must have been like to be him with everyone disliking him because the best ever went one spot later. This is something that would interest a lot of people.

5. The Streak: The Story of Cal Ripken Jr.'s Legendary Streak

Most players can't even play a full 162 game season in baseball. Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 games in a row. How is that eve remotely possible? It would be cool to see them really dive into this story and the night he broke Lou Gehrig's streak.

4. Warrick Dunn Story

One of the nicest guys in NFL history, a lot of people don't know what Warrick Dunn went through in life. The guy had a murdered mother and raised his siblings at 18. You could show how that guy went to become one of the most charitable men ever and show him dominating in football on the way.

3. The Kid: The Story of Ken Griffey Jr.

The only athlete of my lifetime that has come close to Jordan in terms of popularity was Ken Griffey Jr. The swagger, the wearing the hat backwards, the skill, and that beautiful swing. This guy was everyone's favorite player in the 90s and I am sure he has quite the story to tell.

2. Charlie: The Story of How a Heisman Winner Played in the NBA

Two of the best movies in this series focus on two sport athletes Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. What about the guy that won a Heisman and then went to play pro basketball? Are you telling me people wouldn't love watching this?

1. Wire to Wire: The Story of the 1999 FSU Seminoles

The 1999 Seminoles were the first team to go wire to wire. The team was dominant all season long. They had a legendary coach, the greatest college receiver of all-time and a ton of swag. There would be no more interesting story than this one.

- Noland

Top 100 Seminole Football Players

Much like my past lists, this list is a Top 100 about the best Seminoles of all-time. This list will be based solely on their time as Seminoles and NFL accomplishments will not be considered. Deion's Super Bowl rings will not affect these ratings for instance. It is hard for some of the legends that I haven't seen in person, but this is a good list.

Again, this is based on their Seminole career, so although he may be the best player to ever wear a Seminole uniform, Walter Jones will not be a top 5 guy because he spent a very limited time with the Noles.

Also as much as I like Hopkins, Gano, and Janikowski, I still can't bring myself to put a kicker on my list. Therefore, none of those guys are included.

100. PK Sam   WR

99. Lonnie Pryor   RB/FB

98. David Castillo   OL

97. Lonnie Johnson   TE

96. Dekoda Watson   LB

95. Willie Reid   WR/KR

94. Joe Wessel  DB

93. Tom McCormick  OL

92. Ryan McMahon   OL

91. Pat McNeil   OL

90. Leon Washington   RB

89. BJ Ward  DB

88. Tony Carter   DB

87. Eric Moore   DL

86. Kirk Carruthers   LB

85. Antonio Cromartie  DB

84. Brandon Jenkins   DL

83. Bjoern Werner  DL

82. Sammy Smith    RB

81. Larry Key   RB

80. Broderick Bunkley   DL

79. Everette Brown     DL

78. Daryl Bush       LB

77. Christian Ponder     QB

76. Ron Dugans     WR

75. EJ Manuel     QB

74. Bobby Butler    DB

73. Ray Willis   OL

72. Paul Piurowski     LB

71. Derrick Gibson     DB

70. Willie Jones    DL

69. Monk Bonasorte    DB

68. Amp Lee       RB

67. Ed Beckham       TE

66. Ken Lanier     OL

65. AJ Nicholson       LB

64. Buster Davis      LB

63. Tamarick Vanover     WR/KR

62. Kamerion Wimbley     DL

61. Travis Minor    RB

60. Odell Haggins     DL

59. Melvin PearsalTE

58. Pat Tomberlin     OL

57. Greg Jones       RB

56. Brian Allen        LB

55. Ernie Sims         LB

54. Pat Carter         TE

53. Mark Lyles       FB

52. EG Green         WR

51. Danny Kanell      QB

50. Reggie Herring     LB

49.Jimmy Jordan        QB

48. Lawrence Dawsey     WR

47. Rodney Hudson     OL

46. Alex Barron        OL

45. Tommy Polley       LB

44. Sam Cowart       LB

43. Michael Boulware       DB

42. Dexter Carter      RB

41. Darnell Dockett     DL

40. Craphonso Thorpe    WR

39. Anquan Boldin     WR

38. Thad Busby     QB

37. William Floyd     FB

36. Tay Cody      DB

35. Marvin Minnis     WR

34. Paul McGowan   LB

33. Dexter Jackson    DB

32. Kez McCorvey     WR

31. Derrick Alexander     DE

30. Walter Jones     OL

29. Jason Whittaker     OL

28. JT Thomas     DB

27. Alphonso Carreker    DL

26. Tra Thomas     OL

25. Chris Hope      DB

24. Corey Sawyer    DB

23. Edgar Bennett     FB

22. Jamie Dukes      OL

21. Greg Allen       RB

20. Lee Corso       DB

19. Clay Shiver       OL

18. Jamal Reynolds      DL

17. Leroy Butler        DB

16. Casey Weldon     QB

15. Andre Wadsworth    DL

14. Peter Boulware    DL

13. Corey Simon       DL

12. Reinard Wilson      DL

11. Terrell Buckley      DB

10. Warrick Dunn        RB

09. Fred Biletnikoff       WR

08. Ron Sellers            WR

07. Chris Weinke      QB

06. Peter Warrick      WR

05. Marvin Jones       LB

04. Ron Simmons       DL

03. Deion Sanders      DB

02. Derrick Brooks     LB

01. Charlie Ward      QB

Is Florida State Back?

Before I get started today, let me just say that for some reason my Twitter account has been suspended. They said this usually happens due to unusual following practices which is strange because I am only following like 34 people and have very few followers due to my short time on Twitter. The only thing I can think of is that I challenged the writer from SI, but even then it does not make sense. I will keep you posted when it is no longer suspended.

Anyways this is my final post about the Athlon feature on FSU football. It talks about whether FSU is back as a national title contender. Here are some thoughts. The full article is here.

David Fox said FSU is on the right track, but not truly back. He said they won't be back until they compete for the national championship. Finishing in the top 25 isn't good enough for them to be back according to Fox.

Brandon Gaell said FSU's dominance in the ACC will likely never be replicated, but if being back is saying the Noles can win the ACC, then yes they are back.

Steve Lassan said they are going in the right direction, but it will take another year or two likely.

Mark Ross contends that FSU never left. He said the following "I know that it was the '90s when the Seminoles dominated the ACC and won their two national championships, the last one coming in 1999. And I know that this is 2012, which means it's been more than a decade since the mighty 'Noles were on top of the college football mountain and six seasons since they made their last BCS bowl appearance (2006 Orange Bowl), but it's not like they've plummeted to the bottom of the rankings either. Overall, Florida State has won its last four bowl games and in Jimbo Fisher's first two years as head coach, the 'Noles have won 19 games combined and were ACC Atlantic Division champions in 2009."

Patrick Snow thinks that it would be a fair statement to say FSU is back.

While I would prefer the dominance of the 90s, I am kind of with Ross on this one. We have to put things in perspective. The Seminoles have had a winning year every season since 1976. That is absolutely amazing. Even in the down decade of the 2000s the Noles averaged 8.5 wins. I mean that is still pretty impressive. No team will replicate the run from 1987-2000. We should be thankful that the dark days for FSU appear over and that even during the dark days they had winning seasons. This FSU team is the best we have had in a while and we should be very excited for this year.

-Noland

FSU's Ten Best Ever

Much like with the ten best current players, I decided to post Athlon's top 10 and then my top ten and analyze the pics. Here is the article/slideshow from Athlon.

Athlon Sports
10. Terrell Buckley
9. Warrick Dunn
8. Chris Weinke
7. Marvin Jones
6. Ron Sellers
5. Derrick Brooks
4. Peter Warrick
3. Ron Simmons
2. Deion Sanders
1. Charlie Ward

Simmons and Sellers are clearly Seminole legends, but they are also before my time. Therefore, I cannot put them on my list. Simmons is probably better known by my generation as Farooq. The guy is an absolute legend, but its hard to put him in a top ten when you haven't seen the guy play that much.

My List
10. Corey Simon
9. Reinard Wilson
8. Terrell Buckley
7. Warrick Dunn
6. Chris Weinke
5. Peter Warrick
4. Marvin Jones
3. Deion Sanders
2. Derrick Brooks
1. Charlie Ward

It is hard to argue with the people on Athlon's list. They all played professionally with the exception of Ward who is one of the most decorated athletes in history. Ward decided to play in the NBA rather than the NFL. The only thing that is up for debate is the order in which the athletes appear. Like I said earlier, I could not possibly pick someone who I didn't see play that much. I left on the other 8 though and added 2.

I added Corey Simon who was the anchor of the 1999 championship defense at #10. Simon was an animal inside. It was hard to not pick Andre Wadsworth, Samari Rolle, or Leroy Butler, but I think Simon was the slightly better choice. Also hard not to put Tra Thomas or Walter Jones two legends on the offensive line on this list either. During the dynasty years, FSU sure was loaded. Simon is an FSU Hall of Famer and was a consensus All-American during the wire-to-wire season. Since that may be the best team in NCAA history, I think 3 members of it can be in the top 10.

The other player I added to my list who wasn't on Athlon's was Reinard Wilson. Wilson has the school record for sacks in a career with 35.5. He won a national title as a freshman in 1993 and is another FSU Hall of Famer. The guy had 100+ tackles in the 1996 season where he was an All-American while also recording 13.5 sacks. How many guys get 100 tackles and that many sacks?

Terrell Buckley was #10 on Athlon's list and #8 on mine. Buckley was an animal at defensive back. This guy has the interception record at FSU (not Deion) and the Int return yards record (not Deion). He was named an All-American in the season he got 12 INTs and won the Jim Thorpe award that season.

Warrick Dunn was one spot ahead of Buckley on each list. Dunn is one of my all time favorites. If this list was about that, he would come in at #2 behind only Derrick Brooks. Despite being incredibly small Dunn was the best runningback in FSU history. He played with the heart of a champion and lead FSU to several victories. Dunn was 3 time All-ACC. He's the only Seminole to top 1,000 yards in 3 straight seasons. Dunn holds the career and single season rushing records for the Noles. This guy could have easily been higher on either list, but check out the other guys on the list.

Chris Weinke was the 1st 3 year starter under Bowden at QB. He is one of two Seminoles to win the Heisman. He led the Seminoles to the 1999 title. 32-3 was Weinke's record as a starter. The guy set 26 school records. This guy could be much higher, but a lot of his success was attributed to his age and Peter Warrick. I wanted to put the guy higher because I think those are bogus excuses, but who do you move down?

Peter Warrick was right after Weinke on my list with Marvin Jones and Derrick Brooks in between on the Athlon List. Warrick should have won the Heisman in 1999. He was the best player in football that year, but the Dillard's incident cost him all of the hardware that year. #9 didn't even get the Biletnokoff for that season. He has the most touchdowns in FSU history and is only behind Ron Sellers for catches and yards. Warrick was MVP of the Sugar Bowl Championship over Virginia Tech that season though as he went off.

Jones was not at FSU that long, but he sure did make an impact. Some would call him the face of those FSU defenses and even say he is the best Seminole of all time. I didn't go that far, but I moved him up to #5 when Athlon had him at #7. Jones was a two-time consensus All-American. He also finished 4th in Heisman voting. That should really tell you how good Marvin Jones was, he almost won the Heisman as a linebacker.  In 1992, Jones won the Lombardi and Butkus Awards during that amazing season he almost won the Heisman.

Derrick Brooks was another two-time All-American. He is my favorite football player of all-time. Athlon had him at #5, but I think that doesn't do him justice. I have him at #2 and nearly had him #1. When I think of Seminole Legends, Derrick Brooks is one of the first players that pops into my head. He is perhaps the biggest reason that I fell in love with FSU football. Well him and that #1 guy. Brooks was the big play guy on the 1993 National Championship team. That season, Brooks was ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Obviously, Brooks also went on to great success in the pros, but the guy was a class act at FSU and their best defensive player of my generation, perhaps ever.

In 1988 Deion Sanders won the Jim Thorpe Award. He was also a two-time All-American. Sanders holds 7 FSU records for punt returns and INTS. Sanders is the best cover corner to ever play the game, but that doesn't make him better at FSU than Derrick Brooks. I think the fact that he played multiple sports and was such an excellent cover corner factored into Athlon's vote. Derrick Brooks was the better player at FSU. Deion was so good though that you can easily see where he finishes anywhere in the top 5. I obviously think highly of him as I have posted a few times about him. The only guys I have higher are the two greatest to ever do it.

The #1 guy has to be Charlie Ward. Ward is #1 on every Seminole fans list. This man just made it happen. He is the most decorated athlete in Seminole history. Perhaps, he is the most decorated player in NCAA history. Ward was the Heisman winner in 1993 while leading the Noles to the National Championship. Ward set 19 school records and 7 ACC records. Charlie Ward claimed 30 individual awards in his time with FSU. Everyone thought the guy was great, especially in 1993. Not only that, but Ward is the most accurate passer in FSU history to go with his run-pass ability. It would have been interesting to see what Ward could do in the NFL, but he of course chose the NBA and we will never know.

-Noland