In the exclusive circle of professional athletes the ring is the thing. Ask any of the world's best athletes without a championship ring to their name and they will express regret in regards to never winning a title as a player. Some players have multiple rings as bit players on championship teams while the greatest athletes to ever play were never able to partake in a championship celebration.
No. 10. Charles Barkley: Philadelphia 76ersSir Charles played his career as an intimidating force under the basket with a surprisingly good shooting touch. Late in Charles Barkley's career he traveled to many teams in pursuit of the elusive NBA Championship ring. Money was no object for Barkley late in his career but he never cleared the final hurdle of holding up the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy.
No. 9. Dan Fouts: San Diego ChargersDan Fouts was the quarterback in a magical era for the San Diego Chargers. The Air Coryell era under head coach Don Coryell featured Dan Fouts and some of the most talented receivers and offensive athletes in the history of the NFL. Fouts and the Chargers made several close runs under Fouts but never made it past the AFC Championship game.
No.8. Marcel Dionne: LA KingsMarcel Dionne was the center of the Los Angeles Kings infamous "Triple Crown Line" with Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor. Dionne was the prototypical NHL star of the '70s and '80s. He was small at 5'8" but highly skilled and deadly accurate up close. Dionne was one of the major NHL stars in his day and he is hands down the greatest NHL player to never hold Lord Stanley's Cup over his head.
No. 7. Jim Kelly: Buffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills were legendary in the first half of the '90s. Jim Kelly led the team to four consecutive Super Bowls and lost all four. He and the Bills lost a close one to the New York Giants but they were beaten soundly by the Washington Redskins once and the Dallas Cowboys two consecutive times. Kelly ran a high powered offense with the Buffalo Bills that always came up just short.
No.6. Pat Ewing: New York KnicksWhen the New York Knicks won the NBA Lottery and drafted Patrick Ewing NBA fans were outraged. Fans across the country felt the NBA Draft was fixed and the NBA had handed several NBA Championships to the New York Knicks. Although the New York Knicks made several impressive runs with Ewing, they never closed the deal and Patrick Ewing retired sans NBA Championship.
No. 5. Ken Griffey JrKen Griffey Jr may be the best athlete to emerge out of the steroid era. It is believed Griffey Jr never used steroids and his final totals eclipsed some of the best Major League Baseball hitters of all time. Griffey's final Hall of Fame worthy numbers included 630 Home Runs in his 20 plus seasons with zero World Series rings.
No. 4. Ted Williams: Boston Red Sox"The Splendid Splinter" was the most meticulous Major League Baseball player of his day. Ted Williams studied and taught everything there was to know about hitting. Williams was the last man to hit .400 but he played in an era when the New York Yankees dominated the American League.
Williams was denied World Series appearances for years by Joe Dimaggio and the Yankees. When he finally made the World Series against the St Louis Cardinals, Williams had a horrible stretch of hitting. Williams was never satisfied with his career because of his failure to win a World Series ring and blamed himself for faltering in the World Series.
No. 3. Ty Cobb: Detroit TigersPossibly the greatest pure baseball hitter of all time, Ty Cobb never won a World Series ring. Cobb played in three straight World Series between 1907-1909 and never sealed the deal. Cobb and his Detroit Tigers even lost to the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers are the last team to lose a World Series to Chicago Cubs. Cobb accumulated 14 batting championships and was a player that dominated his era.
No. 2. Barry Sanders: Detroit LionsBarry Sanders is by far the greatest and most agile athlete on this list. No NFL player was as exciting to watch as the legendary Barry Sanders. His early retirement from the sport of football shocked the world. Barry Sanders knew he would never win an NFL title with the Detroit Lions and chose to retire a Detroit Lion healthy and content without an NFL Super Bowl ring.
No. 1. Dan Marino: Miami DolphinsThe greatest NFL quarterback to never hold a Vince Lombardi Award over his head after the Super Bowl is Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins. Marino's career statistics are staggering but the elusive finishing touch to his career eluded him in the end. Marino made it to the Super Bowl once in his sophomore season but he came up against the unbeatable San Francisco 49ers led by Bill Walsh and Joe Montana.
Statistical sources:www.nfl.com historical statistics
www.yahoosports.com historical statistics
www.espn.go.com historical statistics
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