Fansided

Picking the Sports Mount Rushmore for all 50 states

By Dave Stevenson

PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 02: Detail of baseballs during batting practice to the MLB opening day game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 2, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 02: Detail of baseballs during batting practice to the MLB opening day game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 2, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Arizona

Arizona has enjoyed a lot of success in sports. Shane Doan of the Arizona Coyotes was with the original Coyotes team that came from Winnipeg. Doan is a huge reason why the Coyotes have stayed in Arizona and currently serves as their captain entering the 2016-17 NHL season. He is the franchise leader in many categories.

NBA Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley’s career took off in Phoenix. He helped make the Suns a relevant NBA Team, winning the 1992-93 NBA Most Valuable Player award. Barkley’s 23.4 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game both rank second in franchise history. His 24.7 PER with the Suns is the highest of any Phoenix player.

Lute Olson won 589 games with the University of Arizona Wildcats and put them on the college basketball map. He led them to a national title in 1997. Sean Elliott has done a phenomenal job with the team, but Olson created the framework. Olson also took the Wildcats to four Final Fours.

Larry Fitzgerald has wrestled the last spot away from legends like Pat Tillman, Jake Plummer, Randy Johnson and Luis Gonzalez. Fitzgerald has helped make the Arizona Cardinals a force to be reckoned with in the eternally competitive NFC West. Sure, other players have helped. But none of them have had the influence of Fitzgerald.

Next: Illinois