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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
39 of 50
Next

North Dakota

God bless North Dakota. The state has produced very few elite athletes over the years, but it still gets its own Mount Rushmore.

North Dakota’s most famous resident? That would be former single season home run record holder Roger Maris. Most notably of the New York Yankees, Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961 to top Babe Ruth’s record. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds have all beaten that since, but it was about the only time North Dakota could say it was the home of a record holder.

Darin Erstad had a successful MLB career. Ironically, he starred in three sports for Jamestown High School (in Jamestown, North Dakota), but not baseball. He originally went to the University of Nebraska as a football player, but he quickly caught onto baseball. Erstad won three Gold Gloves and a World Series with the Los Angeles Angels.

Brian Voss is one of the most successful bowlers of all time. He has won 25 titles over his professional career. The one-time resident of Bismarck, North Dakota graduated from Bismarck High School and is a member of Professional Bowling Hall of Fame.

Carson Wentz hasn’t played in an NFL game yet, but being the second overall pick in the draft already puts him up there with the best athletes from North Dakota. It’s not like he has to do much to pass fellow North Dakotan quarterback Brooks Bollinger.

Next: Oregon