Virginia Athletes

Virginia has produced some ballers, racers, swimmers and putters. Be surprised by which great athletes call Virginia home.

Basketball | Football | Golf | Racing | Swimming | Tennis | Boxing

Basketball

» Moses Malone (1955- ) Petersburg; Philadelphia 76ers (1983 league MVP) BIO
» Alonzo Mourning (1970- ) Chesapeake; Miami Heat (1992-present) BIO
» Ralph Sampson (1960- ) Harrisonburg; Houston Rockets BIO

Football

» Bill Dudley (1921- ) Bluefield; Pittsburg Steelers; pro football Hall of Fame (1966) BIO
» Willie Lanier (1945- ) Clover; Kansas City Chiefs (1960-70); pro football Hall of Fame (1986) BIO
» Bruce Smith (1963- ) Norfolk; Outland Trophy winner at Virginia Tech (1984); Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins. BIO
» Lawrence Taylor (1959- ) Williamsburg; New York Giants (1981-1993); pro football Hall of Fame (1999) BIO
» Fran Tarkenton (1940- ) Richmond; Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants; pro football Hall of Fame (1986) BIO

Golf

» Sam Snead (1912-2002) Hot Springs; 3 Masters titles, 3 PGA titles, 1 British Open title BIO
» Curtis Strange (1955- ) Norfolk; U.S. Open champion (1988,1989); winner, Canadian Open (1985) BIO
» Lanny Wadkins (1949- ) Richmond; PGA title (1977) BIO

Racing

» Ward Burton (1961- ) South Boston; Daytona 500 Winner (2002) BIO
» Jeff Burton (1967 -) South Boston; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year (1994) BIO
» Stacy Compton (1967- ) Hurt; record average start position (4.9) for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (1999) BIO
» Denny Hamlin (1980- ) Chesterfield; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year (2006) BIO
» Danny O'Quinn (1985- ) Coeburn; NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year (2006) BIO
» Ricky Rudd (1956- ) Chesapeake; NASCAR's "Iron Man" with a Sprint Cup-record 788 consecutive starts (1981-2005); NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year (1977) BIO
» Elliott Sadler (1975- ) Emporia; SpeedTV analyst and advocate for Autism; runner-up for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year (1999) BIO
» Hermie Sadler (1969- ) Emporia; Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year (1993) BIO
» Jon Wood (1981- ) Stuart; BIO

Swimming

» Whitney Hedgepeth (1971- ) Colonial Heights; Three-time NCAA Champion and 21-time All-American, won a gold and two silver medals at the Olympic Games in Atlanta (1996) BIO
» Rada Owen (1978- ) Chesterfield; member U.S. Olympic team (2000) BIO

Tennis

» Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) Richmond; Wimbledon champion (1975) BIO * http://www.arthurashe.org

Boxing

» Pernell Whitaker (1964- ) Norfolk; aka "Sweet Pea"; multi Welterweight and Lightweight championships; International Boxing Hall of Fame (2007) BIO

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