Year Of Stars

Baseball

Greg Maddux

Won unprecedented fourth straight Cy Young Award, second straight unanimously … Had 1.63 ERA following 1.56 in 1994, first pitcher since Walter Johnson in 1918-19 with consecutive ERAs less than 1.80 … Was 19-2 and has 35-8 record over last two seasons … Pitched two-hitter to win World Series opener.

Randy Johnson: American League Cy Young winner … Led majors for fourth straight year with 294 strikeouts … Led A.L. with 2.48 earned run average in an 18-2 season … First Seattle player to win postseason award in team’s 19-year history.

Barry Larkin: First shortstop in 33 years to win National League MVP … Batted .319 with 15 home runs, 66 RBIs and 51 stolen bases … Led Cincinnati to N.L. Central championship and first postseason appearance in five years.

Mo Vaughn: Beat out Albert Belle by eight points for American League MVP … Batted .300 with 39 home runs and 126 RBIs, leading Red Sox to division title … Good guy with considerable charitable involvement in Boston area … Wears uniform No. 42 to commemorate Jackie Robinson.

Tom Glavine: World Series MVP with two wins for Atlanta, including eight-inning, one-hitter in clincher … Was 16-7 with 3.08 ERA in regular season … Winningest pitcher in majors in last five years with 91 victories, one more than Maddox.

Football

Steve Young: Super Bowl MVP, throwing record six touchdown passes against San Diego last January … Led league in passing efficiency for record fourth straight year with 112.8 rating, throwing for 3,969 yards and 35 touchdowns as regular-season MVP … Career rating of 96.8 makes him most accurate passer in NFL history.

Eddie George: Swept Heisman and Maxwell awards as best college player and Doak Walker award as best senior running back … Set Ohio State rushing record with 1,826 yards, 6.0 per carry … Led nation with 24 touchdowns.

Northwestern: Ended decades of dreadful football by winning Big Ten championship, earning first trip to Rose Bowl since 1949 … Had first winning season since 1971 … Fulfilled Rose Bowl pledge of coach Gary Barnett, who won eight games in first three years and 10 this season.

Basketball

Hakeem Olajuwon: Led Houston Rockets to second straight NBA championship … Has won last two playoff MVP awards … Two-time Defensive Player of the Year … Only player in NBA history ranked in top 10 in both blocks and steals.

David Robinson: Regular-season MVP after leading San Antonio to league-best 62-20 regular season record, best for franchise … Averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and finished season ranked among top 20 in five categories: scoring, blocks, rebounding, steals and field goal percentage.

Ed O’Bannon: MVP of Final Four, leading UCLA to first NCAA basketball championship since the John Wooden dynasty years … Averaged 20.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, capping brilliant comeback from devastating knee injury in 1990 … First-round pick of New Jersey Nets, ninth player drafted.

Hockey

Claude Lemieux: Stanley Cup MVP with 13 goals in 20 games for New Jersey Devils after just six goals in 45 regular-season games … Pesky player with more than 220 goals in nine NHL seasons … Traded to Colorado in contract dispute.

Eric Lindros: Regular-season MVP tied for scoring title with 70 points in lockout-shortened third NHL season … Led Philadelphia Flyers in goals, assists, points, plus-minus, shots and shooting percentage, leading team to playoffs for first time since 1989 … At age 22, youngest MVP in 15 years.

Tennis

Pete Sampras: Regained the No. 1 ranking at year’s end after trailing Andre Agassi much of season … Won third straight Wimbledon and third U.S. Open … Led U.S. to Davis Cup victory over Russia, winning both singles and teaming with Todd Martin in doubles … Joins Ivan Lendl (1985-87), Jimmy Connors (1974-78) and John McEnroe (1981-84) as only players with three straight No. 1 finishes.

Steffi Graf: Won French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, despite personal problems and injury-plagued season … Missed Australian Open with injuries or might have had a second Grand Slam … Won nine tournaments, including season-ending WTA Championship, and called it best season of her career.

Golf

European Ryder Cup Team: Beat U.S. to regain Cup for first time since 1989 … Every player on team had at least one victory and the least experienced - Philip Walton, Howard Clark, Per-Ulrick Johansson and David Gilford - went 8-6 … Veterans Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Colin Montgomerie, Seve Ballesteros and Sam Torrance anchored victory.

Annika Sorenstam: LPGA Player of the Year … Also won Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average … Led all players in earnings with $666,533 … Won six tournaments including U.S. Women’s Open and World Championship of Women’s Golf … Joins Nancy Lopez as only player to follow Rookie of Year win with Player of the Year and Vare Trophy.

Boxing

Riddick Bowe: Regained prominent spot among heavyweights with six-round knockouts of Herbie Hyde and Jorge Luis Gonzalez, then got off the deck for eighth-round KO of Evander Holyfield … Widely viewed as best fighter in division.

Roy Jones, Jr.: Defended IBF super middleweight title three times with three knockouts … Extended unbeaten record to 30-0 with 26 knockouts … Considered finest fighter pound-for-pound in the world.

Horse racing

Cigar: Winner of 12 straight races including Breeders’ Cup Classic … First male thoroughbred to go undefeated in season since Spectacular Bid in 1980 … Broke Sunday Silence’s record for most earnings in a year, with $4,819,800.

D. Wayne Lukas: Swept all three Triple Crown races, extending record winning streak in those events to five straight … First trainer to sweep Triple Crown with more than one horse … Won Kentucky Derby and Belmont with Thunder Gulch and Preakness with Timber Country.

Auto racing

Jacques Villeneuve: Winner of Indy 500, one of four victories during season … At 24, became youngest driver to capture PPG Cup and $1 million first prize as season’s leading IndyCar driver … Following late father, Gilles, into Formula One series next season.

Jeff Gordon: Captured Winston Cup championship in third full season at age 24, second youngest to win title in NASCAR’s 47 years … Led stock car series in victories with eight, poles with seven and fought off late-season challenge by seven-time champ Dale Earnhardt for the title.

Michael Schumacher: Won second straight Formula One championship at age 26.

Track and field

Haile Gebrselassie: Broke both 5,000- and 10,000-meter records, lowering 5,000 mark by almost 11 seconds, from 12:55.30 to 12:44.39 … Also set world best and unofficial record in two-mile … Was undefeated for the year.

Sonia O’Sullivan: Swept six races at 5,000 meters … Posted only sub-8:30 clocking for 3,000 meters.