Evolution of the G.O.A.T. — and who gets those honors for Utah athletics
Growing up, Steve Barton, Chris Webber and Bill Buckner had one thing in common — they were the goats. They were the men who cost their respective teams chances at championship glory and cost the fans of those teams essential bragging rights.
Before "G.O.A.T." was a thing, being a goat was the worst thing you could ever have happen to you. It was the one thing each sports player or fan never wanted to be. It's fine to lose, but to be the goat is life-changing in the worst of ways.
Back then, a goat was the opposite of a hero. A goat cost his team the game, and usually not just any game, a BIG game.
That's why Barton's foul ball fiasco was so terrible that he received death threats and had to move. That's why Webber's timeout in college was so atrocious that it will always outshadow the fact that he was the No. 1 overall pick and a five-time All-Star. That's why Buckner's error will always be in our memories despite the fact that the Red Sox would later win multiple world series'.
But when did that word go from "goat" to "G.O.A.T."? When did becoming a G.O.A.T mean that you were the Tiger Woods, the Michael Jordan or the Tom Brady of your game? When did that mean that you were considered the best to ever play?
With all the being said, it's time to dig into who are the proverbial "goat" and "G.O.A.T." of Utah athletics?
I mean you have Andrew Bogut in basketball, who was the national player of the year and No. 1 overall pick. But you also have players like Michael Doleac, Andre Miller and Keith Van Horn who could have a say as to who the greatest was.
In football, Alex Smith jumps off at you as he was the No. 1 overall pick, but Zack Moss is the best of the running backs after breaking multiple school records from a college that has consistently churned out great running backs.
So with that, I ask who are the best and worst athletes to ever come through the University of Utah... enjoy.