50 Greatest Athletes of South Hampton Roads: Nos. 21-30

Golf

Hometown Portsmouth

Born 1914 - Died 2004

Claim to fame Winner of 1950 PGA championship; inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame

Harper's name is synonymous with golf in Virginia. His career as a player, teacher and ambassador of the sport spanned nearly 70 years. His competitive career lasted from 1938 to 1955, a period in which he won 11 PGA Tour events, including the 1950 PGA Championship, and beat the likes of Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead. Harper also played in the 1955 Ryder Cup. In the 1954 Texas Open, he shot 63-63-63 over the final three rounds to set a tour record for the lowest total for 54 consecutive holes. He mentored U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange and co-founded Portsmouth's Bide-A-Wee Golf Club. Harper was elected to the PGA Hall of Fame in 1969.

Basketball

Hometown Virginia Beach

Born 1968

Claim to fame 11 NBA seasons, NCAA All-American, 1988 Olympian

In 1986, there was no better high school player in the nation than Kempsville's J.R. Reid. Fully grown at 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, Reid possessed a mature back-to-the-basket game that translated instantly to the college level. Reid was ACC Rookie of the Year at North Carolina in 1987 and a unanimous All-ACC pick and first-team AP All-American in 1988. That year he also made the last Olympic team to consist entirely of college players. He left school a year early and was drafted No. 5 overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1989. Reid was expected to be the cornerstone of the expansion franchise and made the all-rookie team in 1990. But he was undersized for an NBA center and left Charlotte in 1993. Reid spent the remainder of his career as a role player with six different teams and also played a year in France. He completed his final NBA season in 2001 and finished with career averages of 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds.

Football

Hometown Chesapeake

Born 1977

Claim to fame 40 NFL interceptions, two Pro Bowl appearances, three-time college All-American

ACC quarterbacks never saw Dre' Bly coming. As a redshirt freshman at North Carolina in 1996, Bly led the nation with 11 interceptions, still an ACC record. He picked off two more passes in the Gator Bowl and became the first freshman defensive player named a first-team AP All-American. Though quarterbacks tried to steer clear of him the next two years, he intercepted nine more passes to set an ACC career record with 20. He was an All-American again in 1997 and 1998, becoming the only player in ACC history to earn consensus first-team honors three times. Drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round in 1999, Bly is in his 10th NFL season, now with Denver. He's sixth among active players, with 40 career interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2003 and 2004 while with Detroit. In 2002 he was selected to the ACC's 50th anniversary team.

Gymnastics

Hometown Suffolk

Born 1971

Claim to fame 1988 Olympian; winner of four individual NCAA championships

Spivey had a spectacular national and international career, took some time off to live as a normal teenager, then enjoyed a second act as one of the top NCAA gymnasts of all-time. She left Suffolk at 13 to train at a gymnastics academy in Pennsylvania and made the U.S. Olympic team that finished fourth in 1988. She returned to Suffolk for two years to finish high school and take a break from competition. After graduation, she signed with the University of Georgia and picked up where she had left off, winning the NCAA all-around as a freshman in 1991 with a record score of 39.925. It was the first of four NCAA titles. A 12-time All-American, Spivey left Georgia with an NCAA-record 27 perfect 10.0 scores. She competed professionally for two years after graduation.

Baseball

Hometown Chesapeake

Born 1979

Claim to fame No. 9 pick in 1997 MLB draft; eight seasons in the majors

Cuddyer was out in front of the recent wave of local players to make it to the big leagues. A three-sport star at Great Bridge High, Cuddyer signed a baseball scholarship with Florida State but opted to go pro after the Twins drafted him No. 9 in 1997. He made his major league debut in 2001 but didn't become a regular until 2004. He broke out in 2006, driving in 109 runs for the Twins. He followed with 81 RBIs in 2007, but injuries limited him to 79 games last season. Drafted for his potential as a power hitter, Cuddyer played for Team USA in the World Junior Championship in 1996 and 1997 and led the team in home runs and RBIs. After stints at second and third base, he has found a home in right field for the Twins, where he owns one of the best arms in the game. Cuddyer also has been valuable in the postseason, hitting .349 in 49 at bats.

Auto racing

Hometown Norfolk

Born 1922 - Died 1964

Claim to fame Two-time NASCAR Grand National Circuit champion

In the days when NASCAR was populated with down-home characters, Weatherly outshined them all. The "Clown Prince" of racing lived hard and raced harder, becoming one of the sport's first superstars. He began his career as a motorcycle racer and won three American Motorcycle Association nationals between 1946 and 1950. He won his first stock car race in 1950 and moved up to NASCAR's Grand National Series in 1956. Weatherly won championships in 1962 and 1963. He was defending his title early in 1964 when his No. 8 Mercury slammed into a wall at Riverside Raceway in Southern California. Weatherly died of head injuries. He won 25 Grand National races and in 1998 was chosen as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.

Track and field

Hometown Chesapeake

Born 1974

Claim to fame 2000 Olympic silver medalist; 2001 World Indoor Champion

Read a full profile.

Baseball

Hometown Chesapeake

Born 1984

Claim to fame No. 2 pick in 2002 MLB draft; seven postseason home runs in 2008

Upton's bat came alive in the 2008 playoffs, when he hit three home runs in the American League Divisional Series and four more in the AL Championship Series for the Tampa Bay Rays. Long regarded as one of the top prospects in the game, Upton broke out in 2007, hitting .300 with 24 home runs and 22 stolen bases. He also found a home in center field after experiments at shortstop, third base and second base. Error-prone in the infield, the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder patrols center with easy grace, covering vast ground with long strides. His eye-popping talent was obvious at Greenbrier Christian, where he hit .641 with 11 home runs as a senior and was named a first-team All-American by Baseball America.

Football

Hometown Chesapeake

Born 1983

Claim to fame No. 8 pick in 2004 NFL draft; 2 Pro Bowls

Though he turned 25 just last month, Hall is a five-year NFL veteran with two Pro Bowl appearances and 22 career interceptions. He has returned two interceptions and two fumbles for touchdowns. A hard hitter with great speed, Hall won the "NFL's Fastest Man" competition at the 2005 Pro Bowl. Brash and outspoken, Hall has a reputation as a gambler at cornerback and has had some well-publicized feuds with some of the game's top receivers, including Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens. Released by the Oakland Raiders in November, Hall signed with the Washington Redskins three days later. He was an All-American punt returner and semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award at Virginia Tech in 2003.

Football

Hometown Virginia Beach

Born 1988

Claim to fame Considered the No. 1 football recruit in the country as a high school senior; All-American at Florida

The youngest member of our Top 50, Harvin, a junior receiver at Florida, might be the most dynamic college player in the nation. That's no surprise, considering he was one of the most electrifying high school athletes the area has seen. Harvin led Landstown High to three state title games and a championship in 2004, accounting for 476 yards and scoring four touchdowns in the game. Also as a senior, he scored 27 points in the state championship basketball game and won five gold medals at the 2005 state track meet (long jump, triple jump, 100 meters, 200 meters and 1,600 relay). At Florida, Harvin is the only player in school history to have 100 yards receiving and rushing in a game. He was a Sporting News first-team All-American in 2007. He has scored a TD in the past 14 games he has played, the longest streak in the nation, and has rushed for 538 yards and nine TDs and caught 35 passes for 595 yards and seven TDs in 2008.

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