[August 06, 2004] Best Buy Announces Fantasy Football All-Time Teams of Past and Present; Fantasy Football Experts Select Fantasy Football's Top Performers at Each Position MINNEAPOLIS --(Business Wire)-- Aug. 6, 2004 -- Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY), North America's leading consumer electronics retailer and the provider of a free fantasy football game at www.bestbuy.com/fantasyfootball, today announced the All-Time Fantasy Football teams of both past and present pro football players. Best Buy pulled together fantasy football experts from Fanball.com to explore which legendary players would have been the best fantasy football players of their time if fantasy sports had been around for the entire history of pro football. Fanball.com staff also selected a list of future hall of famers who they believe will be among the all-time fantasy greats. The Best Buy All-Time teams show how the emergence of fantasy football has revolutionized the way many people follow pro football. It has connected football fans with more information about their favorite players than ever before and will affect how many people view the game's history. -0- *T Best Buy Fantasy Football All-Time Team of the Past QB - Dan Fouts Fouts had more than 40,000 yards, with 254 touchdowns; outstanding numbers even by today's standards. RB - Walter Payton The all-time rushing leader when he retired, "Sweetness" was one of the greatest backs of all-time in any measure. WR - Steve Largent When he retired, Largent held career receiving records for most touchdowns and most seasons with 1,000 yards or more; the perfect combination for a fantasy football receiver. TE - Ozzie Newsome Despite being a tight end, Newsome was the Browns' go-to-guy for many years and his numbers made him a great fantasy tight end. K - Jan Stenerud The only place kicker in the hall of fame, Stenerud would've been a fantasy football fixture with seven seasons of scoring 100 points or more. Source: Fantasy Sports Trade Association Note: Players selected must be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Best Buy Fantasy Football All-Time Team of the Present QB - Peyton Manning, Colts Manning has never thrown fewer than 26 touchdowns in a season and will be remembered as one of the game's most consistent passers ever. RB - LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers Easily the game's best all-purpose back, Tomlinson is averaging over 2,000 yards per season. WR - Randy Moss, Vikings Throughout Moss' six-year career, he has set an unprecedented pace for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. TE - Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs He's on pace to shatter Shannon Sharpe's many tight end receiving records. K - Jason Elam, Broncos Fantasy players love consistency; and in 11 seasons, Elam has never scored less than 103 points. Source: Fanball.com staff Note: Players must be active and likely candidates for the Hall of Fame and they continue to perform consistently. *T How would members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame have fared in today's world of fantasy football? Interestingly, the qualities of a Hall of Fame football player may not necessarily be the same qualities that make a great fantasy football player. "Fantasy football fans look for big stats each week from their players," said Paul Charchian, publisher of Fanball.com. "If there were a Fantasy Football Hall of Fame, a shocking number of current Cantonites may not make the list. Many well-deserved Hall of Fame players posted long fruitful careers, but didn't string together many outstanding statistical seasons according to today's fantasy football standards." Here are some examples from Fanball.com: -0- *T Jim Kelly - Averaged 21 touchdown passes per season and topped 25 touchdown passes just once. Bart Starr - Certainly, in the 1960s, the passing game wasn't the same as it is now, but Starr averaged less than one touchdown per game through his career. Bob Griese - Griese's best season saw him throw just 22 touchdowns, and he only topped 14 touchdowns five times in 13 years as a starter. John Riggins - His 24-touchdown 1983 season was remarkable, but take that season away and he averaged just six touchdowns in his 13 other seasons. John Stallworth - He played for 15 years, and accumulated solid career stats, but topped nine touchdowns in only one season. *T About Fanball.com Fanball.com (Fanball Interactive, LLC) is the world's most visited all-fantasy sports site, boasting 2 million unique visitors per month during the NFL season. A privately owned Minnesota-based company, Fanball has been an innovator and leader in the fantasy sports world since 1994. With over 15 million people participating in the ever-growing world of fantasy sports, Fanball.com is the No. 1 ranked pure play fantasy sports Web site on the Internet by Alexa.com. Fanball.com also publishes the leading print publication for fantasy football, Fantasy Football Weekly. For more information about Fanball, visit www.fanball.com. About Best Buy Stores Best Buy Stores, owned and operated by Minneapolis-based Best Buy Co., Inc., is the nation's leading specialty retailer of technology and entertainment products and services. Best Buy was founded in St. Paul, Minn. in 1966. Best Buy Stores reach an estimated 300 million consumers per year through more than 600 retail stores in 48 states and online at BestBuy.com. For more information about Best Buy, visit the virtual pressroom at http://onlinepressroom.net/bestbuy. About Best Buy Co., Inc. Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) is a Fortune 100(R) growth company that continually innovates to create superior customer experiences. Through more than 750 retail stores across the United States and in Canada, our employees connect customers with technology and entertainment products and services that make life easier and more fun. We sell consumer electronics, home-office products, entertainment software, appliances and related services. A Minneapolis-based company, our operations include: Best Buy (BestBuy.com), Future Shop (FutureShop.ca), Geek Squad (GeekSquad.com) and Magnolia Audio Video (Magnoliaav.com). We support our communities through employee volunteerism and grants from The Best Buy Children's Foundation. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]