Who is the best athlete of all time from your hometown?

Our friends at NOLA.com dug deep and came up with a list of the best athletes from every parish in Louisiana. From the biggest cities in the boot to the smallest towns down the bayou, every parish in Louisiana is covered.

So who made the list?

Well, before we get to that, here's how they put it all together.

Top athletes here are defined as sports competitors who rise to the highest level of competition. Qualifying are those who either were born or lived in the parish part of their lives, and/or played high school sports there.

Being that Louisiana is the state that produces the highest number of NFL players (per capita) I figured that Kevin Faulk would top the list for Lafayette Parish. After all, Kevin shined at Carencro High, LSU, and ultimately in the NFL winning multiple Super Bowl championships during a successful career with the New England Patriots.

I was wrong.

Ron Guidry
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According to the NOLA.com list, Ron Guidry grabbed the top spot for Lafayette Parish—and when I tallied up his stats and accolades, it was clear to see how he represented our parish.

He was one of the most decorated Major League Baseball players from Louisiana. He played all 14 seasons with the Yankees, winning two World Series (1977-78), a Cy Young Award, five consecutive Gold Gloves (1982-86) and four All-Star berths. In 1978, he had a 25-3 record with a 1.74 ERA, best in the majors in 12 seasons, and threw nine shutouts. His 248 strikeouts that season broke the Yankee record that had stood since 1904.

His 170-91 record was second only to Whitey Ford and his career ERA was 3.29 with 1,778 career strikeouts. At Northside High School he was known for his speed and had a college track scholarship offer. He went to then-USL and compiled a 13-5 record in two seasons before applying to the MLB draft and was taken in the third round by the Yankees.

If anything it makes a great argument between Guidry, Faulk, and some of the other honorable mentions from Lafayette Parish. For instance, former olympic wrestler and current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier may be more globally known than both of the aforementioned athletes, but his organized sport is in its infancy stage compared to other professional organizations like baseball and football.

What Lafayette parish athlete do you think deserves to be called the best of all time?

See all of the athletes that represent their respective Louisiana parish by checking out the entire list here.

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