Who wore it best? Our uniform-number countdown of all-time KC greatest arrives at 20-29
Athletes change uniform numbers for various reasons.
Former Royals ace Bret Saberhagan, for instance, was just looking to change his luck.
Saberhagen wore No. 31 in his first three seasons in Kansas City, and was the 1985 World Series MVP.
But after a rough 1986 campaign, “Sabes” wanted to try something different and thus took No. 18, his old high school number. He wore that number over his final five seasons in Kansas City, which means he won his two Cy Young Awards with the Royals (in 1985, 1989) wearing two different numbers.
No. 5 wasn’t available when George Brett joined the Royals in 1973. He wore No. 25 that year and in 1974, his first full season in the majors. When the number of his favorite player, Brooks Robinson, became available, Brett grabbed it.
Among other KC-area sports greats who changed numbers during their careers: Chiefs kick-return specialist Dante Hall (who went from 20 to 82) and Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (from 7 to 4).
Then there’s the story of Wade Davis. The star reliever of the pennant-winning Royals, Davis spent his first season (2013) in Kansas City wearing No. 22. Then he switched to No. 17 in 2014 to honor a stepbrother who’d recently died.
“For me, it was for him,” Davis said in 2014. “Like, ‘Hey, man. I always wanted you to be out here. I want you to be next to me out here.’”
Here are some of the top KC-area athletes who have worn Nos. 20-29.
20
Mickey Mantle: Demoted after struggling as rookie but hit 11 homers for KC Blues in 1951.
Frank White: Eight Gold Gloves and 1980 ALCS MVP, all with Royals.
Deron Cherry: Six Pro Bowls, three All-Pro seasons in 11 years with Chiefs
Jon Sundvold: Shooting star of four straight Big Eight title teams at Mizzou
21
John Hadl: First team All-America for Kansas in 1960, ‘61; played both ways and punted.
Mike Garrett: Hank Stram sent in the call, Garrett scored on “65 Toss Power Trap.”
Jeff Montgomery: His 304 career saves leaves are most in Royals history.
22
Norm Stewart: Star basketball and baseball player for Mizzou.
Buck O’Neil: Standout Monarchs first baseman of the 1940s.
Dennis Leonard: Only three-time 20-game winner for Royals.
Michael Watson: UMKC career scoring leader in basketball.
23
Johnny Roland: Two-way star was All-Big Eight three times at Mizzou.
Roger Wehrli: Big Eight defensive player of the year in 1968 for MU.
Mitch Richmond: Scoring machine led Wildcats to 1988 Elite Eight.
Tony Dumas: Only UMKC player selected in NBA Draft.
Mark Gubicza: Twice an All-Star, with 132 career victories for Royals.
Zack Greinke: 2009 Cy Young Award winner.
24
Whitey Herzog: First manager to guide Royals into playoffs.
Gary Green: Three of his five All-Pro seasons came as a Chiefs cornerback.
Jermaine Dye: All-Star outfielder for Royals’ amazing 2000 offense.
Kim English: Voted most outstanding player of 2012 Big 12 tourney for Mizzou.
25
“Bullet Joe” Rogan: Great two-way player for Monarchs, Baseball Hall of Famer.
Satchel Paige: Wore 25 in his remarkable Monarchs career. Also wore No. 29 for KC A’s.
Rolando Blackman: Hit buzzer-beater in K-State’s 1981 NCAA victory over Oregon St.
Danny Manning: Player of the year powered Kansas to 1988 NCAA title.
Jamaal Charles: Chiefs’ career rushing leader with 7,260 yards.
26
Amos Otis: Center fielder was Royals’ first great player.
Gary Barbaro: Chiefs Hall of Fame safety had a 102-yard pick-six.
Damien Williams: All he does is score postseason touchdowns.
27
Jordy Nelson: Kansas State walk-on wide receiver became All-America.
Brock Olivo: Left Mizzou as program’s career rushing and touchdowns leader.
Larry Johnson: Amassed 3,539 rushing yards for Chiefs in 2005-06.
Adalberto Mondesi: Royals shortstop poised for breakout in 2020.
28
Abner Haynes: Original Chiefs (and Dallas Texans) star running back.
29
Dan Quisenberry: Royals reliever was top five in Cy Young voting five times.
Mike Sweeney: Set Royals record with 144 RBIs in 2000.
Albert Lewis: All-Pro cornerback helped turn Chiefs into playoff regulars.
Eric Berry: Five full seasons with Chiefs, five Pro Bowls, cancer survivor.
Tim Melia: Winningest goalkeeper in Sporting KC history.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM.