12 Best Athletes to Ever Wear No. 12

Quarterback Terry Bradshaw was a four-time Super Bowl champion wearing No. 12 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Fox Sports)

In honor of the date being 12/12/12, I thought it would be fitting to give tribute to the 12 best athletes to ever wear No. 12.

12. Bob Griese: Griese was a two-time All-American quarterback and kicker at Purdue. He was the No. 1 pick in the 1967 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Griese is famous for quarterbacking the Dolphins to their perfect 1972 season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

11. Jarome Inginla: Iginla has spent the entirety of his 15-year career as a member of the Calgary Flames. Despite never bringing home the Stanley Cup, he has made himself a local legend. Inginla has scored 516 goals in his career, including 81 game-winning goals. He will be a lock for the Hall of Fame when ever he does decide to retire.

10. Dickie Moore: Moore was among the NHL's best shooters and puckhandlers of his time. As a member of the Montreal Canadiens, he led the NHL in goals and assists once time each. Moore played an important role on six championship teams, including five consecutive Stanley Cups from 1956-60. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1974.

9. Yvan Cournoyer: Cournoyer donned No. 12 for the Canadiens throughout his 17-year career after getting it from Moore. He finished his career with 428 goals and 435 assists. Cournoyer won the Stanley Cups 10 times, which is the second most in NHL history. He was a Hall of Fame inductee in 1982.

8. Thierry Henry: Henry is one of the best footballers of this generation. He was a member of the French national team that won the World Cup in 1998. Henry became an international star in the English Premier League as a top striker for Arsenal. During his career with The Gunners, he earned nearly every award the sport has to offer.

7. John Stockton: At point guard, Stockton led the Utah Jazz to 19 consecutive playoff appearances, but was never able to bring a NBA championship home. He led the league in assists for nine consecutive seasons. Stockton finished with a NBA record 15,806 assists, which is 3,800 more than the next closest player.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

6. Jim Kelly: Kelly is the only player in Buffalo Bills history to have his number retired. This honor is likely the result of leading the Bills to four consecutive losses in the Super Bowl. During his 11-year career, Kelly made 160 starts and threw 237 career touchdown passes. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

5. Roger Staubach: As a quarterback for Navy, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963. He then served his tour of duty in Vietnam. Staubach returned home to lead the Dallas Cowboys to their first two Super Bowl championships. He became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

4. Joe Namath: Namath is more of a legend because of his swagger, rather than his actual statistics. He guaranteed a win in Super Bowl III and delivered on his promise.  When Namath wasn't acting in movies and television commercials, he threw for 27,663 passing yards in his football career. Just like Staubach, he was a part of the 1985 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

3. Tom Brady: Brady was a sixth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots in 2000. He took over the starting job after Drew Bledsoe was injured in Week 2 of the 2001 season and led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title. Brady has thrown for 43,812 yards (nearly 25 miles) and 329 touchdowns. He is a two-time MVP and has won three Super Bowls.

2. Roberto Alomar: Regarded by many as the greatest second baseman of all time, Alomar was a 12-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, and led the Toronto Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.  Alomar wore No. 12 for each of the eight teams he played for during his career. His 2,724 career hits and 1,1,34 RBIs led to his Hall of Fame induction in 2011.

1. Terry Bradshaw: Bradshaw didn't put up huge statistical numbers, but he knew how to lead his football team to victories. He finished his career with a 107-51 record and four Super Bowl rings. Bradshaw was named MVP of the NFL in 1978 and was also the Super Bowl MVP twice. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Honorable Mention: Michael Jordan
Jordan made the No. 23 famous, but was forced to wear No. 12 for one game in 1990. On Valentine’s Day in Orlando, he had his jersey stolen from the locker room prior to the game. Jordan scored 49 points in 47 minutes, but the Bulls lost in overtime 135-129.

"That has never happened to me before,'' Jordan told the Orlando Sentinel at the time. ''It's pretty irritating because you're accustomed to certain things and you don't like to have things misplaced.''

Jordan may have been frustrated, but my guess is that the fans in Orlando were more than happy. They got to witness history in the making, Jordan have another outstanding game and their team pull off a surprising victory.

France Gets Revenge Against USA in 4x100 Freestyle Relay

The French 4x100 relay team celebrate their come-from-behind victory to win the gold medal Sunday night. (Mark Terrill)

Since its inception, the Summer Olympics 4x100 freestyle relay has been one of the most highly contested competitions of all. Its history has been full of trash-talking, surprising upsets, and exciting finishes. In Beijing four years ago, France were the favorites to win it all. With a substantial lead going into the final leg, Alain Bernard looked like he would be able to bring the French the gold. However, American anchor Jason Lezak started to make a move down the stretch. Exerting all his effort, Lezak just beat out Bernard by 0.08 seconds to bring Team USA the upset victory.

This year's installment lived up to the billing of excitement as well. The Australians were the heavy favorites to win the gold, led off by James "The Missle" Magnussen. The United States relay team, featuring Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, was among the other top contenders, along with France and dark horse Russia.

A shockingly poor first leg by Magnussen seemed to completely throw the Aussies out of sync. The United States took full advantage, building a substantial lead. France and Russia hung back just off the pace. American Cullen Jones gave Lochte, the anchor, a full second lead. But then all of a sudden, French anchor Yannick Agnel began to make his move. As the final stretch wore on, he got stronger and stronger before finally passing Lochte and winning the gold by 0.45 seconds.

While the French celebrated, the United States had to settle for silver. Meanwhile, Australia, the favorite, got beat out by Russia for the bronze. For France, winning the gold was sweet vengeance served. Agnel swam a beautiful final leg. At just 20 years of age, he is one of the bright young international stars of the sport. It will be interesting to see if this result will have any carry over effect into the rest of the swimming that is still to come.

Alonso's Two Goals Lifts Spain to Victory Over France

Xabi Alonso celebrates one of his two goals he scored against France. (Michael Buholzer)

Looking to win their third straight major international tournament, Spain has had the bullseye on their back since the onset of Euro 2012. They have also had the microscopic scrutiny of their fans and experts observing their every move. Following a lackluster effort in their final group win over Croatia, Spain looked to rebound against France in the quarterfinals.

Speaking of rebounding, that is exactly what France looked to do as well, after their surprising 2-0 loss to Sweden in their final group match. The French knew that they would have to play much better if they were to have a shot at knocking out the Spanish.

The quarterfinal got underway with Spain gaining control of the majority of possession and scoring opportunities. In the 18th minute, Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta played a beautiful through ball to Jordi Alba. Alba made a few invasive dribbles and sent a pinpoint cross across the box. Xabi Alonso was there to head it powerfully into the far post corner of the net. France tried to answer with an equalizer, but struggled to maintain possession. The French did get a quality opportunity in the 32nd minute. Yohan Cabaye elected to blast a long range free kick at the net. It tested Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, but he was able to lift it out of play for a corner. The halftime whistle blew and Spain's lead stood at 1-0.

To begin the second half, France came out with a barrage of opportunities, but a lack of quality finishes. Spain seemed content to maintain possession and lock down defensively. As time passed, the French were forced to press forward more and more, which opened up space in the back for Spain to counter. They had some opportunities, but Hugo Lloris was equal to the task. In stoppage time, Spanish substitute Pedro Rodriguez carried the ball into the French box. When he was taken down by French right back Antony Reveillere, the referee immeadiately awarded a penatly kick. The man of the match, Xabi Alonso, stepped up, fooled Lloris, and calmly buried the ball that sealed the deal.

It was a remarkable performance by Alonso. In his 100th international cap, he scored the only two goals of the match. Typically known to hang back more defensively as a midfielder, Alonso stepped and did what his nation needed him to do. The French were basically a no show. They had opportuinites, but one shot on net simply is not going to cut it against Spain. The Spanish didn't play their best game. I felt as though they got complacent at times with the lead and the fact that they are simply the better team. The Spaniards will need a much better effort against Portugal in the semifinals.