What’s in a jersey number? In team sports, players wear numbers on their uniforms as a way to differentiate from one another. Whether it’s for a new fan, a season ticket holder in the nosebleeds, or the statistician, the number on the jersey is just supposed to separate players from one another. 45, 34, and 22 are all separate pieces of one uniform team, theoretically.
But sometimes, jersey numbers carry more weight. Millennials tie 3 to Allen Iverson, as evidenced by Odell Beckham’s praise. The next generation of “23’s” dons LeBron James’ digits much like he wore them in honor of his hero Michael Jordan.
In Houston, that number has become 34.
Yes, currently the number is worn by Houston Dynamo forward Thor Úlfarsson, and the 21-year-old is promising. The undefeated (and default XFL Champion) Houston Roughnecks actually didn’t have a number 34 on the roster. The Houston Comets had a strong history, but 34 was worn by Sonja Henning and Felicia Ragland, and neither averaged more than a couple of baskets a game. Houston’s historic USFL franchise, the Gamblers, had hometown hero Calvin Eason wear 34. The new USFL Houston Gamblers don’t have a 34… surely unofficially in Eason’s honor.
But historically, for the three franchises that remain in Houston, 34 has made its mark.
So in Houston’s NFL, MLB, and NBA history, which 34 reigns supreme?
Houston Texans A.J. Bouye
The Houston Texans’ first official season was the fall of 2002, six years after the Houston Oilers left to become the Tennessee Titans. For official bookkeeping purposes, the Titans took the retired numbers, records, and folklore with them to Music City. Thus, A.J. Bouye is the most historic 34 in Houston Texan history.
Bouye was a defensive star for UCF before signing with the Houston Texans, undrafted, in 2013. Bouye’s rookie campaign was rough and filled with injuries, but by his sophomore season, he was the third corner on the roster. Bouye rotated in as a “nickel” corner for the next three seasons, snagged six total interceptions, and took one all the way back for a 51-yard touchdown.
Houston Oilers Earl Campbell
When you think of 34 on a Houstonian football field, you don’t realy think of Bouye. You think of Houston Oilers legend Earl Campbell. So while his number is technically retired in Tennessee, he played 91 of his 115 NFL games in H-Town.
Campbell’s claim to being the best 34 to come through Houston relies heavily on the broad shoulders he punished runners with. Campbell was a punisher. Defenses had nightmares of 34 running through them. Campbell led the NFL in rushing yards in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, highlighted by his 1,934 yards in 1980. He led the league in touchdowns twice, yards per game three times, and led the entire league in rushes in that same 1980 season.
If there’s any statistical evidence in his bruising running style, it’s that the NFL Hall of Famer, 1978 Rookie of the Year, three-time NEA MVP, and 1979 AP MVP, played just eight seasons. His game not only wore out defenses, it wore himself down.
Campbell’s 34 symbolizes toughness in Houston sports history. Yes, Houston wore pretty powder blue and white uniforms, but 34 always managed to get dirty… even on astroturf.
Campbell’s number 34 was retired in 1987, just two seasons after he retired from the NFL.
Houston Astros Nolan Ryan
The Houston Astros’ 34 symbolizes extended excellence. Nolan Ryan, who has his number retired for three different Major League Baseball teams, is the MLB all-time leader in strikeouts, no-hitters, and is one of only 29 players to appear in MLB games in four different decades.
In the middle of his Hall of Fame career, Ryan wore 34 for the Houston Astros for nine seasons.
The sustained excellence across 27 years wedged his time in Space City perfectly in the middle. One of -if not THE- greatest pitchers ever did some of his best pitching in the Astrodome. Ryan got his 3,000th and 4,000th career strikeouts in 34 for the Houston Astros. Also wearing Houston’s 34, Ryan set the MLB no-hitter record when he recorded his fifth against the LA Dodgers. Two of his nine seasons in Houston’s 34, Ryan led the MLB and both ERA and strikeouts.
Ryan’s 34 was retired by the Houston Astros in 1996, and he became the second player to ever have his number retired by three different franchises.
Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon
For the Houston Rockets, 34 represents a champion. Two-time champion and NBA Finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon was destined to be a Houston Rocket after spending his first four years in America at the University of Houston. Phi Slamma Jamma’s big man was an instant impact for the Houston Rockets, earning an All-Star bid in 12 of his first 13 seasons in the NBA. The one he missed? Olajuwon missed two months, including the All-Star Game, with a fractured eye socket.
A young Olajuwon starred as Houston pushed through the best stretch of basketball the franchise had sustained to that point. Houston rivaled the Showtime Lakers in the West, and even made it to the NBA Finals in 1986, while he dazzled NBA veterans with his fancy footwork. Olajuwon’s legacy is cemented in Houston because of his play nearly a decade later, when he led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back titles in 1993-94 and 1994-95. Along the way, Olajuwon faced other historic centers like Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal, Dikembe Mutumbo, and David Robinson. In an era of Hall of Fame Center play, Olajuwon was the best. Olajuwon is the all-time leader in Blocks, is in the top 15 in both points and rebounds, and is top 25 in win-shares all time.
Olajuwon’s 34 was retired by the Houston Rockets in 2002, the same year in which he retired.
Who’s the Best 34 in Houston’s History?
Toughness. Excellence. Champion. 34 has been worn by legends in Houston across the spectrum of pro sports. But if Houston had to choose one 34 to retire above all others, who is it?
The Dream. It’s Hakeem Olajuwon.
Not as a slight to Campbell or Ryan, but Olajuwon is Houston. Campbell’s retired number? It sits along a stadium wall in Nashville. Nolan Ryan’s is in Houston… and in Anaheim. And in Arlington. Maybe one day it will also be in Queens.
Outside of some awkward pictures of a Barney-themed uniform from 2001-02, Hakeem Olajuwon’s 34 is only Houston. His accomplishments were all fulfilled in Houston. His quadruple-doubles? Houston. Being the only player in NBA history with 2,000 Steals and 2,000 blocks? He hit both marks in Houston. One of just three players to win a regular seasnoo MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and the Finals MVP… and the only to win them all in the same season? 34, Houston. For 20 consecutive years in H-Town, between college and the NBA, 34 was king.
Further, the city of Houston has seven championships. Four of those are from the Houston Comets, and they had no significant contributions from a 34. One is from the 2017 Houston, and it came more than two decades after 34 had been retired. The other two? They were headlined by two-time NBA Finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon.
34 is a number that necessitates it’s own pantheon in the city of Houston. It’s been reserved for greatness across sports. And greatest of the greats is Hakeem Olajuwon, aptly named “The Dream” because sometimes it’s just too good to feel real.
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