Karl Malone’s recent retirement got me thinking about the “Mailman’s” career. The first thought that came to my mind was Utah’s two classic championship series with the Chicago Bulls.

One of my favorite, but probably less significant, moments of those series was when Bill Wennington had a reverse put back on a rebound while the Bulls pulled away from the Jazz.

And speaking of Wennington, what does he have that Malone doesn’t? Malone has three NBA title rings, or even one for that matter?

With his retirement, Malone joins an exclusive group of superstar athletes that never won a championship. Malone’s name will be mentioned with players like Cal Ripken Jr., Ted Williams and Dan Marino.

All of these players put up the kind of numbers that you don’t see often, and some of them never again.

Malone had two shots to win a NBA title and couldn’t do it. Granted he was playing the best team of the 90’s. Another highlight of the classic Bulls/Jazz series was when Scottie Pippen told Malone, “The Mailman doesn’t deliver on Sunday.” And sure enough he didn’t.

While Malone, the second all-time leading scorer, may not have a championship legacy he will no doubt be remembered, along with John Stockton, as being part of the best scoring duo in the NBA.

Just like Marino, Williams and Ripken they all found their places in the game by always being at the top of game.

But there is one blemish on his record that is distracting. It’s not in the numbers though. It’s when Malone left Utah after 19 years. Yes, he was trying to prevent ending up in the exclusive club mentioned earlier, but he did brush off Utah to do it.

Imagine if Dick Butkus would have left Chicago to chase a championship. All those players showed that they had a dedication to their teams and their fans.

Dan Renick is a junior journalism major. If you think the lack of rings on his fingers taint his legacy, e-mail him at [email protected]