To honor Friday the 13th, here are the best Chicago athletes to don #13 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
While the number 13 carries unlucky connotations and unnerves man, some Chicago athletes have had incredible careers while sporting that number on their uniforms.
From baseball to basketball to football, numerous great Chicago athletes have worn the numbers, with at least two Hall-of-Famers doing so.
Here’s a look, by team, of the greatest players in Chicago sports history to wear No. 13.
Chicago Bears –
Many Bears fans will remember wide receiver Johnny Knox, who caught 133 passes for 2,214 yards and 12 touchdowns before a spinal cord injury ended his career prematurely at the age of 25.
The Monsters of the Midway have actually had two players reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame after wearing No. 13. The first was George Trafton, a center who appeared in 148 games for Chicago between 1920-1934. He was a two-time First-Team All-Pro, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964.
Trafton was actually born in Chicago, and attended Oak Park and River Forest High School.
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Just four years later, tackle Joe Stydahar wore No. 13, and he too went on to a Hall-of-Fame career. He appeared in 84 games and was a four-time All-Pro. He won four NFL championships with the Bears, and was inducted into the Hall in 1967.
Chicago Blackhawks –
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Just six players in Blackhawks history have worn No. 13, and while Daniel Carcillo won two Stanley Cups with the team in 2013 and 2015, Alex Zhamnov had a strong run after switching to that number in 2000. During his Blackhawks career, Zhamnov scored 140 goals and dished out 284 assists.
Chicago Bulls –
Luc Longley had a strong run with the No. 13 during his run with the Bulls, playing as part of multiple NBA championship-winning teams, but unquestionably it’s Joakim Noah that will be identified most readily with the number.
In nine seasons with the Bulls, Noah averaged 9.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He was named to two All-Star teams and was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in the 2013-14 season.
Chicago Cubs –
Even though the Cubs have been in existence for nearly 150 years, only 12 players have worn the No. 13, with David Bote the most recent as he began wearing it in 2017.
One of the two players with the most success while wearing that uniform are infielder Starlin Castro, who hit 62 home runs and drove in 363 RBIs with the Cubs between 2010 and 2015. He also was named to three All-Star teams, and helped guide the team to a berth in the NLCS in 2015.
Pitcher Claude Passeau had a strong run with the Cubs between 1939 and 1947, earning five All-Star Game bids and receiving MVP votes in three separate seasons.
He won at least 15 games on five different occasions, including a 20-13 record he posted during the 1940 season.
Chicago White Sox –
Even fewer players in White Sox history have worn the number, with Ozzie Guillen easily fitting in as the head of the class.
In addition to managing the White Sox to the 2005 World Series title, Guillen had a stellar career on the South Side, stealing 163 bases and collecting 1,608 hits in 13 seasons. He slashed .265/.286/.339 with the Sox.
Chicago Red Stars –
The No. 13 jersey bounced around a bit during the Red Stars’ history, but midfielder Morgan Gautrat gave it a nice home between 2017 and 2022.
She appeared in 61 matches for the Red Stars, with four goals to her credit. She also has amassed 88 total caps for Team USA, with eight goals in those matches. She was on the roster when the U.S. won the 2015 World Cup in Canada.
Chicago Fire FC –
Defender Gonzalo Segares had two separate stints with the Fire, but it was his second stint where he donned the No. 13 shirt. In all, he had 231 caps for Chicago, with 11 goals to his credit during that time.