These are the top 25 names in New England sports history

BOSTON — The Celtics have won 16 NBA championships, The Patriots have brought home 5 Super Bowl trophies and the Red Sox broke a nearly 100 year dry spell in 2004.

But those aren't the only reasons Boston is called Titletown.

Some of the greatest players, coaches and businessmen have helped make every part of New England sports great.

Here's our list of the top 25 names in New England sports history.

Tom Brady - Brady is a five-time Super Bowl champion, four-time Super Bowl MVP, and two-time league MVP, selected for 13 Pro Bowls. He also has the most quarterback playoff wins. He is considered the biggest "steal" in NFL Draft history.

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Bill Russell - He is a five-time NBA MVP and 12-time NBA All Star, who went a dozen consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more rebounds. He won 11 championships with the Celtics in 13 seasons.

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Larry Bird - Bird is a three-time NBA Champion, three-time NBA MVP, and a 12-time NBA all-star. He led the Celtics to win twice as many games than their previous season during his rookie season.

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David Ortiz - Ortiz is a 10-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger winner, and has more than 500 career homeruns. He led the Sox to win the Series in 2004 (to end an 86 year drought), and in 2007 and 2013, when he won MVP. Ortiz holds the all-time MLB record for his position for hits, runs batted in, games, plate appearances, at-bats, runs, doubles, total bases, extra-base hits and walks.

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Bobby Orr - Orr won a record eight consecutive Norris Trophies as the NHL's best defenceman and three consecutive Hart Trophies as the league MVP. Orr led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup twice, earning early entry into the Hall of Fame.

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Ted Williams - Williams was a two-time American League MVP and two-time Triple Crown winner.

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Ray Bourque - Bourque is the NHL's all-time leader for points by a defensemen. He was a five-time recipient of the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman, and played in 19 consecutive NHL All-Star games.

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John Havlicek - Havlicek won eight NBA championships, with four in his first four seasons. He also appeared in 13 consecutive NBA All-Star Games.

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John Hannah - He is a nine-time Pro Bowl player, and won the Offensive Lineman of the Year Award four consecutive years. He was dubbed "The Greatest Offensive Lineman of All Time" by Sports Illustrated, and inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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Carl Yastrzemski - He is an 18-time All-Star, and one of only nine players in Major League Baseball history to amass 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. He also held eight different career Red Sox team records during his time.

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Bob Cousy - Cousy won the NBA rookie of the year award, played in 13 straight NBA All-Star Games, and earned six NBA championship rings. He led the league in assists for eight consecutive seasons, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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Kevin McHale - McHale is a three-time NBA champion, seven-time All-Star, and three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team. He was also chosen for the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History team. His number was retired by Celtics, and he was named a Hall of Famer.

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Bill Belichick -  His winning percentage of .678 ranks second in NFL history. Belichick led the Patriots to a winning record for 16 consecutive seasons, five Super Bowl championships, seven conference titles, 14 division crowns and 25 playoff victories.

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Red Auerbach -  He won nine NBA titles, and 938 games - a record when he retired in 1966. Auerbach was inducted into the Hall of Fame and named the greatest coach in NBA history by Professional Basketball Writers Association. Now, the Red Auerbach Trophy is awarded to the league's Coach of the Year.

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Pedro Martinez - He is the only pitcher to compile over 3,000 strikeouts with fewer than 3,000 innings pitched.

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Robert Kraft - Kraft bought the Patriots and kept them in Boston in 1992, for a then-NFL record of 175 million dollars. As owner of the Patriots for 26 years, he has had five Super Bowl wins in the past 15 years.

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Babe Ruth - During Babe's first year in the starting lineup for the Sox, he tied for the major-league lead in homeruns with 11, and followed that up by setting a single season homerun record of 29 dingers.

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Jim Rice - Rice is an eight-time All Star and two-time Silver Slugger award winner, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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Paul Pierce - Pierce has 10 All-Star appearances, and was named MVP after a Celtics championship victory in 2008.

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Rocky Marciano - Marciano ended his career as the only heavyweight champion with a perfect record - 49 wins in 49 professional bouts, with 43 knockouts.

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Rob Gronkowski - Gronkowski is the first tight end in NFL history with three straight 10-plus touchdown seasons. Gronkowski and Brady have connected on 75 touchdown passes - the most in team history, tied for fifth all-time, and the second most between a quarterback and tight end in NFL history. Gronk recorded his 50th career touchdown reception in his 59th career game, and has been selected for the Pro Bowl four times.

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Cam Neely - Neely is a four-time All-Star, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

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Andre Tippett - Tippett spent his entire career with the Patriots, and was the first (and still only) player to reach 100 sacks in his Patriots career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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Tedy Bruschi - Bruschi was on the Patriots for nine playoff seasons, eight division championships, five conference titles and three Super Bowl crowns. He attended the Pro Bowl in 2004, and won Comeback Player of the Year in 2005.

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Doug Flutie - Flutie is best known for his Hail Mary touchdown pass while playing at Boston College - winning against Miami in 1984. He went on to become the quarterback of the Patriots.

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MORE: TB12 by the numbers: Unusual stats that stand out for Tom Brady

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