Yogi Berra was many things to many people. He was a larger than life figure who was a war hero, inspired a beloved cartoon character and rivaled Shakespeare when it comes to quotability. He was both mythical and relatable -- that rare athlete who transcended sports and endeared himself to generations of fans with his unique use of the English language. "He doesn't use the wrong words," former player and broadcaster Joe Garagiola once said of his friend. "He just puts words together in ways nobody else would ever do."
But Berra, who died Tuesday at age 90, was also a champion. In fact, he was the greatest champion baseball has ever seen. No player has been a part of more World Series titles than Berra, who won 10 as a member of the New York Yankees from 1947-62. He added three more championships as a coach with the Yankees and New York Mets. While Berra had the good fortune of playing with some of the greatest players in history, including Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle, he wasn't just along for the ride. He's a Hall of Famer and was a 15-time All-Star and a three-time AL MVP.
Not many sports figures can even be mentioned in the same breath as Berra when it comes to winning team championships. Here are 10 players and coaches who could be in the discussion.
Phil Jackson, (13 NBA championships): Jackson won 11 titles as the coach of both the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers after being a part of two championship teams as a player for the New York Knicks (although he missed the entire 1969-70 season, the year he won his first ring, with a back injury). While critics will give Jackson's players most of the credit for his 11 titles as a coach, the fact is Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen failed to get to the NBA Finals before Jackson became their coach in Chicago, and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal flamed out in the playoffs three straight seasons before Jackson took over the Lakers. No coach was better at getting the most out of his players than Jackson.
Sir Alex Ferguson (13 Premier League championships): Ferguson was Manchester United's manager for 27 years, and his team finished on top of the Premier League almost half the time. ESPNFC ranked Ferguson, who retired in 2013, as the greatest manager in soccer history. According to the Independent, Ferguson's teams hauled in a total of 49 trophies during a managing career that started in 1974 with East Stirlingshire.
Bill Russell, (11 NBA championships): No player has more NBA championships than Russell, who won 11 titles in a 13-year span with the Boston Celtics, the final two coming as a player/coach after the retirement of Red Auerbach. The Celtics won eight straight titles from 1959 to '66. Eight of Russell's teammates won at last six titles each, led by Sam Jones with 10. Russell was also named the league's MVP five times. He won back-to-back national championships in college, leading San Francisco to the title in 1955 and 1956, and earned an Olympic gold medal in 1956.
Henri Richard (11 NHL championships): Although the fame of older brother Maurice "Rocket" Richard cast a long shadow, no NHL player won more Stanley Cups than Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard, whose first title came in his rookie season (1955-56). Several other Montreal Canadiens players rank among the most decorated players in NHL history. Jean Beliveau and Yvan Cournoyer won 10 championships each. Claude Provost won nine. Maurice Richard, the first NHL player to score 500 career goals, won eight. All of the above, with the exception of Provost, are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Geno Auriemma (10 NCAA women's basketball championships): Auriemma hasn't had a losing season as Connecticut's coach since his first team went 12-15 in 1985-86. Since then, Connecticut has won 10 NCAA women's national championships, including the past three. His Huskies won an NCAA-record 90 consecutive games from 2008-10.
John Wooden (10 NCAA men's basketball championships): During his 27-year career at UCLA, Wooden won 10 titles, including seven in a row from 1967 to '73. No other men's coach or men's basketball program has won the NCAA tournament more than two consecutive years. "He taught us how to focus on one primary objective," said Bill Walton, UCLA's three-time All-American center of the early 1970s. "Be the best in whatever endeavor you undertake. Don't worry about the score. Don't worry about image. Don't worry about the opponent. It sounds easy, but it's actually very difficult. Coach Wooden showed us how to accomplish it."
Scotty Bowman (nine NHL championships): Bowman won the Stanley Cup a record nine times as the coach of the three different organizations: the Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings. His teams also made it to the Stanley Cup finals a record 13 times and the semifinals a record 16 times. He's added five more titles as an executive, raising his ring total 14. The more recent two came as senior advisor of hockey operations for the Chicago Blackhawks, for whom his son, Stan, is the general manager. He also holds the record for the most regular season wins (1,244) and postseason wins (223) in NHL history.
Robert Horry (seven NBA championships): Horry was never an All-Star or even the best player on his team, and his career statistical averages (7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists) will prevent him from being in the Hall of Fame. But few players in NBA history were better winners than Horry. He won seven titles during his 16-year career. After winning back-to-back titles with the Houston Rockets early in his career, Horry won three straight with the Lakers and two more with the San Antonio Spurs. His penchant for hitting crucial shots during the playoffs earned him the nickname "Big Shot Rob."
Michael Jordan (six NBA championships): Jordan doesn't own the most NBA titles, but it's fun to think what could have been had he not retired after winning three straight with the Bulls in 1993 and retiring again in 1998 after a second batch of three in a row. Could Jordan have won a couple of more rings in between his double three-peat or maybe a couple of more after? Who knows? Not only did Jordan win six NBA titles, but he was named Finals MVP each time. Jordan also won a national championship at North Carolina in 1982 and two Olympic gold medals.
Charles Haley (five Super Bowl championships): Haley, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2015, was an elite pass-rusher, amassing 100½ sacks from 1986 to '99. He made two All-Pro teams, won two defensive player of the year awards and, most importantly, earned five Super Bowl championship rings -- the most by any player. Haley won two titles with the San Francisco 49ers and three with the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas owner Jerry Jones has said on more than a few occasions that the Cowboys could not spell "Super Bowl" before Haley arrived in a trade with the 49ers in 1992.
ESPN.com's Kevin Stone, Thomas Neumann and John Banks contributed to this story.