How much more exciting were the Wimbledon seeds back then?!

[JAY1]

1976
Arthur Ashe (Fourth round)
Jimmy Connors (Quarterfinalist)
Ilie Năstase (Finalist)
Björn Borg (Champion)
Adriano Panatta (Third round)
Guillermo Vilas (Quarterfinalist)
Roscoe Tanner (Semifinalist)
Raúl Ramírez (Semifinalist)
Tom Okker (Third round)
John Newcombe (Third round)
Eddie Dibbs (Withdrew before start of tournament)[1]
Tony Roche (Fourth round)
Jaime Fillol Sr. (Third round)
Brian Gottfried (Fourth round)
Jan Kodeš (Withdrew before start of tournament)[2]
Stan Smith (Fourth round)

1977
Jimmy Connors (Finalist)
Björn Borg (Champion)
Guillermo Vilas (Third Round)
Roscoe Tanner (First Round)
Brian Gottfried (Second Round)
Ilie Năstase (Quarterfinals)
Raúl Ramírez (Second round)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Semifinals)
Dick Stockton (Fourth Round)
Adriano Panatta (Second Round)
Stan Smith (Fourth Round)
Wojtek Fibak (Fourth Round)
Phil Dent (Quarterfinals)
Mark Cox (Fourth Round)
Robert Lutz (Third Round)
Harold Solomon (First Round)

1978

Björn Borg (Champion)
Jimmy Connors (Finalist)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Semifinalist)
Guillermo Vilas (Third round)
Brian Gottfried (Quarterfinalist)
Roscoe Tanner (Fourth round)
Raúl Ramírez (Quarterfinalist)
Sandy Mayer (Quarterfinalist)
Ilie Năstase (Quarterfinalist)
Dick Stockton (First round)
John McEnroe (First round)
Buster C. Mottram (Second round)
Wojtek Fibak (Fourth round)
John Alexander (Fourth round)
Arthur Ashe (First round)
John Newcombe (Fourth round)

1979

Björn Borg (Champion)
John McEnroe (Fourth round)
Jimmy Connors (Semifinalist)
Vitas Gerulaitis (First round)
Roscoe Tanner (Finalist)
Guillermo Vilas (Second round)
Arthur Ashe (First round)
Victor Pecci Sr. (Third round)
Brian Gottfried (Third round)
Wojtek Fibak (First round)
John Alexander (Third round)
José Higueras (Second round)
Manuel Orantes (Second round)
José Luis Clerc (Fourth round)
Tim Gullikson (Quarterfinalist)
Corrado Barazzutti (First round)

1980
Björn Borg (Champion)
John McEnroe (Final)
Jimmy Connors (Semifinals)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Fourth Round)
Roscoe Tanner (Quarterfinals)
Gene Mayer (Quarterfinals)
Peter Fleming (Quarterfinals)
Víctor Pecci, Sr. (Third Round)
Pat Du Pré (Third Round)
Ivan Lendl (Third Round)
Harold Solomon (Withdrew before the tournament began)[2]
Yannick Noah (Withdrew before the tournament began)[3]
Wojtek Fibak (Quarterfinalist)
Victor Amaya (First Round)
Stan Smith (Third Round)
José Luis Clerc (Third Round)

1981

Björn Borg (Finalist)
John McEnroe (Champion)
Jimmy Connors (Semifinalist)
Ivan Lendl (First round)
Gene Mayer (Withdrew before the tournament began)[1]
Brian Teacher (Second round)
Brian Gottfried (Second round)
Roscoe Tanner (Second round)
José Luis Clerc (Third round)
Guillermo Vilas (First round)
Víctor Pecci, Sr. (First round)
Peter McNamara (Quarterfinalist)
Yannick Noah (First round)
Wojtek Fibak (Fourth round)
Balázs Taróczy (Third round)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Fourth round)

 

[BobbyOne]

1976
Arthur Ashe (Fourth round)
Jimmy Connors (Quarterfinalist)
Ilie Năstase (Finalist)
Björn Borg (Champion)
Adriano Panatta (Third round)
Guillermo Vilas (Quarterfinalist)
Roscoe Tanner (Semifinalist)
Raúl Ramírez (Semifinalist)
Tom Okker (Third round)
John Newcombe (Third round)
Eddie Dibbs (Withdrew before start of tournament)[1]
Tony Roche (Fourth round)
Jaime Fillol Sr. (Third round)
Brian Gottfried (Fourth round)
Jan Kodeš (Withdrew before start of tournament)[2]
Stan Smith (Fourth round)

1977
Jimmy Connors (Finalist)
Björn Borg (Champion)
Guillermo Vilas (Third Round)
Roscoe Tanner (First Round)
Brian Gottfried (Second Round)
Ilie Năstase (Quarterfinals)
Raúl Ramírez (Second round)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Semifinals)
Dick Stockton (Fourth Round)
Adriano Panatta (Second Round)
Stan Smith (Fourth Round)
Wojtek Fibak (Fourth Round)
Phil Dent (Quarterfinals)
Mark Cox (Fourth Round)
Robert Lutz (Third Round)
Harold Solomon (First Round)

1978

Björn Borg (Champion)
Jimmy Connors (Finalist)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Semifinalist)
Guillermo Vilas (Third round)
Brian Gottfried (Quarterfinalist)
Roscoe Tanner (Fourth round)
Raúl Ramírez (Quarterfinalist)
Sandy Mayer (Quarterfinalist)
Ilie Năstase (Quarterfinalist)
Dick Stockton (First round)
John McEnroe (First round)
Buster C. Mottram (Second round)
Wojtek Fibak (Fourth round)
John Alexander (Fourth round)
Arthur Ashe (First round)
John Newcombe (Fourth round)

1979

Björn Borg (Champion)
John McEnroe (Fourth round)
Jimmy Connors (Semifinalist)
Vitas Gerulaitis (First round)
Roscoe Tanner (Finalist)
Guillermo Vilas (Second round)
Arthur Ashe (First round)
Victor Pecci Sr. (Third round)
Brian Gottfried (Third round)
Wojtek Fibak (First round)
John Alexander (Third round)
José Higueras (Second round)
Manuel Orantes (Second round)
José Luis Clerc (Fourth round)
Tim Gullikson (Quarterfinalist)
Corrado Barazzutti (First round)

1980
Björn Borg (Champion)
John McEnroe (Final)
Jimmy Connors (Semifinals)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Fourth Round)
Roscoe Tanner (Quarterfinals)
Gene Mayer (Quarterfinals)
Peter Fleming (Quarterfinals)
Víctor Pecci, Sr. (Third Round)
Pat Du Pré (Third Round)
Ivan Lendl (Third Round)
Harold Solomon (Withdrew before the tournament began)[2]
Yannick Noah (Withdrew before the tournament began)[3]
Wojtek Fibak (Quarterfinalist)
Victor Amaya (First Round)
Stan Smith (Third Round)
José Luis Clerc (Third Round)

1981

Björn Borg (Finalist)
John McEnroe (Champion)
Jimmy Connors (Semifinalist)
Ivan Lendl (First round)
Gene Mayer (Withdrew before the tournament began)[1]
Brian Teacher (Second round)
Brian Gottfried (Second round)
Roscoe Tanner (Second round)
José Luis Clerc (Third round)
Guillermo Vilas (First round)
Víctor Pecci, Sr. (First round)
Peter McNamara (Quarterfinalist)
Yannick Noah (First round)
Wojtek Fibak (Fourth round)
Balázs Taróczy (Third round)
Vitas Gerulaitis (Fourth round)

JAY1, I'm convinced that these seeded players were more exciting and greater players than the current top 16 , at least per average. Of course a Nadal or a Federer are exceptions.

F.i. the 1976 list includes 7 players who were No.1 in their careers.

 

[kiki]

Wimbledon seeding comittee was, in a time when surfaces were so different and there were so many specialists, always prompt to combine grass court results with the regular ATP rankings.That is why guys like Dibbs,Solomon,Higueras and Barazutti were seeded players.They made some wrong choices but I think their vision was the correct one when at those times.