Who is your favorite athlete of all time?

[johnnie]

I'm watching some old Ali fights and realize what a great athlete he was in his prime. I started thinking of all the great athletes in history and thought how hard it would be to pick a greatest of all time.

Not only for what a good athlete they were/are but also for how they came across to the public. So out of football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, golf, gymnastics, skateboarding, shot put, hockey, bicycling, boxing, wrestling, tick tack toe, tidily winks, chess...blah blah blah, who is your personal favorite?

[Floogeldy]

1. Doug Williams and Buster Douglas

:)

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. Sandy Koufax

One of the greatest pitchers of all time, and a gentleman to boot.

[Orsino]

3. Maybe Ali?

I don't follow sports, but watching him light the Olympic flame in '96 was one of the most moving things I've ever seen. He was shaking, and seemed barely able to walk, but he did it with pride and determination.

That was cool.

[johnnie]

4. Yes

That was very cool. He is one of my favorites.

[flvegan]

5. I have 3

First, Kerry Von Erich.

Pro wrestler, and my favorite as a youngster. He got me to want to buy my first weight set. He helped get me in the gym.

Second, Geoff Rowley.

Vegan skate pro. Designs some kick-ass Vans, too.

Third, Fabiola da Silva.


Inline vert/street skater, and she is so f'ing hot, I could cool off in a pool of lava were she nearby.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

6. Michael Jordan

[undeterred]

24. I second that.

[alarcojon]

Third

What a great run the Bulls, led by Jordan, had in the 90's.

[Bzzzz]

7. Lance Armstrong...

Flo Jo...

[Eagle_Eye]

120. Lance is truly top of the top. May the underdog win.

[Bunny]

8. The Great One:

[johnnie]

11. Great player and humanitarian

He died trying to help people, not much deserves respect more.

[Bunny]

15. Yeah, he was one of a kind.

Only the good die young is not a cliche when applied to Roberto.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. Is that Willie Mays?

[GOPisEvil]

36. Roberto Clemente.

[Beware the Beast Man]

91. My vote would go to him, too.

A great ball player, and an even better humanitarian.

[Stockholm]

92. Ingmar Stenmark or Björn Borg

Course I am a bit biased.

[livetohike]

105. Great pic Bunny

:hi:

He is my favorite too :-).

[Awsi Dooger]

9. Ali

The best athlete ever in the most basic and challenging sport.

Eric Heiden would be way up on the list. Sweeping everything from the 500 to 10,000 against a wave of specialists at every distance was beyond remarkable.

[ghostsofgiants]

10. Most of you probably don't know him...

But I'd have to say Jason Dill.

He's quite odd, and kinda scares me, but he's an amazing skateboarder

[JVS]

12. Andy Kaufman!

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. That guy, the one who always wore a shirt.

[JVS]

16. He was great! A legend in his own time!

[atomic-fly]

17. John Tomac ! Best overall cyclist ever.

I also like Christian Hosoi for skateboarding.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. Igor, the AWA wrestler, aka Dick Garza

http://www.obsessedwithwrestling.com/profiles/m/mighty-igor.html

[bigwillq]

19. Don Mattingly

Joe Morris (NY Football Giants)
is a close second

[hippywife]

20. Russ Francis.

TE for NE and SF. 6'6" 245 and ca--uuuuute!! I stopped watching football when he retired.

Before him it was Leroy Kelly of the Cleveland Browns...when I was much younger.

[trof]

21. I guess Johnny Weismuller.

I'm not much of a sports fan, but I loved the Tarzan movies when I was a kid.
He was an olympic swimmer before Hollywood got him.

[Joey Liberal]

22. Terry O'Reilly of the Boston Bruins

He was called the Tazmanian Devil. This was back when the NHL was TOUGH. Taz was the best. What a fighter he was.

[Wetzelbill]

61. Happy Gilmore's favorite player too

[MissMillie]

82. He was a fighter all right....

When they tore down the old garden, they GAVE him the penalty box... they figured he had earned it from being there so much.

[WCGreen]

23. Jim Thome....

He was and is a real down home guy....

And there is a slight chance he may come back to finish his career in Cleveland....

LeBron James... for being a cool dude...

[dr.zoidberg]

25. Pernell Whitaker.

[Wetzelbill]

56. Sweet Pea could go that's for sure

[SaveElmer]

26. Harmon Killebrew, Larry Bird, Kirby Puckett

Harmon Killebrew...one of the classiest baseball players ever...was my favorite growing up.

Larry Bird...best basketball player in history in my opinion...

Kirby Puckett...I know he got into some trouble later...but the man brought Minnesota its first two world series...best clutch player I have ever seen!!!

[enigmatic]

27. 2 Clevo Legends

Andre Thornton:



Bernie Kosar:

[Wetzelbill]

62. what? No love for Craig Ehlo?

[underpants]

89. BERNIE!!!!

My all time favorite EVER!!!

I loved Bernie. Great moment on live network TV-the Miami/BC game (the Flutie miracle game) Miami had the ball at the BC 5 with almost no time left (before the throw) and Jimmy Johnson and what would become the entire Dallas coaching staff were trying to figure out what to do Bernie is standing there and on live network TV with EVERYONE watching yells "Lets run the damned ball! LET'S F**KING PLAY FOOTBALL!!!" no time to censor that one.

Another great TV moment was Bernie actually drawing up plays in the Memorial stadium dirt and a shot of Bernie throwing a ball as the WR starts the first of his TWO cuts on a route.

Bernie was awesome even if he does give money to the RNC.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. Tazio Nuvolari

Nuvolari is one of the greatest and most colorful figures in auto racing history (and also motorcycle racing). He was one of the most daring and reckless drivers in the history of the sport, taking amazing chances with his life. There's even a story about his having had a steering wheel come off in his hands during a race but managing to bring his car into the pits. He is one of the heroes of the Mille Miglia, that gut-churning 1,000 mile cross country race in Italy at breakneck speeds that was finally banned because of the deaths it caused among drivers. A man who has had models of automobiles named after him, Nuvolari's life story needs to be brought to the big screen. He's one of the true legends of auto racing.

http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/nuvo_bio.htm

I would have to say that Muhammed Ali is my all-time favorite athlete, but because he's been well mentioned in previous posts, I thought I would mention someone who is not quite as well known in the U.S. but who is a legend in Europe.

[ScreamingMeemie]

29. Barry Sanders. A workhouse who stayed out of the spotlight.

And the Packers could have had him. He deserved better.

[friesianrider]

30. Terrell Owens. One of the best receivers ever.

:popcorn:

[Wetzelbill]

48. Boo! Hiss!!!!

:)

Oh you're biased, but he is great that's for sure.

I may be a smoother talker though, just you remember that. :)

[friesianrider]

118. Haha!

Now come on, why would I be biased? ;)

[Wetzelbill]

123. well, let's see....

I just don't know.

But less talk about T.O. and more about me, c'mon now! If I start feeling unappreciated you just may lose me! (yeah like that would happen) :)

[StellaBlue]

31. Paul Robeson

http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson/

[nini]

32. Michelle Kwan

A local girl who has grace and class. Since some will say ice skating doesn't count - which I think is stupid because let's get real... how many of us could do what they do. - I'll give you another.

Magic Johnson - all around great player from the era of the showtime Lakers.

[johnnie]

41. Ice skating doesn't count?

I would hope no one would say that. Michelle Kwan is a phenomenal skater. :thumbsup:

[nini]

100. Well, I think it does but some macho types don't agree

I love this girl. Not only her athletic ability, but her class just shines through. I've followed her since before she went pro.

[DanCa]

33. George Foreman

Sure ali beat him but george won the heavyweight title twice and in two different decades. I am also overwhelmed that the man has turned his life around.

Ali is a fellow parkinsonian but i am more impressed with his life beyond the squared circle. There both equally good however foreman eeks out ali just alittle.

[Rowdyboy]

34. Archie Manning....He a genuine class act and an amazing athlete...

He's about the only athlete I've consistently followed, beginning in his early college days. Through him, I also have followed the careers of his sons.

[KamaAina]

103. What ever became of Peyton, anyway?

He was so good with the Tennessee Vols. It seemed like he was destined for instant NFL stardom. Now I hear he's playing for some semipro team in Indiana (sigh). What could have happened? :sarcasm:

You can take K-A out of Baltimore, but...

[DanCa]

35. Honorable mention Ric Flair

Say what you went about wrestling but Flair can still work the ring at fifty plus. Plus he got by on pure athleticism unlike another wrestleri wont name.

[Politically_Wrong]

37. The Nature Boy!

I totally agree...he must be doing something right if he's fifty plus and still in the ring...WOOOOOOOO!!!

[johnnie]

39. I was amazed to see him the other day

He is still going strong at 50 plus.

[Wetzelbill]

53. Woooooo!!!!!

Flair loves his sport! With a passion. I deeply respect the man.

[Err]

38. Kurt Angle

From his official fan website:

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. Superstar Kurt Angle is ranked 3rd in the World’s Best Professional Sport Entertainers. At age of 36, Angle is a 5 time WWE World Champion who has won the WCW, Intercontinental, European, Hardcore Championships and King of the Ring. This 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, 1995 World Champion and 6-time US National Champion has more than 29 years of blood, sweat and tears of experience in the wrestling business. Over the past couple years Angle was inducted into three Hall of Fames (The Pennsylvania, Heinz Museum West PA and South Western PA).

[Wetzelbill]

54. back when I was a serious wrestler

Angle was one of my heroes. Even before he won the Olympic gold. That guy was/is a beast.

"I won an Olympic gold medal, with a broken freakin' neck!" haha

[dajoki]

40. Flo Jo

:applause:

[VelmaD]

85. My dad had such a crush on her...

my mom thought it was cute. :)

[dajoki]

104. so did i...

and my wife thought so too. also she was an inspiration to my daughter, who became all-state runner and went to college on full track scholorship.

[tuvor]

42. Wayne Gretzky.

Legally, I think I have to say that.

[richmwill]

43. Jackie Robinson

A great baseball player, and- he went through hell to make things better for so many others.

[huskerlaw]

44. Joe Montana

I started watching football just so I could stare at his ass. :blush:

Michael Jordan's a close 2nd.

[qnr]

45. Bobby Fischer (hey, to me, he's an athlete) n/t

[DanCa]

46. I think they perfer chessjocks. (nt)

[qnr]

72. heheh n/t

[Wetzelbill]

55. Gary Kasparov is an amazing player too

those guys are sickening geniuses. Unbelievable.

[qnr]

70. So do I, I was going to add Kasparov earlier, but I had to leave

suddenly.

[hfojvt]

73. that's what happens when you try to post and simultaneously

play blitz chess.

[qnr]

75. heheh

[hfojvt]

66. I never heard of him being a class act though

more like the Bobby Knight of chess.
I much prefer Capablanca. Alekhine, or Reuben Fine.

[qnr]

71. Valid point. I was going to expound a bit, but had to go out in

mid-post :)

[edbermac]

115. Ditto but as a chess player; as a man he's an anti-semitic loony.

[qnr]

122. Yes, true n/t

[Hypatia82]

47. Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Jim Thorpe, Jim Brown, Jackie Robinson...

Satchel Paige, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Babe Ruth, Tony Hawk, Matt Hoffman

[VelmaD]

86. Thanks for mentioning Babe...

she's definitely at the top of my list. :)

[lastliberalintexas]

119. Babe Zaharias and Jim Thorpe have to be the best

athletes of the last century. Each not only participated in numerous and varied sporting events, but actually excelled in them all. And I'll give the obligatory disclaimer that I'm partial to Babe because she was born and raised in SE Texas, my home as well.

I couldn't believe when ESPN named Michael Jordan the top "athlete" of the previous 100 years- best basketball player certainly, but *athlete*? He'd already proven that he sucked on the diamond, even if he was a god on the hardcourt. But Babe was a goddess in numerous track and field events, was a basketball all American, was given her nickname after she hit 5 homers in a single baseball game (unheard of for women, but even for male players of the time), and almost singlehandedly helped establish the LPGA. Thorpe was tops in football, track and field and baseball.

I guess if by best "athlete" you mean the one who can specialize best, then Jordan might be the one. Otherwise, it's hard to say how Babe Zaharias should not have had that honor.

But hey, she's a woman, and they can't top anything at ESPN. Unless of course it's the list of the 20 hottest athletes or some other such mularkey.


And welcome to DU!

[mwdem]

49. Toss between Ali and Flo Jo..

The spirit of those two was amazing.

[Blue_Tires]

50. Zinedine Zidane

extra points for the oh so kickass name

[BrotherBuzz]

51. Willie Mays, Jim Thorpe, and Jack La Lanne

All for different reasons, but they had my genuine respect.

[Wetzelbill]

52. Kurt Angle, Tom Brands, Dan Gable, Walter Payton and maybe

Brett Favre would be my top five.

Check that, Gary Payton would have to be in there. I was also always a big John Stockton fan. Magic Johnson too.

I am a big fan of greatness and Jerry Rice was great. Annika Sorenstam is great. Serena and Venus Williams.

Roger Federer is a pure joy to watch. Unbelievable tennis player. In a league of his own.

I was always a big fan of the bull riders Jim Sharp, Lane Frost and Michael Gaffney.

You have to respect Lance Armstrong's accomplishments, Greg Lemond and Miguel Indurain as well.

Probably my favorite boxer in recent memory has been "Irish" Micky Ward. Just an honest, tough fighter who gave it his all.

I like Marco Antonio Barrera a lot too. Great boxer.

In hockey, my man has always been Theo Fleury. Loved that guy!

Always was a big Ken Griffey Jr. fan. I wish he could have stayed healthy.

I love Ichiro Suzuki! He's great!

[Thom Little]

57. Bo Jackson

[DanCa]

58. Al Bundy he scored four touch downs in one game

won the puggy weaver memorial bowling cup
won the mvp in the new market maullers baseball league
won the all nudie bar baseball series for the chicago cleavage
won the chicago man senior track and field division
And he scored four touch downs in one game, not one season one game.

[Wetzelbill]

59. hahahaha

Hank Hill and Bill Dauterive were great ones in their times too. :)

[DanCa]

60. Yah but did Hank Hill ever Joust a knight in england

no no skip it that was a bad episode. :d

[underpants]

90. Polk High's MVP

Ed O'Neill was actually drafted by the Steelers.

[Wetzelbill]

124. oh man, that's great

:rofl:

[DanCa]

125. I heard he's into brazillian jujutsu now too.

Oh is it one of those internet rumours. :D

[maveric]

63. Bill Russell. ELEVEN chamionship rings.

The last two were as a player-coach.
Best NBAer ever!

[southlandshari]

64. Jack Johnson

Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (excellent PBS documentary)

[chknltl]

77. I strongly second that one.

I am very happy that you feel that way too. He was the "coolest" athlete of all times as well, IMO!

[Eugene]

65. Muhammad Ali

He was my hero when I was a kid, not just as
an athlete but as someone who stood up for
his beliefs.

[DanCa]

67. Howcome no pro bowlers made this list yet?

Can anyone name a probowler?

[Awsi Dooger]

79. I can name tons of bowlers

Earl Anthony
Dick Weber
Johnny Petraglia
Don Carter
Marshall Holman
Mark Roth
Nelson Burton Jr.

Sad thing is those are all '80s era or earlier when bowling was a Saturday fixture on ABC. The current or more recent crop is much more obscure though great players like Norm Duke, Walter Ray Williams, Pete Weber, Brian Voss.

It's ridiculous when I watch televised bowling lately, with psychedelic colored pins and the fans encouraged to act like maniacs and the bowlers to go nuts with reactions that obviously aren't their true personality. Some young jerks who grew up on video games with something exploding in every quadrant of the screen must have been given the director's role by colossal incompetence and tried to stick a square sport into a round hole.

[hfojvt]

68. Boris Becker

just for his cinderella Wimbledon wins and diving for those net shots. Jimmy Connors too. He played with heart and was exciting to watch.

[MrSlayer]

69. Wayne Gretzky.

As good as anyone was in their sport, Gretzky was better. I'm fortunate to have seen him play live on several occasions.

[Skittles]

74. GORDON BANKS

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/3163/banks.htm

[ellisonz]

76. Jesse Owens

[chknltl]

78. 2 more who deserve to be here: Jim Thorpe, Allison Fisher nt

[newyawker99]

80. Jesse Owens. n/t

[Kickin_Donkey]

81. No. 1 – Willie Mays ...

Honorable mention: Pele, Gale Sayers, Jerry West, Ronnie Lott, Walt Frazier, Bjorn Borg, Cathy Newman, Mario Andretti, Dorothy Hamill, Janet Lynn, Cathy Rigby -- I'm dating myself now.

I'm sure there are more.

[MissMillie]

83. Martina Navratalova (n/t)

.

[chenGOD]

84. Zidane/Ronaldo/Michael Jordan/Wayne Gretzky/Crocop

Zidane and Ronaldo are a toss-up as my two favourite current footballers, with Ronaldino coming in a close second.
The best footballer of all-time (though I hate him with a passion) is undoubtedly Diego I'm-a-snort-some-yayo-off-a-hooker's-tits Maradona.

Wayne Gretzky, well i lived in Edmonton during the 80's/early 90's and got to see him play more than once. Truly outstanding.

Michael Jordan/Larry Bird. Michael cause he is the best, and Larry cause he gave white guys like me hope everywhere :)

Mirko Crocop is an amazing fighter, and he will someday beat Fedor for the Pride HW title.

[lpbk2713]

87. Ted Williams

Granted he wasn't 'Mr Personality' but the question was about who is my favorite athlete. So there you go. He had a great record in spite of taking time out of his best years due to the Korean War.

[noonwitch]

88. Bill Laimbeer, Willie Horton, & Gordie Howe

Although Darrin McCarney will always have a special place in my heart for kicking Claude Lemiux's ass so thoroughly.

Willie Horton was my favorite Tiger when I was a little kid.

Gordie is just Gordie. He will always be the face of hockey to me.

[5thGenDemocrat]

112. Mickey Lolich

The greatest lefthanded pitcher (except for maybe Hal Newhouser) in Detroit Tigers history.
Beat the Cardinals three times in the 1968 World Series. And hit his only career home run (major league, minor league, little league) in that series.
STILL has more strikeouts than any other lefty in American League history (and is third behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton in the history of the majors).
Pitched 376 innings in 1971. Divide THAT by 9 innings per game and you can see how durable he was. It is a number that is still astounding.
John
IMHO, if Mickey had pitched in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, he'd be in the Hall of Fame by now. The HOF is reserved for those who were the very finest at their position among their contemporaries and Lolich was certainly that. His numbers proved it then and they're still pretty incredible now.

[Strong Atheist]

93. Albert Einstein nt.

[freestyle]

94. Arthur Ashe, followed by Martina Navratilova.

Arthur Ashe was a great player, and all around amazing person. He fought for justice, expanded knowledge, and showed great courage and class through his battle with AIDS.

Martina changed women's tennis, and her outness and outspokenness has been an inspiration. And, at almost 50, she's still playing and still looks great. One of my pleasures as a kid was watching Martina regularly win Wimbledon.

[kwassa]

111. I agree with Arthur Ashe

He was an incredible role model, one of a kind. Sports could use many more like him.

[AngryAmish]

95. Andre the Giant

[WeRQ4U]

96. Larry "Legend" Bird

I was a disciple when I was young. He showed better than anyone that even if you aren't blessed with ridiculous atheticism, you can play the game if you're the first one into the gym and the last one to leave. And perhaps Michael Jordan aside, there was NO more Clutch player in the NBA at that time.

Now, I know there is some child-rearing issues, but your idols are never squeaky clean.

[never cry wolf]

97. Sweetness, Walter Payton

The most complete football player ever. Period!

Rest in peace Walter.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

98. Cam Neely!

[anarch]

99. Jesse Owens

Yeah, that's right, up yours Nazi white supremacists!

[MN ChimpH8R]

101. Muhammad Ali and Sandy Koufax

Simply the best at what they did and classy gentlemen to boot.

[book lady]

102. Bart Starr

of the Green Bay Packers

[Mad_Dem_X]

106. Nadia Comaneci

She was my absolute idol when I was little.

[seemunkee]

107. Dan Jansen and Eric Heiden

Jansen worked damned hard to get his medal at the Olympics. He was a great skater but that one goal eluded him for a long time.

Eric Heiden won all 5 speed skating medals at the Olympics, won the U.S. professional cycling championship in 1985, and was on the winning team for the Tour De France in 1986. He didn't finish the tour due to an accident. During the Olympics he set one world and 4 Olympic records.

[Deep13]

108. Tanya Streeter--world free diving record holder

That's the world record, not just the record for women. Free diving is submerging deep with only held breath. She can swim (no just stay motionless) underwater for 6 minutes without surfacing. I saw her on BBC news a few days ago swimming with whales.

[JackDragna]

109. Frank Thomas

The most underappreciated athlete in baseball over the last twenty years. When he was in his prime, he just killed the ball. If he had played for Boston, New York or a California team, his upcoming retirement would be a huge deal.

[Legolassie]

110. I can't believe no one's said Steve Prefontaine.

Go Pre!!!

[ComerPerro]

113. Without any hesitation, I can say Ozzie Guillen

Loved him when he played with the Sox, and I will always love him for sweeping the World Series and only losing one game in the Playoffs...

[Arkansas Granny]

114. Muhammad Ali.

Not a boxing fan or even a sports fan, but Ali gets my vote. Not only was he a gifted athlete, but he stuck to his convictions in the face of adversity.

[rateyes]

116. Right this minute...

Albert Pujols. Class act.

[TX-RAT]

117. Jim Brown

[It was not a pretzel]

121. Steve Bull

none of you will ever heard of him and he's a tory but he is the only football (soccer) player who played for England while he was officially 3rd class, and although he got offered millions to move clubs he stayed loyal to my club through thick and thin.

He was even recognised for that by the Queen.

Steve Bull, Living Legend

[Awsi Dooger]

126. One more; Seattle Slew

Freakish speed on the front end and an incredible heart. I'm just going to have to live with the knowledge Slew would have beaten Secretariat even if few agree with me. Same thing would have been true if the '83 Canes never played Nebraska, Clay never fought Liston, an older Ali never fought Foreman, or a comebacking Leonard never fought Hagler. Conventional wisdom is often world class simpleton bullshit. Hell, if Slew had never raced against Affirmed the consensus would have been Affirmed was better.

Oh yeah, Roy Jones Jr. is heinously absent from this thread. He got old and made some stupid career mistakes the past 18 months, but for more than a decade he was perhaps the most consistently dominant athlete in sports, always in top shape and ability that was breathtaking to watch.