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The Greatest Athlete of All-time

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  • #61
    Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

    Chrissie Wellington. 4 time Ironman world champion, and has never lost at the 140.6 distance. Never. She even won Kona last year after a nasty, nasty bike spill roughly a week and a half before the race and massive infection as a result.
    Always a Wildcat...
    Originally posted by Kepler
    If you quote the derp you are spreading the derp. Please help keep the board derp-free.

    Comment


    • #62
      Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

      I was browsing the list of Wheaties box covers and I came across this nugget for serious nomination cred:

      Cael Norman Sanderson (pronounced /ˈkeɪl/, KALE; born June 20, 1979, in Salt Lake City, Utah) is considered one of the greatest American amateur wrestlers in recent years. A 2004 Olympic champion in Athens, Greece, he went undefeated in four years of college wrestling at Iowa State University (159–0), winning four consecutive NCAA titles (1999–2002). He is the only wrestler in NCAA Division I history to go undefeated in official matches with more than 100 wins. Sports Illustrated named his college career as the second most impressive college sports feat behind the setting of four world records by Jesse Owens in a single hour at the 1935 Big Ten track and field conference championship meet.[emphasis added]


      I also noticed two names from the "early" years of pro football, Sammy Baugh and Bronco Nagursky, dominating two-way players.

      ....which brings to mind a question of methodology when you conduct your seeding and voting. (new post for that).


      More on Jim Thorpe, of which I did not know details:

      Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals for the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, played American football (collegiate and professional), and also played professional baseball and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he was paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals....In a poll of sports fans conducted by ABC Sports, Thorpe was voted the Greatest Athlete of the Twentieth Century out of 15 other athletes including Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan.
      Last edited by FreshFish; 03-29-2012, 11:59 AM.
      "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

      "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

      "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

      "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

      Comment


      • #63
        Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

        A question on methodology.....are you planning merely to put the names out there and let people vote, assuming people will take it seriously and do their own background research? will you provide a brief bio and reason why each particular person is on the list?


        While the following idea might not be feasible, it could be intriguing if you stir up enough interest....
        I've read that, when the Pro Football Writers consider nominations for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, each candidate has something like a "sponsor" who makes the case for inclusion. You might offer up to people reading the thread the option to volunteer as "sponsor" for some of the people on your list of 128, so that they could provide reasons (a few sentences) why their person should receive votes.
        "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

        "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

        "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

        "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

        Comment


        • #64
          Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

          Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
          A question on methodology.....are you planning merely to put the names out there and let people vote, assuming people will take it seriously and do their own background research? will you provide a brief bio and reason why each particular person is on the list?


          While the following idea might not be feasible, it could be intriguing if you stir up enough interest....
          I've read that, when the Pro Football Writers consider nominations for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, each candidate has something like a "sponsor" who makes the case for inclusion. You might offer up to people reading the thread the option to volunteer as "sponsor" for some of the people on your list of 128, so that they could provide reasons (a few sentences) why their person should receive votes.
          I don't think I'll get enough interest for the sponsor thing. I wasn't planning on writing any summary, other than posting a link to their wikipedia page.
          Having a clear conscience just means you have a bad memory or you had a boring weekend.

          RIP - Kirby

          Comment


          • #65
            Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

            Originally posted by bigblue_dl View Post
            I wasn't planning on writing any summary, other than posting a link to their wikipedia page.
            As long as you do that, I think that would be adequate information.
            "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

            "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

            "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

            "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

            Comment


            • #66
              Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

              I want to post the list so far, because I have a feeling that I'm missing some obvious ones, and also that I might have included some that don't belong. (its hard to find that line) (also, some might complain that I included some of the young guys that are still playing, I've tossed it back and forth in my head whether I should or not. I feel like there are better players of the past, but also want to have some of the recent guys to have as a measuring stick)

              Hockey:
              Wayne Gretzky
              Mark Messier
              Bobby Orr
              Mario Lemieux
              Gordie Howe
              Brett Hull
              Patrick Roy
              John Mayasich
              Sid Crosby
              Steve Yzerman
              Martin Brodeur
              Alex Ovechkin
              Marcel Dionne
              Hobey Baker

              Basketball:
              Michael Jordan
              Wilt Chamberlain
              Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
              Magic Johnson
              Bill Russell
              Kobe Bryant
              Karl Malone
              Moses Malone
              Larry Bird
              LeBron James
              Shaquille O'Neal
              Having a clear conscience just means you have a bad memory or you had a boring weekend.

              RIP - Kirby

              Comment


              • #67
                Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                Baseball:
                Babe Ruth
                Sandy Koufax
                Ted Williams
                Walter Johnson
                Cy Young
                Barry Bonds
                Jackie Robinson
                Ty Cobb
                Hank Aaron
                Mickey Mantle
                Lou Gehrig
                Josh Gibson
                Stan Musial
                Pete Rose
                Roger Clemens
                Dave Winfield (because of his excellence at several sports)
                Pedro Martinez
                Jimmy Foxx
                Alex Rodriguez
                Nolan Ryan
                Willie Mays
                Ricky Henderson

                Boxing:
                Muhammad Ali
                Sugar Ray Robinson
                Mike Tyson
                Joe Louis
                Having a clear conscience just means you have a bad memory or you had a boring weekend.

                RIP - Kirby

                Comment


                • #68
                  Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                  Football:
                  Jim Thorpe
                  Barry Sanders
                  Jerry Rice
                  Walter Payton
                  Lawrence Taylor
                  Jim Brown
                  Deion Sanders
                  Emmitt Smith
                  Joe Montana
                  Dick Butkus
                  Dan Marino
                  Peyton Manning
                  Reggie White
                  Bo Jackson
                  Brett Favre
                  Tom Brady
                  Bronco Nagursky
                  Terrell Owens
                  John Elway

                  Golf:
                  Tiger Woods
                  Jack Nicklaus
                  Arnold Palmer
                  Babe Didrickson (among other sports)

                  Soccer: (2 guys I found via google)
                  Pele
                  Diego Maradona
                  Having a clear conscience just means you have a bad memory or you had a boring weekend.

                  RIP - Kirby

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                    Track and Field:
                    Jesse Owens
                    Carl Lewis
                    Usain Bolt
                    Michael Johnson

                    Tennis:
                    Roger Federer
                    Pete Sampras
                    Rod Laver
                    Martina Navratilova

                    Auto Racing:
                    Dale Earnhardt
                    Richard Petty
                    Michael Schumaker

                    Swimming:
                    Michael Phelps
                    Mark Spitz
                    Having a clear conscience just means you have a bad memory or you had a boring weekend.

                    RIP - Kirby

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                      Originally posted by bigblue_dl View Post
                      Tennis:
                      Roger Federer
                      Pete Sampras
                      Rod Laver
                      Martina Navratilova
                      Chris Evert

                      Originally posted by bigblue_dl View Post
                      Golf:
                      Tiger Woods
                      Jack Nicklaus
                      Arnold Palmer
                      Babe Didrickson (among other sports)
                      Ben Hogan
                      PSNetwork / XBOX GamerTag: xJeris
                      Steam Profile

                      Sports Allegiance
                      NFL: CHI; MLB: MN, NYM; NHL: MN, MTL; NCAAB: MN, UNLV; NCAAF: MN, MIA; NCAAH: MN; Soccer: USA, Blackburn

                      Comment


                      • #71
                        Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                        Wrestling:
                        Dan Gable

                        Horse Racing:
                        Secretariat

                        Gymnastics:
                        Nadia Comaneci

                        Cricket: (more thanks to Google on this one)
                        Donald Bradman
                        Sachin Tendulkar

                        Cycling:
                        Lance Armstrong

                        Eating:
                        Takeru Kobayashi

                        Bowling:
                        Dick Weber

                        Triathalon:
                        Chrissie Wellington

                        Rodeo:
                        Ty Murray
                        Having a clear conscience just means you have a bad memory or you had a boring weekend.

                        RIP - Kirby

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                          I vote for the last guy Hokydad told us about.

                          "I have come up with a plan so cunning you could stick a tail on it and call it a weasel. ."
                          -Blackadder
                          "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here. "
                          -Casablanca
                          "They could maybe hire another officer to catch the illegal immigrant drug dealers breast feeding at Dunkin' Donuts or whatever it is! Thank you!"
                          -Somerville Speakout

                          2008 POTY

                          Comment


                          • #73
                            Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                            A couple more I added:
                            Shawn White
                            Bodacious
                            Chris Evert
                            Man O War

                            Does Lindsey Vonn belong on this list? She is pretty much the most successful downhill skier ever.

                            Also, before I fill it out all the way to 128, can I actually have a poll with 16 choices?
                            Having a clear conscience just means you have a bad memory or you had a boring weekend.

                            RIP - Kirby

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                              Originally posted by bigblue_dl View Post
                              Swimming:
                              Michael Phelps
                              Mark Spitz
                              Dana Torres
                              If you don't change the world today, how can it be any better tomorrow?

                              Comment


                              • #75
                                Re: The Greatest Athlete of All-time

                                For Tennis, please add arguably the # 1 woman's player of all time, Steffi Graf.

                                For wrestling, please add Cael Sanderson, # 2 on Sports Illustrated greatest collegiate athletic feats (second only to Jesse Owens setting four world records on the same day!).

                                For soccer, please add Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers and Eric Cantona (the Wikipedia entry doesn't do him justice, I'll see if I can find a youtube link to some of his most amazing goals).

                                For basketball, no list is comlete without Diana Taurasi, the 2nd-best college basketball player I have ever seen of either gender who also has a distinguished Olympic and professional career as well.


                                For track and field, please add Edwin Moses, Rafer Johnson, Al Oerter (four Olympic gold medals in discus), Roman Šebrle (decathlon world record holder), Bob Mathias (two gold medals in decathlon!), Florence Griffith-Joyner, Jackie Joyner Kersey, Marian Jones (although tainted with suspicion of PED use might disqualify her inclusion?). Hmm... I am being too US-centric here perhaps...?

                                For swimming would you exclude some of the East German women who were unknowingly treated with steroids, like Kornelia Ender? (I still remember the shoulders on that woman!). Amazing athletic feats, absolutely astonishing, albeit possibly tainted by the "bionic woman" approach of East German doctors.


                                also, rather than listing everyone by individual sports, might it make sense to list some people (e.g., Jim Thorpe, Wilt Chamberlain) as multi-sport athletes? Based on the list so far I'd have Thorpe # 1 and Wilt # 2 for all-around versatility plus longevity plus achievement.

                                and I concur with Lynah Fan; no animals please...any nameless large feline carnivore could probably rip the best human athlete to shreds in seconds, but what would that prove? any full-grown male gorilla, properly trained, would outcompete any human being for strength and agility.
                                Last edited by FreshFish; 03-29-2012, 03:18 PM.
                                "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

                                "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

                                "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

                                "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

                                Comment

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