Greatest Athlete of All-Time
Ranking the best to ever lace 'em up
created by ChipotleWarrior
Muhammad Ali
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee! No need to say more.
Jim Brown
Brown is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a Fullback for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. He is widely considered the best running back of all time; in 2002 he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever. Uniquely, Brown was every bit as good a lacrosse player, with the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame stating that he was "widely considered to be the greatest lacrosse player ever." Sportswriter Bert Sugar named Brown #1 in his book The Greatest Athletes of All Time.
Michael Jordan
Proclaimed by the National Basketball Association (NBA) as the "greatest player of all time",[1] Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation, and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. Career Highlights include: 14x All-Star (1985-1993, 1996-1998, 2002-2003) 5x MVP (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) 6x Finals MVP (1991-1993, 1996-1998) 1985 Rookie of the Year 1988 Defensive Player of the Year 3x All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1996, 1998) 2x NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner (1987, 1988) 10x All-NBA First Team selection 9x NBA All-Defensive Team selection NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team 1982 ACC Freshman of the Year 1984 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year 1984 USBWA College Player of the Year 1984 Naismith College Player of the Year 1984 John R. Wooden Award 1984 Adolph Rupp Trophy 1991 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year 2000 ESPY Athlete of the Century 1990's ESPY Male Athlete Decade Award 1990's ESPY Pro Basketballer Decade Award
Tiger Woods
Woods has won 13 professional major golf championships, the second-most of any male player, and 63 PGA Tour events, the fourth-most of all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the Career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on Tour. Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record nine times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus's record of leading the money list in eight different seasons. He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year four times, a record he shares with Lance Armstrong.
Babe Ruth
Named the greatest baseball player in history in various surveys and rankings, his home run hitting prowess and charismatic personality made him a larger than life figure in the "Roaring Twenties". He was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a record which stood for 34 years until broken by Roger Maris in 1961. Ruth's lifetime total of 714 home runs at his retirement in 1935 was a record for 39 years, until broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. In 1936, Ruth became one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1969, he was named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked Ruth Number 1 on the list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players." According to ESPN, he was the first true American sports celebrity superstar whose fame transcended baseball.
Jesse Owens
Owens participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team.
Pele
He is the all-time top scorer in the history of the Brazil national team and is the only footballer to be a part of three World Cup-winning teams. Pele is rated by many as the greatest footballer of all time. He was given the title of Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and jointly received FIFA Player of the Century chosen by officials at the organisation, shared with Diego Maradona who won the people's vote.
Ken Griffey Jr.
He is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history. His nicknames have been "The Natural", "The Kid", and "Junior". Most Valuable Player Award winner (1997) 7x Silver Slugger Award winner (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) 10x Gold Glove Award winner (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) 13x All-Star selection (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007) Led AL in runs in 1997 Led AL in total bases in 1993 and 1997 Led AL in home runs in 1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999 Led AL in runs batted in in 1997
Jim Thorpe
Played professional football, baseball & basketball. Won gold medals in Decathalon and Pentathalon
Mark Spitz
He holds the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympic Games (seven), which he set at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Between 1965 and 1972, Spitz won 9 Olympic gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze; 5 Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and 8 U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.
Wilt Chamberlain
Chamberlain holds numerous official NBA all-time records, setting records in many scoring, rebounding and durability categories. Among others, he is the only player in NBA history to average more than 40 and 50 points in a season or score 100 points in a single NBA game. He also won seven scoring, nine field goal percentage, and eleven rebounding titles, and once even led the league in assists.[3] Although suffering a long string of professional losses,[4] Chamberlain had a successful career, winning two NBA titles, earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, one NBA Finals MVP award, and being selected to 13 All-Star Game games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams.[2][5] Chamberlain was subsequently enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, elected into the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team of 1980, and chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History of 1996.[5]
Eric Davis
He was a two-time National League All-Star and Golden Glove Winner while playing for the Cincinnati Reds and a Pro-Bowler and and All-Bowler while in the NFL playing for 49ers', Panthers, Broncos, and Lions.
Lance Armstrong
He won the Tour de France seven consecutive times, from 1999 to 2005.Previous to this achievement he also survived testicular cancer, a germ cell tumor that metastasized to his brain and lungs in 1996. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery, and extensive chemotherapy. In 1999, he was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. He received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong retired from racing on July 24, 2005, at the end of the 2005 Tour de France.
Roberto Alomar
Alomar is considered by many to be one of the best second basemen in history. He holds the record for most Gold Glove awards at that position, and has also won the second most Silver Slugger awards for a second baseman.
Matt Jones
At the NFL combine he measured 6'6", 237 pounds, ran a 4.41 40 yard dash, and had a 42" vertical jump.
Comments on this list
Post a new comment
pinstripes
15951 points
no one can ever top MJ
old-hoss-radbourn
3433 points
Why is Roberto Alomar on this list? I don't think he is quite in the same class as Michael Jordan or Jesse Owens
pinstripes
15951 points
i'm a little bias... he has been my favorite player since i was a kid. i agree... probably not deserving of the list... but oh well.
old-hoss-radbourn
3433 points
I added Matt Jones because if you want athleticism he is it. At the NFL combine he measured 6'6'' 237 pounds, ran a 4.41 40 yard dash and had a 42 inch vertical jump. You wanted the greatest athlete...There he is.
sch1980
22136 points
I like Matt Jones as much as the next guy... but greatest athelete? What about a guy Wilt Chamberlain (who isn't even up there). Wilt was 7'1" 270 pounds, ran the 100 meter dash in 10.9, could long jump 22 feet, won the high jump in the Big Eight track & field championships 3 years in a row in college, played a pretty mean game of basketball... and slept with 20,000 women. In my opinion, Matt Jones still has some work to do.
pinstripes
15951 points
if you want wilt up there... add him to the list
sch1980
22136 points
Done and Done - Wilt is on the board. I like how you can see everyone who posts top 5 rankings - thats pretty cool.
stamp727
152 points
So Roberto Alomar doesn't belong on this list even after his highly-touted career, but Matt Jones, without any sort of major success, does?
simonsbj
62 points
This list is so bush league. Half the people shouldnt be on here and it's just picking who you like less than the other people on here!
pinstripes
15951 points
i suppose you want to add Rulon Gardner to the list bj?
hiterjc
640 points
Sleeping with 20,000 people is quite impressive but I can't put him at the top for that alone.....I mean next thing you know Paris Hilton starts scratching her way to the top 10.
sch1980
22136 points
Hiter - don't sell yourself short. You'd be scratching your way to the top too.
tim
15448 points
I dont think you can make a list like this and not include Junior. Yes, he's had a rough time in Cincy... but don't forget his Seattle days.
sch1980
22136 points
I like how Eric Davis (the Reds player) and Eric Davis (the early 90s 49ers defensive back) have been merged into one person to validate his placement on this list. Clever.