Favorite Athlete?

[txteach]

I think there has been many great athletes in my day but my favorite ever was an average heavyweight of the 80's, James "bonecrusher" Smith. The guy fought everyone who was on the scene in his time. I first started liking Smith after he lost to Larry Holmes. It was a great fight and there was no stop in Bonecrusher. Some of his wins are:

Mike Weaver x2
Jose Ribalta
Frank Bruno
Tim Witherspoon

BTW there was one extremely scary moment when I saw my boy bonecrusher get brutally knocked out by Razor Ruddock. Freakin scary.

[Random Axe]

I really never got into theboxing thing, but I always loved Holyfield. Complete pro.

All-time favorite athlete probably has to be Jerry Rice. His dedication to his profession, off-season conditioning and all around class make him hard to beat. He was/is the best receiver to ever put on a helmet. He was a winner, a leader and a stand-up guy. There will likely never be another at his level.

Runner up is Dan Marino.

Scott

[Hulk]

Muhammad Ali
Hank Aaron
Pele
John McEnroe
Jack Nichlaus
Roger Staubach
Lance Armstrong
Bill Bradley
Mary Lou Retton

[txteach]

Oh wow I almost forgot about Mary Lou, loved her McDonalds commercials.

[johnnystorm]

Mario Lemieux
Wayne Gretzky
Muhammad Ali
Roberto Clemente
Terry Bradshaw

& Danica Patrick (for MUCH DIFFERENT reasons)

[Nostalgiabuff]

never had much interest in sports of any type.....but I always thought Holyfield was a standup guy...all around professional. I also always liked Yogi Berra. Dimaggio was always a gentleman.

[The Toyroom]

Magic Johnson
Julius Erving
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

[The Bat]

He said Athlete Guys...singular...you only get to pick one.

Mine's Muhammad Ali !! He truely was "The GREATEST"!!

[toys2cool]

Dan Marino hands down

[Hector]

The late great featherweight champion...Salvador Sanchez...who died waaaaaaaaaaaaay too soon at only 23 years old (that's another great on the canvass...the great Azumah Nelson)...





If this was a top five pick...then it would be this...

1. Salvador Sanchez
2. Joe Montana
3. Roberto Duran
4. Marvelous Marvin Hagler
5. Julio Cesar Chavez

Four boxers and one football player.

[txteach]

Sanchez would have ruled his division for a LONG time. A great loss! Duran was crazy good in his prime! He was a animal who was a great finisher. He just stayed in the game way too long. Like your picks a lot Hector but who is that Montana guy. Was he a cruiserweight in the 80's??

[MegoSteve]

Muhammad Ali (inspirational)
Martina Navratilova (singlehandedly raised the level of women's tennis)
Jimmy Connors (always entertaining)
Carl Lewis (made the Olympics very exciting)
Renaldo Nehemiah (dominating hurdler, loved watching him on The Superstars)
Mary Decker Slaney (completely dominant long distance runner)
Magnús Ver Magnússon (enjoyed him on World's Strongest Man)
Kevin Youkilis (a grinder at the plate, master at both corners of the infield, quietly awesome)

[Captain]

Lanny MacDonald. Great hockey player...even greater human being!

[60'schild]

Carl Yastrzemski (Yaz) of the Boston Red Sox. (My father used to take me to Fenway Park to see him play back in the late '60s- early 70's.

In 1961, Yastrzemski finally arrived in the Major Leagues as the heir apparent to the legendary Ted Williams in left field. For 23 years, Yastrzemski proudly wore his famous "#8" for the Red Sox, with his extraordinary batting style and his unmatched skill in patrolling the grounds in front of the Green Monster. In the Red Sox' 1967 "Impossible Dream" season, he won the American League Triple Crown and was named the A.L.'s Most Valuable Player. At the time of his retirement, Yastrzemski was the all-time American League leader in games played (3,308) and was the only American League player to amass 3,000 hits and 400 home runs (finishing with 3,419 and 452 respectively, to go along with 1,844 RBI). A seven-time Gold Glove winner, Yaz earned the honor of 18 All-Star Game appearances, and is generally considered one of the finest defensive left fielders of all-time.


http://www.yaz8.com/

[BENDY]

Roger The Dodger Staubach.