Whos the Best Athlete of Their time?

[RedSatinHog]

Ali

you think that Tyson could have beaten him in his prime. Guess we'll never know

Ali would have gotten into Tyson's head too much.  He proved it over and over again.  You name a tough guy from Ali's era (except maybe Norton), and chances are that you can show at least one occasion which Ali won by beating him cerebrally before ever hitting him with a punch.

Ali united entire countries behind himself before his opponents ever showed up.  If Tyson bit off Holyfield's ear, what do you think would have happened in a match with Ali?  MT would have self-destructed before the night of the fight ever arrived.

[RedSatinHog]

Yep and Ali could outsmart MikeTyson today. In the 70's I was in Louisville for the Derby. Were were invited to Eddies house because my brother who knew Eddie introduced him to Artis Gilmore and Eddie said he would introduce my brother to Ali. Eddie and Cassius grew up together. It was tradition for Ali to come over the night before the derby and he and his cadillac entourage of uncles and friends from Chicago finally showed up. He was a mountain of a man. His shoulders looked like mountains with high cliffs attached. He walked like he was on air. He was the smartest nicest coolest guy I could imagine. At 16 years old I can tell you I am still biased to this day. In the famous incident, Eddies bike got stolen ny a much older boy when he and Clay were 9 and 10. Ali beat up this big kid, the neighborhood thug to get Eddies bike back. Eddie told the story every now and again. Said Ali looked like a bee stinging this poor guys face over and over... he would pause and then  say "only very very fast" and start laughing. We laughed too. You don't want to make a guy mad that has Ali as his personal childhood buddy backup.

What is just as funny about that bike is that a stolen bike was what drove Ali into the local gym for the first time.  He had been given a new Schwinn bike for Christmas and someone helped themselves to it.  Ali got hopping mad and walked into the local gym still blowing and going on about it.  The boxing instructor asked him if he really wanted to fight someone, and Ali supposedly said something along the lines of "Yeah, I'll fight anybody right now!" When they were telling this story on ESPN SportsCentury, I about died laughing.

Of course, the rest was history.

[oldfart]

just an aside.. Ty Cobb was my fathers I guess you would call half-cousin. They had the same grandfather but different grandmother (the old man was one of those Civil War veterans who outlived three wives). I met him once when i was pretty young, I think about 8 or 9. Cobb was one of the meanest SOB's I have ever had the priviledge to meet.

Ali...

"Of Their Time" wouldnt Ty Cobb be yours. Condsidering he is in your "Time"(black&white TV)...old man

[bolo]

how bout bob gibson or stan the man?

[HOGBLOODED]

DUH!!!!!!!






DARREN MCFADDEN!!!!!!!

[mbgrulz]

Ali

you think that Tyson could have beaten him in his prime. Guess we'll never know

no way, no how, at no time. not unless it was tyson in his prime and ali on the verge of retirement

ali was the best combination of size and speed, ability to take a punch, deliver a flurry or a big blow, along with intelligence of any boxer ever

Ali was amazing.  I honestly believe that man could've been a all pro RB in the NFL.  He was just that great of an athlete and so ahead of his time in the way he spoke and thought. 

I'd have to go with Ali or Jackson as best athlete ever.   

ali was beaten 2 times in his prime. he was a great boxer, but i do think he gets more credit than he deserves for the gift of gab that he was given.

tyson was an animal in his prime and would try to knock your head off. ali was more of a true "boxer."

its not the most fun thing to admit, but as bad a guy as mike tyson is, he might've beaten ali if they  fought in their primes.

people always want to give the nod to the past, but sometimes nostalgia gets in the way of judgement.

I saw both in their "prime" and Ali would win. No nostalgia, no lack of judgement. Of course, this is an argument that can never be settled, so maybe we're both right.

But I'm more right...

Ali DID NOT lose twice in his "prime" because his "prime" ended during his 3.5 year layoff. He hurried back (not enough training) to fight Frazier after one tuneup/domination of Jerry Quarry (3 rounds) following the 3.5 year layoff. All knowledgeable fight fans and experts understood that Ali was not the same boxer when he returned to the ring in 1971 as an unbeaten.

Tiger is better than Jack and Arnie and Byron and Walter and Bobby. See, no nostalgia ... so don't try to lump me in with anyone else. Or I'll send Ali to your house. He still has a good right hand.

all i'm saying is mike was like a bull in a china cabinent and if he got inside of ali he could knock him out in the early rounds. that said, if the fight went past 4 or 5 rounds, ali would definately win.

dont tell me what to do or i'll have mike come eat your children and bite off your ear.

[Hawg2k]

Stats and accomplishments aside, the market value and subsequent demand for ANY of their memorabilia easily shows who is tops in their respective sports.

Baseball: Babe Ruth (no one else comes close). Honorable Mention: Mickey Mantle
Golf: Bobby Jones (past) Tiger Woods (present)
NACAR: Dale Earnhardt Sr. (past) Dale Earnhardt Jr. (present)
Football: Joe Namath. Honorable Mention: Jim Thorpe and Joe Montana
Basketball: JORDAN. Honorable Mention: Pete Maravich (past) LeBron James (present)
Boxing: ALI
Hockey: Wayne Gretzky. Honorable Mention: Bobby Orr

The * Guys (those who have negative controversy hanging over their storied careers)
1). Barry Bonds. Dishonorable Mention: Big Mac (McGwire)
2). Lance Armstrong
3). Dan Marino – only because he never won the "Big One".

[RedSatinHog]

all i'm saying is mike was like a bull in a china cabinent and if he got inside of ali he could knock him out in the early rounds. that said, if the fight went past 4 or 5 rounds, ali would definately win.

dont tell me what to do or i'll have mike come eat your children and bite off your ear.

Tyson would have never gotten to Ali in the first few rounds.  Ali would have used the entire ring to his advantage and frustrated the heck out of MT.  By the fifth round, Tyson would have been so tired and frustrated that he would have lost all sense of any game plan which he might otherwise have coming into the fight.  Of course, all this assuming that Don King was the goon in Tyson's corner, not Kevin Rooney.

As for the four guys Ali lost to (Frazier, Norton, L. Spinks, and Holmes), Holmes was the only one who never lost to Ali in a rematch.  Incidentally, Ali and Larry Homes only fought once, and that was the end of Ali's career.

[softballguy8]

All things considered, who would you consider the best overall player?

Jackie Robinson was an All American in 4 sports at UCLA. We all know what he did in baseball. Bo Jackson is greatest I ever witnessed - but I hated to see Jackie Robinson not mentioned in the conversation.

- Lance Armstrong is a honorable mention.

[Mister_BS]

all i'm saying is mike was like a bull in a china cabinent and if he got inside of ali he could knock him out in the early rounds. that said, if the fight went past 4 or 5 rounds, ali would definately win.

dont tell me what to do or i'll have mike come eat your children and bite off your ear.

Tyson would have never gotten to Ali in the first few rounds.  Ali would have used the entire ring to his advantage and frustrated the heck out of MT.  By the fifth round, Tyson would have been so tired and frustrated that he would have lost all sense of any game plan which he might otherwise have coming into the fight.  Of course, all this assuming that Don King was the goon in Tyson's corner, not Kevin Rooney.

As for the four guys Ali lost to (Frazier, Norton, L. Spinks, and Holmes), Holmes was the only one who never lost to Ali in a rematch.  Incidentally, Ali and Larry Homes only fought once, and that was the end of Ali's career.

Larry Holmes was Ali's sparring partner, before his career actually began

[dhornjr1]

that is a great story.. i always heard about the bike

djornjr1 ... good facts about jackie robinson, too. i remembered his brother was a track star but it was actually Ralph Metcalf who was runnerup to Owens in Berlin in '36 in the 100

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_H._Metcalf

Mack Robinson was runnerup to Owens in the 200 in Berlin. I knew you were good on facts. It's just a bit late, good buddy

Yeah. I put the 100, didn't I? It was late last night and I had to work today.

[dhornjr1]

how bout bob gibson or stan the man?

I thought about Bob Gibson. He was undoubtedly one of the best pitchers of all time. He was also a great basketball player who actually played for a brief time with the Harlem Globetrotters.

I remember Jack Buck saying he thought Gibson could have been an accomplished boxer or football player if he had chosen to follow that path.

[tvhogs1]

Wally Hall

[BrooklynRoss]

Laird Hamilton has to be in the top three of OUR time.  This guy surfs the biggest waves on the planet, crosses huge expanses of ocean on a paddleboard and has an insane workout regimen that he goes through to prepare for such a lifestyle.  The dude is almost superhuman.
Not many people include him because he competes in a less visible sport, but clearly he belongs way up there.

Yery good point. That guy does things that will never be done or even attempted again in surfing.

[bao187]

cowboys fans will have fun with me here but IMO Jerry Rice

[BartIV]

Bo Jackson

[spudhog]

Bo Jackson

to be an all-star in 2 different sports. can't be beat.

[Mister_BS]

Bo Jackson

to be an all-star in 2 different sports. can't be beat.

Jim Thorpe's credentials are better. Both were superior athletes to their peers, but I think Thorpe separated himself more, with pro football, Major League Baseball and two Olympic gold medals in perhaps the two toughest events (decathlon and pentathlon)

[EastexHawg]

ali was the best combination of size and speed, ability to take a punch, deliver a flurry or a big blow, along with intelligence of any boxer ever

He only got one of the decisions, but I think Ken Norton beat Ali all three times they fought.  Joe Frazier also beat Ali soundly when they were both still fairly young.  Frazier was a beaten up shell of his former self by the time the Thrilla in Manilla took place.

Ali beat a chump of a champ, Sonny Liston, to win the title.  He defended it against a bunch of nobodies (Henry Cooper, George Chuvalo, Floyd Patterson when he was what...close to 50?), and he lost the biggest fight of all time (to that point) when he fought fellow undefeated former Olympian Joe Frazier in 1971.

Ali's greatest moment was his win over George Foreman in 1974.  Do you ever wonder why there was no rematch?  Ali fought Norton three times.  He fought Frazier three times.  He fought Jerry Quarry twice.  He even fought Henry Cooper twice.

So why did he only fight Foreman once?

Who knows for sure, but I think Ali and his handlers knew he was damn lucky to escape the ring with Foreman with his brains intact.  I know different fighters match up differently, but Foreman knocked two other "top" heavyweights who gave Ali fits (and who Ali never put on the canvas), Frazier and Norton, around the ring like they were little kids.  I don't think Ali wanted any part of a rematch with Big George.

Anyway...I guess you can tell I'm not a member of the "Ali is the greatest" club.  A tremendous fighter, yes.  The greatest?  I think that is at least subject to debate.

[little pigee]

Ali's greatest moment was his win over George Foreman in 1974.  Do you ever wonder why there was no rematch?  Ali fought Norton three times.  He fought Frazier three times.  He fought Jerry Quarry twice.  He even fought Henry Cooper twice.
Remember why Foreman named all of his sons "George"?

[little pigee]

Ali's greatest moment was his win over George Foreman in 1974.  Do you ever wonder why there was no rematch?  Ali fought Norton three times.  He fought Frazier three times.  He fought Jerry Quarry twice.  He even fought Henry Cooper twice.
Remember why Foreman named all of his sons "George"?

Ali's greatest moment was his win over George Foreman in 1974.  Do you ever wonder why there was no rematch?  Ali fought Norton three times.  He fought Frazier three times.  He fought Jerry Quarry twice.  He even fought Henry Cooper twice.

Remember why Foreman named all of his sons "George"? 

[ThisLittlePiggie]

Bo Jackson

to be an all-star in 2 different sports. can't be beat.

Jim Thorpe's credentials are better. Both were superior athletes to their peers, but I think Thorpe separated himself more, with pro football, Major League Baseball and two Olympic gold medals in perhaps the two toughest events (decathlon and pentathlon)

Which is exactly why I don't buy into the Michael Jordan, Mohammed Ali, Tiger Wood thing. Each one was maybe the all-time best at their particular sport. Maybe. Neither EVER proved they could hit a 95 MPH fastball, or gain a 1000 yards rushing in the NFL or in Jordan and Ali's case, play golf on a PGA level. In fact, Jordan proved he couldn't hit Class A pitching...at all.

So with that in mind:

Bo Jackson

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Jensen

Brian Jordan

Dionne Sanders (deficient as a tackler but a great cover corner)

Hale Irwin

Bobby Hayes

Gene Conley

And the greatest athlete of all time...Jim Thorpe.

[little pigee]

Sorry about the poor syntax.

[Shizzle]

Jim Brown, Bo Jackson, MJ, Ali, Gale Sayers, Michael Johnson. Great question but to many answers. I would say Bo Jackson or Jim Brown if I had to narrow it to two.