Page 1 of 1
Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:00 pm
by slvr1969
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:02 pm
by slvr1969
Sebastian COE (GBR, 1956, 800m-Mile)
Yelena ISINBAYEVA (RUS, 1982, Pole)
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:33 pm
by altius
Al Oerter. Discus. Olympic Gold 56/60/64/68. Always went in as the underdog. I believe he set Olympic records each time. Finished fourth in US Olympic trials for 84 - with a pr!!!!!
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:39 pm
by dj
hye
hands down... Jackie Robinson
John Muir HS Pasadena, CA.. then after graduating from PJC in spring 1939, Robinson transferred to UCLA, where he became the school's first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track... 25/26 foot Long Jumper..
dj
ps but it looks like you/they are only asking for track athletes???
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:44 pm
by KirkB
Jim Thorpe ... of course!
http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=18777&p=134239And he even pole vaulted in winning the 1912 Olympic Decathalon!
Kirk
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:56 pm
by VTechVaulter
im with Kirk on this one
1912 Olympic Gold in The decathlon
professional football, basketball, and baseball player
amazing athlete. truely one of a kind
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:25 pm
by Barto
Anyone who questions it needs to go watch, "The Jim Thorpe Story." Amazing guy. He was Bo Jackson PLUS a couple of olympic medals.
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:12 pm
by KirkB
VTechVaulter wrote: ... 1912 Olympic Gold in The decathlon ...
He also won the Gold in the Pentathlon in the same Olympics.
Kirk
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:13 am
by dj
this is worth a look..
Milt Campbell-USATF Hall of Fame
Inducted: 1989, athlete
Born: December 9, 1933 - Plainfield, New Jersey
Events
Decathlon - 7708 pts.
120 yd. hurdles - 13.40
110 m hurdles - 13.80
When you mention top all-around male athletes in our nation's history, certainly the name of Milt Campbell has to be up there with Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bruce Jenner and Dan O'Brien. Like them, Campbell was an Olympic decathlon champion but track and field wasn't the only sport in which he excelled. He was also outstanding in football, eventually playing in the National Football and Canadian Leagues. He was an All-American swimmer while in high school and was also national class in karate. While still at Plainfield High School, Campbell finished fifth in the Olympic Trials in the 110m hurdles but made the Olympic team in the decathlon. He gained national prominence by finishing second to Mathias in the Olympic decathlon. The 1953 national decathlon champion, Campbell later won the Olympic decathlon title in 1956. Also a national champion in the high hurdles, he set a 120-yard high hurdles record of 13.4 in 1957 and held the world indoor best of 7.0 for the 60-yard high hurdles. After attending Indiana University where he excelled in both track and football, he played pro football with the Cleveland Browns and the Montreal Alouettes. He has received numerous honors, including being named the world's greatest high school athlete in 1952. The Newark Star-Ledger selected him as the greatest athlete of the 20th century, not only for his sports accomplishments but also for the strength of his character. Campbell is also a member of the Black Athletes' Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
Records Held
World Record: 120 yd. hurdles - 13.40 (May 31, 1957 - )
Championships
1952 Olympics: Decathlon (2nd)
1956 Olympics: Decathlon - 7708 pts. (1st)
1953 National Championships: Decathlon (1st)
Education
high school: Plainfield (Plainfield, New Jersey), 1953
undergraduate: Indiana (Bloomington, Indiana), 1957
Occupations
Professional football
Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 11:44 pm
by tsorenson
Jim Thorpe all the way. Definitely a "man among boys" in just about every major sport. You don't get a town in Pennsylvania named after you (and not even a town in which you once lived) unless you are Jim Thorpe...it's not called Thorpeville or Thorpesburg; it's called "Jim Thorpe." Check it out! I visited this area a few years back and found this fascinating, and a little sad, considering how the end of his life played out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe,_Pennsylvania Tom