# The best athlete you have ever seen.....



## TuffDaddy (Feb 24, 2009)

So whats yours?

Mine is Deion 

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## RoadDog (Feb 24, 2009)

Jim Thorpe was an American athlete. Considered one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, played American football collegiately and professionally, and also played professional baseball and basketball. 

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## TuffDaddy (Feb 24, 2009)

Slow.Try again.


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 24, 2009)

RoadDog said:


> Jim Thorpe was an American athlete. Considered one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, played American football collegiately and professionally, and also played professional baseball and basketball.
> 
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Best you ever seen!If you seen Jim Thorpe in person you would be in a caskit.By the way Deion would have highstepped by him to gold in that Olympics.


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## Resica (Feb 24, 2009)

Bo Jackson!


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## sleeze (Feb 25, 2009)

TuffDiddy , Most uga fans say Hershey Walker.


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## sandhillmike (Feb 25, 2009)

Dick Butkus, an absolute animal.


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## DouglasB. (Feb 25, 2009)

Oh come on ya'll... How many athletes do ya know that can smoke pot and still win a record amount of gold???!!!!????!!!   LOL.

I think we should have categories. No way to pick one person to cover all sports, period.


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## Browning Slayer (Feb 25, 2009)

sleeze said:


> TuffDiddy , Most uga fans say Hershey Walker.


 

You got to give Herschel his credit along with Bo... They both get my vote!


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## Jim Thompson (Feb 25, 2009)

michael jordan of course is the best athlete.

better baseball players but no better athletes


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## cobb (Feb 25, 2009)

BO and Deion without question!!


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## jimbo4116 (Feb 25, 2009)

proside said:


> Man, this i really a great Question. I saw it last night and tried to answer it then but could not make up my mind.
> 
> Two people come to mind and its based on peformance when it really matters. When the Pressure is on they get it on!!
> 
> ...



Can't go with Tiger, he will be the greatest golfer barring injury at which time he will be the Mickey Mantle of golf.
Reason, he has never played other sports, golf has been his life since he had a memory. And just like pitchers, golfers don't have to be athletes it is a sport of repetitive mechanics and can be learned.

Michael Jordan, with out a doubt the best athlete to play basketball, but a failure at baseball and only fair at golf.

If two sport athletes is you criteria, how bout Chuck Conners

Then there is Charley Trippi, but I never saw him either.

Then lets consider Rick Rhoden, He can pitch, hit, played above average golf on the Champions Tour.  But I have seen Rick Rhoden, wouldn't impress you as an athlete.

All that said have to go back to Jordan, He know doubt could have contended for Olympic medals in High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, possibly Decathlon.

Pure ability to amaze, Michael Jordan hands down


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## willbuck (Feb 25, 2009)

Bo Jackson


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## chadair (Feb 25, 2009)

In person? I'll go with Pistol Pete

for you youngins

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## drhunter1 (Feb 25, 2009)

Bo Jackson


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## slightly grayling (Feb 25, 2009)

Yep, Bo without a doubt, at least from my generation.  Hershel may have been the better football player, but Bo has it in all around athletic ability.  Deon was probably a close second but he had nowhere near the brute strength Bo had.  Bo came to Ole Miss to play in a baseball game and was launching 500+' bombs in batting practice like it was nothing....he is a genetic anomaly.  If he had not been injured he would be in both the baseball and football hall of fame.  As far as doing the most with what God gave him....Doug Flutie would be high on my list.....endurance/toughness no question Lance Armstrong





Resica said:


> Bo Jackson!


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## The AmBASSaDEER (Feb 25, 2009)

Chuck Norris


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## Duff (Feb 25, 2009)

Bo and MJ.

Saw Bo hit one in the lights in Athens on day. Very impressive.

My vote would probably go to Jordan though. Saw him play the Hawks on nite when he was in his prime. When the teams came out for warm ups, he stood out in the crowd. You could tell he was the best player on the court before he ever picked a basketball up even if you had never seen a basketball game before.


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## Madsnooker (Feb 25, 2009)

Bo Jackson hands down in my book.

His hip injury cut his career short. If not for that, he would win the most votes anytime this question comes up. 

As said previously, he was an allstar in more than one sport and when playing against allstars in multiple sports he still dominated. MJ or Tiger was not capable of that. Actually, they are not even remotely close of being able to doing that.


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## greene_dawg (Feb 25, 2009)

MJ/Tiger/Hershel in no real order...


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## slightly grayling (Feb 25, 2009)

I would put Tiger several notches above the best bowlers, dart throwers, and curling champs, but he really doesn't belong in this category.


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## slightly grayling (Feb 25, 2009)

yes, a very tough question with so many categories that could be explored.  I still say Bo Jackson, but how would he fair running a marathon or riding in the tour de France?  Poorly I would venture......In strength/agility/speed MJ would do well but I doubt he could hang with Bo in his prime except for jumping.  A poll with different categories would be interesting..





proside said:


> All 3 great post and I agree with you guys.
> 
> I was premature in saying Tiger was the best athlete, but you got to admit this is no easy question.
> 
> ...


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## Paymaster (Feb 25, 2009)

I'm a Dawg fan but I have to say Bo Jackson.


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## MustangMAtt30 (Feb 25, 2009)

These are who I consider are the greats from my generation......

Michael Jordan
Bo Jackson
Tiger Woods
Dion Sanders
Joe Montana
Michael "Bong" Phelps
LeBron James
Wayne Gretzsky
Larry Bird
Dale Earnhardt Sr.


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## slightly grayling (Feb 25, 2009)

Co worker and I were discussing and he brought up Edwin Moses....again a very hard comparison!


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## brownhounds (Feb 25, 2009)

Larry Bird and Dale Earnhardt.


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## riprap (Feb 25, 2009)

Kevin Van Dam


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## bullgator (Feb 25, 2009)

Brian Oldfield

1970s and 80s shot and discus thrower.

There's video of him dunking a 16 lb. shot put. He is also listed as running a 10.5 100 and a 4.3 40 , not bad for a 6'5 " 275 lb. guy. 
As a kid I saw him challenge one of  America's top women sprinters to a 40 yard dash (or maybe she challenged him ?), anyway he beat her so bad he was talking to her over his shoulder for the last 10 yds.


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## threeleggedpigmy (Feb 25, 2009)

Erica Cantona
Dennis BergKamp
Pele Edson
David Beckham
Georgie Best


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Feb 25, 2009)

Bo and Deion.  And of those 2 I'd pick Bo because of his strength advantage.  Deion wasn't that much faster than Bo and Bo was carrying around an extra 40 pounds or so.

We're talking greatest athlete here, how could anyone pick Jordan over Bo or Deion?

Michael proved that he _could not _be a professional athlete in two sports.  Bo and Deion both proved they could.


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## alphachief (Feb 25, 2009)

Being a Nole fan you may find this surprising...but the best athlete I've ever personally seen is Chris Collinsworth.  All state baseball, basketball, football and track athlete at Titusville Astronaut HS.  I watched him as a senior win the state 100 yard dash by a wide margin (the only white guy in a 8 man field).  Not to mention he was a college All American in Football and went on to have a successful NFL career.  Only drawback was he played for the wrong team in college!


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## Danuwoa (Feb 25, 2009)

Paymaster said:


> I'm a Dawg fan but I have to say Bo Jackson.



Yep.  I never got to watch Herschel play in person.  With that in mind, the best athlete that I have ever watched in person is Bo Jackson.  That guy was unreal.


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## Danuwoa (Feb 25, 2009)

alphachief said:


> Being a Nole fan you may find this surprising...but the best athlete I've ever personally seen is Chris Collinsworth.  All state baseball, basketball, football and track athlete at Titusville Astronaut HS.  I watched him as a senior win the state 100 yard dash by a wide margin (the only white guy in a 8 man field).  Not to mention he was a college All American in Football and went on to have a successful NFL career.  Only drawback was he played for the wrong team in college!



Man!!  I'm glad you posted that.  I didn't know any of that suff about old Collie.  I can't stand to listen to him as a commentator and of couse he's a Gator, but that's pretty interesting stuff.


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## rex upshaw (Feb 25, 2009)

slightly grayling said:


> Yep, Bo without a doubt, at least from my generation.  Hershel may have been the better football player, but Bo has it in all around athletic ability.



i agree.


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## rex upshaw (Feb 25, 2009)

brownhounds said:


> Larry Bird and Dale Earnhardt.



2 studs right there.


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## WTM45 (Feb 25, 2009)

Walter Payton
Barry Sanders
Deion Sanders
Bo Jackson
Herschel Walker
Frank Thomas


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## JustUs4All (Feb 25, 2009)

I am going to have to put Cassius Clay on the list.  If you have not seen his early fights (before he changed his name) you need to watch.


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## topcat (Feb 25, 2009)

Bo Jackson for me.  Hands down


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## drhunter1 (Feb 25, 2009)

Micheal Jordan couldn't hit a curveball. Heck he couldn't even hit a fastball.


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## Danuwoa (Feb 25, 2009)

drhunter1 said:


> Micheal Jordan couldn't hit a curveball. Heck he couldn't even hit a fastball.



True.  But he was utterly unstoppable on a basketball court.  The best players in the world looked like they were in slow motion next to him.  I don't know if there has ever been a more driven or dominant player in any sport.  I laugh every time somebody compares one of these cheap knock offs like Kobe to MJ.


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## ShimanoFisherman (Feb 25, 2009)

South GA Dawg said:


> True. But he was utterly unstoppable on a basketball court. The best players in the world looked like they were in slow motion next to him. I don't know if there has ever been a more driven or dominant player in any sport. I laugh every time somebody compares one of these cheap knock offs like Kobe to MJ.




I think Tiger Woods is just as dominant as MJ ever was.


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## Danuwoa (Feb 25, 2009)

ShimanoFisherman said:


> I think Tiger Woods is just as dominant as MJ ever was.



Probably true.  There is nothing I can think of that could possibly be more boring than watching golf so I really can't say much about Tiger.  I know that he wins a heck of a lot and seems to be head and shoulders above the competition so you might be right.  I'll take your word for it.


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## Hunter922 (Feb 25, 2009)

I would say Bo Jackson... BUT Deon Sanders was a GREAT athlete....I would love to see him in his prime run as fast as he possibly could. He always looked like he was at about 90% , the problem is that was faster than almost everyone else at 110%..


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## Benhillcountyhunter (Feb 25, 2009)

I agree with everyone on athletes I have seen on TV.  Deion, Walker, and Bo Jackson (even still have his card where is is wearing football shoulder pads and holding the baseball bat across his shoulders.  He was the man back when I was in high school), but the best athlete I have witnessed in person was when Georgia played Arkansas a few years ago and there tailback was a young man that no one really knew much other than in the southeast.  His name was Darren Mcfadden.  This guy was unbelievable watching him in person.  Ever time he would touch the ball the whole stadium would hold their breath until he was tackled.  I mean a guy that big running a 4.3, ridiculous.  He also went on to have a pretty good college career.  Watched him on TV beat the national champion LSU tigers single handed.


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## redlevel (Feb 25, 2009)

I have never understood the fascination with Deion, other than his "prime time" media stuff.  He was a great return man.  He was, I guess, a great cornerback because of the interceptions, but did he ever tackle anybody?  He was a mediocre baseball player at best.  .263 lifetime ba, 39 career hr, etc.  He was a great athlete, I admit,   but the greatest?    Not even in the top 100 I can remember.

Leave car racing out, because NASCAR drivers wouldn't stand a chance against real race drivers.  Then, what are you going to do about aerobatic pilots?

The greatest athletes I ever saw?   MJ, Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Bill Russell, Bruce Jenner, Bob Mathias, Bryan Clay,  Kareem, Cassius Clay, OJ Simpson, Bo Jackson, Herschel Walker, and finally, my favorite of them all, Secretariat.


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## Sugar HillDawg (Feb 25, 2009)

I DID get to see Herschel play in person and it truly was like watching a man in his athletic prime playing against Pop Warner players. He was the show and everybody else were just extras!!


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 25, 2009)

Deion is the only athlete to play in a Super Bowl and a World Series.


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 25, 2009)

That is one of those records that could stand forever.


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## Bitteroot (Feb 25, 2009)

with out a doubt.......



Bob Horner!....... oh my wrist!


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## ACguy (Feb 25, 2009)

Tim Tebow hands down the best ever. joke

Sounds like everyone is answering the question of who is the most dominating athlete. I think guys like GSP , J.Peppers , R.Moss and others have better athletic ability then most of the guys named.  The most dominating athlete I have ever seen is probably Tiger Woods  . He plays in a sport where no one can help  him (teammates or refs) .


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 25, 2009)

The term shut down corner did not exist until Deion played.Go on  NFL .com and look at Jerry Rice's game statistics against him.Deion completely took the best receiver to ever play the game out of the game


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## ShimanoFisherman (Feb 25, 2009)

ACguy said:


> Tim Tebow hands down the best ever. joke
> 
> Sounds like everyone is answering the question of who is the most dominating athlete. I think guys like GSP , J.Peppers , R.Moss and others have better athletic ability then most of the guys named.  The most dominating athlete I have ever seen is probably Tiger Woods  . He plays in a sport where no one can help  him (teammates or refs) .



That is the way I am looking at it.  It is very hard to say who is the greatest athlete of all time.  The way everyone is talking, you could put Mike Vick up there with people like Dion Sanders.  But I am sure there are a ton of people out there who are more Athletic than them.  But,  the most dominating person in their own sport has to be Tiger hands down.  There is no other sports figure who is just above all of the competition.


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## Rays123 (Feb 25, 2009)

Need i say more


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## sleeze (Feb 25, 2009)

alphachief said:


> Being a Nole fan you may find this surprising...but the best athlete I've ever personally seen is Chris Collinsworth.  All state baseball, basketball, football and track athlete at Titusville Astronaut HS.  I watched him as a senior win the state 100 yard dash by a wide margin (the only white guy in a 8 man field).  Not to mention he was a college All American in Football and went on to have a successful NFL career.  Only drawback was he played for the wrong team in college!



Nice Pick,,,,,,,,,,,,

This guy is a heckuva athlete that went to FSU.


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## sleeze (Feb 25, 2009)

alphachief said:


> Being a Nole fan you may find this surprising...but the best athlete I've ever personally seen is Chris Collinsworth.  All state baseball, basketball, football and track athlete at Titusville Astronaut HS.  I watched him as a senior win the state 100 yard dash by a wide margin (the only white guy in a 8 man field).  Not to mention he was a college All American in Football and went on to have a successful NFL career.  Only drawback was he played for the wrong team in college!



But on a Serious note...................Charlie Ward should be on "the long List" of great athletes.


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 25, 2009)

Rays123 said:


> Need i say more



I saw this in person to.But Knowshon hasn't proven it at the next level yet.Still a pretty picture thow.


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## Rays123 (Feb 25, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> I saw this in person to.But Knowshon hasn't proven it at the next level yet.Still a pretty picture thow.



yea i know leaving UGA was the dumbest thing that kid could ever do. the fame got to him


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## Efrank09 (Feb 25, 2009)

Bo Jackson
Anderson "The Spider" Syilva
JW Hart
Deon Sanders
Babe Ruth
just of the top of my head


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## bugeye1 (Feb 25, 2009)

*No Question*

Hank Parker!


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## meherg (Feb 25, 2009)

football  BARRY SANDERS
baseball  PETE ROSE
basketball MICHAEL JORDAN
golf  TIGER WOODS
HUNTING    JIM SHOCKEY
FISHING   KEVIN VANDAM
 LIKE THE LAST TWO THE BEST


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## biggdogg (Feb 25, 2009)

bo jackson, hands down. cause "bo knows!"


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 25, 2009)

meherg said:


> football  BARRY SANDERS
> baseball  PETE ROSE
> basketball MICHAEL JORDAN
> golf  TIGER WOODS
> ...



pro football Joe Montana
college football  Hershal Walker
basketball Dominique Wilkens (He never had a Scotty Pippen.)
golf Tiger
hunting Bear Gryls
fishing Bear Gryls
athlete Deion Sanders


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## Thanatos (Feb 25, 2009)

Randy Savage 

O yeeeaaaaa!


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## topcat (Feb 25, 2009)

Someone refresh my memory... what great team did Knowshon do that against?


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## topcat (Feb 25, 2009)

sleeze said:


> Nice Pick,,,,,,,,,,,,
> 
> This guy is a heckuva athlete that went to FSU.


Haha... freaking hilarious!


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## sleeze (Feb 26, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> basketball Dominique Wilkens (He never had a Scotty Pippen.)



Your not one of them guys that think MJ wouldn't have been nothing without Scottie , are ya?

Nique played with some good players himself.  You want me to name them off?


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## cobb (Feb 26, 2009)

sleeze said:


> Your not one of them guys that think MJ wouldn't have been nothing without Scottie , are ya?
> 
> Nique played with some good players himself.  You want me to name them off?



no kidding!!!! the Hawks should have won more in the 80's!!!


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## MustangMAtt30 (Feb 26, 2009)

Efrank09 said:


> Bo Jackson
> Anderson "The Spider" Syilva
> JW Hart
> Deon Sanders
> ...




Dang, you saw Babe Ruth play????


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## DSGB (Feb 26, 2009)

Another vote for Bo Jackson. Best I've ever watched personally.


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## Grand Slam (Feb 26, 2009)

Probably Bo, but I also respect the guys that can take it to the course with some skills. Mark McGwire was a pitcher in college and with the help of roids turned into a power hitter, but is also a ******* golfer. Sam Bradford won the Heisman, played for the national championship, and also holds a course record at a golf course. That's crazy hand/eye. I think Tiger is one of those freaks too.


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## OL' Square Britches (Feb 26, 2009)

*Best Athlete ever*

May he R.I.P...John Candy


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## riprap (Feb 26, 2009)

sleeze said:


> Your not one of them guys that think MJ wouldn't have been nothing without Scottie , are ya?Nique played with some good players himself.Edited to Remove Profanity ---- You want me to name them off?


Please. Tree Rollins. Jon Koncack, Doc Rivers, Spud Webb, Kevin Willis. That is an all star line up.


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## Paymaster (Feb 26, 2009)

bugeye1 said:


> Hank Parker!





The man gets both fish and deer with bait.


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## bugeye1 (Feb 26, 2009)

*The Greatest!*

Hunting: Roger Raglin
Fishing: Hank Parker
Nascar: Bill Elliot
Basketball: Dr. J
Baseball: Johnny Bench
Football: Tony Dorsett
Wrestling: Sting
All Around: Bo


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## OL' Square Britches (Feb 26, 2009)

No-fishing would have to be Rayo Breckenbridge, and Nascar-it has got to be Digger hands down.


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## ScottD (Feb 26, 2009)

Gotta be Michael Jordan.

    * Olympic Gold Medal: 1984, 1992
    * NBA Champion: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
    * NCAA National Championship: 1982
    * NBA MVP: 1987/88, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1995/96, 1997/98
    * NBA Finals MVP: 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
    * NBA Leading Scorer: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
    * All-NBA First Team: 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
    * All-NBA Second Team: 1984/85
    * NBA All-Star Game: 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03
    * NBA All-Star Game MVP: 1987/88, 1995/96, 1997/98
    * NBA All-Defensive Team: 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
    * NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 1987/88
    * NBA Rookie of the Year: 1984/85
    * NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner: 1987, 1988
    * ACC Freshman of the Year: 1982
    * 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: 1984
    * Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: 1991
    * Ranked #1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 75 Players of All-Time
    * Ranked #1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century

Larry Bird. "He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it's just God disguised as Michael Jordan." 

How many athletes have their own logo that is just their silhouette?







He also played minor baseball, and is reported to be a wicked tennis player, and of course golf too.  At the 2007 Wachovia pro-am Tiger Woods asked to be paired with Michael Jordan(who had a 1.2 handicap)


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## Rangerboats (Feb 26, 2009)

slightly grayling said:


> I would put Tiger several notches above the best bowlers, dart throwers, and curling champs, but he really doesn't belong in this category.



With all do respect, Golf is probably would of the hardest sports out there to play!! I was in the golf business for several years and to watch that man do some of the things he does is just incredible! He is by far one of the greatest athletes out there, oh yeah I do believe he did win male ATHLETE of the year last year in the ESPN ESPYS!!


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## sleeze (Feb 26, 2009)

riprap said:


> Please. Tree Rollins. Jon Koncack, Doc Rivers, Spud Webb, Kevin Willis. That is an all star line up.



Kevin Willis WAS a allstar. And was a FORCE in the paint.  Doc Rivers was a solid player in his Hawk Hay days.  Stacy Augmon was a poor mans Scottie Pippen.  

What about Eddie Johnson, Dan Roundfield, Moses Malone, Reggie Theus?  All guys he played along side in his career.


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## Tim L (Feb 26, 2009)

Jim Brown


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## yellowduckdog (Feb 26, 2009)

He also played minor baseball, and is reported to be a wicked tennis player, and of course golf too.  At the 2007 Wachovia pro-am Tiger Woods asked to be paired with Michael Jordan(who had a 1.2 handicap)[/QUOTE]

 Jerry West THE NBA logo


I would go with BO


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## mriver72 (Feb 26, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> The term shut down corner did not exist until Deion played.Go on  NFL .com and look at Jerry Rice's game statistics against him.Deion completely took the best receiver to ever play the game out of the game



Deion was just fast he was scared of contact !!!!!


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## mriver72 (Feb 26, 2009)

Rays123 said:


> yea i know leaving UGA was the dumbest thing that kid could ever do. the fame got to him



Smartest thing he ever did cant blame him go get the money son !!!!!!!


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Sleeze. Do you really think MJ would have had the stats and the championships on the Hawks?All the players that played with Nique should thank him for extending their carreers by taking on double and triple teams and giving them wide open shots.


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## sleeze (Feb 26, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> Sleeze. Do you really think MJ would have had the stats and the championships on the Hawks?All the players that played with Nique should thank him for extending their carreers by taking on double and triple teams and giving them wide open shots.



Hard to say if MJ would win a championships if he was on the Hawks.  But if i was a betting man and my time machine was working and he got traded to the Hawks then i would put some money on it that he would.

And whats this with Nique being double and tripled team?  Dont know where you are going with that statement?  You say it like MJ never got double or tripled........

Stats alone MJ was better.  He had a better jumper, better defensively too.  He was a better leader and a better competitor than the Human Highlight film was.  

And what really sets him apart is MJ made everybody around him better, that includes Pippen.


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## slightly grayling (Feb 26, 2009)

Not meaning to hijack the thread... to each his own, but as I said I think Tiger belongs in a different category (compare him with Byron Ferguson...something requiring precision maybe not brute strength/speed).  I'm not saying golf doesn't take skill and hand/eye coordination, but unless there is running, jumping, throwing,  etc....I would not consider it in the same category.  Hitting a ball then walking to it and hitting it again isn't the same as what Deon, Bo, MJ, and others do.....it can't be compared.  Athlete of the year?  I just don't see how he compares.  great golfer-yes, mentally focused-yes, cash cow-definately, and  marketing dream-sure, but not best athlete.  





Rangerboats said:


> With all do respect, Golf is probably would of the hardest sports out there to play!! I was in the golf business for several years and to watch that man do some of the things he does is just incredible! He is by far one of the greatest athletes out there, oh yeah I do believe he did win male ATHLETE of the year last year in the ESPN ESPYS!!


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## proside (Feb 26, 2009)

slightly grayling said:


> Not meaning to hijack the thread... to each his own, but as I said I think Tiger belongs in a different category.  I'm not saying golf doesn't take skill and hand/eye coordination, but unless there is running, jumping, throwing,  etc....I would not consider it in the same category.  Hitting a ball then walking to it and hitting it again isn't the same as what Deon, Bo, MJ, and others do.....it can't be compared.  Athlete of the year?  I just don't see how he compares.  great golfer-yes, mentally focused-yes, cash cow-definately, and  marketing dream-sure, but not best athlete.




I see your point.

Since the Question was who was the best athlete you ever seen, there is no wrong answer's if you honestly feel that the person is the best you saw.

Personally for me I look at some baseball players as non athletes.

Pitchers for example, they pitch every 5, days they are on a pitch count, they very rarely pitch a complete game. Some dont even travel with the team on away trips.

Alot of them are fat and cant run or hit a baseball.


Chipper Jones stays hurt, if he played a contact sport he would never play.

Baseball players are over paid IMO


OH OH I am rambling now.


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## riprap (Feb 26, 2009)

sleeze said:


> Hard to say if MJ would win a championships if he was on the Hawks.Edited to Remove Profanity ---- But if i was a betting man and my time machine was working and he got traded to the Hawks then i would put some money on it that he would.And whats this with Nique being double and tripled team?Edited to Remove Profanity ---- Dont know where you are going with that statement?Edited to Remove Profanity ---- You say it like MJ never got double or tripled........Stats alone MJ was better.Edited to Remove Profanity ---- He had a better jumper, better defensively too.Edited to Remove Profanity ---- He was a better leader and a better competitor than the Human Highlight film was.Edited to Remove Profanity ---- And what really sets him apart is MJ made everybody around him better, that includes Pippen.


How many playoff games did he play in without pippen? Even if he was older with Toronto, he should have made everyone around him better.


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## littlewolf (Feb 26, 2009)

Bo Jackson.


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

riprap said:


> How many playoff games did he play in without pippen? Even if he was older with Toronto, he should have made everyone around him better.



Took the words out my mouth.So all I got to say is "put that in your pipe and smoke it."


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Bo Jackson would be the only person I would consider close to Deion.The difference would be the hip injury.Part of being an athlete is not getting injured or performing through it.This never was meant to be a fair question.


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## sleeze (Feb 26, 2009)

riprap said:


> How many playoff games did he play in without pippen? Even if he was older with Toronto, he should have made everyone around him better.



Toronto?



TuffDaddy said:


> Took the words out my mouth.So all I got to say is "put that in your pipe and smoke it."



No thanks,,,,,,,, keep your pipe and smoke.


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

MJ not only played for Bulls Sleeze.


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## sleeze (Feb 26, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> MJ not only played for Bulls Sleeze.



So i guess he played for Toronto?


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## SlipperyHill Mo (Feb 27, 2009)

Dale Earnhart is NOT an athelete by any stretch of the imagination!!!

Get real.


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 27, 2009)

sleeze said:


> So i guess he played for Toronto?



I quit following MJ when he decided to go Garth Brooks on everybody and recreate himself as a Chicago Whitesox.I have to admit you suprised me picking MJ,I figured you would have picked Tim Teabutt.


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## JR (Feb 27, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> I quit following MJ when he decided to go Garth Brooks on everybody and recreate himself as a Chicago Whitesox.I have to admit you suprised me picking MJ,I figured you would have picked Tim Teabutt.



Sup TD????


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 27, 2009)

[
QUOTE=JR;3257224]Sup TD????[/QUOTE:
Sup JR


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## JR (Feb 27, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> [
> QUOTE=JR;3257224]Sup TD????[/QUOTE:
> Sup JR



Great thread!  Tried to PM ya... You're not receiving them though.  Anyway, just thought I'd say... Hey!


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 27, 2009)

Cool!! Ain't seen ya around these parts much.So who's your athlete and do you have the twister mat warm?
Oh by the way,I don't type fast enough to do PM's. I figured if its that important..... it can be said in a thread.


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## JR (Feb 27, 2009)

Someone already chose mine....   R. Simmons!  He is just FABULOUS!

Him, or, Barry Bonds!!!!


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## skeeter24 (Feb 27, 2009)

Probably have to go with Bo Jackson.

Tell you who may not be the best but is pretty good though...Dale Jarrett.  Champion racer, scratch golfer and was offered a full golf scholarship to South Carolina, and also offered Div 1 basketball scholarships.


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## Ta-ton-ka chips (Feb 27, 2009)

*Let's Put this All to Rest*

Best Athlete I Ever Saw...

Secretariat!

Power and Grace in motion - just look at that body!


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## Danuwoa (Feb 27, 2009)

sleeze said:


> Hard to say if MJ would win a championships if he was on the Hawks.  But if i was a betting man and my time machine was working and he got traded to the Hawks then i would put some money on it that he would.
> 
> And whats this with Nique being double and tripled team?  Dont know where you are going with that statement?  You say it like MJ never got double or tripled........
> 
> ...



I agree 100% sleeze.  I know everybody has their favorite player but I don't see how anybody who watched Jordan play could possibly argue that he wasn't the best.  

Look at those Bulls teams.   Not exactly a dream team that Jordan was surrounded by.  Yeah Scottie was a good second bannana but what did Scottie ever do after Jordan was gone?  I definitely think that Jordan wins championships as a Hawk.  I don't know if he would have won as many because you don't how large of a role the intangibles like team chemistry etc. might play.  But all a person would have to do is go back and look at those Bulls teams player by player and the drop off from Jordan is significant.  The dropp off from Scottie is a grand canyon.


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## westcobbdog (Feb 27, 2009)

Dale Ellis was amazing in the 70's and 80's and had a 17yr NBA career..got to watch him play many times..Hershel Walker his first 2 yrs of college.  MJ was a freak..but the best all rounder of my era would be..

       Bo Jackson...to excel in 2 sports that were very different amazes me!


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## MustangMAtt30 (Feb 27, 2009)

SlipperyHill Mo said:


> Dale Earnhart is NOT an athelete by any stretch of the imagination!!!
> 
> Get real.



You couldn't do it.


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## funandgun (Feb 27, 2009)

My Daughter is the best athlete I have ever seen.....she plays 5 varsity sports including fastpitch softball, basketball, track, cross country, and tennis, earning All-Region in all of them except tennis (last year was first year playing) and All- State in fastpitch softball for the pass 3 years AND maintains a 4.0 gpa.

She also plays 100+/- games each Summer with a travel softball team.  

On top of that, she is a great young lady who does all of the above without a multi million dollar contract........yep, she does it all because she loves it.  I am so proud of her!!!


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## tuffdawg (Feb 27, 2009)

Ta-ton-ka chips said:


> Best Athlete I Ever Saw...
> 
> Secretariat!
> 
> Power and Grace in motion - just look at that body!



 I have to say. He was my favorite.


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## magnum62 (Feb 27, 2009)

Overall athlete that I saw..  Bo Jackson.


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## OL' Square Britches (Feb 27, 2009)

Kvd


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## sleeze (Feb 27, 2009)

skeeter24 said:


> Probably have to go with Bo Jackson.
> 
> Tell you who may not be the best but is pretty good though...Dale Jarrett.  Champion racer, scratch golfer and was offered a full golf scholarship to South Carolina, and also offered Div 1 basketball scholarships.



Hmmmm, thats cool about dale jarrett.  I never knew that about him.


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## DaddyPaul (Feb 27, 2009)

I vote for Lance Armstrong.  To go through the medical trials he did and then win the TDF something like 7 straight times is insane.

Heck he wasn't even supposed to live!


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 27, 2009)

I wracked my brain to come up with an athlete that could hold a candle to Deion or Bo.Never thought of Lance.But come to think of it you're right.I'm not sayin he's as good as the before mentioned,but he's a respectable pick.


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## z71mathewsman (Feb 27, 2009)

*Athelete???*

If your talking about Football,,,,,Barry Sanders and Walter Payton are the 2 best running backs I have ever seen.And in Basketball,it's non other than MJ!!!


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## TuffDaddy (Feb 27, 2009)

z71mathewsman said:


> If your talking about Football,,,,,Barry Sanders and Walter Payton are the 2 best running backs I have ever seen.And in Basketball,it's non other than MJ!!!



Athlete. It doesn't matter what sport they play.


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## DaddyPaul (Feb 28, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> I wracked my brain to come up with an athlete that could hold a candle to Deion or Bo.Never thought of Lance.But come to think of it you're right.I'm not sayin he's as good as the before mentioned,but he's a respectable pick.



Lance started out competing in triathlon and I remember him beating Dave Scott (6 time Hawaiin Ironman champ and THE MAN in triathlon at the time) as an 18 year old kid just getting started.  Not only was he good on the bike but he could swim like a fish and was running sub 36 minute 10k's after swimming a mile and riding almost 25!  This was back in the days of the USTS (United States Triathlon Series).  I'm not sure if he ever competed at the longer distances, like a half ironman or full ironman?

In the end he decided to focus on biking only and we all know how dominating he has been in that arena.  

Just trying to show he is definitely not a one dimensional athlete.  He is a genetically gifted beast who has a great work ethic.  Put those two together and you have Lance Armstrong.  

To me he is just incredible.  Picture this, you're in the Tour De France where only the absolute best of the best are riding alongside you.  You kinda take it easy at the start of the stage and then hit the mountains.  You stay with the lead guys, some of which are mountain specialists, until a point where you say to yourself, "I think I'm gonna put some time on these guys today."  Next thing you know he is out of his seat and hammering on the pedals.

Before long almost all of the absolute best cyclists in the world are left behind shaking their heads wondering how in the heck he does it.  To do that in the midst of the very top echelon of cyclists for 7 straight years to me is insane.  Lance proved many times to be a great time trialist, no help from team mates, just you, the road and a clock.  Then you get in the mountains and he hammers away like a billy goat.

Just an incredibly gifted person who worked his butt off, didn't throw in the towel when the medical world told him he was a dead man walking and then just whipped the cycling world 7 times in a row!  Another cool thing is that many of his former sponsors dropped him when they thought he was dying.  To get a chance to tell them you don't want their sponsorship later on when you are on top of the cycling world is almost like a fairy tale unfolding in my opinion.

Gotta be Top 5 incredible stories in the sports world if you ask me?


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## ball8875 (Mar 1, 2009)

*Bo Jackson by far!!*

Bo Jackson to me is by far the best athlete overall.  Who has ever been able to touch his abilities in more than one sport.  If I recall even D.Sanders said Bo J. was the best athlete of all time.  Such a sad thing that his sports career ended so soon.  Will there ever be anyone to come along to match him?  I say I doubt it !


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## TuffDaddy (Mar 1, 2009)

ball8875 said:


> Bo Jackson to me is by far the best athlete overall.  Who has ever been able to touch his abilities in more than one sport.  If I recall even D.Sanders said Bo J. was the best athlete of all time.  Such a sad thing that his sports career ended so soon.  Will there ever be anyone to come along to match him?  I say I doubt it !



Wouldn't the length of Bo's carreer give the title to Deion?


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## weagle (Mar 4, 2009)

Bo Jackson.

Weagle


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## maker4life (Mar 4, 2009)

I always thaught Bo was the best athlete in the big three sports but overall I would have to give it to one of the track and field guys . Pure athleticism won't get it done in football , baseball , basketball . Those sports take a specific skill set that may or may not reflect athleticism .

I think a Carl Lewis type or one of the decathalon guys should be the pick .

In the big three I could go with several but Bo would probably be on top . I'll argue for Charlie Ward though , he was drafted in both basketball and baseball and had he shown ANY interest in the NFL he would have been drafted there also .


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## Redhand (Mar 4, 2009)

Tim Tebow
Percy Harvin
Emmit Smith


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## Rednec (Mar 4, 2009)

MJ
I dont see anyone from NASCAr qualifying..


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## Hogtown (Mar 4, 2009)

Pure athelete - I'd go with Alex Lowe.  Probably the best mountaineer/free-climber the USA has ever produced and one of the top two or three in the world, ever.  He died in an avalanche in Himalayas (Tibet side) in the late 1990's.  He was inhumanely strong, graceful, coordinated, had incrediable endurance and was known to be a genuinely humble and nice guy.


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## jaymax00 (Mar 4, 2009)

Bo Jackson without a doubt, and he is a bigtime outdoorsmen


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## codeeb (Mar 4, 2009)

Bo Jackson !


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## TuffDaddy (Mar 6, 2009)

If you had to put money on a forty time between Deion and Bo in their prime's ,who would you pick.Also who is going to be inducted into the NFL hall of fame and who isn't.The decision seems pretty easy to me.


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## topcat (Mar 6, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> If you had to put money on a forty time between Deion and Bo in their prime's ,who would you pick.Also who is going to be inducted into the NFL hall of fame and who isn't.The decision seems pretty easy to me.


Deion in the fawty.  Bo in the hall


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## sleeze (Mar 6, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> If you had to put money on a forty time between Deion and Bo in their prime's ,who would you pick.Also who is going to be inducted into the NFL hall of fame and who isn't.The decision seems pretty easy to me.



So Neon Deion is faster, Okay gotcha.

What if you want one of them to put a shoulder down and run through a defender, or throw a shotput, Homerun contest, game of tug-o-war.  Who you picking then?  Point is, Stanky Sanders is faster and more agile, But Bo is stronger.


P.S.    Yes i called Deon Sanders "Stanky".  He never took baths while he was in college.


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## RipperIII (Mar 8, 2009)

I'm a die hard Bama Man, but this one is easy...Bo Jackson over Jordan by a good margin


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## TuffDaddy (Mar 10, 2009)

RipperIII said:


> I'm a die hard Bama Man, but this one is easy...Bo Jackson over Jordan by a good margin



What about Primetime?Deion beats Bow in the fowty.Deion is going to be in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.Lastly,Deion holds the record for the only athlete to ever play in a World Series and a Superbowl.The gulp you just heard was Bo swallowing his dip spit while reading this.

Put that in your pipes and smoke it you bunch of Bo lovers.


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## docmlw (Mar 11, 2009)

May be a little unpopular, but for my money, and understanding how the world was in them days, Babe Didrikson was as good as any that has been mentioned. Google her if you don't know about her.  Just one of her many highlights... she won the 1932 AAU team championships for track and field, which served as the Olympic qualifier in those days...by HERSELF!! She scored 30 points, the second place TEAM scored 22 points and had 22 members. She competed in 8 of the 10 events in a span of 3 hours....setting world records in 5 of them!! And that don't even scratch the surface. If you can find me one to top that I'll be impressed.


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## TuffDaddy (Mar 13, 2009)

docmlw said:


> May be a little unpopular, but for my money, and understanding how the world was in them days, Babe Didrikson was as good as any that has been mentioned. Google her if you don't know about her.  Just one of her many highlights... she won the 1932 AAU team championships for track and field, which served as the Olympic qualifier in those days...by HERSELF!! She scored 30 points, the second place TEAM scored 22 points and had 22 members. She competed in 8 of the 10 events in a span of 3 hours....setting world records in 5 of them!! And that don't even scratch the surface. If you can find me one to top that I'll be impressed.






All I can say is if thats your entry , then you have a totally different veiw of sports than I do.God Bless You Brother.


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## sleeze (Mar 13, 2009)

docmlw said:


> May be a little unpopular, but for my money, and understanding how the world was in them days, Babe Didrikson was as good as any that has been mentioned. Google her if you don't know about her.  Just one of her many highlights... she won the 1932 AAU team championships for track and field, which served as the Olympic qualifier in those days...by HERSELF!! She scored 30 points, the second place TEAM scored 22 points and had 22 members. She competed in 8 of the 10 events in a span of 3 hours....setting world records in 5 of them!! And that don't even scratch the surface. If you can find me one to top that I'll be impressed.



Who?

Okay i had to look her up on google.  She should be considered.
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014147.html
http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00194636.html


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## KDarsey (Mar 13, 2009)

I read that as  'best athelete you ever SAW'.
If you mean on TV that could be a different answer. 
I don't think some of you ever 'SAW' some of these in person.
I have been to lots of pro Baseball games and saw a lot of 'good' players.
I have had the set of lights that Bo hit at Foley Field pointed out to me. (and I agree he was a great one)
 But the greatest (in my opinion) that I ever personally saw play was Hershell.....in a High School football game.
He was running like a mad man on that field that night. It was like a one-man team. He was unreal and at the time all we knew was  that Johnson County had a real good 'running back'.  Never forget that night, it was some show.
 (by the way Hershell beat the daylights out of us that night)


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## maker4life (Mar 13, 2009)

TuffDaddy said:


> All I can say is if thats your entry , then you have a totally different veiw of sports than I do.God Bless You Brother.



How so ? Babe Didrickson for years and years has been considered one of the best athletes of ALL TIME ! On top of her track and field stuff she was the best ladies golfer of her time and even WRESTLED !


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## joejack (Mar 13, 2009)

Angelina Jolie.


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## kevina (Mar 13, 2009)

Andre Smith!


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## docmlw (Mar 13, 2009)

Like I said..I figured it may be a little unpopular Tuffdaddy, but if you look at the total package (everything she accomplished) she stacks up pretty well to Bo, Herschel, Deion, and all the rest.


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## TuffDaddy (Mar 13, 2009)

To whom ever reads this,I AM NOT A SEXIST.Its just hard for me  to consider a woman in this discussion.


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## tcward (Mar 13, 2009)

Redhand said:


> Tim Tebow
> Percy Harvin
> Emmit Smith


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## MudDucker (Mar 14, 2009)

Browning Slayer said:


> You got to give Herschel his credit along with Bo... They both get my vote!



Most sportswriters would say Herschel and I would agree.  Bo was a great one too.


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## docmlw (Mar 14, 2009)

Well, if it makes you feel better Tuff, I never thought about the sexist point of view. I figured it was more about the types of sports Babe was involved in rather then her gender. It did seem a little funny to me also to add someone who was known more for track & field, golf, and handball, when everyone else was talking football or any of the other major sports.


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## yellowduckdog (Mar 14, 2009)

docmlw said:


> Well, if it makes you feel better Tuff, I never thought about the sexist point of view. I figured it was more about the types of sports Babe was involved in rather then her gender. It did seem a little funny to me also to add someone who was known more for track & field, golf, and handball, when everyone else was talking football or any of the other major sports.


Did you see her??!?! If so who is helping you type


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## MCBIG (Mar 18, 2009)

for me it is/was Bo Jackson-baseball(run,hit,throw,hit for power,great defense)football(just ask Brian Bozworth-Bo told him when after a touchdown run when Boz was hangin on tryin to tackle him"did you have a ticket for that busride")and he was also on the track team at Auburn was,nt he? Bo knows!!!!
                                                            just my 2 cents
                                                                                      mike


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## McChef (Mar 21, 2009)

Not even a question it is Bo Jackson.  The guy made the pro bowl playing 8 games in an nfl season also the only running back in nfl history with two 90+ yard runs in his career.  Oh yeah he was an all star baseball player as well.  Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ---- shame what happened to him in that Bengals game remember it like it was yesterday.  He did try to play baseball with the bum hip for Chicago think he was a dh if I remember correct.


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## Meriwether Mike (Mar 26, 2009)

The dogs pulling the sleds in the Iditarod are the best athletes I have ever seen. They run all day and night.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Mar 26, 2009)

MudDucker said:


> Most sportswriters would say Herschel and I would agree. Bo was a great one too.


 
Until he left college......

My vote is on Bo Jackson


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## Mako22 (Mar 26, 2009)

Only player to play in the Super Bowl and a World Series, PRIME TIME ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!!


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## TuffDaddy (Mar 26, 2009)

Woodsman69 said:


> Only player to play in the Super Bowl and a World Series, PRIME TIME ALL THE WAY BABY!!!!!



Right on!!!!!!!


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## Kawaliga (Mar 26, 2009)

Bo Jackson. He had speed, power and agility. Lots of it was hard work, but he was just naturally gifted. He also had an iron will, and the ability to stay focused on the task at hand. He was also one heck of a good guy.


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## sleeze (Mar 26, 2009)

tetgunner said:


> Bo Jackson. He had speed, power and agility. Lots of it was hard work, but he was just naturally gifted. He also had an iron will, and the ability to stay focused on the task at hand. He was also one heck of a good guy.



Didnt Bo take plays off, Or should i say take himself out of the game a lot in football?


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## kevina (Mar 26, 2009)

sleeze said:


> Didnt Bo take plays off, Or should i say take himself out of the game a lot in football?



That was Moreno (Noshow)


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## Alaska (Mar 30, 2009)

*The Great One*

Come on the nick name says it all for this thread. These athletes are over looked. This one man has more top records than any player in professional sports that I am aware of. Not to mention most are likely to stand past our lifetime if not forever.    Wayne Gretzky


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## TuffDaddy (Apr 2, 2009)

Alaska said:


> Come on the nick name says it all for this thread. These athletes are over looked. This one man has more top records than any player in professional sports that I am aware of. Not to mention most are likely to stand past our lifetime if not forever.    Wayne Gretzky



Slapping around frozen dog tird around with a stick isn't my idea of an athlete.


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## Bruz (Apr 2, 2009)

Pure Domination in their respective sports....

Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods


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