Who is it? Had this discussion with a couple of friends, and we came up with nothing.

Ted Williams...maybe Jack Nicklaus.

Wayne Gretzky
Ty Cobb
Larry Bird
Jack Dempsy
Micheal Phelps
Rocky Marciano
Bobby Jones

Caitlyn Jenner

Gretzky

Never a Yankee fan, but this man was pretty good.

As in, "Could play two sports competitively" ala Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders

You and your friends are idiots.

John Holmes

Thanks for the input dumbass

Maybe sports aren't their thing.

You could make a pretty good TV show out of trying to find out.
Have the competitors do the NFL combine, Olympic decathlon and maybe a triatholon to top it off. Oh and some powerlifting or strongman stuff.

We all 3 played Division 1 sports, and you?

You gotta admit you teed that one up for a 300yd drive.

Yeah, couldn't come up with a single name? Seriously? Exactly what sport they into?

Division one tiddle winks apparently.

We came up with no one that could have competed in two professional sports, can you?

Trolls.

The Great One ...Wayne Gretzky.

Tebow played pro football and baseball (minor league, but still getting paid)

Forget it. Him and his friends couldn't come up with a single name of a great white athlete.
Some kind of agenda I suppose.

Jim Thorpe.

Yes you and your imaginary friends are morons.

That's the type of answer we were looking for, never thought about Tebow. Thanks

jerry miculek

Fedor Emelianenko to this day he would whip anybody else's ass that is on the list.

Bo Jackson hands down before he ruined his hip.

Chuck Connors, and Gene Conley played both NBA, and MLB.

good catch wabi

Babe Ruth........hands down.

Thorpe = Indian
Jackson = Black

yes, and I hear he was a champion speller in kindergarten , too!

Thanks, did not know they played both sports

Danny Ainge. Pro basketball and baseball. Multiple time high school All American in football, basketball, and baseball.

Rob Gronkowski,,Jack dempsey,Larry Bird,and ROCKY BALBOA but the best was AL Bundy from polk High fame

That's easy

Was Jim Thorpe white? moron

I'm thinking a slumlord sock puppet started this thread..

..not that it's a bad thing.

Yep negroes can run a little faster and jump a little bit. Congrats

Good one

Chuck Connors aka: The Rifleman

Baseball and Basketball

I don't think he's white

Yes, he was. The right half- LOL

Ya fuggin screwnut.

Nope.

Apparently the correct answer is Don Bradman.

Hahahahaha

Im more into old farts bashing threads

This guy been a member way longer than me

He's belongs to ya'll...😄😄😄😄😄

Yes

He was black wasnt he?

Bruce Jenner - Decathlete

John Riggins. Baddest white running back ever.

Here's one.
Gene Conley
Conley is the only athlete to win a championship in two of the four major American sports, winning a World Series in 1957 with the Milwaukee Braves and three championships with the Boston Celtics from 1959-1961. Conley was also named to four MLB All-Star teams during his pitching career.

He was almost as tough as Walt Garrison.

But, he resembled an Indian with da Mohawk! He was a rugged dude, for sure.

Before my time. I will google him, thanks

Michael Phelps

tarzan.

Great swimmer for sure, could he have excelled in other sports?

Gretzky was a great pitcher but chose hockey after he was drafted by MLB...He turned out to be a pretty good center...

If y’all are headed in that direction I’ll take Larry Csonka

Tom Glavine

Drafted by the LA Kings in 1984....2 full rounds ahead of Brett Hull

For years I thought it was Lance Armstrong, and then, well, you know!!!

JJ Watt probably could of competed at a high level in a couple of different sports. He's crazy athletic for a big dude.

Saw Csonka play in a super bowl vs the Vikings. He was a freight train through the Viking defense.

But I’d say Bruce Jenner, before he became a trans

Mario Andretti or Killian Jornet.


mike r

Easy Ed McCaffrey's kid, Christian McCaffrey, is a freak.

There's a bunch of stand out athletes that would likely be able to make some level of pro teams in multiple sports.

Ernest Hemingway

Sonny Jurgenson.

Hammerin' Hank of course..........Greenberg

I was thinking Thorpe also, unless you mean currently.
John Riggins wan another combo of speed and power, broke Gayle Sayers rushing records (can’t remember which college.)

Slumlicker is a sock puppet.

My pick is Ted Williams, the greatest hitter I have ever seen. I guess his other sport would be Marine aviator in WWII and Korea. He would be much higher on the hits and home run lists if not for military service during his prime years. It was said his eyesight was so good that he could read the text on a spinning 78 rpm record.

Lyle Alzado. He played in the NFL and fought Ali (sort of).

Kansas, where he was also a track star, not just a competitor.

Doug Atkins was also a collegiate recruit in basketball at Tennessee, but gave it up for football. Also a track and field star.
He also would start a bar fight, just to clean the place up.
Probably the greatest athlete the ever to come out of the SEC.

Bronko Nagurski.


John Elway. George Steinbrenner had a chubby for him.

There's a few to chew on.

Most of the NFL qbs have and could play baseball to at least the college level. Many would be able to play at some level of the MLB, usually as pitchers.

Slinging Sammy Baugh!!!

He was a good ole boy born in west TX, even though he played football for the Redskins 🤠

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Baugh

Ted Williams gets 2nd place in my vote, followed closely by Joe Dimaggio.

https://brainstats.com/blog/

Danny Ainge

Dale Earnhardt

Regarding Bronko Nagurksi I remember reading this story when I was a kid. This was taken from Wikipedia.

Nagurski was discovered and signed by University of Minnesota head coach Clarence Spears, who drove to International Falls to meet another player. On the outside of town, he watched Nagurski out plowing a field without assistance. According to legend, Spears asked directions and Bronko lifted his plow and used it to point.[1] He was signed on the spot to play for the Golden Gophers. Spears admitted he concocted the story on his long drive back to the university in Minneapolis.

Yeah grabbing that steering wheel for left turns is a real bitch.

I bet he lived in the weight room.

Chuck Norris

Carlos?

Al Bundy!!

They turn right too..

Mickey mantle was a heck of an athlete

Chuck Connors? Hardly the best, I think his stint in the MLB was pretty short.

Also Geordie Howe. Tremendous athlete

Good friends with Al Kaline and in his Detroit day’s used to come out and take bp and work out. Kaline was quoted as saying Howe could have easily been a MLB regular

The kid on The Rifleman always bugged the schit outta me. Coulda been a great series without playing up the father/son thing.

Connors was a 6'6" badass mofo.

The Greatest Athlete in my long life time was called "Big Red."

Larry Potterfield

I was just a little kid but I watched the Belmont that year. I cried because of his greatness. Never will forget that day.

Thinking Chuck Norris OP didn't say had to be one of the 4 major sports.

Was Bruce Jenner

Don't know wha to thnk now.....

For an all-rounder Snowy Baker. He played Rugby for Australia, took both the middleweight and heavyweight national boxing championships at the age of 18, and represented Australia at the Olympic Games in swimming, diving, and boxing, winning a silver medal in the latter. He was also a champion in polo, water polo, cricket, surfing, fencing, hockey, rowing, yachting and equestrian events.

He moved to California and taught Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley Temple, Greta Garbo and Rudolph Valentino how to ride, fence and swim, and coached Douglas Fairbanks in riding, as well as appearing in several films.

Colin Kaepernick

alexander ovechkin is a beast.

Joe Mauer, D1 full ride to any college in the nation - as a quarterback. He decided to play pro baseball out of high school.

Robin Reed. Not a doubt and no contest.


https://beaverrelics.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/robin-reed-the-greatest-beaver-athlete-ever/

You're half right.

Grumpy Jenkins
Dale Earnhardt
Jerry Michulek
Jon Krueger
Bill Mcguire
Jerry Barnhardt
Rob Letham
Ross Seyfried
Dan Bonellias

Maybe 1/1024th

Held the North Carolina state record for 12oz lifts

Bruce Jenner was a steroid induced freak .

The roids phugged with his brain and now we have Catlynn.

It really is that simple gents.

I respect that.

When everything is taken into consideration, there can be only one called the greatest.

Pete Maravich

Somebody finally got it right. Wayne Gretzky couldn't carry Gordie's jockstrap and Wayne even said Gordie was better. Gordie could score, and take care of himself, back when the league was a lot tougher. Wayne needed Dave Semenko (Cementhead) to babysit him. Besides all that, Gordie was a gentleman and friendly guy off the ice. Many of the rest listed were jerks.

Dave Debusschere - NBA and MLB

I had to read them all, and not one of you guys mention the all time greatest that would be

BRETT. FAVRE. Hands down when the going was tough he got the job done!

Jim Thorpe

The key here is white!

He was 'white enough'!!

Wouldn't it be great if instead people would ask who was the greatest AMERICAN athlete?

What fun would that be?

Same answer!

BRETT FAVRE

Is slumlord black, or a jew?

Shaun White is a white man who is world class in 2 sports. Eddy Merckx is also white, and probably the most dominant individual athlete of all time in any sport.

50% better than usual...

Slumlord is the king of two sports..................hunting arrowheads and tearing down deer stands.

Some of the rodeo riders are fair to middlin' athletes . Perhaps better than the ball players.

There are many opinions as to what does and does not constitute an "athlete", with the strength of admiration or animosity based on personal bias.

Yes John, I suppose a case could be made for Monica Lewinsky. .

Pretty amazing and durable champion. Tampa Bay must be sad Glanville cut him back in the day.

Johnny Weissmuller, one of the greatest all event swimmers who ever lived.


https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/sports-and-games/sports-biographies/johnny-weissmuller

L.W.

yep Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan !

tarzan

WHY?

This has already been settled.

After long debate and consideration on the criteria Sir Donald Bradman was crowned the greatest sportsman in history because he is the only man to be twice as good as the best 2nd best who ever lived. All the famous hero's and local identities can never live up to that.

"The Don" was white but that is immaterial, he has no equal.

Dan Gable

I will go with Cal Ripken jr. Think he deserves a mention. Not only a great athlete, but a good person as well.

31 lengths at Belmont was a sight to see. Once in a lifetime.

Tony Romo....








OK quit your laughing guys.

Johnny Manziel....if he coulda kept his head straight. Football, baseball, golf...he could do it all.

Kelly Slater hands down nobody even close to him.

Jim Bridger..... None of those others mentioned had as much incentive, however.

I was gonna say Hugh Glass, but after seeing him played by Leonardo Decapitated, I lost interest....

Dave Logan should get some consideration. Believe he was drafted - NFL, MLB, NBA. Wide receiver Cleveland Browns

11 World Championships and The Eddie. Against the greatest field of competitors ever. Big Waves Small Waves and everything in-between.

I doubt even John John will catch him.

Did I mention he is 47 years old and still competes agains the best in the world that are half his age. I can't think of anyone outside of that Bowler that has a better resumé. But I think of bowling a game not a sport.

Slumlord phuggin rules.

That is all.

There's probably a fair number of kids like him; gifted athletically but unable to compete for whatever reason. There was a lineman working on the stadium lights at ASU a number of years ago. He was watching the track team practice. He climbed down from the lights as asked if he could join one of the 100 yard sprints. Wearing lineman boots and long pants he torched the whole bunch of them easily. He climbed back up and went back to work. Probably a few stories like that around.

Roger Bannister

John Elway

Day occurrence at ASU I’m sure

Athleticism exists outside playing with balls. Too many people associate athletics with some sort of ball. If you want to see some incredible athleticism, watch a rodeo sometime. Then watch a motocross race. There aren’t many football players that could ride a horse or motorcycle...

Lots of them. Plenty of whtebit’s have been great athletes.

A young Babe Ruth was 6’2 of lean muscle who was the best pitcher in the majors but was such a good hitter that they moved him to first base so that he could bat. He was a scratch golfer IF his putter cooperated.

Of course, the best white athlete of all time might have been another Babe...as in Babe Didrickson Zaharia. Multiple Olympic gold medalist in track and field. Best women’s basketball player of the age. Good enough that she could play baseball on a pretty high level with men. And a dominant hall of fame female golfer.

Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (/zəˈhɑːriəs/; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics, before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest female athletes of all time.

Have to mention Michael Phelps.

Babe Zaharias
Johnny Unitas
Pistol Pete Maravich

I'm not sure that success in a sport (or sports) always equates to how athletic a person is. A lot can go into judging how athletic someone is. Speed, strength, size, agility, eye/hand coordination,...anything.

A few relatively recent outstanding athletes, looking mainly at overall athleticism:

Georges St Pierre
Luke Kuechly
Mac McClung....really young
Johnny Manziel
JJ Watt

Plenty of previous, I just looked at recent....

Bezos, Einstein, Jobs, Levin, Bohr....

TIm Tebow is doing Baseball now after doing football before...that took all of 1 second.

Made my morning now I just need to clean the coffee off the keyboard.


On a serious note the big question is what exactly is one measuring, which wouldn't be as easy as measuring Mr. John Holmes qualifications. Sports and athletics cover a wide range of activity. I think if sportswriters or sports historians would actually sit down to answer this question (which I don't think they would) the greatest white athlete would probably be someone from over eighty years ago, and quite likely not american.

The training standards are higher with an incentive to do well.

He played the skin flute and male organ in high school.

Not too many other sports where you’re life is on the line...

As they mentioned in his documentary, it’s like winning Olympic gold where if you’re not perfect, you die.

And he's probably a master at both!

Howard Hill.

Colorado guy Dave Logan. Worthy of consideration.

David Logan) is a former American football player, radio personality, and high school coach. Logan played in nine National Football League seasons from 1976 to 1984, primarily for the Cleveland Browns. He has been the Voice of Denver Broncos football for 20 years, serving as the team's color analyst for six seasons prior to sliding into the play-by-play role.

Dave Logan was an All-State football player at Wheat Ridge High School. While in high school, he won The Denver Post's Gold Helmet Award. An award for the state's top senior football player, scholar and citizen.[1] Out of high school, Logan was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round as a pitcher/infielder.[2]

Logan instead chose to attend the University of Colorado where he lettered in both basketball and football. In 1974, he was selected by Playboy as a Pre-season All-American. In 1975, he was selected by The Sporting News as an All-American.[2] In 1976, he was drafted by the NBA's Kansas City Kings in the ninth round (143rd overall pick) and by the Cleveland Browns in the third round.

Logan played for the Cleveland Browns (1976–83) and the Denver Broncos (1984). As a Cleveland Brown, Logan ranked among the top 5 in "virtually every receiving category in the franchise record books."


As of 2016, Logan had coached more than 23 seasons of high school football, making 21 post season appearances, and winning seven state championships. Logan is one of only three players, along with Dave Winfield and Mickey McCarty, to be drafted by the NBA, NFL, and MLB.

Anybody that banged Marlyn Monroe was an athlete. Except maybe Bobby Kennedy.

The tension in the room was palpable, high stakes tiddlywinks is like that, but in the end the White guy narrowly edged out the Japanese double agent

A case might be made for Ted Williams, the greatest baseball hitter, perhaps, and a Marine pilot in TWO wars.

Harley Race , the first wrestler to body slam Andre The Giant , long before Hulk Hogan did.


Mike

DeFlave and Chuck Norris...

Larry Bird...

Bob Mathias was pretty good.

I kind of look at being “athletic” as someone who can actually play a sport requiring some skill, not just the guy who can run and jump.

I see what you did there.....

Lance Armstrong, well right up until he got caught.

I’m going with Babe Ruth. He won 89 games as a pitcher by the age of 23. That is more games by that age than all but two of the pitchers in the Hall of Fame. He won 20 games two years in a row. He got switched to the outfield so that he could hit everyday because in the dead ball era in limited at bats because he was a pitcher, he had hit eleven home runs. Later as a Yankee they put him in as a pitcher five times over the years at various times. He won all five games.

Best ball player who ever lived. He would be a ball of fame pitcher if he had stayed on the mound.

Ruth also holds the record of the longest complete game as a pitcher at 14 innings. His team won 2-1.

Chuck Norris

Are you addressing my Bob Mathias post? If so, the guy won the gold medal in the decathlon twice, which includes shotputting , javelin as well as "running and jumping". I have an opinion: that defines an athlete and athleticism.

how about Eric Heiden---lots of Gold Medals & world record times

[img]https://i.pinimg.com/236x/5c/f7/34/5cf7349ee4bf6b543136d179b8336b39--tv-quotes-kenny-powers.jpg?b=t[/img]

I've heard several sportscasters and broadcasters say Mickey Mantle was the greatest athlete they ever saw...even when he was drunk. powdr

Based strictly on athletic ability, Mickey Mantle

The amazing thing about Ruth was, that when he hit 60 home runs he out homered all but a few TEAMS. The modern equivalent would be hitting 500 home runs in a season.

Never has their been a more dominant baseball player.

He's entitled to his opinion...

I'm glad somebody finally agreed with me. He singlehandedly saved baseball after the 1919 Black Sox scandal, but changing it from a pitchers game to a hitters game. Yet, he was a great pitcher before he became a great home run hitter. His HR's rate per bat is still the highest there's ever been.

Georges St. Pierre -- outstanding athlete.

I used to work in the Baltimore area in the early 90’s. My buddies with the sherriffs office would often get called out to Ripken’s home because he enjoyed drinking and knocking his wife around sometimes hurt her pretty badly. A phone was made and all was good

He was not a good man

I am rooting for fat boy.

No contest ! Wayne Gretzky.

Uncle Rico.

I'll bring up John Colter again.

He changed the game like few others...........

Discount Robin Reed all you want. But the fact that he never lost a match and beat the hell out of everybody on the Olympic team including the gold medal winning heavyweight in succession at 136lbs puts him on a different level than everybody else mentions. He worked as a steam pile driver on the docks until he decided to go to Oregon State. The images of him ripping the living hell out of everybody he was wrestling puts him at a different class.

He could throw a pass over that mountain...

Cael Sanderson.

Brian Bosworth and Tommy Nobis were studs in college. 2 best linebackers I ever seen at the college level...

Steve Largent
Steve Young
Brett Favre
Roger Clemens
Brian Urlacher
Nolan Ryan
Joe Montana
John Elway
Jay Novacek

Were all studs.

Elway could have been a 2 sport athlete easily...

And not a single one of them has 11 World Championships under their belt as does Kelly Slater.

Speaking of water sports, Michael Phelps could be the greatest white athlete. 23 gold medals.

Too short a period compared to Kelly. Kelly is 47 and minus the foot problem still at the top of his game. He has been on the ASP now WSL since he was 18. He has beaten the best of the best that came before him, during, and future greatest. He can surf Big waves and has won the Eddie. He will own you on small waves, and everything in-between he is just a machine. He has won even when they have changed the judging format. There isn't a peer of his that wouldn't tell you he is the greatest contest surfer of all times.

Comparison all multiple Winners

Mark Richards has 5
Tom Curren 3
Andy Irons 3
Mick Fanning 3
Tom Carroll 2
Damien Hardman 2
John John Florence 2
Gabriel Medina 2

Kelly won 5 in a row, two in a row two different times. He has beaten everyone listed above except Mark Richards who was before Kelly's time. Kelly has won at every major surf contest. He has dominated at several breaks like Tavarua, Pipe, Lower Trestles, and Bells.

I hear he is pretty good at golf too.

I hesitate to call a judged exercise a sport... would have the same problem with a totally dominant Olympic ice skater...

Absolutely no way he could play another sport though. He is 6'4" with a 28" inseam... custom built to swim.

I would like to see you paddle out at Waimea Bay. Or race a guy for priority. For that matter even be able to stay in position at Haleiwa.

Have you ever taken a pounding from an overhead or double overhead wave? Ever been slammed into a coral reef? I haven't even begun to talk about the actual act of surfing yet.

Further more every sport is judged one way or another.

But those that don't know, just don't know!

I would be willing to bet you couldn't even get up on a short board on a two foot wave, Backside measurement so roughly 4 to 5 foot face.

Kelly eats clean, trains hard, and is as fit as they come.

Bobby Fischer

I would like to see him throw a 200# pack on his back and jog a mile. Or run as fast as I did in college for a few miles. Both things few can do. I have absolutely no experience surfing and freely admit it.

How tough can it be? I saw a movie about penguins doing it.



P

This is comical. Your imagination is wild.

Kelly can run, and he runs underwater with a rock.

But what does that have to do with his records? Show us your records. It is amazing when a man can't learn something new and admit a feat that nobody else in the world has accomplished. Lucky for Kelly he has been Outside Magazines top Athlete, ESPN has acknowledged his feats, and most all sporting publications knows he is a specimen of athleticism. His accomplishments are second to none.

Like I said only that guy that is a candle pin bowler has accomplished more.

Jog a mile w/ a 200# pack. I'd pay to see that.


mike r

Ivmiker Wouldn't we all. I would rather be his ortho!

I was a 300 PFTer in the Marine Corps. Not the strongest guy around, not the fastest guy around, but I held my own. I ain't running with a 200lb pack. If you believe Sitka Deer, you know nothing about the human body! If that was a feat that could be done regularly why isn't it in the crossfit games? I got two letters for you B-S

There are folks here that have seen me do it, and I feel no need to prove it to anyone. I am not saying I can do it now, but I did do it more than a few times.

ESPN... hmmm, did they call Jenner the Most Corageous athlete of all time? Aren't all of those magazines looking to sell magazines and looking to the unusual to stimulate controversy?

Kelly is no doubt a spectacular specimen, but how many truly top athletes compete in surfing? A big fish in a small pond?

lolol,....that's one of the funniest movies ever made. Some people don't get it.

I know some people down home who are in their late 60's who are still trying to live their high school glory.

You are wrong again. There are 45 on tour and none of them are slouches. Hell anyone one of them can win and some have advantages over others in certain conditions and breaks. So it is never a give me. Kelly has fought it out against the best of the best his entire career. He has been down in heats and somehow pulls out an incredible ride at the last seconds of the heat. You can say what you want about surfing but Kelly is equal to if not better then any other athlete in the discussion.

By the way running with 200lb pack isn't skill, it is stupidity at it's finest.

uncle Rico is my 51 yr old brother. John was first team Allstate strong safety as well as being the starting quarterback.

Whatever he did ..he still did it with only one nut...after bouncing back from the most advanced stage IIIc
and after the effects of chemotherapy and additional surgery to remove cancers that had metastasized
to his brain.

Every high level sport has dopers, and Some dopers get caught.

I would have to say Brian Urlacher or JJ Watt.

Great players and JJ is one hell of an amazing human. But I don't see them even in the conversation.

MCH yeah Slater is great at surfing, but he isn't really known for anything but surfing. Heck that Australian guy mentioned earlier competed at international level in half a dozen sports and did well.

Greatest surfer no problem, greatest athlete not even close IMO.

My money is on Killian Jornet. He made the fastest ever ascent of Everest w/ out supplemental O2, has won every mountain ultra of consequence, won the Hardrock 100 race w/ a separated shoulder after a fall and is a world renowned backcountry skiier.


mike r

I took the thread title to be asking greatest all around athlete. Which to me is a different question than greatest single sport athlete.

I knew a couple of guys who ran 50 milers for fun. 12 miles was all the fun I could handle.

Some deluded Slater fans will tell ya he would be able to play football like Ronaldo if given the chance,
but Ronaldo would never be able to surf like Slater..., I guess that means Slater could also match or eclipse
Roger Federer at tennis if he wanted to....

Wikipedia;

Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972) "is an American professional surfer, author, actor, model, environmental activist,
businessman, and innovator, most well known for his unprecedented 11 world surfing championships."




once MCH makes his mind up there's no changing it, ./.Slater = best white athlete ever... and that's that! ..

When you study the body of work for as the title says Greatest White Athlete you have to look at what they accomplished. Not what they couldn't do. You are judging them on what they did do. Like I have said no other Athlete has the resume Kelly has unless you want to call bowling athletic. Then that guy that Candle Pin Bowls is the greatest. You can try to manipulate it all you want. it is what it is.

You might want to take a look at this guy.

Eddy Merckx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Merckx

Or Lvmikers suggestion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%ADlian_Jornet_Burgada

Snowy Baker was no slouch either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowy_Baker

Holy smoke!

Eddy was phenomenal

And he sued people for saying he was doping and won.......kept the money.
Real gem

Laird Hamilton ain’t no slouch.......

Lee24

You are right he isn't. However the question wasn't Greatest Watermen. If it were I would have thrown him and Derrick Donner in their. Laird is a hell of a surfer and innovator. But it is hard to judge him without contest surfing. Also I was scrutinized for the WSL for only being 45 deep. Big Wave contest are less than that. Laird is a fit specimen as is Kelly but Laird is a bigger man.

According to Sitka Deer QB's can't be judged either there are only 32 teams in the NFL.

32 teams in the NFL, but look at all the development teams to sort out those <100 active NFL QBs. 130 NCAA div 1 schools to start. I am guessing, totally guessing, there are orders of magnitude more teenage and older males playing football than there are surfers. If you become a name college football player you were tested by many, many more players than any surfer sees in competition.

Sitka Deer there are many surf leagues. There is High schools and colleges surf teams. There is an East Coast series, West Coast Series, Brazilian Series, Hawaiian Series. Australia has their different series. My point being that there are roughly 32 elite QB's in the game. There are 45 elite surfers in the game. In the WSL there is the Championship League and Qualifying series. Just because surfing isn't a mainstream sport does not mean it isn't legitimate. Doesn't mean they are not fit athletes.

Look I am a huge Patriot's fan have been since I was five years old. Brady is a great athlete and probably the best QB to ever play the game like him or not. But by no means would I put him in a list of Greatest White Athlete's. He has 6 rings, it took a team to get those rings. Kelly has 11 World Championships and he is his team.

I'll add that the WSL is a long season and they are traveling more then any NFL team is and to places where your body has to adjust to the foods. The time zones. The weather.

There are some other athletes by all means up there with Kelly in the discussion. however to try to discredit him is ignorant. The man is a machine. I know he is liberal as hell but that does not negate his accomplishments.

Lets put some others in. Brian Shaw. A bit injured now but he is a 4X World Champ Strong man and has world records in lifting and in rowing a C2.

Dick Butkus- There may have been more talented athletes in football but I don't believe that many used visualization to play against whole football teams. I remember stories of how he would take on entire teams from the defensive position.

Donn F. Draeger. Sure he was probably poisoned to death by some strange poison used in S.E. Asia. But read about him. He was the only white guy to reach Hachiman status in Kendo. A lot more folks do Kendo than Surf.

Dean Karnazes is a pretty darned good runner. For distance. He pretty much breaks the barrier for ultra-marathoning excellence.

Joe DiMaggio is not normally known for anything beyond his hit streak and being married to Marilyn Monroe but the ability to hit the streak is truly amazing.

These are just a couple. I am sure that there are more.

Really? Can you prove that? The topic isn't what is the greatest white athlete in the most popular sports.

I wouldn't put any batters in there that didn't have at least one golden glove.. Baseball isn't the most athletic sport out there. Yes a lot of hand eye coordination required and some strength. But if they aren't a well rounded player I don't see a spot for them.

From Wikipedia...

The "Kodansha Meibo" (a register of dan graded members of the All Japan Kendo Federation) shows that as of September 2007, there were 1.48 million registered dan graded kendōka in Japan. According to the survey conducted by the All Japan Kendo Federation, the number of active kendo practitioners in Japan is 477,000 in which 290,000 dan holders are included. From these figures, the All Japan Kendo Federation estimates that the number of "kendōka" in Japan is 1.66 million, with over 6 million practitioners worldwide, by adding the number of the registered dan holders and the active kendo practitioners without dan grade.[23]

One could sure make a strong case for Cam Haines.

And how many surfers are there in the world? And what does popularity have to do with it?

Popularity has nothing to do with it. However, it has to do with being open to all sorts of things. Donn F. Draeger was an anomaly. He would travel throughout the world and challenge martial arts masters in every discipline. Imagine having to go from Judo, to Kendo, to Wrestling, to Kali, to Chinna, to Tai Chi to boxing to Tai Kwon Do to Karate of all forms. Kelly Slater is an exceptional athlete, that I am sure, but you would be close-minded if you didn't appreciate the life and study of Donn F. Draeger. His research of martial arts created the most comprehensive study of martial arts. Read about his life.

Not even close...

I am not discounting his body of work. I am discounting your reasoning. We are not discussing research either.

I still am wondering what surfing population of the world is. I would think it is a really hard thing to estimate. Just a wild azz guess but I would think in just the America's there would be around 3 to 4 million.

You are claiming that surfers are ultimately the best athletes in the world. Sure they are good. But I don't think that Slater as brilliant and brave as he is would want to travel through every bad village in SE Asia and through Chen village in China and challenge each village champ to spar, sometimes with edged weapons. There are millions of white dudes that surf but there has only been one white dude who become all Japan Kendo Champion and a national treasure of Japan who was born in the US. He was an Olympic level Judoka and world class competitor in Sanshou Kungfu (full contact) and didn't stop till his death.

When he was just on the start of his martial arts journey, he was a young USMC captain and went into a seedy bar in New Mexico. He was attacked by two famous knife fighters from South of the border. He killed both with his bare hands and was acquitted. Witnesses said that they attacked him from behind and when he sensed them that there was a fast flurry of fists from Draeger and both hombres died of multiple skull fractures.

Oh yeah right because you have a lower resting heart rate than he, and you have run further and faster than him. Your DIY public land hunting is on par with his? Can you out shoot him with a bow? Or are you saying hunting isn't a sport?

No No No I never said that. I said a single surfer is at the top of the discussion in my opinion based on his body of work. I never once discredited your selections merits or his body of work. I never even said he wasn't in the discussion.

You brought up a statement that you came to the conclusion that there are more Kendo athletes in the world than surfers. This maybe true, I don't know. I said popularity of the sport has nothing to do with the athlete in question and their body of work should be what is judged.

Greatest white athlete... does not equal an 8th place finish in his last race, nearly an hour behind first and 6 minutes in front of the fastest woman. Even at his age.

I would put my DIY public land hunting in front of his, absolutely. Not all of his DIY hunting truly fits the name, BTW.

Don't hold it against me, but I came of age in the 80's as a huge Lakers fan. I hated everything about Boston, parquet floors, white towels, announcers who used bad grammar, Tommy Heinsohn, air conditioners that did not work in the visitors' locker room in June, and especially, Larry Bird.

Bird couldn't get his heels six inches off the ground at the same time. He couldn't run, jump, cut, was slow-footed on defense, was only a so-so dribbler, and looked like an anteater to boot.

Compared to the Laker thoroughbreds, the guy was Shrek in a pair of cement Converse.

Except ...

the SOB could shoot the rock, had great anticipation (regularly put on clinics on how to block out), and had icewater in his veins. I saw a documentary on TV recently in which opposing players told of Bird going into a timeout with seconds to play and the game on the line, and telling them on his way off the floor how he was going to come out of the timeout, and hit the winning shot from right THERE, and point to the spot.

And then he'd come out of the timeout, come around a pick, receive the pass right THERE, and drop the bomb.


I wouldn't choose Larry Bird to win any footrace, jumping contest, strength, speed, quickness agility, yada yada, as in he was not the most ATHLETIC dude around.

But ask me to put my money on the one white guy I'd want deciding things? That's easy. Larry was as clutch as clutch comes. He caused me a lot of heartburn back when I bled purple and gold.

I don't know if anyone ever did more with less than Bird. Much as I "hated" him then, he (and Magic) were sure fun to watch.

As I stated in the response to your PM. There is nobody in the Hunting community that has more athleticism than him. I am not solely counting his races as his complete body of work. because you, or I don't like someone doesn't just discredit all of their accomplishments. Maybe not everything he has done encompasses DIY Public land. But he is at the top in the hunting world as an Athlete.

Yes he was by no means what one would consider the greatest white athlete and I am a Boston Fan. But he is one of the greatest to play the game of basketball.

No way Slater isn't in the mix. Surfing is like sex. Unless you've done it, you can't understand. 11 world titles.

Here he is last year at, what, 46 or 47 years old, paddling into huge Cloudbreak, backside.

The discussion does include [rather than exclude] sports identities from the more popular sports.

and there's no doubt that the more exposure a sport has / more popular a sport is , the more recognition
a highly talented sportsperson is likely to receive.

Athletes that win olympic gold in some sports receive way more public recognition and media attention
and lucrative corporate endorement-sponsorship, than olympic gold winners in other less popular but
equally as difficult and challenging (in their own right) disciplines.

Love watching youtube video's of Larry!

Great player. Lots of "more athletic" players but few players that were better than him.

Watch some of the Mac McClung vids on youtube. Very athletic young man.

What about Hellen Keller? For what she had to work with, she overcame more than most of the big names.

https://youtu.be/LkzMjPTKkLQ

The Thickest Barrel in the World

https://youtu.be/35CSnPlFdIs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBi4XvWVUIs&list=PLED9268DF4E3F9794

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-AJNnXVqiU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVl0Zt-kZys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtp65SWoyWc

The future is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIbxBpMYifc&t=482s

Jerry has already been mentioned but he is a national treasure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzHG-ibZaKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0rbxB9Lqg

Jim Thorpe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkMWoHjnaRw

Big waves. Good little vid.

Red man...

Yes Sir Danny can ride.

As can these two Canucks.



The Godfather of Freeriding

I like RCJ but my favorite Big Wave Surfer is the Late Brock Little.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n79wBw_LJ9Y

Come on man you can do better than that.

https://youtu.be/c5W4RZq1NRg

Kaboku68 I have enjoyed the video's you have posted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Riggins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Connors

I forgot about Riggins...he was born just 30 miles from here...

Gordie Howe, had all the skill/size/tenacity to do damn near anything. Modern, Mike Trout, quite sure he's cut of the same cloth

The shear stupidity of defining greatness by race.
Where do the mixed breeds fit?

DUH !!
Joe Montana !!

Hands down

You've never heard of Dave DeBusschere.

Rocky Maciano

Last years and death

Zaharias had her greatest year in 1950 when she completed the Grand Slam of the three women's majors of the day: the U.S. Open, the Titleholders Championship, and the Women's Western Open, a feat that made her the leader on the money list that year. Also that year, she reached 10 wins faster than any other LPGA golfer, doing so in one year and 20 days, a record that still stands. She was the leading money-winner again in 1951, and in 1952 took another major with a Titleholders victory, but illness prevented her from playing a full schedule in 1952–53. This did not stop her from becoming the fastest player to reach 20 wins (two years and four months.)

She was a close friend of fellow golfer Betty Dodd. According to Susan Cayleff's biography Babe, Dodd was quoted as saying, "I had such admiration for this fabulous person [Zaharias]. I loved her. I would have done anything for her." They met in a 1950 amateur golf tournament in Miami and became close almost immediately. Cayleff wrote, "As Didrikson's marriage grew increasingly troubled, she spent more time with Dodd. The women toured together on the golf circuit, and eventually Dodd moved in with Zaharias and Didrikson for the last six years of Didrikson's life. They never used the word "lesbian" to describe their relationship, but there is little doubt that their relationship was both sexual and romantic.

In 1953 Zaharias was diagnosed with colon cancer. After undergoing surgery, she made a comeback in 1954. She took the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, her only win of that trophy, and her 10th and final major with a U.S. Women's Open championship, one month after the surgery and while wearing a colostomy bag. With this win, she became the second-oldest woman to win a major LPGA championship tournament (behind Fay Crocker). Babe Zaharias now stands third to Crocker and Sherri Steinhauer. These wins made her the fastest player to reach 30 wins (five years and 22 days). In addition to continuing tournament play, Zaharias also served as the president of the LPGA from August 1952 to July 1955.

Her colon cancer recurred in 1955. Despite her limited schedule of eight golfing events that season, Zaharias won her last two tournaments in competitive golf. On September 27, 1956, Zaharias died of her illness at the age of forty-five at the John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas. At the time of her death, she was still a top-ranked female golfer. She and her husband had earlier established the Babe Zaharias Fund to support cancer clinics. She is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in her hometown of Beaumont, Texas.

During her final years, Didrikson became known not only for her athletic abilities but as a public advocate for cancer awareness, at a time when many Americans refused to seek diagnosis or treatment for suspected cancer. She used her fame to raise funds for her cancer fund but also as a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. Her work in this area was honored by US President Dwight Eisenhower on a visit to the White House.

Legacy

She was named the 10th Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN, and the 9th Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century by the Associated Press.

The Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum in Beaumont is also one of the city's welcoming centers. Zaharias broke the accepted models of femininity in her time, including the accepted models of female athleticism. Standing 5 ft 7 in tall and weighing 115 lb, Zaharias was physically strong and socially straightforward about her strength. Although a sports hero to many, she was also derided for her "manliness."

My guess is that its a soccer player from Europe, but we'd never know in the States.

YEP

Gretzky

Indians and Hispanics and orientals are whites.

It’s a toss up between Rick Flair and Hulk Hogan. Uh, hold off, Hulk Hogan is red not white.

Never knew that. I believe Eric Lindros had mlb potential too.

McHale, Bird and Parish GREATEST front court in the history of Professional Basket Ball PERIOD.

I would throw Joe Mauer out there. He was the number 1 rated QB in the nation in high school, had multiple DIv 1 basketball offers and was the #1 draft choice in Major League Baseball. Let that sink in.....#1 QB in nation AND #1 MLB draft choice. Won MLB batting titles and golden gloves as a catcher.


In terms of pure athleticism, I have always thought cornerbacks have to be phenomenal. They have to cover WRs. They have to react to a WRs moves. That takes exceptional athleticism.

mauer should've played football, he was THAT good.

Why does color matter?

Bo Jackson.

Dick Groat

Arnold Palmer would have to be in the running.

Bruce Jenner or Mark Spitz

Jenner died a few years ago and came back as a woman

George st Pierre

uncle rico.

Roger Federer possibly.

Otto Graham played pro football and pro basketball. Won a championship in each sport.

6'4" with a 28" inseam... don't think he would make much of a high jumper...

I kinda like this one,


But, as some evidence presented in the 'Evolution" thread points out, white folks might have started out black so the Greatest White Athlete might not actually be "white" after all.

Geno

PS, and does it really matter? sheesh

DB Cooper

Fella has been running for 48 years and aint no one caught him yet.

Don Beebe. Receiver and return man for the packers. Early to mid 90's. Never seen a white man run that fast.

Yes, but did he properly invest his athletic earnings to insure his continued status as "rich".

If not, I would exclude him from greatness.

Geno

Interesting thread. Dozens of people I and others have probably never heard of.

Probably legends in people's own minds.

Had to look into this...I was suprised to see Danny Ange could have played base ball or football...but chose basketball and was an amazing player but took a back seat to Bird and McMahle ..he excelled at every thing he has done...

Sid Crosby

Joe Purvis for sure.

Ric Flair.

Bobby Orr was the greatest hockey player I have ever seen...by quite a margin. He owned the puck.
Babe Ruth's skills amaze me, the best ball player ever.I would of liked to see him play.
These two with modern methods, equipment and nutrition would still be far ahead of the pack- even today....my little old opinion.

№ 12, Roger Staubach

I love it, basketball, football and baseball players ain’t got a fuucking clue!!! Haha

Basketball and baseball players are the biggest puusys ever!!! Please expose the atheletisism in said sports... haha

Nolan Ryan, maybe being slightly prejudice being from Texas and who could forget this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ljO5T8lmxS0

I told you (Brett Farve)!

Johnny Fever

Didn't read all of these pages, but Jim Thorpe if not already mentioned.

Without a doubt Charmaine James

11 NFR championships.

Napolean is a stud too.

Seriously do,.............Ivan Drago hands down.

TARZAN > Johnny Weissmuller

John Holmes

Aaron Rodgers

Hulk Hogan

Anybody mention Payton Manning yet?

Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hands down.

I hope that was tongue in cheek. Sarcasm can be hard to interpret on here.

There's too many to pick through.

Let's pick the best black nuclear physicist instead.

Bud Grant. He played in the NBA for the Minneapolis Lakers. He also played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and the CFL for the Winnepeg Blue Bombers. He still holds the CFL record for the most interceptions in a Gray Cup game.

Do Aussies count?

I vote for this one:



(Look at the first comment in the comment section )



Geno

Jim Thorpe has been mentioned several times. In my look-up I was surprised to find both his parents were mixed blood.

His father, Hiram Thorpe, had an Irish father and a Sac and Fox Indian mother. His mother, Charlotte Vieux, had a French father and a Potawatomi mother. Jim was raised as Sac and Fox.

I guess I'm confused. Have you heard of Jim Thorpe or know of his history? It's hard to interpret some folks post it looks like.

I guessing he means Jim Thorpe was a Red Man. Native American. And he was definitely one of the greatest American athletes, IMO.

Bob Munden ?

Did anybody mention the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus?

Looks like I’m the only one that mentioned Slinging Sammy Baugh

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Baugh

John Holmes

jerry miculek gets my vote . he don't play with balls he has them

Jethro Bodine!!

His father in real life was the World Heavyweight Boxing in 1934 & 1935

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Baer_(boxer)

This kid has a chance for a helluva career.

I like what Jim Thorpe said to the King of Sweden after winning a gold medal in the Decathlon.

July 15, 1912, Stockholm, Sweden

Jim Thorpe was an American (also native American) decathlete who won gold in the decathlon. At the medal presentation, King Gustav of Sweden announced to Thorpe, "Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world!". Thorpe's two word reply:

Thanks, king.

Mickey Mantle gets my vote.................he was better drunk than anybody else was sober.

MM

Yep. From Houston, TX
Hopefully he’ll make the 2020 Summer Olympics !

He’s been nicknamed “White Lightning”

Joe Mauer slingin it...

I telling you guys Brett Favre!!!!

What about the overweight golfer who could drive the chit outta the ball in the 90s? I think he smoked during matches and shotgunned tallboys. No, its not Billy Madison,

John Daly?

Yep.
My cousin played golf with him once on a course he ran in TX. It was back when Daly was still on the tour and drinking. He said Daly knocked back a 24 pack case of beer on the Front 9

Yes, that was it exactly. And though I don't and never really have followed sports, I was taught from a very early age about Jim Thorpe and what an absolutely exceptional athlete he was. How anyone could be familiar with him and his accomplishments, but yet not be aware he was an indian frankly baffles me.

I remember reading his biography when I was a kid.

Yep!!

My grammar school had a book on football that covered everything from the early Yale/Harvard rivalry up to the late 60's NFL.

Guys like Thorpe, Nagurksi, Hudson, Huff, Grange were all guys I read about as a kid.

Chuck Bednarik was another favorite of mine from the early says of football.

Tracy Lords

He was asking me , but yeah thats him. Fuggin thoroughbred

Peyton Manning fo ‘ sho’ ! Have you seen him throw the slant?

Red Grange

Tim Tebow

Pretty tough
Could take a pounding all day long.
LOL!!!

Gets my vote

Hey Billie, let me baffle you a little more. Do a little search and you will find that he was a half breed. A lot of half breeds around, Italian blood, Samoan blood, Hispanic and so on. Not all are European.

I posted this before...

Not to be combative, but although the FBI classifies hispanics as white, no one else does. Neither are samoans, or the irish. Italians are a tossup. White for better or worse in common parlance by definition is European. By no means is my post to mean one is better or worse than the other.

If I mix a gallon of white paint with a gallon of forest green, I wouldn't refer to the new 2 gallon pail as white, rather it'd be some shade of light(er) green. But it'd still be paint.

Chuck Norris, he's not hung like a horse, horses are hung like him.

We're good Billy.

Billy Gene King

babe didrikson...no way that was a chick.

How about Tony Sailer (skiing) or Jean Claude Killy (also a skiier)?

Don't forget Butterbean.

Not sure about the FBI, but the BATFE forms now ask the question in two parts: Hispanic or not, and race.

If you are talking pure heart - Terry Fox

Hard to argue, he was an amazing athlete.

Faster to 1st base than Timmy Raines (who could shake a leg)

Larry Bird
John Elway
Brett Favre
Tom Brady
Peyton Manning
Joe Montana
Ted Williams
Babe Ruth
Dick Butkus
John Havlicek
Jerry West
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
Ted Williams
And you guys seriously couldn't come up with one? OP?

Joe Mauer committed to play QB at Florida State before entering the MLB draft. A lot of people thought he was better at football than baseball.

Bruce "My Name Is Caitlyn" Jenner.

Greg LeMond greatest American competitor cyclist in history without doping. Three time Tour DeFrance winner, World Champion gunshot survivor!

Are native Americans considered white? Jim Thorpe

Great athlete and a quick study of technique in many endeavors.

Bob Mathias. Bob won the decathion in the London games of 1948 at the age of 17. Four years later he became thw first person to win the decathion twice by an astounding margin of 912 points. By this time he was a student at Stanford and a star football player, in the same year he won his second decathion he led the Stanford football team to a Rose Bowl win. After graduating Stanford, he joined the marines and was promoted to the rank of captain. He also served four terms in the US House of Representatives as a Republican, representing the San Joaquin Valley of California where I'm from.

Danny Ainge played nba and mlb. Drew Stanton and one other guy that played at Stanford and the cowboys both played nfl and pro baseball

Babe Ruth, not even close. Was a world series winning pitcher, holding the most consecutive shutout innings record in a world series until Whitey Ford broke that record in the early 60's. Then he went to the Yankees and became the greatest home run hitter until Maris and Aaron surpassed his records. In the public eye in his time, he was a figure larger than life, more recognized and known one could argue, than any sports player ever.

Mike Trout

Then the historians of the last 40 years have succeeded.

Ted Williams overall.

Ted Williams was 1/2 mexican

Wah Jones deserves an honorable mention.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Jones

“Williams' paternal ancestors were a mix of Welsh, English, and Irish. The maternal, Mexican side of Williams' family was quite diverse, having Spanish (Basque), Russian, and American Indian roots.[10] Of his Mexican ancestry he said that "If I had my mother's name, there is no doubt I would have run into problems in those days, [considering] the prejudices people had in Southern California".[11]”

The OP and his friends couldn't come up with the names of two white athletes and then decide between them who was better? Is this a joke?

SUPERMAN!!

Michael Phelps is probably on the list.

THIS...first as a pitcher and than as a hitter...hands down for sure.

Whitey Ford.

Hockey...

Gordie Howe
Alex Ovechkin

Basketball...

John Havlicek
Larry Bird

Football...

Joe Montana
Tom Brady

Baseball...

Babe Ruth
Ted Williams

Golf...

Bobby Jones
Jack Nicholas

It would be tough for me to pick the "best ever" from my list .
I have a soft spot for Mr. Hockey , and sure am a U of M fan though .

I just narrowed it down to Gordie Howe or Tom Brady .

And the winner is ----------------------------------------------,

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Again I cant just pick "the one" .

https://www.pinterest.ru/cangell2030/dallas-cowboy-cheerleaders/

We could do this same thread on Latino athletes, South Asian athletes, East Asian Athletes, Arabian Athletes, and Turkish Athletes. It would be fun.

.Mexicans are mostly caucasion.

He said "white". The brown skin peoples of the Mediterranean, plus the Turks, South Asians, and Native Americans are Caucasian (largely) but not "white".

LMAO In DF maybe.

Yup

Burned her fingers reading a waffle iron.

Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics, before turning to professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

How was she at making supper? Keeping a clean house? Mothering?

Since Jim Thorpe was a "native American," it would have to be Babe Zaharias.

Probably a lot better than you.

Show me the birth certificate. Otherwise, 100% MILKY WHITE.

He had Basque Spanish, Russian, and Native American on his mother’s side. Again, mostly WHITE.

Roy Clark

Mickey Mantle.

MM

Brett Favre

Nah. Roger Staubach would’ve kicked his ass. 😜

Not to many women can sew anymore.....

I bought my wife a $5000 Baby Lock sewing machine for Christmas. She loves it. She can certainly do it ALL!

How about Rocky Marciano?

Yep! Gretzky Hands down.

Patches O’Houlihan.

Either Buffalo Bill or Calamity Jane.

Wayne Gretzky

The numbers don't lie.

I should hope so. I'm awful at all those things.

Jackie Moon

It’s early but Christian McCaffrey. Best RB in the NFL....

He said "White Athlete"!

I was buddies with Bo at Auburn and still see him at games once every year or two or for Bo Bikes Bama. He's a good guy -really.

From an athletic standpoint, he is from another planet. Only Jim Thorpe is in same conversation. He was faster than anyone on the football team AND the track team in the 60. He could throw the football further than any QB on our roster (witnessed that). Set AL HS decathlon record while playing HS baseball - meaning he didn't practice anything but the pole vault (told me himself). Saw him broad jump a 14' ditch carrying a bow and full hunting gear with just a one step hop AFTER his hip was replaced. Bo said the only person in the NFL that ever beat him in a sprint was former Olympian and Raider teammate Wille Gault - and Gault would not give him a rematch. STories go on and on.

White- Black-Indian Asian. It's BO.

Watched Laird eat his lunch at Max sunset, wasn't even close

I was a paramedic when Bo went pro. That same year there was a hotshot rookie linebacker from Oklahoma named Brian Bosworth.
When the time came for Bo's team to face Brian's team we were watching the game at work. Paramedics spend a lot of time watching tv.

Us white guys were mostly cheering for Brian and the black guys were cheering for Bo. Bo destroyed Brian Bosworth in that game. On one occasion, Brian "tackled" Bo on the 15 yard line, he got on top of Bo's back, and Bo just gave him a "piggyback ride" in to the end zone. Looked like an uncle giving the little nephew a piggyback ride.

I think Brian might have gotten depressed after that game because he didn't last long in pro ball, weird, because he was All American in college.
I did see him acting as a guard in The Longest Yard remake.

Jo Jo White

This has already been established and raised here before and ignored which is customary on the 'fire.

The best sportsman athlete who ever lived was Sir Donald Bradman.
He is the only man who was better than the best number 2 who ever lived. There is no other sportsman in history who has established that margin of superiority.
You may proceed to ignore this fact again.............

That sounds like that old TV show Superstars with celebrities doing all that stuff. There was a sports version of that for a season or two.

Alexander Karelin. Undefeated until his last match and went more than a decade without anyone scoring a point on him

Good lacrosse player too, no?

Brady has achieved a high degree of success, but he's a pocket / system QB. HUGE skill set, but best athlete? Every D1 college team in the country has a better athlete.

Th OP was (as stupid as it is) best white athlete, not "tom success in their field"

I have heard this same thing, about what a good guy he is, from someone else that knew him a little bit.

Freak athlete.

Being a Georgia boy, I gotta throw Herschel there.

But damn, I don’t think even HW could of caught Bo in their prime. Bo was definitely a one in a million kinda athlete.

I saw that game on tv as well. Bo beat him like arented mule. Wasn’t a contest

Herschel might be from that same planet. Not humanoid for sure.
Let's not forget Herschel was on the Olympic Bobsled team. He pushed the sled.

My brother played at Georgia in 1976 and 1977. He was captain of the "Junkyard Dogs" and he still wears the coveted SEC Champion ring.

By 1980 he was back in Athens in law school. Yes, some of the football players can read, and write. Very few.
As a Bulldog alum he had access to the football team weight room and steam room etc. He said they have a very costly gym for football players.
So one day, brother was in the big steam room way in the back. A guy walked in, it was weird, the guy was just standing by the door, and he was wearing a sweat shirt. And what was really weird, looking through the thick steam from 15 feet away, he could see this guy was wearing shoulder pads. This the fall of 1980, he figured it was some goofball freshman recruit.

He walked over to the door to leave and to check out this weird kid. As he got to the door he saw it was Herschel Walker. He had on a sweat shirt, but he wasn't wearing shoulder pads that was just the way he was built.

Didn't read the whole thread.
But has Al Bundy been mentioned at all????

Marciano was the best conditioned heavyweight boxer of his time. His punches in the last rounds had as much power behind them as in the first. He never ran out of steam.

Amazing stat about Gretzky.....


If you take every single one of his NHL record 894 goals away, he'd STILL be the all time leading scorer in NHL history with JUST his 1,963 assists, ahead of #2 Jagr's 1,921 TOTAL points.

He holds probably a half dozen records that will NEVER be broken.

Eric Esch, hands down.

Brett Favre.

When I was a kid, Herschel Walker was signing autographs for a Fred Meyer's grand opening in Chico, Ca, from something like 2pm-4pm. I begged my mom to take me, and she did. We got there at 2PM, and the line of kids was around the store, probably twice.

I finally got to Walker around 5:30pm. I'm sure he was under no obligation to sign an autograph for *every* *last* *kid*. But he met me with a smile. I looked down and his had was swollen to hell, like a baseball was inside of it.

I still have the card, and always thought it was pretty cool he did that.

No idea if he's actually a good guy or not, but he made a fan that day.

Don't expect to see any TV show any time soon based on race.

Mixed blood make the whole idea rather stupid.

And Jim Thorpe was voted the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century.

stop right there...

Anyone say Mantle yet?

Yep, I did.

MM

Mantle was from that other planet too

Gordie Howe deserves a mention. In his Detroit days he would go to Tiger stadium and take BP with the Tigers .....he and Al Kaline were buds.

Kaline was quoted as saying that Howe was good enough to play MLB at the time . On top of his physical longevity

Not bad for a white boy from Floral, Saskatchewan...

I guess I didn't see the need to explain that it would be open to everyone. Holy smokes! Some peoples kids.

Mickey Mantle was a superstar and a great athlete. In about his second year with the Yankees, he was chasing a fly ball in the outfield and injured his leg. He never fully recovered. Had he not had this injury only God Knows what he would have done. Probably would have beaten Babe Ruth's record.
I can still remember, it was about 1959, my Dad was watching a baseball game on a little black and white set. The Yankees were playing.

Back then, there were only 2 baseball games on tv every week, only on a Saturday or Sunday. Hard to imagine compared to last year, when there were about 58 games a week to watch on DirecTv.
I was watching with my Dad and Mickey Mantle came up to bat. My Dad told me "He can hit right handed or left handed he is the greatest player in the game."
Then, Mickey hit a home run.

I have read stories of Mickey, he was a wild ass Oklahoma farm boy in the Big City, he partied seriously every night. All the girls wanted to bang him, and he turned very few down. All the bartenders gave him free drinks. I mean, he died of liver failure.
I have read stories where he came to the park so hung over he could barely walk. Manager put him in to pinch hit and he hit a home run.

Imagine what he could have accomplished have not been an alcoholic.

Du hast Rechts! He was a total alcoholic and died of liver failure. At about age 60 he was in liver failure, what a surprise. "Somehow" he went to the top of the list and he got a liver transplant. Docs denied that he got favoritism.
Six months later he died of liver failure.

He had his Achilles heel but he lived a full life, I must admit.

I’m telling you BF!!

Am not saying that his social/ingestion habits did not diminish his performance - MM suffered from Osteomyelitis in one leg - maybe both. He was not an Oklahoma farm kid. He was from the lead mining area around Joplin, MO.

Mantle was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, the son of Lovell (née Richardson) Mantle (1904–1995)[9] and Elven Charles "Mutt" Mantle. He was of at least partial English ancestry; his great-grandfather, George Mantle, left Brierley Hill, in England's Black Country, in 1848.[10]


When Mantle was four years old, his family moved to the nearby town of Commerce, Oklahoma, where his father worked in lead and zinc mines.[9] As a teenager, Mantle rooted for the St. Louis Cardinals.[13] In addition to his first love, baseball, Mantle was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School, playing basketball as well as football. He played halfback and Oklahoma offered him a football scholarship.

Never heard anyone ever say anything negative about Herschel. Courteous, polite, humble are words many people I know that spent time around him use.

Riggins gained more yards in his 30's than he did in his 20's

The fitness he has carried into his older years is impressive. He and Trump are old buds as well!

Mario Andretti

1969 Indy 500 winner

1978 Formula One World Champion

5 time USAC/CART Series Champion

Daytona 500 Winner

12 Hours of Sebring winner

Yup!!

Phil Robertson baseball,football

simonkenton7, thanks for this correction. I don't know the source for this but trust it and you for accuracy. I knew about the lead/zinc mining connection but, due to some source from the past, had the location about 30 miles away from Commerce over in SW Missouri.

Yep, even with the bad leg....................

MM

Here’s a new one: Cotton Nash. Three time All American in Basketball at Kentucky. Got drafted in the second round by the Lakers and played a couple of years in the NBA. When done in the NBA, played several years in MLB, for the White Sox and Twins. His younger sister Francis was my age, and played basketball in my hometown of Leominster, MA. His Dad was one of my father’s patients.

Depends on what you mean by white, does both parents being half white count? The greatest I would say was Jim Thorpe but most would have or did considered a Native American. For me second would be Lou Gehrig.

Phil

As i have posted; using skin color is stupid. Half and half? One third vs two thirds. Ten percent?

Robin Reed. GOAT.

Donn F. Draeger. 2nd Goat!

Trump used to own Herschel Walker! When he played for the NJ Generals. 😜

Has anyone said Brett Favre??

Mario Lemieux, if he didn't have back surgery and cancer he'd have alot more records.

Yep,

Swimming Phelps

Kick ass, Chuck

BBall, Bird

Kim Rhode she has gold medals in the last 5 or 6 Olympics and she's a great person.