Favorite athlete(s) before your time?

[preacher_dawg]

I'm reading Joe DiMaggio: A Hero's Life, and it got me thinking of who my favorite athletes are before my time. Right now, I would have to say Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gerigh and my favorite is probably Mickey Mantle after reading his biography. I have no idea why most of mine are baseball players.

 

[Dawgzilla]

Ben Hogan, primarily for his persistence. Went through many years of frustration, but he was determined to figure out golf, and ultimately built what was considered the greatest swing of all time. Then he was almost killed in a car accident and managed to come back and play some of the best golf ever seen, even though he had trouble walking. In 1953, when he turned 41, he won 5 of the 6 tournaments he entered, including The Masters, The US Open, and the British Open. Not the most personable guy, but incredibly determined.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Hercules.**

Bob Gibson, Stan Musial, Clemente, Lefty Gomez, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench. Just off the top of my head.

And to answer your question: most of the answers will be baseball players for the sport was king for almost a century.

 

[preacher_dawg]

I forgot about tennis. Jimmy Conners and Johnny McEnroe, and Borg.

 

[DawgsOnTheWing]

Lou Gehrig
Jesse Owens
Bobby Jones
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Ted Williams

and, of course, Don Magruder Scott

 

[coach66]

Before my time, let's see that narrows things down a lot*. Musial, Gibson,

Whitey Ford, Mantle, Drysdale, Kofax, Jackie Robinson, Dizzy Dean, Bob Feller, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Mays.

Jim Thorpe, Chuck Bednarik, Frank Gifford, Charlie Connerly, Joe Fortunato, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Shorty McWilliams.

 

[57stratdawg]

Ken Griffey Jr. Love watching old highlights of him in Seattle.

 

[aTotal360]

I always admired Wilt Chamberlain's feats.

 

[PineGroveBully]

Ted Williams, Stan the man

 

[HD6]

Leonidas of Rhodes.

 

[coach66]

Tough one to top, might go with Alexander the Great or Catherine the Great

might have been more interesting.

 

[FQDawg]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "before my time"

but off the top of my head

Pele
Johann Cruyff
Pistol Pete
Roger Staubach

 

[o_Hot Rock]

Samson... There are no others. Dude took the jawbone of an *** and took out an army. He was also involved with that scandalous woman, Delilah. Dumb *** jock never learned not to trust her, he was blinded by love errr lust. I think I would have figured out that she was trying to kill me after the first try but to let her try three times?? Common Man!!!! That stuff had to be legendarily good.

 

[stateu1]

Pete Maravich.

 

[boatsandhoes]

fred couples (boom-boom), Ted williams, Ben Hogan.

If I was a professional golfer, I would have tried to be couples.

 

[tcdog70]

Damn I saw most of your Guys
Jackie Parker
Slinging Sammy Baugh
Elroy Crazy Legs Hurst
George Miken
Sam Snead
Otto Graham

 

[Old Fart Dawg]

might have been more interesting.

I see you're going with the equestrian events with Catherine the Great

 

[EurekaDog]

Jim Thorpe ! (NM)

asdfh

 

[FreeDawg]

Harper Davis

 

[EngDawg]

Hank Arron

 

[Grisismyhero]

Mickie Mantle, Yogi, and Arnie were my two favorites during my youtz.
Pete Maravich, Dr J, Larry Bird, Mean Joe Green and Sweetness my college years.
Stan the Man, Willie Say Hey Mays, Slamming Sam Snead, Jesse Owen
And probably my all time favorite was LOU GEHRIG, I read his autobiography and watch his movie double digit times.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

dak Prescott.

 

[Original48]

Secretariat

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Leonidas of Rhodes.

Damn you. I couldn't recall his name so I went with a demi-god.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Bo Jackson. I was but a child.

 

[was21]

Don Scott

 

[missouridawg]

Watching Willie Mays or Sandy Koufax in their prime would've been awesome.

Most of the others have been mentioned:
Jesse Owens
Jim Thorpe
Musial
Ruth
Gehrig
Joe D
Ted Williams
Gibson

 

[Sancho Panza]

a few not mentioned above:

Virgil Payne, The Tulane University of Louisiana

Red Grange, Illinois

Billy Jefferson, Mississippi State

Billy Cannon, Louisiana State

Bill McGuire, Mississippi State

Sonny Fisher, Mississippi State

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Ernie Banks
Dick Butkus
Arnold Palmer
Roger Staubach (well he was at the end when I first started watching)
Lou Gehrig
Wilt Chamberlin

 

[gymdawg.sixpack]

I also was going to say bo. I vaguely recall his final yrs of baseball.

 

[Dogariffic]

If before my time means their careers were over or they may even have been dead before I was aware of them:
Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Cool Papa Bell
Jim Thorpe
Joe DiMaggio
Jack Kramer
Ben Hogan
Byron Nelson
Of this list I only met Byron Nelson. Neat guy.