Who's your favorite Professional athlete?

[arigato]

Darrell Green, Reggie White, and Emmit Smith...to name a few.

 

[isildur]

Alot of good names on here! (Although I can't believe people are still putting Emmit Smith's name on lists like this! Come on!)

Del Piero, Madini, Montana, Gretzky, Payton (& Peyton), Bird, Jordan, Pele (surely he must be included!), Big Mac, Ichiro, Woods, Armstrong...
(let's not forget Agassi & Sampras guys!)

...notice this? Despite the bad press given (deservedly) to many athletes for being bast@rds, look how many "good" guys there are playing.

In the end though, if I have to just pick one that is my personally fave, I simply must go with Barry Sanders.

5'8", 203bs

Squatted 600 pounds in college

During the only year he was the featured back at OSU (his junior season, after playing for 2 years behind Thurman Thomas):
344 attmpts, 2,628 yds!(NCAA record), 37 tds!(NCAA record), 7.6 yrd/rsh!!

1988 Heisman winner (unanimous after setting 13 NCAA season records)

10 NFL seasons, 15,269 yrds, 319 tds, 5.0 yrd/carry (carrier - 6.1 yrd/carry in 1997 season)

1989 Rookie of the year (with 1,470 yds - 5.3 /carry? Yeah, I think so)
1st back in history to rush for 1,000+ yards in 10 seasons in the NFL (yes, that would be every season he played)
1st back in history to rush for more than 1,500 yards 4 years in a row
Holds NFL record for most 100+ yard games in a row (14)
Holds NFL record for most 100+ away games in a row (10)
1997 rushing totals were 2nd highest in league history
3rd player to ever rush for 2000 yards in single NFL season
Became Lion's all-time leading rusher after 3 seasons

0 footballs spiked after touchdowns
0 endzone dances

"When you get in the endzone, act like you've been there before..."
Sanders

...and he retired in the midst of his prime after the 1998 season...

 

[GTaudiophile]

Steffi Graf

 

[goldboyd]

<<

<< Joe Dimagio >>


LOL, what a dirtbag. There are so many classy athletes who play in New York like Mike Piazza, Al Leiter and Mike Mussina, but you like Dimaggio?!
I probably respect Lance Armstrong more than any other athlete in the world though. >>



How can you call Mike Piazza classy? He is an arrogant, pig-headed, crybaby. And if we're talking about classy athletes in NY, how could you leave off Derek Jeter, that man is the definition of class.

As for my favorite athlete, I don't think I can name them all, so I'll just use this perfect quote from Mr. Joe Torre (Anther man who is the definition of class.)

Tell them, it wasn't easy. When they look back and see 125 wins, tell them
we never took a single one for granted. Teach them about our passion and
our patience. If they ask who was our star, give them 25 names. And if you
forget our names, just tell them we were YANKEES. And in the season of our
lives, we became a team. A team that made people believe that baseball
could be magic, and men could be perfect.

 

[Argo]

<< Gianfranco Zola. And even though he's been crocked for most of the last two seasons, I still really find Alessandro Del Piero a joy to watch.

For American sports, I like Kevin Garnett, I used to like Jeremy Roenick when he was a Blackhawk, and Mark Grace when he was a Cub. >>



Wow, it's been a long time since I watched soccer. Surprised to still find familiar names on Italian team. Btw, I used to be a big soccer fan.

 

[woodly6]

<< Did you even read the first post? Of course I know who those guys are >>




Yeah I read the first post thats why I put

<< I doubt that manyof the people here......... >>

 

[hpkeeper]

Ex-Football: Bo Jackson
Football: Bruce Smith
Soccer: Marcos Etcheverry or Tony Meola
Basketball: Any laker from any time period

 

[Wingznut]

Steve Yzerman, without a doubt. This guy has "class" written all over him.

 

[Haircut]

Modern Day - probably Eric Cantona
Of all time - Pele

 

[rpzero]

HPkeeper, so you like Dennis Rodman also??!!

Anyways, my favorite athlete is Pete Sampras!

 

[GasX]

<<

<< Joe Dimagio >>


LOL, what a dirtbag. There are so many classy athletes who play in New York like Mike Piazza, Al Leiter and Mike Mussina, but you like Dimaggio?!
I probably respect Lance Armstrong more than any other athlete in the world though. >>



Piazza is entirely lacking in class, but I agree with the rest of what you say.

 

[GasX]

<< dino zoff,paolo rossi, walter zenga, roberto baggio, giuseppe bergomi and Antonio Cassano the next great italian soccer player >>


They are all pussies.

Michael Owen, Gary Lineker, Kevin Keegan, Alan Shearer - Those guys ARE THE REAL DEAL!!!

mY favorites have to be Steve Carlton (past), Brian Dawkins (present) and .... (future)

 

[RC159]

Anybody that does not play for the NY Yankees!

 

[Robert01]

Michael Jordan (back in the day), Vince Carter, Grant Hill

 

[dpk777]

AI

 

[Viperbob]

God!! I can't believe no one mentioned

Walter Payton......Class did it mostly by himself He was the entire Chicago Bears Offence...never complained...... never quit....never whinned on the sidelines
Even the great Jim Brown had to admit that Walter was the only one who deserved to break his record.

Basketball well M.J. of course

I also cant believe Wayne Gretsky wasn't mentioned either

 

[Flaredair]

Kournikova for BigDaddyPig

 

[Wingznut]

"I also cant believe Wayne Gretsky wasn't mentioned either"

I might have mentioned Wayne, had he played for the Wings. But he didn't, so Stevie Y. gets my vote!