Your Five Favorite Athletes of All Time

[Jigga]

In no particular order:

Muhammad Ali

Michael Jordan

Ken Griffey, Jr.

Magic Johnson

Barry Sanders

[charger77]

Jigga,

I think you forgot to add your favorite hockey players.

-Dan

[ESTONES6]

Mickey Mantle

Willie Mays

Larry Bird

Delonte West

Jim Brown/Peyton Manning

[burgundy]

1. Darrell Green

2. Ken Griffey Jr.

3. Steve Yzerman

4. Brett Favre (GB years)

5. Barry Sanders

[Brian in Boston]

John Havlicek

Steve Largent

Bobby Orr

Alan Shearer

Carl Yastrzemski

[FiddySicks]

5. Travis Rice - Not the traditional athlete, but he's raised the bar to levels most thought were impossible in snowboarding

4. Merton Hanks - I stopped watching the 49ers altogether when they cut him

3. Alex Ovechkin - What is there that really needs to be said about this guy?

2. Barry Bonds - Despite the issues he had, he's the only player I've seen who could make everyone in any room stop and watch his at bats

1. Mike Alstott - Never seen a guy run through a defense like he did. Childhood idol

[rangerfan94]

1. Joe Montana

2. Willie Stargell

3. Jerry Rice

4. Adam Graves

5. Julius Erving

6. Honorable mention Ronnie Lott, Mickey Mantle, Roger Craig.

[crashcarson15]

5. Travis Rice - Not the traditional athlete, but he's raised the bar to levels most thought were impossible in snowboarding

4. Merton Hanks - I stopped watching the 49ers altogether when they cut him

3. Alex Ovechkin - What is there that really needs to be said about this guy?

2. Barry Bonds - Despite the issues he had, he's the only player I've seen who could make everyone in any room stop and watch his at bats

1. Mike Alstott - Never seen a guy run through a defense like he did. Childhood idol

I remember in elementary school we had a teacher at the school who's name was Mrs. Alstott... we all thought she was his wife

[infrared41]

1. Joe Montana

2. Willie Stargell

3. Jerry Rice

4. Adam Graves

5. Julius Erving

6. Honorable mention Ronnie Lott, Mickey Mantle, Roger Craig.

If it had been your seven favorite athletes of all time then those two would have made the list. I had a helluva time narrowing it down to five.

[Jigga]

Jigga,

I think you forgot to add your favorite hockey players.

-Dan

KMA, -Dan.

They're the same place as all the basketball players you listed.

[MattF]

1. Dan Marino

2. Derek Jeter

3. Michael Jordan

4. Zach Thomas

5. Andy Pettite

[OnWis97]

With the exception of #2, all hometown...go figure.

1. Kirby Puckett. Lots of people in Minnesota feel, or felt, this way. After some bad stories about his character came out, there have certainly been some times at which I'd have left him off this list. Ultimately, his story (such a sad one in so many ways) has led me to not make the leap to assuming a great athlete is a great person...so now I just appreciate their abilities and approaches to the game and don't worry about the rest. Kirby was the ultimate professional, never acted like the superstar he was, a great teammate, a hard worker (main flaw, I suspect, was eating), and such a positive force. He was the perfect guy to take all that and project onto his personal life. Obviously, that parallel is not there. He taught me a valuable lesson. So now I just look back at his great play and attitude. He was very fun to watch.

2. Barry Sanders. So much fun to watch. I don't tend to usually be a big fan of division rivals, but Barry was just so fun to watch.

3. Ron Dayne. I know, I know, but I don't care so much what my college athletes do in the pros...At Wisconsin, he was awesome. Big Ten defenders hated playing him, cuz he'd ware them out. At Wisconsin, you learn to appreciate the running game and they've had about 10 1,000 yard backs since 1993. But Dayne was the best...just bowling people over and having enough quickness to get around those he could not bowl over. Turns out he did not have enough quickness for a great NFL career, but I loved watching him at UW.

4. Neal Broten. His game reminded me of Gretzky (obviously not as good of a player) in terms of great playmaking/passing ability. He also seemed to be the cure to dump and chase. Speaking of Gretzky, I think he has the distinction of being the only player to fight him (or at least the longest-lasting fight).

5. KG. The Wolves finally had a superstar. He came into the league with a surprising maturity and a great attitude. He seemed to eat/sleep/drink the game. And he stayed fiercely loyal to this Mickey Mouse franchise for a lot longer than he probably should have. I was definitely happy to see him get the title in Boston.

Honorable Mention:

MLB: Joe Mauer, Albert Pujols, Ricky Henderson.

NBA: Jordan (obviously), David Robinson

NFL: Robert Smith, Cris Carter, Boomer Esiason

NHL: Gretzky (Obviously), Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman

UW: Michael Finley, Alando Tucker, Brian Elliot, Brooks Bollinger, Jamar Fletcher

[-(dp)-]

1. Barry Sanders. As a Lions fan, is there any other choice? I was very young when he played, but even then, I knew he was ridiculous. Even when he lost yards, it was exciting. There still hasn't been anyone like him since.

2. Charles Woodson. (see sig) He has made a push up my list lately, but he is by far my favorite Wolverine ever. Only defensive player to win the Heisman, led the Wolverines to a national title (screw you Nebraska), and he is playing like the DPOY in his 12th year in the league. Corners aren't supposed to last that long, let alone be playing at the level he is. I am not sure I've seen a player that can do so many things, so good. He is also still giving back, having just donated millions of dollars to Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. On top of that, he is from Ohio, and was smart enough to get the hell out of there and come to Michigan. Maybe he should be my #1.

And, he does stuff like this:

3. Chauncey Billups - Not extremely flashy, but the dude won. The success the Pistons had with him leading them was ridiculous, and it is unfortunate that he couldn't retire a Piston.

4. Calvin Johnson. It is very unfortunate for him that he is a Lion. He is very classy too, which is refreshing in a league of prima donna receivers. IMO, he is easily a top 5 receiver in this league, with potential to be more if Matthew Stafford pans out. He also made probably the most exciting play I have seen in person, on an end around he took 35 yards for a score against the Buccaneers his rookie year. In that single play he showed everything he brings to the table, with a mean stiff arm to Cato June, put a nice move on Tanard Jackson, then ran through Barrett Ruud's attempt at a tackle. I swear the noise doubled with each move he made, and it was by far the loudest I've ever screamed at a sporting event.

5. Magic Johnson. Was there a position on the court that he couldn't play? One of the best players to ever play the game, and he is from my hometown and high school.

[usahockeyrube]

Minnesota

1. John Randle

2. Rod Carew

3. Mike Modano

4. Kevin Garnett

5. Cris Carter

Non-Minnesota

1. Earl Campbell

2. Dan Fouts

3. Keith Tkachuk

4. Mike Schmidt

5. Magic Johnson

[Wasatch]

I?m amazed at how many people have listed Ken Griffey Jr.!

In no ranking order?

Karl Malone - He was like a Super Hero to me as a kid, my idol!

John Stockton - I've never seen anyone take care of the ball and deliver it better than Stockton!

Charles Barkley - Sir Charles was a pure entertainer!

Ken Griffey Jr. - Best swing of all-time!

Michael Jordan - Hated him when he played but watching him was pure greatness

[Gary]

Alan Trammell

Barry Sanders

Steve Yzerman

Luis Gonzalez

Lou Whitaker

[Firefly]

Craig Biggio - man played every single at bat like he had a full count with the winning run on third during the 9th inning of the World Series

Hakeem Olajuwon - loved seeing him reject a ball like he was saying "get that outta here"

John Stockton - long time thorn in the side of the Rockets but damned if he wasn't a hell of a ball player

Jordan - like I gotta explain

Nolan freakin' Ryan - I went to a game at Round Rock where the teen in front of me sneered "Who's Nolan Ryan?" I thought his dad was going to punch him in the throat. I know I was ready to throw a few extra punches in myself.

Five already? Sheet...

[koizim]

1. Michael Jordan--He's the man, plain and simple.

2. Muhammad Ali--His life and trials served to inspire me when I was younger.

3. Julius Erving--Even though I'm from New York City, the first NBA game I ever went to was Sixers-Cavaliers back in 1986 at the Spectrum. Even though he was at the end of his career, Dr. J was in full effect and from that moment on, he became one of favorite players ever.

4. Lawrence Taylor--I'm a Giants fan and in the 80s and early 90s, LT was Giants football. I mean, the two were inseparable for me. The guy would hit you so hard, that your grandmother would feel it.

5. Bo Jackson--Two words: Bo Knows.

[FamousAtticus]

1. Michael Jordan- He dominated sports throughout my childhood, everyone wanted to "be like him" and he elevated the NBA to where it is today.

2. Joe DiMaggio- My favorite Yankee of all-time, I wish I could have watched him play. I heard numerous stories of how great he was from my dad & grandpa.

3. Dwight Howard- My current favorite NBA player, he brings a positive outlook to the sport. Its good to see guys like him shine.

4. Dan Marino- My favorite football player of all-time. He was a beast, if only he had a better supporting cast who know's how many SB's he could have won.

5. Derek Jeter- My current favorite baseball player, he is a stand-up & classy player. "Mr. Clutch"...his #2 will be in Monument Park one day next to all of the other Yankee greats.

[spartacat_12]

5. Daniel Alfredson - Has been the face of the Sens franchise for the last 10 years. Would love to see him lift the Stanley Cup before he retires.

4. Wayne Gretzky - He is "The Great One". His contributions to hockey will never be matched by anyone.

3. Lance Armstrong - Simply the most inspiring athlete ever.

2. Mark Messier - It takes a special kind of athlete to capture the hearts of New York sports fans, and Moose was that kind of athlete.

1. Steve Yzerman - The personification leadership, perserverence, and determination. A true class act.

A few months ago Tiger Woods would have made my list but he has lost a lot of his appeal. I still think that he is the best golfer in the world and possibly of all time, but it was more than just skill that made him one of my favourite athletes.