12 "super-human" athletes of the last 50 years

[Bellhorn04]

Baseball

Barry Bonds

Mike Trout

 

Football

Jerry Rice

Tom Brady

 

Basketball

Michael Jordan

LeBron James

 

Hockey

Bobby Orr

Wayne Gretzky

 

Golf

Jack Nicklaus

Tiger Woods

 

Multi-sport

Bo Jackson

Brian Jordan

Edited March 14, 2020 by Bellhorn04

[notin]

Baseball

Barry Bonds

Mike Trout

 

Football

Jerry Rice

Tom Brady

 

Basketball

Michael Jordan

LeBron James

 

Hockey

Bobby Orr

Wayne Gretzky

 

Golf

Jack Nicklaus

Tiger Woods

 

Multi-sport

Bo Jackson

Deion Sanders

 

Deion Sanders was more hype than play as a baseball player. His former secondary partner Brian Jordan was a Pro Bowl cornerback and an All Star outfielder who is much, much better choice here...

[Bellhorn04]

Deion Sanders was more hype than play as a baseball player. His former secondary partner Brian Jordan was a Pro Bowl cornerback and an All Star outfielder who is much, much better choice here...

 

Thanks, now edited.

[Kimmi]

What?

 

No female golfers?

[Kimmi]

Also, I'm not sure I could put Bonds on the list.

 

I am not familiar enough with the other sports. Are any of those guys known steroids users?

[Bellhorn04]

Also, I'm not sure I could put Bonds on the list.

 

I am not familiar enough with the other sports. Are any of those guys known steroids users?

 

I was definitely conflicted about Bonds. There are no other known steroid users there.

[notin]

I was definitely conflicted about Bonds. There are no other known steroid users there.

 

Honestly, I had a bigger issue with Trout than Bonds, more so due to shorter career and fewer accomplishments over, say, Albert Pujols. But I think it's very likely Trout will ultimately be the right choice.

 

 

Looking at fWAR over the past 50 years, Bonds is the clear leader with 164.4 and Clemens is second with 133.7.

 

The only other players with more than 100 are Greg Maddux (116.7), Alex Rodriguez (113.7), Randy Johnson (110.4), Nolan Ryan (106.7), Mike Schmidt (106.5), Rickey Henderson (106.3) and Bert Blyleven (103.3).

 

 

Yes, Bert Blyleven, That is not a typo...

[mvp 78]

Dave Winfield

[a700hitter]

Mike Tyson

Lennox Lewis

[notin]

Dave Winfield

 

I always heard he excelled in 3 sports at Minnesota, but now I'm wondering if that is true. Did he play football there?

[a700hitter]

I always heard he excelled in 3 sports at Minnesota, but now I'm wondering if that is true. Did he play football there?

I think he was a tight end.

[mvp 78]

I always heard he excelled in 3 sports at Minnesota, but now I'm wondering if that is true. Did he play football there?

 

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dave-winfield-1.html

 

He didn’t play football in college. He was drafted by the Vikings though.

[mvp 78]

Charlie Ward

QB at FSU

PG for Knicks

[mvp 78]

Jeff Samardzija

TE for crappy NCAA team

Adequate SP

[notin]

Jeff Samardzija

TE for crappy NCAA team

Adequate SP

 

Danny Ainge.

s***** 2b for the Blue Jays

All Star SG for the Celtics

Excellent executive

 

And then there’s Mark Hendrickson, NBA PF turned crappy LHP for the Orioles.

 

But really, Bo Jackson and Brian Jordan are the best choices. I believe they are the only two professional athletes ever to be all stars in multiple sports...

[notin]

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/dave-winfield-1.html

 

He didn’t play football in college. He was drafted by the Vikings though.

 

Weird but it explains some things. Not so much what the Vikings were thinking, but some things...

[mvp 78]

Danny Ainge.

s***** 2b for the Blue Jays

All Star SG for the Celtics

Excellent executive

 

And then there’s Mark Hendrickson, NBA PF turned crappy LHP for the Orioles.

 

But really, Bo Jackson and Brian Jordan are the best choices. I believe they are the only two professional athletes ever to be all stars in multiple sports...

 

Charlie Ward is a good under the radar guy though.

[bkzwhitestrican]

Brady was a great QB but I wouldn't call him a super athlete. When I think of top athletes in football I think Bo Jackson or Deion or currently Mahomes.

[notin]

Charlie Ward is a good under the radar guy though.

 

Best trivia question ever - name the only 3 quarterbacks since 1990 to win a Heisman trophy and a playoff game? (Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, and Charlie Ward, who won some NBA playoff games.)

 

 

But really, who knows if Ward would have done anything as an NFL QB?

 

He might have been Lamar Jackson, but also maybe Troy Smith...

Edited March 15, 2020 by notin

[Bellhorn04]

Brady was a great QB but I wouldn't call him a super athlete. When I think of top athletes in football I think Bo Jackson or Deion or currently Mahomes.

 

Brady may not be a great 'pure athlete', but he's a great athletic performer.

 

And surely the ability to throw a football on a dime again and again with the game on the line and 300-pound behemoths bearing down on you is a significant athletic feat.

[bkzwhitestrican]

Brady may not be a great 'pure athlete', but he's a great athletic performer.

 

And surely the ability to throw a football on a dime again and again with the game on the line and 300-pound behemoths bearing down on you is a significant athletic feat.

 

I agree his throwing ability was a major athletic skill. Kind of like Kyle Korver's ability to hit 3 pointers is a major athletic skill. And Brady may be the best thrower of all time but OVERALL athletic he was not. At least not compared to the rest of the league. But then again our definitions of super athlete are probably different.

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000986814/Can-t-Miss-Play-Brady-catches-pass-on-trick-play

 

[notin]

I agree his throwing ability was a major athletic skill. Kind of like Kyle Korver's ability to hit 3 pointers is a major athletic skill. And Brady may be the best thrower of all time but OVERALL athletic he was not. At least not compared to the rest of the league. But then again our definitions of super athlete are probably different.

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000986814/Can-t-Miss-Play-Brady-catches-pass-on-trick-play

 

 

So he isn't a good enough athlete based on that one play?

 

If Brady isn't a football choice with Jerry Rice, who is? I would nominate Jim Brown, but the OP has a 50 year timeline. So who over Brady since 1969?

 

And apparently it cannot be someone who dropped one pass....

[notin]

Brady was a great QB but I wouldn't call him a super athlete. When I think of top athletes in football I think Bo Jackson or Deion or currently Mahomes.

 

Did any of these 3 players dominate their position to he same level Brady dominated his? And comparing Mahomes' TWO SEASONS to Brady's 19 year career is like saying Bobby Thigpen was a better closer than Mariano Rivera...

[bkzwhitestrican]

Brady may not be a great 'pure athlete', but he's a great athletic performer.

 

And surely the ability to throw a football on a dime again and again with the game on the line and 300-pound behemoths bearing down on you is a significant athletic feat.

 

I think we're just defining a super athlete differently. Brady is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in NFL history. But athletic prowess is something different in my mind.

[moonslav59]

Did any of these 3 players dominate their position to he same level Brady dominated his? And comparing Mahomes' TWO SEASONS to Brady's 19 year career is like saying Bobby Thigpen was a better closer than Mariano Rivera...

 

I don't think the question was who are the best sports players. It was about being "super-human athletes."

 

Brady probably has a "super-human" football mind and skill, but not really the physical skill I think the question implied.

[Bellhorn04]

I don't think the question was who are the best sports players. It was about being "super-human athletes."

 

Brady probably has a "super-human" football mind and skill, but not really the physical skill I think the question implied.

 

How is throwing a football with high velocity, accuracy and touch not a physical skill?

[notin]

I don't think the question was who are the best sports players. It was about being "super-human athletes."

 

Brady probably has a "super-human" football mind and skill, but not really the physical skill I think the question implied.

 

I am pretty sure the ultimate goal was to name the best players in multiple sports across the past half century. Not necessarily the best athletes. Renaldo Nehemiah and Jerry Rice we’re both wide receivers for the 49ers. One has multiple track and field records and was an easy favorite for a gold medal in the Olympics (which were boycotted). The other has none of these credentials. Is Rice really a better athlete than Nehemiah? Or just a better football player?

[moonslav59]

How is throwing a football with high velocity, accuracy and touch not a physical skill?

 

I said he has "super-human skills" and mind. He is not a super human athlete.

 

Others throw with more velocity, more accuracy and/or with more "touch."

 

Yes, he puts it all together.

 

What he is best at is rising to the occasion. He has some tremendous skills, some of which are physical.

 

If we are talking about the best sports figures in the last 50 years, I would not argue with his name being on the list.

 

I took the question as being the best physical super-human athletes. Maybe I'm wrong, but in that context, Brady does not belong.

 

[moonslav59]

I am pretty sure the ultimate goal was to name the best players in multiple sports across the past half century. Not necessarily the best athletes. Renaldo Nehemiah and Jerry Rice we’re both wide receivers for the 49ers. One has multiple track and field records and was an easy favorite for a gold medal in the Olympics (which were boycotted). The other has none of these credentials. Is Rice really a better athlete than Nehemiah? Or just a better football player?

It wasn't worded that way.

 

Your point about track & field athletes is a good one.

 

[a700hitter]

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has to be near the top of this list.