Greatest Athletes of All Time

This is not a list of the greatest players of all time, although many of the athletes on the list may have been great players. This is a list of the greatest athletes which begs the question, what makes someone a great athlete. For the purpose of this list, athletic greatness is defined as possessing a variety of attributes that contribute to athletic prowess. These include speed, quickness, endurance, power and hand-eye coordination. That is why this list does not include specialized athletes such as marathon runners or bicyclists. While it is clear that Lance Armstrong is a master in his field, he has not proven that he could compete in other sports where more is required than pumping his thighs for hours on end. (See related TheTopTens Blog entry: Wayne Gretzky is NOT One of the Greatest Athletes of All Time)

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Choices Not In The Top Ten

Vote for Jay Adams 101) Jay Adams

the man who started skateboarding
the original seed

Vote for George Brett 102) George Brett

intensity in a slow game

Vote for Rob Ray 103) Rob Ray

Vote for Heather McKay 104) Heather McKay

Complete domination of Women’s Squash, undefeated for 19 years at the highest level. Also a racquetball chammpion.

Vote for Freddy Adu 105) Freddy Adu

He rocks my sox all the way and is the best soccer player in the world

Vote for Joe DiMaggio 106) Joe DiMaggio

In terms of popularity, how could Joe D *not* be in the historical top ten? This list can’t be taken seriously otherwise!

Vote for Shane Warne 107) Shane Warne

Great athlete and personality, revolutionised spin bowling

Vote for Jared Zabransky 108) Jared Zabransky

THe statue of liberty rocks 2007 fiesta bowl mvp champion

Vote for Manny Ramirez 109) Manny Ramirez

he is the all time Yankee killer

Vote for Seb Coe 110) Seb Coe

Only man to successfully defend the 1500m at the Olympics and multiple world record holder.

Vote for Rocky Marciano 111) Rocky Marciano

Vote for George Best 112) George Best

Most God Gifted Footballer of All time totally Genius

Vote for Jeremy Wotherspoon 113) Jeremy Wotherspoon

God on skates.

Vote for Joe Frazier 114) Joe Frazier

Vote for Julius Peppers 115) Julius Peppers

Great at many positions on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, as well as being a handful on the basketball court and a freak of nature in size, build and agility.

Vote for Tiki Barber 116) Tiki Barber

best giant running back small and quick could run through the hole with the quickness

Vote for Mike Piazza 117) Mike Piazza

Vote for Zlatan Ibrahimovic 118) Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Vote for Paula Newby-Fraser 119) Paula Newby-Fraser

Winner of more Ironman Triathlons than anyone on the planet

Vote for Alexander Karelin 120) Alexander Karelin

The most dominating athlete ever... did things his competition could only dream of. Greco-Roman wrestler who went 10 years undefeated and for the last six of those years, he never had a point scored on him!

armust

Vote for Karen Smyers 121) Karen Smyers

Gold Hawaii Ironman 1990 Women’s Triathlon
Gold Hawaii Ironman 1995 Women’s Triathlon
Pan American Games
Gold Mar del Plata 1995 Women’s Triathlon
Gold Mar del Plata 1999 Women’s Triathlon
ITU World Championships
Gold ITU World’s 1995 Women’s Triathlon
US Pro Nationals
Gold 1990 US Pro Nationals Women’s Triathlon
Gold 1991 US Pro Nationals Women’s Triathlon
Gold 1992 US Pro Nationals Women’s Triathlon
Gold 1993 US Pro Nationals Women’s Triathlon
Gold 1994 US Pro Nationals Women’s Triathlon
Gold 1995 US Pro Nationals Women’s Triathlon

Vote for Gene Conley 122) Gene Conley

NBA Champion 1958-59
NBA Champion 1959-60
NBA Champion 1960-61
World Series Champion 1957
MLB All-Star 1954, 1955, 1959

1952 Boston Red Sox
1954-58 Milwaukee Braves
1959-60 Philadelphia Phillies
1961-63 Boston Red Sox

1952-53 Boston Celtics
1958-61 Boston Celtics
1962-64 New York Knicks

Vote for Karch Kiraly 123) Karch Kiraly

Dominated his sport (volleyball) for decades. Considered the greatest VB player ever, and IMHO in the top 50 athletes of all time.

Vote for Pete Rose 124) Pete Rose

Cmon guys just cause a guy does some illegal acts dosent mean he should be in the top 10.

Vote for Don Hutson 125) Don Hutson

He has the most nfl records of all time and is on the all time team.

He has the most nfl records of all time

Vote for Magic Johnson 126) Magic Johnson

Vote for Maurice "Rocket" Richard 127) Maurice "Rocket" Richard

The greatest hockey player! He’s almost the creator of hockey! A veteran!

Vote for Gayle Sayers 128) Gayle Sayers

Vote for Hank Aaron 129) Hank Aaron