Rhymin' & Stealin'

10) “Macho Man” Randy Savage - Wrestling/Baseball

Including the Macho King on this list is admittedly a stretch. Maybe I put too much stock in his six WWF/WCW Titles, hundreds of Flying Elbow Drops, The Mega Powers and incredible Slim Jim commercials? Maybe Bill Goldberg, The Rock or Brock Lesnar could have been used as better examples of wrestlers with multi-sport supremacy? However, I kept coming back to Randy “Macho Man” Poffo. Unbeknownst to many, he played in the minors for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, reaching his baseball zenith in 1974 for the Single A Tampa Tarpons, where he knocked in 66 RBIs while playing DH, OF, 1B and C. Maybe the most amazing fact from his baseball career is that he tore muscles and ligaments in his throwing shoulder in ’73, then taught himself how to throw left-handed and returned to baseball the next year. The injury limited his effectiveness and effectively ended his pro baseball dream, but his perseverance and dedication continued as he became one of the most popular and beloved pro wrestlers of all-time. Oh yeah! The Macho Man is number 10, barely beating out Brian Jordan.

Bonus points were awarded thanks to this.

9) Roy Jones Jr. - Boxing/Basketball

Roy’s athletic career is definitely in its twilight, but at its peak, RJJ was one of the most dynamic and electrifying athletes ever. The 1990s Boxer of the Decade, Roy has won eight world titles in four weight classes, became the first fighter to start his career as a junior middleweight and win a heavyweight title and should have won a Gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics (he was robbed by a corrupt judge and settled for the Silver). Anyone who watched him fight in his peak knows he had incomparable hand speed, foot speed and punching power. If you doubt his skills, ask Montell Griffin. Jones cemented his multi-sport legacy in 1996 when he became the first athlete to participate in a pro basketball game and a pro fight in the same day, scoring five points playing in the USBL in the afternoon and knocking out Eric Lucas to retain his Super Middleweight title later that night. At 5’11″, Roy probably didn’t have the height to play in the NBA, but he is the only man to complete such an epic feat, earning him the 9th spot on this list.

Roy also got bonus points. For this.

8) Antonio Gates - Basketball/Football

My first exposure to Antonio Gates was not as the San Diego Chargers future Hall of Fame tight end. Before he terrorized defenses in the NFL, Gates terrorized the paint playing Div. 1 college basketball for Kent State. Antonio was no bench-warmer at Kent State, leading the Golden Flashes to a MAC Championship and the Elite 8 as a junior and being named a Honorable Mention All-American as a senior. His stats during college are impressive, averaging 16.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.2 spg and shooting better than 30% from 3 for his career. Since scouts considered him too short to play in the NBA, the 6’4″ Gates arranged an NFL tryout. The Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent and he has been one of the NFL’s best tight ends ever since. He is now a five-time Pro Bowler, has over 50 career TD catches and his current trajectory will probably end with him being enshrined in Canton as a NFL Hall of Famer. If he was 3-4 inches taller, Antonio might be on a similar trajectory in the NBA. To be such an impressive NFL player in the modern game without playing college football is absolutely incredible. Tight end prototype and former NCAA power forward Tony Gonzalez almost took this spot (and not just because he has a hot wife). Tony can ball, but he wasn’t the best player on his Cal basketball teams. Gates was the best player on his Kent State teams. Throw in the fact that Gates leapt to the NFL without the seasoning and football maturation of college ball and the arguments over.

7) Charlie Ward – Football/Basketball/Baseball

For those of you that only know Charlie from his career as an above-average journeyman NBA point guard, you might be surprised to see him on this list. Don’t be. Ward played basketball at Florida State, leading the Seminoles to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 in back-to-back years and eventually breaking the school record for steals. But he also was the quarterback for the football team… and he won the friggin’ Heisman trophy. Not only was he named the best player in college football, but he also led FSU to a National Championship in 1993. Seriously. He is deservedly in the College Football Hall of Fame and was even offered a contract to back-up Joe Montana with the Kansas City Chiefs. He declined to play for the Knicks. On top if it all, he was drafted as a Shortstop/Outfielder by both the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees, even though he hadn’t played baseball since high school. Didn’t excel as a pro, but was one of the best all-around athletes ever and is the only dude ever to win the Heisman and play in the NBA.

6) Jackie Robinson - Baseball/Football

While Jackie is best known for breaking down baseball’s colour barrier in 1947 and being one of the greatest players in baseball history, baseball was actually once considered his worst sport. At UCLA, Jackie lettered in four sports: football, basketball, track and baseball. In fact, he is the only athlete in UCLA history to accomplish such a feat. He showed his greatest promise in football. Jackie was named All-Pac 10 while at UCLA, lead the nation in kick return yardage, led the Bruins in rushing and passing yards and eventually played semi-pro for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Football League. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, Jackie was forced into military service, which cut short his football career. After the war he began to concentrate on baseball and after winning MLB’s inaugural Rookie of the Year award in 1947, Jackie’s career blossomed. He was a six-time All-Star, won the MVP in ’49 and a World Series title in ’55. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and his jersey number 42 was retired by all MLB teams in 1997. More accolades continued posthumously, as he was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. He might have been the most influential athlete on this list from a cultural perspective, but his athletic merits alone would put him near the top of any self-respecting “Greatest Athlete” list.

Click to continue reading the Top 5

(more…)