Canadian Bills Fan Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I would have to say Deion Sanders. I mean the guy did it all. He Played 10 seasons in MLB and 11 years in the NFL ( I may be aff by a year or two in both categories) He is the only player to not only play in a World Series and a Super Bowl, but to also hit a home run in MLB and score an NFL touchdown in the same week. In college, Sanders played football, baseball and track. On one occasion, on a day with a double header baseball game he played the first game, then went and competed in the schools 4x100 relay and then returned to play the second baseball game! I don't think there is another athlete that comes close. He also "allegedly" ran a 4.16 40 yard dash. Also, remember the Pizza Hut commercial where he responds to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones questions ("Football or baseball?" and "Offense or defense?") with "both!!" I am interested in everyones take on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I would have to say Deion Sanders. I mean the guy did it all. He Played 10 seasons in MLB and 11 years in the NFL ( I may be aff by a year or two in both categories) He is the only player to not only play in a World Series and a Super Bowl, but to also hit a home run in MLB and score an NFL touchdown in the same week. In college, Sanders played football, baseball and track. On one occasion, on a day with a double header baseball game he played the first game, then went and competed in the schools 4x100 relay and then returned to play the second baseball game! I don't think there is another athlete that comes close. He also "allegedly" ran a 4.16 40 yard dash. Also, remember the Pizza Hut commercial where he responds to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones questions ("Football or baseball?" and "Offense or defense?") with "both!!" I am interested in everyones take on this. Bo Jackson was a superstar in both baseball and football. Deion had a journeyman type baseball career and was essentially a KR/ cover specialist. Bo played the most grueling position in football and had some of the most amazing talent ever to step on a baseball field. If he probably devouted his time to one or the other, he could have had a HOF type career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 Yes I understand but Bo Jackson only played 3 NFL seasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Yes I understand but Bo Jackson only played 3 NFL seasons Yeah, but.. The reason for the short football career was a debilitating injury. He quickly became the stud of the league and his last game put his team in a conference championship -which I think they lost... I'd give the nod to Bo over Deion as he was a monster player in both sports. Then again, there's that Thorpe guy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PushthePile Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I know he is over-marketed and constantly fawned over at ESPN, but Lebron James is a freak. He could be a successful NFL player if he chose to switch professions. I like the Bo Jackson selection as well. Deon Sanders was good at what he specialized in but wasn't well rounded in either sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murra Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Yes I understand but Bo Jackson only played 3 NFL seasons In my opinion, longevity has no place in a "best all round athlete" discussion. You can make the claim that it's important, but I feel as though circumstances outside the capability of the athlete should be left out. I am way too young to have seen him, but from what I understand, Jim Brown was a vicious two-way lacrosse player, who famously averaged over 5 yards a carry in the NFL. I'd like to toss his name into the discussion. Again, if longevity is a factor, then you'd obviously discredit him, but I truthfully believe he was the greatest athlete the NFL ever saw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murra Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I know he is over-marketed and constantly fawned over at ESPN, but Lebron James is a freak. He could be a successful NFL player if he chose to switch professions. I like the Bo Jackson selection as well. Deon Sanders was good at what he specialized in but wasn't well rounded in either sport. He isn't even the best player in the NBA... Also, if we're bringing in other sports, James doesn't hold a candle to Roger Federer. Now that guy is a freak. Consistency, precision, endurance, and strength. If you put those two players in a sport neither plays, such as soccer or anything where being born incredibly tall doesn't give you a distinct edge, Roger will beat LeBron in every category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOBILLS78 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 dan and dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 How about Brandon Inge, 3B for the Tigers? He is a HELL of an athlete. He can play pretty much every position on the baseball diamond, including pitcher (he pitched at VCU). He can also do a rim-shattering dunk, and I've heard he could easily be a point guard in the NBA if he ever wanted to change sports. He can also hit a golf ball over 400 yards. Best all around athlete, probably not...but maybe the most versatile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PushthePile Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 He isn't even the best player in the NBA... Also, if we're bringing in other sports, James doesn't hold a candle to Roger Federer. Now that guy is a freak. Consistency, precision, endurance, and strength. If you put those two players in a sport neither plays, such as soccer or anything where being born incredibly tall doesn't give you a distinct edge, Roger will beat LeBron in every category. What does best player have to do with best athlete? Federer isn't even the best player in tennis. He would get smoked by Lebron in most sports. They are not even close in strength or explosiveness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murra Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 He would get smoked by Lebron in most sports. I disagree. Tennis requires more athleticism than basketball. You see lanky, nonathletic people become successful basketball players, but anyone with out enough athleticism can't last a minute in a tennis match. I'm not calling Lebron that, clearly the guy is very talented...I'm just saying I'm much more impressed with Fed. Also, I really don't feel as though you watch tennis, do you? Not the best player? He has consistently (20 consecutive times) attended a major semi-final, and at the age of 27 has more grand slam finals than any one mens singles player. Not to mention, the man just took home a career grand slam, and has consistently gotten to the french finals, which is beyond remarkable, considering it doesn't correlate with his style at all. He's just that good. Maybe because you've watched on ESPN Nadal highlights, so you're a little confused, but Roger Federer will arguably go down as the greatest tennis player of all-time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Bo Jackson was a superstar in both baseball and football. Deion had a journeyman type baseball career and was essentially a KR/ cover specialist. Bo played the most grueling position in football and had some of the most amazing talent ever to step on a baseball field. If he probably devouted his time to one or the other, he could have had a HOF type career. The only thing stopping Bo was his injury. The same injury today, IIRC, can be fixed. It would have been awesome to see him continue. I know he is over-marketed and constantly fawned over at ESPN, but Lebron James is a freak. He could be a successful NFL player if he chose to switch professions. I like the Bo Jackson selection as well. Deon Sanders was good at what he specialized in but wasn't well rounded in either sport. Sanders was one of the best players in the NFL. He was a great CB and a great KR. JMO Some other mentions: Jim Thorpe Babe Ruth - (questionable) He also pitched a 20 win season. Rob Johnson (just kidding) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I know he is over-marketed and constantly fawned over at ESPN, but Lebron James is a freak. He could be a successful NFL player if he chose to switch professions. I like the Bo Jackson selection as well. Deon Sanders was good at what he specialized in but wasn't well rounded in either sport. Not well-rounded in football? He was one of the best, if not THE BEST to EVER play his position in the NFL. Please save the crap about run support. There aren't too many shoe-in HOFers that aren't 'well-rounded' in the game. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I know he is over-marketed and constantly fawned over at ESPN, but Lebron James is a freak. He could be a successful NFL player if he chose to switch professions. I like the Bo Jackson selection as well. Deon Sanders was good at what he specialized in but wasn't well rounded in either sport. And this is based on that commercial where he's dreaming I suppose? The greatest basketball player ever tried to switch professions to baseball and never made it even in triple-A. Just because someone is a great athlete in their sport doesn't mean the skills transfer at all. You have no idea if LeBron could deliver and take consistent NFL hits. You have no idea if he has the heart to catch balls in traffic or if he would avoid being buried in the pile. You also have no idea if he could memorize a playbook and read offenses and defenses. I vote Bo. He was amazing and though it happened in Rich Stadium in one of the best parties to ever take place in Buffalo, I wish he'd not been hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I disagree. Tennis requires more athleticism than basketball. You see lanky, nonathletic people become successful basketball players, but anyone with out enough athleticism can't last a minute in a tennis match. I'm not calling Lebron that, clearly the guy is very talented...I'm just saying I'm much more impressed with Fed. Also, I really don't feel as though you watch tennis, do you? Not the best player? He has consistently (20 consecutive times) attended a major semi-final, and at the age of 27 has more grand slam finals than any one mens singles player. Not to mention, the man just took home a career grand slam, and has consistently gotten to the french finals, which is beyond remarkable, considering it doesn't correlate with his style at all. He's just that good. Maybe because you've watched on ESPN Nadal highlights, so you're a little confused, but Roger Federer will arguably go down as the greatest tennis player of all-time. Agreed, Federer is still far and away the best. However, I don't think you've watched enough basketball this season if you don't think Lebron is the best player in the NBA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricojes Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 The best all round athlete would probably be Warren Sapp. For a fat @$$, that man could play. Some of the best all around athletes IMO would be: Michael Jordan - Obviously one of the best NBA players to ever play the game. So he didn't put up the best numbers in minor league baseball (.202 with 51 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 127 games), but still impressive since he was in his 30's when joining the team. He is also a very good golfer. Bo Jackson - What a sad day when he got hurt! Awesome athlete, IIRC he made the NFL pro-bowl and MLB all-star teams. That's an incredible accomplishment. Dave Winfield - the only player ever to be drafted by 3 different professional sport leagues. I have also heard stories of Jim Thorpe and Jim Brown, but that was before my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PushthePile Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I disagree. Tennis requires more athleticism than basketball. You see lanky, nonathletic people become successful basketball players, but anyone with out enough athleticism can't last a minute in a tennis match. I'm not calling Lebron that, clearly the guy is very talented...I'm just saying I'm much more impressed with Fed. Also, I really don't feel as though you watch tennis, do you? Not the best player? He has consistently (20 consecutive times) attended a major semi-final, and at the age of 27 has more grand slam finals than any one mens singles player. Not to mention, the man just took home a career grand slam, and has consistently gotten to the french finals, which is beyond remarkable, considering it doesn't correlate with his style at all. He's just that good. Maybe because you've watched on ESPN Nadal highlights, so you're a little confused, but Roger Federer will arguably go down as the greatest tennis player of all-time. Tennis isn't a can't miss event for me but I will tune into the big matches. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Federer, the guys accomplishments are comparable to Tiger Woods. I was under the impression that Federer has slipped a little. Is he definatively the best player in tennis right now? As for tennis requiring more athleticism than basketabll, that is impossible to say. They are two vastly different sports. Any time you have a team sport, you are going to have role players who can only do certain things. Obviously, an athlete can't be a role player in an individual sport. This doesn't mean one sport is more athletically superior. It's just an opinion question so their is really no right or wrong. Lebron is just the first name that came to thought for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PushthePile Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Not well-rounded in football? He was one of the best, if not THE BEST to EVER play his position in the NFL. Please save the crap about run support. There aren't too many shoe-in HOFers that aren't 'well-rounded' in the game. GO BILLS!!! IMO, tackling is an important aspect of football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I'll still go with Randy Smith. Three sport All American in college? That cannot be ignored. As an aside, I think we shouldn't confuse 'athletics' with 'sports' when doing these kind of lists. It's just a matter of time before some Bass Pro angler makes the list. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PushthePile Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 And this is based on that commercial where he's dreaming I suppose? The greatest basketball player ever tried to switch professions to baseball and never made it even in triple-A. Just because someone is a great athlete in their sport doesn't mean the skills transfer at all. You have no idea if LeBron could deliver and take consistent NFL hits. You have no idea if he has the heart to catch balls in traffic or if he would avoid being buried in the pile. You also have no idea if he could memorize a playbook and read offenses and defenses. I vote Bo. He was amazing and though it happened in Rich Stadium in one of the best parties to ever take place in Buffalo, I wish he'd not been hurt. Relax, it's just an opinion. You don't know he couldn't either. Their are plenty of athletes today that could play other sports professionally. I wouldn't bet against him that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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