# Greatest Athlete by Decade **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738 "2005-04-29T17:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/41 "2005-04-30T20:43:46Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > There’s pretty compelling anecdotal evidence from fellow world class sprinters that Carl Lewis used performance-enhancing drugs during some of his reign–and certainly during the runup to the Olympics–as did most every other sprinter. Ben Johnson got caught while Lewis flew under the radar. I read a recent account on this and the sprinter’s claims (can’t recall his name), though initially surprising, were equally compelling. > > If you look at the 100 meter speeds over the past 30 years, they seemed to fix at the 10.05 - 10.10 point for some time, until PED abuse became rampant. Since then, times had dropped precipitously. This concerns me as well. I don’t want to believe he was juiced, because I am a huge fan. But it is reasonable to suspect that because so many people were caught using steroids, and he beat most of them, that he also used them. But, again, I wear fan goggles on this one. We share the same alma mater and I have met him a few times. Contrary to the bad press he has received, he is a VERY good guy. At the Liberty Bowl in 1996, I was in a big crowd waiting to get into the stadium. I look to my right and there stands Carl Lewis. Right next to me. He passes the VIP entrance and just keeps walking with the crowd. As the crowd begins a UH cheer, Lewis joins right in with it. Tough to judge that guy objectively. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/42 "2005-04-30T21:50:59Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#): > > Yes there is. Gretzky holds the most significant career NHL stats by a larger margin than that. He is not called The Great One for nothing. I checked, and here’s what I found for career scoring records: Goals per game: Gretzky: 0.601 Lemieux 0.776 Assists per game: Gretzky: 1.32 Lemieux 1.14 Points per game: Gretzky 1.921 Lemieux 1.925 Gretzky was obviously a great athlete. But the idea that he exceeded his fellow competitiors by a greater margin than did Don Bradman is not supported by the facts. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/43 "2005-04-30T23:08:41Z")
Good read…thanks watsonwil. Although I am curious as to why you put Hank Aaron in the 1970s as he was past his prime by then. The 1960s were his decade. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/44 "2005-05-01T00:20:27Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > If the list is based on all around athletic ability, then I have to disagree with some of these picks. Guys like Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain, Jackie Robinson, Michael Jordan, and others, are better athletes than Montana and Gretzky. They played multiple sports well and are far superior athletes. Gretzky played every sport well; by all accounts he could have been a major league baseball player or a pro golder if he’d tried. The fact that he chose to have a complete hockey career, as opposed to reducing his hockey career to have a mediocre baseball career like Bo Jackson or Deoin Sanders (doesn’t anyone REMEMBER those guys playing baseball? They weren’t all that good) seems a strange reason to dismiss his claim. What’s more impressive to you; someone who is the greatest EVER in his sport, like Gretzky, or someone who was not one of the thousand best in either sport he played, like Bo Jackson? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/45 "2005-05-01T01:29:37Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Re: Gretsky vs. Montana, **watsonwil** laid out some basic criteria, but taking an obviously America-centric view - noticing that we don’t have folks like Pele or sports like skiing, cricket, etc. represented - Hockey simply isn’t a popular enough sport to compete with football - so while Gretsky is truly “Great,” he doesn’t qualify vs. Montana on that basis, IMHO. > > I can easily see adjusting the criteria and ending up with Gretsky… You know, it’s understandable on a message board based in America, and dominated by Americans, that any list of the greatest sports stars will have a strong American tilt. It’s happened before on these boards, and will happen again. But this is the first time i’ve ever actually seen anyone argue that a player from a particular sport doesn’t evenqualify, based purely on the fact that it’s not a sport that most Americans care about. It’s a bit depressing, really. Also, if you’re arguing based on the popularity of the sport itself, then you’d have to disqualify Lance Armstrong. Sure, everyone’s heard of him, but how many Americans really give a shit about cycling as a professional sport? Hell, how many Americans paid any attention to the Tour de France before Armstrong started winning? Same with people like Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens. Very few people pay attention to track and field until the Olympics come around every four years. I’ll bet more Americans watch pro hockey on a weekly basis than watch track and field or cycling (well, maybe not this year with the NHL strike). As for my own contribution, i’m going for another non-American: 1980s Jahangir Khan (squash): Unbeaten for five straight years and over 500 matches. Winner of 6 World Opens and 10 successive British Opens. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/46 "2005-05-01T01:50:25Z")
Maybe not the top athlete of the 1920’s, but one of importance: Walter Hagen. Winner of nine PGA majors during the 1920’s, including four PGA Championships in a row. Captained the first winning Ryder Cup team. Is usually attributed as being the man responsible for the modern treatment of professional golfers, both here and abroad. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/47 "2005-05-01T03:28:47Z")
I’m going to chime in with those questioning the Joe Montana pick. Montana was probably only the 3rd best _quarterback_ of the 80’s (behind Elway and Marino), let alone football player or athlete. You gotta go with Gretsky, Bird or Magic. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/48 "2005-05-01T06:36:05Z")
I’d like to see Secretariat get a nod in the 70s. I’d shift Ali to the 60s just to get a non-human in the list. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/49 "2005-05-01T07:17:53Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > What’s more impressive to you; someone who is the greatest EVER in his sport, like Gretzky, or someone who was not one of the thousand best in either sport he played, like Bo Jackson? Uh, wait a second. Bo Jackson never attended a football training camp, took one week off after a 162-game baseball season and then _led the league_ in average yards per carry his final two full seasons before his hip injury. He was _the best_ running back in the league – with zero preparation and no off-season. And he also was a starter in Major League Baseball’s All-Star game, 1989. (And won the MVP.) Obviously, injury derailed his chance for long-term success in either sport, but his pure athletic prowess is unmatched in the last three decades. The only guy I gather that touches him in the last 50 years is Jim Brown. And for all the talk about Brown’s all-around ability, he played one pro sport. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/50 "2005-05-01T07:31:13Z")
Umm, while it seems easy to hand Michael Jordan the 90’s title, consider for a second: **Barry Sanders**. Played for a lousy team in the pros, an average team in college (in a conference filled with powers) and became the All-time rusher in each. Well, he would have become the all-time pro rusher if it weren’t for a contract dispute. And this on a crap team with mediocre lineman “blocking” for him and no passing game. And playing the most violent sport in the world, he was durable at 5’7" and missed 7 games in a 10-year career. Oh, made the Pro Bowl each year, a perfect 10 for 10. Football players are the best athletes (by far), and Barry was the best of all of them in the 90’s. Jordan had Pippen, Grant, Rodman, Phil Jackson. Barry had… Rodney Peete??? I guess this same argument could be made for **Walter Payton** in the 70’s. Maybe it’s Jordan by a hair. Or maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/51 "2005-05-01T08:36:06Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > 1980s Jahangir Khan (squash): Unbeaten for five straight years and over 500 matches. Winner of 6 World Opens and 10 successive British Opens. If we’re going to talk about squash (and why shouldn’t we, even though it’s _very_ much a minor sport in the US), I’ll see your Jahangir and raise you a compatriot of yours, [Heather McKay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_McKay), who won _sixteen_ consecutive British Opens (at the time, the equivalent of Wimbledon for tennis) from 1962-1977. She only dropped **two games in total** during this British Open run. Over a period of nearly twenty years (1962-1981), she only lost twice in tournament play. She took up racquetball at age 34, and not long thereafter was world #1 at that sport (and earned more money than she ever had at squash). [It is probably very much to the benefit of the game of squash that no current players dominate the sport to anywhere near the extent that Jahangir or Heather McKay did, and the world #1 spot is nowadays a much less secure position.] ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/52 "2005-05-01T09:03:42Z")
If people are throwing in Joe Montana and, even worse, golf players as the greatest athletes of the decades, then how about these two titans: Phil “the power” Taylor, **twelve time** world darts champion. The greatest thrower of tungsten ever to stand on the ochy. Dominates his sport like no other currently active athlete. Except perhaps, for: Dougie Lampkin! Twelve world titles in motorcycle trials riding, arguably the greatest trials rider ever. Also, ice-hockey is not really my game, but I am reliably informed by the hockey-fight community that Bob Probert is the greatest player ever to lace em up. Put old Bob down for the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/53 "2005-05-01T09:39:33Z")
I understand this is a US centric board, but the concentration upon athletes whom most of the world has heard little of, to the exclusion, nay, even the tacit dismissal, of true world champions is amusing if only for confirming the stereotype, you sound like a bunch of petty, parochail, provincials 🙂 True, it didn’t state ‘worlds greatest athletes by decade’ but it might have added the words ‘North American’, if that’s what we really want to talk about. That’s fine and fair enough, now, how about reality, lets look at what would be recognised as the Worlds greatest athletes, around the world and by the rest of the world and not just in the good ol’ US of We can look at Lance Armstrong Ed Moses Steve Redgrave Eddie Merckx Jim Thorpe Daly Thompson Pele Viv Richards Olga Corbutt Mark Spitz Jackie Joyner Kersee Martina Navratilova Beryl Burton “Babe” Didrickson Zaharias Carl Lewis Nadia Comanec Juan Fangio Rod Laver Taiho Koki Try get out a little more folks! ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/54 "2005-05-01T10:01:51Z")
Emil Zatopek, another legendary athlete (50s) From runningworld: > [@](#): > > One of the greatest runners of the 20th Century, Emil Zátopek achieved legendary status when he won the 5,000, the 10,000 and the marathon at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. > > “The Locomotive” or the “Bouncing Czech” as he came to be known, dominated long distance running from 1948 until 1954 when he won a remarkable 38 consecutive 10,000 meter races, including 11 in 1949 alone. He set 18 world records over various distances including every record from 5K to 30K, and won four Olympic gold medals and one silver. > > He was the first to run a 10K under 29 minutes and the first to run 20K in one hour. Today, men, we die a little. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/55 "2005-05-01T10:47:38Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > I understand this is a US centric board, but the concentration upon athletes whom most of the world has heard little of, to the exclusion, nay, even the tacit dismissal, of true world champions is amusing if only for confirming the stereotype, you sound like a bunch of petty, parochail, provincials 🙂 Ignoring people you haven’t heard of to talk about people you have is petty? Thanks for the snootiness. > [@casdave](#): > > lets look at what would be recognised as the Worlds greatest athletes, around the world and by the rest of the world and not just in the good ol’ US of … Try get out a little more folks! And then after that treat, about half the people you listed are American. And many had already been mentioned here. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/56 "2005-05-01T12:17:18Z")
Actually, the reason I named US athletes, is that those so named would definately be recognised as the worlds greatest around the world in their sport, in that, at least I show a certain amount of balance. The big differance between the names I posted, and some of the US posters, is that I am prepared to consider athletes from around the world including America, which to me shows a more balanced view. I also note there is something of a paucity of female athletes mentioned here too, I also mention athletes that relatively few outside their own country will have heard about, maybe some folk will have the initiative to do a search on them and discover something they didn’t know. US media and sports business pushes and promotes US sport because that’s where the money is, so in the US baseball stars, football stars are well known, but renown is not the only criteria by which to judge the ability of athletes, all thats happening here is that the best known to American athletes are being named by American posters, with only small regard to others who are giants in their own sports. My take on it is simply this, don’t be so blinkered, things like this thread will always be a matter of opinion, but look wider and you’ll maybe see other points of view. It is, after all, the mission statement of this board. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/57 "2005-05-01T13:31:43Z")
While we’re adding fringe candidates, I offer **Takeru Kobayashi** , _Hotdog Eating Contest World Champion_. HEY! It’s on ESPN, so it must be a sport! And he’s not even an American! [sub] I kid. I kid. My list is hopeless North American. I don’t follow sports outside the US much and that is naturally going to effect _my_ list.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/58 "2005-05-01T14:15:33Z")
Well, if you want to call people such as Daly Thompson, and Juan Fangio as fringe candidates, and performers in little sports that are hardly know or competed seriously, fair enough 🙂 All I maybe ask, is that perhaps you google a few of those named, and see whats out there, no need to be some kind of expert, but perhaps you’ll see how great the scale and competitiveness of other sports are, and that they have immense followings around the globe. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/59 "2005-05-01T14:26:12Z")
I will indeed. I’m sure they are impressive. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/60 "2005-05-01T15:52:44Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > If we’re going to talk about squash (and why shouldn’t we, even though it’s _very_ much a minor sport in the US), I’ll see your Jahangir and raise you a compatriot of yours, [Heather McKay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_McKay), who won _sixteen_ consecutive British Opens (at the time, the equivalent of Wimbledon for tennis) from 1962-1977. Yeah, i should have mentioned McKay. She truly was incredible. I guess i was just following the trend and focusing on men. She would be a good contender for the 1960s _and_ the 1970s. And i agree with you that it’s probably better for the sport that such domination seems to be a thing of the past. > [@Marley23](#): > > Ignoring people you haven’t heard of to talk about people you have is petty? Thanks for the snootiness. Actually, i think he was more concerned about a couple of people who, in this thread, have dismissed people that they actually _knew_ about simply because the sport they played isn’t “big” in America. **WordMan** actually dismissed Wayne Gretsky as a possibility because hockey isn’t as popular in America as football. No-one should be faulted for their ignorance of things that they’ve never even heard of, but being unwilling to incorporate them once you know about them, just because they’re not big in America, strikes me as a little counterproductive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738.md?page=4)