# Most athletic person ever. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 10, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635 "2017-06-10T19:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/41 "2017-06-11T22:10:08Z")
So long as we’re thinking back to the days of Thorpe, I figured I’d make quick mention of Paavo Nurmi: it looks like he simultaneously held world records in the mile and the 5k and the 10k – and it looks like nobody _else_ ever has – and he had enough stamina to excel at longer distances, since he also set a world record in a 25-mile marathon; and he had enough speed to go _shorter,_ since he set world records down there, too; and it wasn’t all just run-well-on-a-flat-straightaway stuff, since (a) four of his nine Olympic gold medals came in cross-country events, and (b) he earned an Olympic medal in the steeplechase to boot. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/42 "2017-06-11T22:54:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I know this is probably not a popular opinion here but I definitely think it’s true. His combination of versatility, strength, size, speed and intangibles are second to none. I think he could excel at multiple sports at the highest level **if he had the desire.** > [@Chronos](#): > > He probably could excel in multiple sports. But Jim Thorpe actually did. “Did” always beats “could”, in my book. This is the important distinction (bolded section). Are we defining “most athletic” as “most accomplished athlete”? If it’s in terms of pure, untapped athleticism, Lebron for sure. I think what his detractors are noticing in him is a lack of killer instinct. If that killer instinct is considered to be an ingredient to overall athleticism, then I’d change my answer. Athleticism, to me, simply involves physical capabilities. In this sense, Lebron dominates. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/43 "2017-06-11T23:11:29Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > So long as we’re thinking back to the days of Thorpe, I figured I’d make quick mention of Paavo Nurmi: it looks like he simultaneously held world records in the mile and the 5k and the 10k – and it looks like nobody _else_ ever has – and he had enough stamina to excel at longer distances, since he also set a world record in a 25-mile marathon; and he had enough speed to go _shorter,_ since he set world records down there, too; and it wasn’t all just run-well-on-a-flat-straightaway stuff, since (a) four of his nine Olympic gold medals came in cross-country events, and (b) he earned an Olympic medal in the steeplechase to boot. However, he was _only_ a runner. “Most athletic” should have some element of cross discipline. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/44 "2017-06-12T00:22:29Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > CB Fry, of course… Excellent. Well played, Sir! In a thread focused on some very handy US domestic sportsmen let’s throw in a couple of other sporting polymaths who has solid international credentials. [Cuthbert Ottaway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert_Ottaway) [Alfred Lyttelton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Lyttelton) My own nomination would be [Max Woosnam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Woosnam) > [@](#): > > Olympic gold at the 1920 Summer Olympics, won the doubles at Wimbledon, compiling a 147 break in Snooker, made a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, captaining the British Davis Cup team, captaining Manchester City F.C. and captaining the England national football team. And playing golf off scratch. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/45 "2017-06-12T02:16:51Z")
Actually [these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0heW5B4MP54) [guys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBIC_Kilwps) were kinda intense. also I guess Thorpe, Pablo Sandoval, Kirby Puckett… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/46 "2017-06-12T03:17:59Z")
[Jimmy Jacobs](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Jacobs_(handballer)). Four-wall Handball player. Between 1955 and 1969, he won every tournament he played in. Most people who saw him say he could have been just as successful in any sport he wanted to try. Cus D’Amato, the legendary boxing trainer, had planned to have him switch to boxing to fight for the heavyweight crown in his first fight; D’Amato thought that Jacobs could win it (the bout fell through). He’s in the handball Hall of Fame and also in the boxing hall of fame, despite the fact he never boxed (he amassed the largest collection of films of boxing matches in the world; if you see footage of ant per-TV boxing match, it was collected by Jacobs). ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/47 "2017-06-12T03:35:55Z")
> [@CastletonSnob](#): > > Who would you say are/were the most athletic people who ever lived? I say Bo Jackson. Nothing to do with the question, but. In May Ms Hook and I were in Bayeux, France having lunch. Four men sat down at the table next to us. It was obvious none of them had been to Europe before as they were wondering when the check would be brought to the table. So I explained that they had to ask for it as just bringing it was considered rude. They thanked me, signaled for the check and we began to talk. Turned out one of them was Bo Jackson’s high school coach. Ms Hook wasn’t sure who Bo Jackson was but I thought meeting his coach was neat. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/48 "2017-06-12T03:36:12Z")
For a more unconventional choice, I nominate Ashrita Furman. He has set over 600 Guinness records and current holds 200 Guinness records. He also holds the Guinness record for holding the most world records. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashrita\_Furman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashrita_Furman) ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/49 "2017-06-12T03:52:39Z")
[Herschel Walker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker). Two-time All-American college sprinter; Heismann trophy winning college running back, Pro-Bowl NFL running back, Olympic bobsledder, and one-time [ballet performer](http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/11/sports/walker-balances-bulk-with-ballet.html). To top it off, he won two professional MMA fights at age 48. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/50 "2017-06-12T05:25:56Z")
I added Deion Sanders above but my vote is for Bo Jackson. Phenomenal athlete, a multi-sport star. It’s a shame his career was cut short by injury. ---
**Author:** ![Madmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@Madmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madmon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/51 "2017-06-12T12:33:39Z")
For me Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/52 "2017-06-12T13:24:09Z")
Malcolm Smith; the motorcyclist. The way he was able to compete and be competitive in any almost any form of racing along with his strength, balance and endurance should put him on the list somewhere. I had the pleasure of spending time around him back in his prime and there is no doubt in my mind he could have made the professional level at any sport out there he wanted to do/try. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/53 "2017-06-12T17:42:04Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Rather than Thorpe being so great that he would still dominate today with modern advantages, I think it’s far more likely that Thorpe was just a little more genetically gifted than his contemporaries. But with the much larger talent pools we have today, I think it’s 99 to 1 that he would be outclassed today, even given modern training and nutrition and equipment. He would have been better, yes, but not as good as the current best. Thing is, to be the best in the world at something (that has any significant amount of competition), everything has to break just right, and there’s just no realistic chance you could be the best in the world if very many circumstances were different. Babe Ruth would probably never sniff the majors as a hitter today against modern pitching and the requirements for discipline and focus. But if Barry Bonds was back in the days of ‘six hotdogs and a pack of cigarettes’ training, rather than having the, uh, medical advances he took advantage of, he probably wouldn’t sniff the majors either. Even just fashion can affect things: it’s quite possible Steph Curry wouldn’t have been an NBA starter even 20 years ago when three-point shooting wasn’t as valued; and in the same period Kevin Durant would have been a too-skinny center with only mediocre post moves searching for a team, because 7-footers weren’t allowed to touch the ball outside of the paint. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/54 "2017-06-12T18:10:31Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Jack Lalanne. He started working out every day when he was 15 and continued to do so for over EIGHTY years… This is my vote. To use the Bo Jackson example, it doesn’t count as ‘most athletic person’ if they were only ‘athletic’ for a short period of life before injuries hobbled them. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/55 "2017-06-12T18:30:08Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Thing is, to be the best in the world at something (that has any significant amount of competition), everything has to break just right, and there’s just no realistic chance you could be the best in the world if very many circumstances were different. > > Babe Ruth would probably never sniff the majors as a hitter today against modern pitching and the requirements for discipline and focus. But if Barry Bonds was back in the days of ‘six hotdogs and a pack of cigarettes’ training, rather than having the, uh, medical advances he took advantage of, he probably wouldn’t sniff the majors either. > > Even just fashion can affect things: it’s quite possible Steph Curry wouldn’t have been an NBA starter even 20 years ago when three-point shooting wasn’t as valued; and in the same period Kevin Durant would have been a too-skinny center with only mediocre post moves searching for a team, because 7-footers weren’t allowed to touch the ball outside of the paint. Bonds already had a HoF career going before the enhancements. The real reason is he wouldn’t have been allowed to play was because of his skin color. Ruth wouldn’t hit 714HR or .342 lifetime but he was still of MLB caliber. The real question was his discipline. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/56 "2017-06-12T18:56:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Ruth wouldn’t hit 714HR or .342 lifetime but he was still of MLB caliber. The real question was his discipline. In modern times he could have received help for his ‘discipline’ issues and still done as well. Probably couldn’t handle modern pitchers as easily but it’s something Bonds and other had to learn as well. Thorpe did play in the early days of baseball, basketball, and football, so he might not have succeeded in those fields now, but no question that he was athletically gifted, and not just a little more than his contemporaries. He had exceptional speed, strength, stamina, and eye hand coordination, perhaps some modern decathlete stars could do as well in those days but there’s no way to resolve that. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/57 "2017-06-12T20:11:15Z")
My first thought, LeBron. My second thought, Jim Thorpe. Bo Jackson is a great suggestion, too. I think the most athletic professional athletes are basketball players. Speed, strength, jumping ability and coordination are all required. LeBron possesses the most ridiculous combination of skills the NBA’s ever seen and oh, by the way, he’s 6’8". > [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > Actually [these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0heW5B4MP54) [guys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBIC_Kilwps) were kinda intense. > > also I guess Thorpe, Pablo Sandoval, Kirby Puckett… Pablo Sandoval is the absolute last name I would have expected to be mentioned in this thread in any capacity. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/58 "2017-06-12T21:05:21Z")
While we can’t resurrect Thorpe in his prime and give him modern equipment, we can take a star athlete from today and give them Thorpe-era equipment. Has this ever been done? Have, for instance, any modern pole-vaulters given a try at a steel pole and sandpit? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/59 "2017-06-12T21:12:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While we can’t resurrect Thorpe in his prime and give him modern equipment, we can take a star athlete from today and give them Thorpe-era equipment. Has this ever been done? Have, for instance, any modern pole-vaulters given a try at a steel pole and sandpit? The modern athlete will still have the benefit of more advanced training, weightlifting, plyometrics and nutrition. All we can go on is that he trained in a similar manner to other athletes and he was dominant across a wide range. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635/60 "2017-06-12T21:19:14Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The modern athlete will still have the benefit of more advanced training, weightlifting, plyometrics and nutrition. Yet we may see they don’t significantly exceed or even meet Thorpe’s performance. Yes, there will be a lot more variables to account for, but some I think some comparison is likely to help illustrate Thorpe’s athletic ability. The modern athletes themselves would have a better idea how to compare their abilities to his. I think just knowing the conditions and his background they’d be impressed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-athletic-person-ever/788635.md?page=4)