# Smartest athletes **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2001, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279 "2001-11-14T06:04:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/21 "2001-11-16T10:34:25Z")
Because professional sports was not prevalent in South Africa before the 90’s many cricket and rugby players went to University while playing for the provinicial teams. Ex-SA Cricket wicketkeeper Dave Richardson is a lawyer (and still practicing), SA Rugby forward Uli “The Bully” (because of his penchant for punch ups) Scmidt was a medical doctor who had a practice during the time he played provincial and national level rugby. Of course now with professionalism, this is no longer as prevalent as before. ---
**Author:** ![manwithaplan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@manwithaplan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manwithaplan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/22 "2001-11-16T15:52:38Z")
Former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Jack Lynch, was an outstanding gaelic football and hurling player. I think he is the only player to win six All-Irelands in a row (1941-44 in hurling, 1945 in football and 1946 in hurling). This might not seem any big deal but trust me, it’s massive in Ireland. Point taken about the dangers of equating intelligence with politics, however. Also, media tycoon Tony O’Reilly was one of Ireland’s greatest ever rugby players. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/23 "2001-11-16T16:24:26Z")
the average IQ of a pro soccer player is actually 115, which kinda indicates you need some brains to be good. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/24 "2001-11-16T16:35:30Z")
RickJay writes: \> Berg earned an undergraduate degree from Priceton before \> making the majors; if the offseason he got a law degree \> from Princeton and did linguistics work at the Sorbonne. His law degree was from Columbia. He did some grad work in linguistic there also. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/25 "2001-11-16T16:53:46Z")
**Niobium Knight** , I don’t think anyone can beat Socrates, the father of modern thought! 🙂 … **Lurkernomore** , you are correct about former Bengals DB and LSU star **Tommy Cassanova**. He was later an MD, and also served in the Louisiana State legislature. … **Dignan** , that former 49er TE is **Dr. John Frank**. He was also a football star at Ohio State in the early 80s, and had a solid NFL career: [http://ohiostatebuckeyes.fansonly.com/genrel/081498aaa.html](http://ohiostatebuckeyes.fansonly.com/genrel/081498aaa.html) … Former pro-football player and entertainer **Paul Robeson** really should be mentioned: [http://www.centralstate.edu/legacy/robeson/](http://www.centralstate.edu/legacy/robeson/) Robeson was a professional athlete as well as an actor (was in the original film verison of _Showboat_, et al), singer, and a lawyer. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. … San Antonio Spurs center **David Robinson** learned to read at age three, and is a piano virtuoso. I don’t know that he has many specific academic achievements other than his degree from the US Naval Academy, but FWIW he is widely considered the most articulate and intelligent player in the NBA. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/26 "2001-11-17T02:28:03Z")
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Mike Tyson. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@Dave\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_D)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/27 "2001-11-17T07:05:33Z")
If I remember correctly Niels Bohrs brother was both a silver medalist in soccer and a math professor. Damn, if it was Niels that was the soccer star he’d be hard to beat for a smart athlete ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/28 "2001-11-17T07:46:46Z")
Thanks **bordelond** , but I was thinking of the current 49er rookie tight end that went to _Yale_, named [Eric Johnson](http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5672). ---
**Author:** ![Anal\_Scurvy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@Anal\_Scurvy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anal_Scurvy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/29 "2001-11-17T15:28:51Z")
Alexandir Karelins (wow, I’m finding nothing but reasons to mention the man) ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/30 "2001-11-17T15:33:52Z")
Theoretical nuclear physisist Neils Bohr was an olympic athlete. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/31 "2001-11-17T19:06:39Z")
Bohr did play on Denmark’s 1908 soccer (football) team at the Olympics in London. It was the first Olympic football tournament. Denmark won its first two games by a combined score of 26-1, but lost in the final to Great Britain 2-0. ---
**Author:** ![epraz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/82dd89/32.png) [@epraz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epraz)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/32 "2001-11-17T19:19:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Niobium Knight \* > \*\*the average IQ of a pro soccer player is actually 115, which kinda indicates you need some brains to be good. \*\* I’d be interested to see a cite for this… ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2001, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/33 "2001-11-18T06:49:10Z")
Debi Thomas, now a surgeon, was a silver medalist in figure skating. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2001, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/34 "2001-11-18T07:18:19Z")
I just remembered that Mark Spitz is now a dentist who goes largely unrecognized by his patients, especially the ones under 30. It helps that at this age he looks like only a cousin of the kid who won all those gold medals. We didn’t watch him get older like, oh, Sean Connery. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2001, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279/35 "2001-11-18T07:43:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by epraz \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Niobium Knight \* > > \*\*the average IQ of a pro soccer player is actually 115, which kinda indicates you need some brains to be good. \*\* > > I’d be interested to see a cite for this… \*\* i remember reading it in a magazine. it makes sense though, after all really mentally retarded people aint gonna be much good at football are they? so that pushes the average up a bit. then you consider the fact that to understand tactics properly you gotta be a little bit clever, and pro players are the best there are, then it really makes sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smartest-athletes/93279.md?page=1)