Toughest athlete ever?

[flagolfnut]

I love this section of the forum, there's only so much golf talk I can take, and I don't know how good this thread is, but who do you think was the toughest athlete? I would have to say Rocky Marciano...never got knocked down

[1972Apex]

George Chuvalo... unquestionably.

[Bones]

Hmmm..good question...Mike Tyson in his prime, obviously now he is about as tough as Michael Jackson

[flagolfnut]

Hmmm..good question...Mike Tyson in his prime, obviously now he is about as tough as Michael Jackson

I think wacko jacko could take him! But seriously I still think Tyson is a tough mofo. He's got a tattoo on his face which just makes him look scarier

[Eldred]

So far just boxers..... Let's see those above mentioned laced it up in skates and go toes to toes with Brasheer. Speaking of which, didn't he gone in the ring against some heavyweight recently? From the clip, he at least looked the part...

[broken27]

I'm gonna say anyone involved with that craziness known as "Aussie Rules Football" is the toughest athlete... That game is mental!!!

Dan

[Eldred]

I'm gonna say anyone involved with that craziness known as "Aussie Rules Football" is the toughest athlete... That game is mental!!!

Dan

these guys climb all over each other with cleats!!!

..and unless you have legs of tree trunk, don't accept any pickup game of rugby either. Almost had to pick up my own tooth once.

[faldo]

Bobby Baun scoring the winning Stanley Cup goal after playing the 3rd period on a broken ankle that had already been diagnosed. In '67 (?) well before all those wonder pain killers we have now

[broken27]

these guys climb all over each other with cleats!!!

..and unless you have legs of tree trunk, don't accept any pickup game of rugby either. Almost had to pick up my own tooth once.

My first game of rugby (I'm a small guy, at 5'9" and at the time a swollen 150lbs), I got my knees taken out by a guy tackling me in open space. Landed on my collar-bone, which promptly snapped like a twig, and passed out (awkward landing had me on my head, but on an angle).

Woke up in sort of a trance, a felt the two ends of my collar bone rubbing together. Played out part of the game before the pain really set in, but man it hurt after...

Otherwise it was a very neat experience, as I rarely sustained even minor injuries playing what I thought was a really violent game... Certainly saw the potential for major injury though...

Dan

[LobWedge]

Dave Dravecky, Bo Jackson, Lance Armstrong, Ben Hogan, Heather Farr, Saku Koivu, Nikki Lauda, Sean Elliott, to name a few.

[Pissed Mutts]

Lou Gehrig, no question

[Ty Webb]

He is the measuring stick for mental toughness.

[LobWedge]

He is the measuring stick for mental toughness.

Nice one Ty. I agree.

[broken27]

He is the measuring stick for mental toughness.

At the risk of sounding callous, was Terry Fox really an athlete? Running to raise money is not a competition, nor do I think he would have won many races with anyone...

Obviously he's a very admirable figure in Canadian history and a true hero in the field of cancer awareness, but I wouldn't put him in with the rest of the names listed above.

Dan

[LobWedge]

At the risk of sounding callous, was Terry Fox really an athlete? Running to raise money is not a competition, nor do I think he would have won many races with anyone...

Obviously he's a very admirable figure in Canadian history and a true hero in the field of cancer awareness, but I wouldn't put him in with the rest of the names listed above.

Dan

C'mon Dan. Since when does competition define athleticism? I'd like to see any sports figure you can name average a marathon-a-day pace for 5 straight months on 2 good legs, let alone 1.

[broken27]

C'mon Dan. Since when does competition define athleticism? I'd like to see any sports figure you can name average a marathon-a-day pace for 5 straight months on 2 good legs, let alone 1.

Here is one guy I think could have done it in his sleep...

http://www.runningpast.com/emil_zatopek.htm

Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking away from Fox's accomplishment, but realistically, if you have 8 hours per day, and average (estimate) 5km/hr at a slow steady jog (brisk walk), it should be fairly easy, no? That's 40KM per day, which is really nothing if you think about it. Only the fact that he did it through the horrible disease he was afflicted with was it so remarkable. And yes, I agree with the initial statement about his mental toughness... Hell, even his physical toughness I suppose, as from what a close friend tells me, cancer is an extremely painful disease. I just wouldn't say he was an athlete...

Dan

[jeffc]

Here is one guy I think could have done it in his sleep...

http://www.runningpast.com/emil_zatopek.htm

Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking away from Fox's accomplishment, but realistically, if you have 8 hours per day, and average (estimate) 5km/hr at a slow steady jog (brisk walk), it should be fairly easy, no? That's 40KM per day, which is really nothing if you think about it. Only the fact that he did it through the horrible disease he was afflicted with was it so remarkable. And yes, I agree with the initial statement about his mental toughness... Hell, even his physical toughness I suppose, as from what a close friend tells me, cancer is an extremely painful disease. I just wouldn't say he was an athlete...

Dan

I don't care what you say, running for 8 hours a day, every day, is a major feet of athleticism. And he did it rain or shine (for most of the summer no less) and the guy had one friggin leg and he had cancer!!!!

Go ahead and just walk (on two legs) for 8 hours, and then get up and do again tomorrow. At the end of a week tell me how you feel.

[broken27]

Go ahead and just walk (on two legs) for 8 hours, and then get up and do again tomorrow. At the end of a week tell me how you feel.

Dude, I do that almost every day, pushing my kids in their stroller, or playing soccer with them along the way... It's better than sitting at home all day... It's tiring, and I don't have cancer or one leg or anything like that... But I hardly consider myself an athlete for doing it... And I've been at it for almost 3 years!!

To me this reminds me of a discussion I had with someone about Jeff Healey, the blind guitarist. My understanding is that he was blind when he started playing guitar, and therefore I don't find it particularly impressive that he can play it. If you're used to being blind, wouldn't that state of normality make it equally challenging to learn something like a musical instrument? Obviously baseball or driving would be tougher, but playing guitar is a stationary activity involving hearing as much as any other sense....

Anyways, I'll leave Terry Fox alone...

Dan

[Ty Webb]

...and the Terry Fox's money went to charity not to his bank account.

The best all round sports athlete I have ever seen was Deion Saunders. Very athletic guy although he was personally an idiot. Secondly, Bo Jackson. I remember him running over Bosworth on Monday Night Football. Thirdly, Mario Lemieux. Apparently, he shoots his number regularily in golf. Fourthly, Broken27. He can push a stroller and play soccer at the same time.

["Richard"]

The athlete i would least like to meet in dark alley?

Hoyce Gracie

He could beat the crap out of any athlete EVER. Put him in the ring with Ali, Tyson, Fraiser.. doesn't matter.. even andre the giant.

[Chieflongtee]

The athlete i would least like to meet in dark alley?

Hoyce Gracie

He could beat the crap out of any athlete EVER. Put him in the ring with Ali, Tyson, Fraiser.. doesn't matter.. even andre the giant.

But not Mad Dog Vachon.

[broken27]

The athlete i would least like to meet in dark alley?

Hoyce Gracie

He could beat the crap out of any athlete EVER. Put him in the ring with Ali, Tyson, Fraiser.. doesn't matter.. even andre the giant.

Weird thing is how they spell his name "Royce" all the time in the earlier UFCs...

That whole fighting style would be much less effective against the same field (mui-thai, fang-shen, indo-kickboxing) in a bigger fighting environment...

All I can say is I wouldn't pay a dollar to see any more of that UFC crap until they get rid of the boring grappling stuff.

I would rather watch guys walk 10 paces and shoot at each other than the crab-hold crapola that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu exhibits....

Dan

[Ty Webb]

What about Bob Probert in his prime? A buddy of mine used to play for the Red Wings. They put some shaving cream in Probert's gloves at practice one day. He flipped and wanted to know who did it. The told him it was Keith Primeau and he beat the out of him at practice. Now, introduce alcohol into the equation...

[broken27]

What about Bob Probert in his prime? A buddy of mine used to play for the Red Wings. They put some shaving cream in Probert's gloves at practice one day. He flipped and wanted to know who did it. The told him it was Keith Primeau and he beat the out of him at practice. Now, introduce alcohol into the equation...

Never mind alcohol... Probie was a big time coke-head when he was at his fighting prime.... Was banned from playing in Canada for a while because of a border issue he had...

When I met Stevey Y, I talked to him for 3 hours on what it was like to play with Probert. I'd agree that I'd put him in the top 5 of "guys I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley", right behind M. Jackson.... LMFAO....

Dan

[Ty Webb]

How does Michael know when it is bedtime at never never land? When the big hand is on the small hand.

[Chieflongtee]

Prob would not last a minute against this guy.
http://vivekwwe.com/bl.html

[Ty Webb]

Get Probie off the nose candy and on some Winstrol and HGH.

[The Shtick]

Prob would not last a minute against this guy.
http://vivekwwe.com/bl.html

Brock Lesnar is huge!! But he's a WWE wrestler and not even good enough to make the the cut to play for the Vikings.

[Golfbum]

My vote for the toughest athlete?
Lance Armstrong. OK maybe he can't kick the crap out of too many other athletes. But to do what he has done the past 7 years after surviving cancer is truly the mark of a great and physically tough athlete. I don't think too many NHL, CFL, NFL WWE or any other PRO league player could do what Lance has done consistantly for the past 7 years. As of this morning he held a 3 minute lead in the Tour De France. Truly amazing.


# 7 now belongs to Lance Armstrong. Truly an incredible athletic tough guy.

[LongHitta]

I can't beleieve I'm going to nominate a wrestler...but after I saw this....I couldn't imagine anyone tougher.....check out Mick Foleys various injuries over the years in the name of Sports Entertainment:

- 2/3 of an ear ripped off
- eight concussions(not surprising)
- nose broken two times
- broken jaw
- dislocated left shoulder
- fractured left shoulder
- fifty-four stitches from barbed-wire
- broken left thumb
- five broken ribs(son of a....)
- bruised kidney
- broken toes
- torn meniscus
- torn abdominal(PAIN like you wouldnt beleieve)
- broken right wrist
- bone chips in elbow
- herniated discs(more PAIN!!)
- 2nd degree burns(ouch!)
- separated right shoulder
- broken cheekbone
- four front teeth knocked out
- and a total of over 350 stitches for the career.

I've had only 3 of those...and not at the same time....he received a lot of those injuries at the same time. I don't care who you are, you have to be friggin inhuman to take all that punishment.....this guy is made of spare parts now