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Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

TheOldMole Feb 12 2011 12:52 AM

E.g. Gilles Villemure, hockey and harness racing.

themetfairy Feb 12 2011 04:37 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Babe Didrikson Zaharias Track & Field and Golf, and apparently Basketball too!

Lefty Specialist Feb 12 2011 05:47 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Gene Conley won a World Series with the Braves in 1957 and three NBA championships with the Celtics in 1959, '60 and '61.

MFS62 Feb 12 2011 06:41 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Don Hoak - third baseman and prizefighter. http://www.biographicon.com/view/yrar5 Well, I really wouldn't say he excelled at boxing, but was a pro. And there was Bo Jackson, who became an All-Star at both baseball and football. Dion Sanders played both, but I'm not sure if he made the All-Star team in both. Later

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 06:57 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Babe excelled at every physical thing under the sun. Vince Coleman: basestealer and punter. Lee Mazzilli: outfielder and speedskater.

Frayed Knot Feb 12 2011 07:05 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Chuck Connors (whose name wasn't actually Chuck): MLB, NBA, and pretending to punch and shoot people

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 07:17 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Jim Brown, old school. [youtube:39k76xyb]gHcnPAhXWY[/youtube:39k76xyb]

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 07:22 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Harold Jarman, first-class footballer and cricketer. Bruce Arena, coach of the American national team and perhaps the most successful coach in MLS history, was a professional lacrrosse player as well as soccerhead.

MFS62 Feb 12 2011 07:55 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Edgy DC wrote: Harold Jarman, first-class footballer and cricketer. Bruce Arena, coach of the American national team and perhaps the most successful coach in MLS history, was a professional lacrrosse player as well as soccerhead. SF shortstop Andre Rodgers started out playing cricket in the Bahamas, but those games are similar. Bill Bradley - basketball and Rugby. (Politics is a game, but not quite a sport) LAter

The Second Spitter Feb 12 2011 08:53 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Harold Jarman, first-class footballer and cricketer. In the UK, this is as common as excelling in football and baseball in the States. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_En ... ll_players

TheOldMole Feb 12 2011 09:04 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Basketball and baseball not all that rare at one time -- Bill Sharman was another, as was Dick Groat. Basketball and football a little less likely, but we had Charlie Ward -- who also was drafted by the MFYs.

themetfairy Feb 12 2011 09:06 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Bobby Valentine - Baseball Player and Ballroom Dancer.

The Second Spitter Feb 12 2011 09:07 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

MFS62 wrote: SF shortstop Andre Rodgers started out playing cricket in the Bahamas, but those games are similar. Yet there has only ever been one person who played both Major League Baseball and First-class cricket - Baseball HoFer George Wright.

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 09:08 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

RE: baseball and basketball: It's true if only because they're both major sports that every boy plays in the US. So good athletes all tried thier hand at both. I wonder how many made both MLB and the NBA, though? Not many besides DeBusscher and Dannny Ainge, I imagine. Winfield certainly could've.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 12 2011 09:25 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

TheOldMole wrote: Basketball and baseball not all that rare at one time -- Bill Sharman was another, as was Dick Groat. Basketball and football a little less likely, but we had Charlie Ward -- who also was drafted by the MFYs. Not so much any more-- in the wake of Tony Gonzalez (power forward/TE at Cal), roughly half of the TEs in the NFL these days are recruited off of the court... and a not-inconsiderable amount of other skill players (Randy Moss, all-state as a WV schoolboy). As far as baseball/football... Plus, I hear he used to let Sammy Winder saddle him up and take him out for a few furlongs every now and again.

Valadius Feb 12 2011 10:07 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Ted Williams - baseball and fly fishing.

Frayed Knot Feb 12 2011 10:58 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Edgy DC wrote: I wonder how many made both MLB and the NBA, though? Not many besides DeBusscher and Dannny Ainge, I imagine. Winfield certainly could've. And Chuck Connors. Speaking of John Elway, a recent interview I heard with Troy Aikman revealed that not only was baseball was his HS sport of choice but also that a team approached him during draft time wanting to know what it would take to buy him out of his football commitment. He claimed he just threw a number out there; 'Oh I don't know ... $200,000'. When the team balked at such an outrageous figure he wound up playing QB at college (several in fact) and the rest, as they say, is history. Oh the team? Yeah, it was the Mets.

G-Fafif Feb 12 2011 11:02 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Ralph Kiner: Baseball and Life.

batmagadanleadoff Feb 12 2011 11:12 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Harpo Marx. Halfback and jockey.

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 11:51 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Frayed Knot wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I wonder how many made both MLB and the NBA, though? Not many besides DeBusscher and Dannny Ainge, I imagine. Winfield certainly could've. And Chuck Connors. You all probably know this, but which two baseball Hall-of-Famers also played for the Globetrotters?

Frayed Knot Feb 12 2011 12:06 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Edgy DC wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I wonder how many made both MLB and the NBA, though? Not many besides DeBusscher and Dannny Ainge, I imagine. Winfield certainly could've. And Chuck Connors. You all probably know this, but which two baseball Hall-of-Famers also played for the Globetrotters? Bob Gibson is the only one who springs to mind. He played so hard against them that they invited him to play for them.

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 12:11 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

That's one.

Rockin' Doc Feb 12 2011 12:55 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Jim Thorpe won the gold medal in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm Sweden. He spent 6 seasons (1913-1919) in major league baseball playing for the NY Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves. He played professional football for 7 seasons (1920-1928) and was a 1st Team All-NFL selection in 1923 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 01:05 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Jim Thorpe's college football statistics are silly.

DocTee Feb 12 2011 02:18 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Herschel Walker: Football, Bobsled, MMA, Ballet

Frayed Knot Feb 12 2011 02:35 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Rockin' Doc wrote: Jim Thorpe won the gold medal in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm Sweden. He spent 6 seasons (1913-1919) in major league baseball playing for the NY Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves. He played professional football for 7 seasons (1920-1928) and was a 1st Team All-NFL selection in 1923 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. But it was Thorp's pre-1912 minor league baseball play that got him in trouble with the Olympic Committee and led to the eventual stripping of his medals. You do know where he was playing his minor league ball in those days, right?

Rockin' Doc Feb 12 2011 03:48 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Frayed Knot wrote: Rockin' Doc wrote: Jim Thorpe won the gold medal in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm Sweden. He spent 6 seasons (1913-1919) in major league baseball playing for the NY Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves. He played professional football for 7 seasons (1920-1928) and was a 1st Team All-NFL selection in 1923 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. But it was Thorp's pre-1912 minor league baseball play that got him in trouble with the Olympic Committee and led to the eventual stripping of his medals. You do know where he was playing his minor league ball in those days, right? I had actually forgotten about Thorpe's historical tie to our city until your post. There is a state historical marker downtown near the city library that commemorates his time with the Rocky Mount Railroaders of the Eastern Carolina League.

Frayed Knot Feb 12 2011 03:58 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Yup. Parts of two seasons in Class 'D' ball is what got the fuddy-duddys of the Olympic movement all bent out of shape and screaming "professionalism".

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 06:10 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Time's up. Our second Globetrotting Baseball Hall-of-Famer is... Ferguson Jenkins. Unlike Gibson, who was a legitimately excellent young basketballer, Jenkins (as the photo implies) joined the team for a winter tour after he was already an established name pitcher, as a gimmicky thing.

metsguyinmichigan Feb 12 2011 07:48 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Ex-Met Jeff Conine is a world-class racquetball player.

TheOldMole Feb 12 2011 07:59 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

I've just finished a novel about Jim Thorpe - one of a trilogy of sports novels. Still looking for a publisher. Jackie Robinson excelled at all three major sports, and track.

Edgy DC Feb 12 2011 08:15 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Yeah, the craziest thing about Robinson is that he's in the Hall of Fame for what may have been his fourth-best sport. As for Thorpe, the US should get some spine and demand his medals be restored.

The Second Spitter Feb 12 2011 08:57 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Ex-Met Jeff Conine is a world-class racquetball player. He also competed in an Ironman Triathlon after he retired.

Valadius Feb 12 2011 11:12 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Edgy DC wrote: As for Thorpe, the US should get some spine and demand his medals be restored. They were though, in the early '80s. Not the original ones, of course - those were stolen years ago.

Edgy DC Feb 13 2011 05:38 AM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Well, then, let me eat poo. I'm old. I forget stuff.

TheOldMole Feb 14 2011 01:10 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

And Marty Glickman, still the greatest of all New York sportscasters, was screwed out of his chance at an Olympic medal by Avery Brundage and the American Olympic Committee, doing the dirty work of Adolph Hitler, who was galled enough at Negroes winning medals in his 1936 Olympics, and wanted to make sure no Jews won any. So Glickman and Sam Stoller were forced off the relay team. In 1998, this injustice was in some small way remedied when Glickman and Stoller were awarded posthumous Olympic medals.

TheOldMole Feb 14 2011 01:15 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Here's from the end of my kids' novel on Josh and Nathan time-traveling to the 1936 Olympics. Marty is one of the main characters in the book: Something had changed in the locker room. The door they had come in through was starting to look like…well, like the door they had come in through. The door in their school’s athletic field. It was time to go. Josh and Nathan were saying their goodbyes to Jesse, Marty and Mack. “I’m only sorry we won’t get to see you run in the relays, Marty,” Josh said. “Well, that’s all right…” Marty began. But just at that moment, the coach of the US Olympic team walked in, and rapped for attention. Everyone turned toward him. “There’s been a change in our lineup for the relays,” the coach announced. “Glickman and Stoller will not be competing. Their places on the relay team will be taken by Owens and Metcalfe.” Marty looked as though he had been punched. Jesse sprang to his feet. “Coach, you can’t do that,” he said. “I’ve won three medals already. I’ve had my turn. It’s time to give these other fellows a chance.” “That’s the way it will be, Owens,” the coach said curtly. “The decision has been made.” Marty was on his feet now. “Sam Stoller and I are the only Jewish athletes on the American squad,” he said. His voice was level, but Josh could hear the emotion in it. “Could that have something to do with it?” “That never crossed anyone’s mind,” the coach said. It sounded to Josh as though the words were too quick – as though he had rehearsed them. “This is purely a tactical decision. Some other countries have made changes in their relay teams, and we have to counter them to stay competitive. That’s all there is to it.” But he could not look Marty in the eye as he talked. He turned and left the room. Marty’s sunny face was clouded with anger. He punched his locker, and the metal clanged like a shout of protest. Sam Stoller, the other athlete who had been bumped, looked just as angry. “Do you think…?” Josh began. “I don’t have to think. I know. Hitler got to Mr. Brundage and the other officials of the American Olympic Committee.’ “I’ll go talk to the coach again,” said Jesse. “It won’t do any good,” said Mack. “No, it won’t,” Marty said bitterly. “This isn’t going to change. If they were telling the truth about it, you might be able to talk to them, but they’re not. Sure, Jesse is the greatest sprinter in the world, and Ralph Metcalfe is great. But Sam and I are world class sprinters, too. He’s not changing the team because he’s afraid we’ll lose. He’s changing it because he’s afraid we’ll win.” “What do you mean?” Nathan asked. “Jesse and Mack and Ralph Metcalfe have already exploded Hitler’s master race theory sky high. They’ve ruined the Olympics for him.” “Not for the fans,” Mack said. “At least many of them. You’ve seen the ovations Jesse has gotten.” “There’s good people everywhere,” Jesse said. “And not for the athletes,” Mack continued. “They’ve all been cheering Jesse. A real athlete will always cheer for greatness. And look how close Jesse and Lutz Long have become.” “Like brothers,” Jesse said. “If it could only just be about sports, and the athletes who compete, the Olympic games would be a wonderful thing,” Marty said. “But Hitler is furious. He’s furious that Negro athletes from America – the people he called subhuman – have beaten his master race. He wants to make sure Jews don’t do it, too.” “What do you want me to do, Marty?” Jesse asked. “Do? I want you to go out and bring home that last medal – for all of us. We’ll be cheering you on. You’ll be sticking it to Hitler for all of us, and to everyone who thinks what he’s doing is all right. Maybe the world will change one day. Maybe when Mack’s kid brother is grown up. Maybe in you two boys’ time. If it does, it’ll be people like you and Lutz who make it so.” “And you, Marty,” Josh said. “You boys go on, now,” Marty said. “You’d best be getting home, while that door still looks the way it does.” As they started to leave, Josh turned back once more. “I’ll tell you just one thing about the future, Marty,” he said. “I’ve heard my Grandpa talk about you. He says you were…are…will be…the greatest sports announcer ever.” “Well, now.” Marty smiled. “That’s something to think about.”

DocTee Feb 14 2011 04:27 PM Re: Athletes who excelled at two unlikely sports

Marty G., a fellow Brooklyn College alum!