Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

A forum to discuss pole vaulting related things of a historical nature.
User avatar
slvr1969
PV Whiz
Posts: 153
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:02 am
Favorite Vaulter: Yelena Isinbayeva
Location: SUID AFRIKA

Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby slvr1969 » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:00 pm


User avatar
slvr1969
PV Whiz
Posts: 153
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:02 am
Favorite Vaulter: Yelena Isinbayeva
Location: SUID AFRIKA

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby slvr1969 » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:02 pm

Sebastian COE (GBR, 1956, 800m-Mile)
Yelena ISINBAYEVA (RUS, 1982, Pole)

User avatar
altius
PV Rock Star
Posts: 2425
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2005 8:27 am
Location: adelaide, australia
Contact:

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby altius » Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:33 pm

Al Oerter. Discus. Olympic Gold 56/60/64/68. Always went in as the underdog. I believe he set Olympic records each time. Finished fourth in US Olympic trials for 84 - with a pr!!!!!
Its what you learn after you know it all that counts. John Wooden

dj
PV Enthusiast
Posts: 1858
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:07 am
Expertise: Coach
Contact:

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby dj » Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:39 pm

hye

hands down... Jackie Robinson

John Muir HS Pasadena, CA.. then after graduating from PJC in spring 1939, Robinson transferred to UCLA, where he became the school's first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track... 25/26 foot Long Jumper..

dj

ps but it looks like you/they are only asking for track athletes???

User avatar
KirkB
PV Rock Star
Posts: 3550
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:05 pm
Expertise: Former College Vaulter; Former Elite Vaulter; Former Coach; Fan
Lifetime Best: 5.34
Favorite Vaulter: Thiago da Silva
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby KirkB » Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:44 pm

Jim Thorpe ... of course!

http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=18777&p=134239

And he even pole vaulted in winning the 1912 Olympic Decathalon!

Kirk
Run. Plant. Jump. Stretch. Whip. Extend. Fly. Clear. There is no tuck! THERE IS NO DELAY!

VTechVaulter
PV Lover
Posts: 1312
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2003 8:00 pm
Expertise: Current Elite Vaulter, College Volunteer Coach, HUGE FAN

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby VTechVaulter » Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:56 pm

im with Kirk on this one

1912 Olympic Gold in The decathlon
professional football, basketball, and baseball player

amazing athlete. truely one of a kind
Brian Mondschein
Philadelphia Jumps Club, Coach and Co-Founder
www.phillyjumpsclub.com

User avatar
Barto
PV Great
Posts: 919
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2002 1:55 pm
World Record Holder?: Renaud Lavillenie

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby Barto » Thu Dec 10, 2009 5:25 pm

Anyone who questions it needs to go watch, "The Jim Thorpe Story." Amazing guy. He was Bo Jackson PLUS a couple of olympic medals.
Facts, Not Fiction

User avatar
KirkB
PV Rock Star
Posts: 3550
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 6:05 pm
Expertise: Former College Vaulter; Former Elite Vaulter; Former Coach; Fan
Lifetime Best: 5.34
Favorite Vaulter: Thiago da Silva
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby KirkB » Thu Dec 10, 2009 6:12 pm

VTechVaulter wrote: ... 1912 Olympic Gold in The decathlon ...

He also won the Gold in the Pentathlon in the same Olympics.

Kirk
Run. Plant. Jump. Stretch. Whip. Extend. Fly. Clear. There is no tuck! THERE IS NO DELAY!

dj
PV Enthusiast
Posts: 1858
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:07 am
Expertise: Coach
Contact:

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby dj » Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:13 am

this is worth a look..

Milt Campbell-USATF Hall of Fame

Inducted: 1989, athlete

Born: December 9, 1933 - Plainfield, New Jersey

Events
Decathlon - 7708 pts.
120 yd. hurdles - 13.40
110 m hurdles - 13.80

When you mention top all-around male athletes in our nation's history, certainly the name of Milt Campbell has to be up there with Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bruce Jenner and Dan O'Brien. Like them, Campbell was an Olympic decathlon champion but track and field wasn't the only sport in which he excelled. He was also outstanding in football, eventually playing in the National Football and Canadian Leagues. He was an All-American swimmer while in high school and was also national class in karate. While still at Plainfield High School, Campbell finished fifth in the Olympic Trials in the 110m hurdles but made the Olympic team in the decathlon. He gained national prominence by finishing second to Mathias in the Olympic decathlon. The 1953 national decathlon champion, Campbell later won the Olympic decathlon title in 1956. Also a national champion in the high hurdles, he set a 120-yard high hurdles record of 13.4 in 1957 and held the world indoor best of 7.0 for the 60-yard high hurdles. After attending Indiana University where he excelled in both track and football, he played pro football with the Cleveland Browns and the Montreal Alouettes. He has received numerous honors, including being named the world's greatest high school athlete in 1952. The Newark Star-Ledger selected him as the greatest athlete of the 20th century, not only for his sports accomplishments but also for the strength of his character. Campbell is also a member of the Black Athletes' Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Records Held
World Record: 120 yd. hurdles - 13.40 (May 31, 1957 - )

Championships
1952 Olympics: Decathlon (2nd)
1956 Olympics: Decathlon - 7708 pts. (1st)
1953 National Championships: Decathlon (1st)

Education
high school: Plainfield (Plainfield, New Jersey), 1953
undergraduate: Indiana (Bloomington, Indiana), 1957


Occupations
Professional football

tsorenson
PV Pro
Posts: 405
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 1:17 am
Expertise: masters vaulter, former college vaulter, volunteer HS/club coach, fan, parent
Location: Bend, Oregon

Re: Who are the Greatest Athletes of all time?

Unread postby tsorenson » Sun Dec 27, 2009 11:44 pm

Jim Thorpe all the way. Definitely a "man among boys" in just about every major sport. You don't get a town in Pennsylvania named after you (and not even a town in which you once lived) unless you are Jim Thorpe...it's not called Thorpeville or Thorpesburg; it's called "Jim Thorpe." Check it out! I visited this area a few years back and found this fascinating, and a little sad, considering how the end of his life played out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe,_Pennsylvania

Tom


Return to “Pole Vault - Historical”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests