I was reading the Al Kaline and Bobby Mitchell threads and thought of this topic. It's the slow season. I was a teacher and like to set parameters, but pick the sports you like and set your own number of athletes who were your favorites. I do think limiting it to 5 is a good idea, but maybe not.
NFL:
Johnny Unitas
Walter Payton
Jim Brown
Gayle Sayers
Dick Butkus
NBA:
Walt Frazier
Magic
LeBron
Spencer Haywood
Ray Williams............LOL, but it's true.
MLB:
Roberto Clemente.........my favorite athlete ever!!!!!
Barry Bonds
Omar Vizquel..........dude was great when my son was at the stadium and performed in the Skills challenge. Screw Charles Nagy.
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Men's Tennis:
Bjorn Borg
Arthur Ashe
Jimmie Conners
Women's Tennis:
Martina N.....I can't spell it
Chris Everett
PGA:
Gary Player
Corey Pavin
Arnold Palmer
Seve Bal.........can't spell it.
Tom Watson
LPGA:
Not sure.
WNBA:
Not sure.
Boxing:
Ali
"Sugar" Ray Leonard
Wilfred Benitez
Joe Louis [thanks Pops]
Ernie Shavers [thanks for the lessons and I will never, ever forget them.]
I better clarify............I am not asking for the best players of each sport. Just your own personal favorites.
NFL:
Bo Jackson
Barry Sanders
Eric Metcalf
Dan Marino
Bernie
Walter Payton
Randy Moss (was it possible to over-throw him?)
Prime Time!
NBA:
Magic
LeBron
Austin Carr (friend of a family friend, got us playoff tix for the "miracle" and lots of autographs from everyone - I was the coolest kid in grade school with all the swag. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to find five Cavs in your living room!)
Allen Iverson
Tracy McGrady
MLB:
Bo Jackson
Roberto Clemente
Barry Bonds
Omar Vizquel... dude was great when I bought him a beer at OzFest, and thanked him for all the years and memories.
Will the Thrill
Nolan Ryan
Ryne Sandberg
Men's Tennis:
Bjorn Borg
Roger Federer
Andre Agassi's comback
Women's Tennis:
Martina Navratilova
Serena Williams... the most dominant female athlete ever.
Boxing:
Roy Jones Jr
Ken Norton
Ali
Wilfred Benitez... one of the most underrated ever. One of the best counter-punchers and defenders ever.
Iron Mike
Only ranked players I've alive to see and remember:
MLB
Albert Belle
Ken Griffey Jr.
Greg Maddux
Kenny Lofton
Orel Hershiser
Darryl Strawberry
Kirby Puckett
NBA
Shawn Kemp
Mark Price
Michael Jordon
David Robinson
Bron Bron
John Starks
Nick Van Exel
"Thunder" Dan Majerle
NFL
Webster Slaughter
Barry Sanders
Joe Monatana
Jerry Rice
Larry Fitzgerals
Frank Minnifield
Hanford Dixon
Deion Sanders
Randall Cunningham
Tony Romo
Tennis
Andy Roddick - His U.S. Open win was incredible.
Andre Agassi
Pete Sampras
Roger Federer - Respect. Roddick rarely beat him. The '09 Wimbeldon Final was incredible.
Martina Hingis
Monica Seles
Steffi Graf
**Could not stand Lleyton Hewitt
PGA
Tiger Woods
Phil Mickelson
John Daly
Fred Couples
I don't know how anyone can make a baseball list without Francisco Lindor on it. I get Visquez, but Lindor has all he had, and far more.
For me, mine were players from the time I grew up as a kid from mid 80s through 90s.
As an adult, I struggle to find that soft spot I felt for players in my youth and younger years.
Love Lindor, he'll be gone. Sports are a business and I'm fully attuned to that now.
Baseball:
Johnny Bench
Pete Rose
Al Kaline
Kirk Gibson
Omar Vizquel
Football:
Joe Montana
Bo Jackson
Clay Matthews
Dave Logan
Jim Brown
Hockey:
Gordie Howe
Steve Yzerman
Nick Lidstrom
Sergei Federov
Vladimir Konstantinov
Soccer:
Pele
Basketball:
Lebron
Mark Price
Bill Laimbeer
Joe Dumars
Darryl Dawkins
Golf:
Moe Norman
Tiger
Jim Furyk
Gary Player
Weightlifting:
Vasili Alexeyev
I forgot hockey.
NHL:
Mario Lemieux
Steve Yzerman
Phil Esposito
Bobby Orr
Jamoir Jagr
Baseball:
Rocky Colavito
Joe Carter
Albert Belle
Jim Thome
Manny Ramirez
Football:
Jim Brown
Bobby Mitchell
Greg Pruitt
Jerry Sherk
Clay Matthews
Boxing:
Sugar Ray Robinson (thanks to Youtube)
Thomas Hearns
Alex Arguello
Roberto Duran
Larry Holmes
Basketball:
Wilt Chamberlain
Oscar Robertson
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Jerry Lucas
Hockey:
Gordie Howe
Bobby Hull
Bobby Orr
Gerry Cheevers
Wayne Gretsky
Golf:
Paula Creamer
Natalie Gulbis
Tennis:
Anna Kournikova
Maria Sharapova
Man............I want to add Larry Holmes to my original list. How the hell did I forget to include him?
Love your list ..Man I'm old ..lol , the original " The Rock "
NFL
Peyton Manning
Eric Metcalf
Deion Sanders
Brett Favre
Dan Marino
MLB
Derek Jeter
Ken Griffey Jr
Paul O’Neill
Omar Vizquel
Mariano Rivera
NBA
Michael Jordan
Reggie Miller
Larry Bird
Lebron James
Dirk Nowitzki
NFL - Clay Matthews ('78-'93)
Boxing - Ike Ibeabuchi / Andrew Golota
NBA - Dr. J
Men's Tennis - Ilie Nastase / John McEnroe
Women's Tennis - Gabriela Sabatini
Golf - Chi Chi Rodriguez
NFL:
Bernie Kosar
Roger Staubach
Dan Fouts
Barry Sanders
Joe Montana
NHL:
Darryl Sittler
Wendell Clark
Gretzky
Auston Matthews
Guy Lafleur
MLB:
Gary Carter
Tim Raines
Nolan Ryan
Ozzie Smith
Greg Maddux
NBA:
Jordan
Steve Nash
Reggie Miller
Kawhi Leonard
Mugsy Bogues
TENNIS:
John McEnroe
Roger Federer
Jimmy Connors
Stefi Graf
Martina Hingis
GOLF:
Tiger Woods
Mike Weir
Jack Nicklaus
Rory McIlroy
Nick Faldo
Going to go just one and not all sports
NFL: Otis Taylor
NBA: Bill Russel
MLB: Brooks Robinson
NHL: Vladimir Konstantinov
PGA: Charlie Sifford
All time athlete: Bo Jackson
NFL:
Josh Cribbs
Mike Vick
Jeremy Shockey
NBA:
Chris Paul
Blake Griffin
LeBron James
MLB:
David Justice
Mariano Rivera
Mike Mussina
NHL:
Pavel Bure
Roberto Luongo
Kelly Hrudey
Forgot about Josh Cribbs ugh
In the order I put them for each sport:
NFL:
Leroy Kelly
Ozzie Newsome
Brian Sipe
NBA:
Bill Russel
John Havelchek
Dave Cowans
MLB:
Willie Mays
Willie McCovey
Madison Bumgarner
NHL:
Bobby Orr
Phil Esposito
Gerry Cheevers
PGA:
Jack Nicolas
Arnold Palmer
Tom Watson
NFL
Jim Brown
Leroy Kelly
Dick Butkus
LeRoy Selmon
John Riggins...got to add Emmitt Smith
MLB
Mickey Mantle
Rocky Colavito
Bob Feller
Greg Maddux
Hank Aaron
PGA
Jack
Arnie
Tom Watson
Raymond Floyd
Tom Kite
LPGA
Annika Sorenstam
Julie Inkster
Pat Bradley
Lexi Thompson
Tennis
Jimmy Connors
Patrick McEnrow
Women
Chris Everett
Gabriella Sabatinni
NBA
Lebron
Oscar
Bill Walton
the Bird
Dave DeBussher
John Havlecheck
NASCAR
Jeff Gordon
Buddy Baker
Dale Earnhart...not Jr.
Bill Elliott
NHL
Bobby Orr
Wayne Grestky...the most dominant player in his sport ever...just look it up
Patrick Roy
Marty McSorley...got to give credit to the goons who protect guys like Gretskey.
Freddie Glover....Cleveland Barons back in the early 60's.
I will break mine down into who I liked when I was a kid, and who I like today.
NFL:
When I was a kid I was obsessed with Barry Sanders. I loved the Lions. Scott Mitchell, Herman Moore, Wayne Fontes coaching. They never really did anything but they were a fun team to watch. Barry was incredible. We will probably never see anything like him again, not only because of the abilities, but just the way the game is schemed and coached these days. For those that didn't get to see him, imagine Darren Sproles and USC Reggie Bush combined into an every down back.
I loved Jamir Miller too. He was the first guy on the new Browns that I took a liking too.
These days, there are a bunch of guys not on the Browns that I like/respect. Brady, Larry Fitz, Mike Thomas. Guys that bring it every single week.
I love Baker too. I know he's had his ups and downs, but I finally feel like we don't have to constantly talk about drafting another QB. I'm not saying he's locked in for the next decade, but I am excited to see how he develops moving forward.
MLB:
I loved Ken Griffey Jr growing up. I got to see him at the Muni and at Jacobs field several times. He was incredible to watch. I loved that '95 Tribe team too. Omar, Manny, Baerga, Sandy. I have never seen a cast of characters quite like that on a sports team.
These days I don't care that much for baseball. I don't like the system, I don't like how big market teams have a bigger margin for error because they can just cherry pick players from smaller markets, and just absorb the contract if the guy doesn't turn out. They keep trying these stupid new rules to make the game better, but it would really be much more interesting with a few less games and a hard cap like the NFL. Not going to happen. I watched zero baseball games last year. Other than Indians playoff games, I haven't watched playoff baseball since the Red Sox first title. I just don't care anymore.
NBA:
Back in the day I loved Shaq and Penny. I loved Mark Price just like every other Cavs fan probably did.
These days I still love Lebron. I'm not a Laker fan, but I will pull for him in the playoffs. I still love Kyrie. I don't really care about the things he says, he will always have a place in my heart for helping end the drought. And when he's healthy and on, he's electric. I love Dame Lillard. Luka Doncic is fun to watch. Greek Freak. NBA is in a pretty good place with guys like Lebron getting up there in age, they still have some really good young stars.
NHL:
I kind of bounced around as a kid with who I rooted for, but I loved Steve Yzerman. I thought he was exactly what a captain should be. Not the best player, but a guy who would battle. You could talk to a thousand hockey fans and nobody would have anything negative to say about the guy, he just brought it every single night.
I loved Martin Brodeur. Goalies pre 2000's could not hold up in today's game. The pace is faster, the equipment helps produce harder and more precise shots, and the athletes taking the shots are just better. Brodeur was kind of the in between, from the old days of the stand-up goalie, to the new butterfly/profly. He hung around longer than anyone thought, and even helped get a team to the cup in 2012 that really had no business being there.
I hated Patrick Roy but looking back I have respect for how dominant he was, and how intimidating he was with his game.
I also loved Ron Hextall because he knew every dirty trick in the book.
I loved Mike Richter. Still the coolest paint job for a mask.
There are so many great young players to watch these days. You can pick a team and find 4 or 5 really good players. The NHL is just loaded with talent. Nathan Mackinnon might be my favorite player to watch. Drew Doughty is another guy I have always respected. Not many D-men can do what he does. I love Carey Price, and when he's healthy, he's still a top dog. Connor McDavid is must-see-tv every time he takes the ice.
Soccer:
I didn't really watch much soccer when I was a kid. I have come around on the sport, but I don't have any players that I take a liking too that much. Messi is obviously great, and I try to watch, but outside of him, they don't stand out that much to me. I don't know the mechanics and fundamentals of soccer so its hard to really appreciate the guys who do more than just put the ball in the net.
Golf:
I'm a lefty myself so I always pull for Phil
You started off good, but you lost me at Baker. It got worse from there.
Just messing w/you, Sperg............but man, that was a crazy list.
My favorites are all players on teams I rooted for. Most are from late 60's early 70s.
NFL; Greg Pruitt, Brian Sipe, Milt Morin Leroy Kelly, Jerry Sherk
MLB; Ken Griffey SR , Dave Concepcion, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Tom Seaver
NBA ; Earl The Pearl Monroe, Walt Frazier, Dave Debussscher (sp) Willis Reed
Men's Tennis; I did not watch a lot but I always like Arthur Ashe because he acted classy. Did not like McEnroe or Conners. l also liked Bjorn Borg & Stan Smith
Women's tennis; This may be unusual but I liked Evonne Goolagong and I am sure I butchered her name. Also Martina Navratalova
I am considering starting a thread of naming a player you liked on a team you absolutely hate. Anyone like that idea. I never get over hating teams and occasionally I run across athletes I like or respect from those y=teams.
Jamir Miller was another one of my favorites. I remember being so down after he got hurt (IIRC in Minnesota during the preseason)
MLB:
Barry Larkin (my favorite athlete of all time)
Andrew Brown pitcher that was a part of the Milton Bradley deal from the Dodgers several years ago. (He's my younger brother)
Chris Sabo
Eric the Red
Paul O'Neil
Johnny Bench
Joe Morgan
Kenny Lofton
NFL:
Wizard of Oz
Earnest Byner
Webster Slaughter
Bernie Kosar
Frank Minnifield
Eric Turner
Joe Thomas
Eddie George
Terry Glenn
Cris Carter
Robert Smith
Orlando Pace
Bobby Hoying
(out of left field) Vinny Testaverde
NBA:
Kevin Johnson (Suns)
Larry Bird
Jim Jackson
Michael Redd
Vince Carter (got to see him play in High School)
Men's Tennis:
Borris Becker
Women's Tennis:
Stefi Graff
Soccer:
Brian McBride
Golf:
Jack Nicklaus
Anyone but Tiger Woods (I don't want him to ever overtake Jack's records)
Professional or College Coaches (any sport):
Jim Tressel
Marty Schottenheimer
Sparky Anderson
Jack McKeon
KC Jones
NFL:
Paul Warfield
Leroy Kelly
John Mackey
Mike Curtis
Greg Pruitt
Clay Mathews SR
MLB:
Mickey Mantle
Bobby Murcer
Catfish Hunter
Rod Carew
Ron Guidry
Paul O'Neill
Mariano Rivera
Derek Jeter
Ken Griffey JR
NHL:
Yvan Cournoyer
John Ferguson
Ken Dryden
Guy Lafleur
Bobby Hull
Stan Mikita
Gordie Howe
Dave Schultz
NBA:
Earl the Pearl
Oscar Robertson
Elvin Hayes
Wes Unseld
Michael Jordan
Dr. J.
Boxing:
Sugar Ray Leonard
Marvin Hagler
Tommy Hearns
Ray Mancini
George Foreman
Golf:
Greg Norman
Gene Littler
Ian Woosnan
Monty
Tennis:
Anna Kournikova
Maria Sharipova
Chris Evert
Good topic Vers.
For me my favorite athlete of all time was Muhammad Ali.
Boxing was my first sport. And Muhammad Ali absolutely caught my soul. I followed his boxing career and his life. I have a unique photo of him hanging in my room along with his autograph on a Muslim prayer card.
Baseball was my game. I played basketball and football but baseball has been a passion my whole life. I have many favorites in baseball. I don't think I missed a Greg Maddux start when he pitched for the Braves. He was a master of the game. Greg Maddux won the most Gold Glove Awards (18) among all players, including pitchers, in Major League Baseball history. Watching him pitch was clinic in the art of pitching.
I have to add a position player. Mickey Mantle. He was something. Talk about an explosive hitter - damn. Today Mike Trout is the new Mickey.
Football. I am half Lithuanian. And I as began to watch football and play it. Quarterback was my position and Johnny Unitas was my role model. But being from Cleveland Jim Brown was football.
Basketball. LeBron. The Ohio wonder who brought a championship to Cleveland.
Honorable Mention:
Roberto Duran
Butkus
Hank Aaron
Michael Jordan
Magic
I completely forgot boxing.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Boom Boom Mancini
Roy Jones Jr.
George Foreman (early years only)
I only have a few.
NHL
Yzerman - someone above said it best. Model of what a captain should be.
Gordie Howe - Dude was a hockey player. Talented but tough/gritty.
Gretzky - on the other hand, apparently you can be so talented and smart to build a career like this w/o barely any of the physical measurables. Crazy
Pavel Datsyuk - dude is/was a magician with the puck. Simply unreal with the puck on his stick
Jagr - Might not have been the best leader, but I always laughed at the guy's attitude. A bit of a 'me' guy, especially for hockey, but I still loved him.
Richter - Amazing goalie, and kind of small (especially for a goalie). I always root for normal-sized goalies.
Ron Tugnutt - Had a brief period where he played really well, but I got to meet him shortly before. Dude is my size (tiny).
MLB:
Jimmy Piersall
Vic Power
Rocky Colavito
Ernie Banks
Willie Mays
Hank Aaron
Boxing:
Rocky Marciano
Floyd Patterson
Gene Fullmer
Cassius Clay
NFL:
Jim Brown
Leroy Kelly
Webster Slaughter
Paul Warfield
Brian Sipe
Bernie Kosar
NBA
Mark Price
Pete Maravich
Dr. J Julius Erving
Larry Bird
NFL Greg Pruitt
MLB Omar Vasquel
NBA Mark Price
NHL Super Mario
Boxing Sugar Ray Leonard
I should have added him to my list.
Beyond even the Hearns fight, I always remember the Mugabi fight when Hagler was hurt but won anyway.
And - I'm one of the few (I think) that believes he should have won the decision over Leonard.
You are not alone. He beat Leonard imo.
I thought Hagler beat Leonard too.
Not me. Leonard outboxed Hagler and won, IMO.
Also, i have no affinity for draft dodgers.
I moved to Atlanta in 1978. I never became a Falcons fan but I did adopt the Braves. Although I was born in Cleveland we moved away when I was three. Lived in Harrisburg, Pa. for ten years and then moved back to Cleveland.
As a boy living in Harrisburg I played baseball and collected cards. I always loved the then Milwaukee Braves uniforms and Hank Aaron. So when I moved to Atlanta and the Braves were there. I became a fan.
When the Braves drafted Chipper Jones second in the draft he moved up to big leagues quickly. So, I watched his entire career in Atlanta. Just a great player. He ended up living about two miles away from me.
So I have to add Chipper.
I left off one of my favorite hockey players because I could not think of his name. Old age, I guess.
But, Sergei Fedorov was a favorite of mine. I don't know much about hockey, but I don't know if I ever saw a better pure skater than that dude.
Pro Football
JIM BROWN
Bobby Mitchell
Paul Warfield
Jerry Sherk
Gary Collins
Eric Metcalf
Clay Matthews
College Basketball
Bill Walton
Pro Basketball
Pistol Pete
The Big O
Baseball
1960 Cleveland Indians
Rocky Colavito
Sudden Sam
Roberto Clemente
Dave Parker
Pops Stargell
PGA
Arnold Palmer
Tennis
Jimmy Connors
Rod Laver
Ken Rosewall
Boxing
Ali
Roberto Duran
NHL
Yvan Cournoyer
Guy Lafleur
Mario Lemieux
Bobby Orr
We are old men.
Btw, the Ian Woosnam reference was cool.
[quote=lampdogg]We are old men.
Btw, the Ian Woosnam reference was cool. [/quote
AS an old Browns fans, we have had a lot more opportunities to have favorites. More good seasons to pick from also.
Favorite Browns
Bernie Kosar
Clay Matthews
Earnest Byner
Brian Brennan
Steve Everitt
Joe Thomas
Eddie Johnson
Michael Dean Perry
Phil Dawson
Thom Darden
Favorite Reds
Johnny Bench
Joe Morgan
Ken Griffey Jr.
Tony Perez
Sean Casey
Barry Larkin
Paul O'Neill
Favorite Cavs
Mark Price
Larry Nance
Brad Daugherty
Terrell Brandon
Andre Miller
LeBron James
Anderson Varejao
Kevin Johnson
Jim Brown
Greg Pruitt
Don Rogers
Leroy Kelly
Gene Hickerson
Baseball:
Roberto Clemente was one of my all time Idols. I remember as a Pirate fan as a kid listening to the game on the radio. It would be the bottom of the 9th runners on first and 2nd two outs And I would be like come on strike him out, or hit a pop up...or get a single to RF as I knew Roberto would throw him out at HOME! I did the basket catch (not a Willie Mays thing but Roberto did it first) and I had a great arm.
Btw I liked Willie Mays also but it was Roberto Clemente and nobody else for me. Later on Willie Stargell was a guy I liked a lot. What people don't know in those years I saw Roberto in RF, Willie Stargell (svelte Willie) played Left Field and he had a great arm also.
Basket Ball: Oscar Robinson was my all time favorite player. I learned the game late around 67...and all I had was newspaper as we were stationed up north in Camp Drum just two Canadian stations and one had Toronto Maple Leafs and the other Montreal Canadians...So it was between Baltimore's Earl the Pearl Monroe or the Cinncinati Royal's Oscar Robinson and I really liked Oscar and became a Bucks fan when he moved there after one year of following him. Lew Alcindor was great.
I like this new kid Giannis (Greek for John) saw him improve every season and figures after YEARS of suffering as a Buck Fan we finally get the best team in the NBA and they stop the season. Arrrrgghhh! lol
Hockey...Liked the Canadians and Ken Dryden, Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey were my favorites!
Bowling...lol just kidding. Any sport where you can drink beer and smoke cigarettes - made it fun but not a true sport...lol 
Golf: All time Favorite is Jack Nicklaus I also really enjoy watching Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.
Woods was great but not my favorite, I always thought he was juicing. Then his wife hit him with the 9 Iron...
ahhh Camp Drum - fond memories.
Loved the Habs, too. 70s were special, EO.