Sport's Greatest All Rounders
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Some sportsmen are just greedy. Not only do they want to dominate one sport, they feel the need to show off... And take part in many more. Here is a list of those who did, please vote for who you think is the best by way of commenting.
Bo Jackson
Well, everyone in the US knows Bo. And you can be sure that Bo knows that too... Every American's favourite sporting icon, Bo Jackson played in both MLB and the NFL. He was the star of many a Tecmo game, and only injury ended his career early.
Deion Sanders
He remains the only man to play in a World Series and a Super Bowl. Whereas the rest of the list generally features heroes that everyone loved to see, Sanders was quite the opposite. God saved his suicide attempt, whereby the other side of what he thought was a cliff was actually a 50ft drop. And he blamed it on God! The stereotypical rap artist was never popular with the fans, as his personality was hardly endearing to his followers.
Jim Thorpe
Thorpe won medals at the Olympic Games for baseball and basketball, and reached professional status in the NFL. He also won the Pentathon in Track and Field Athletics at the 1912 Olympics, and then won when it changed to the Decathlon 8 years later. In later life, he went on to live in complete poverty, a sad end for such a talented human being.
C.B. Fry
Fry was an English cricketer in the early 20th century, principally. He pioneered the concept of "mobile footwork" as a batsman, before him, it was the vogue to just swing the bat, a bit like baseball. He had a batting average of over 50, higher than most others in his era. He once scored six consecutive centuries, in six innings, a record that stands to this day. He also represented his country at football and cricket. Not only that, but he was a first-class hunter and fisher. He also held the World Long Jump record for 21 years. Academically gifted, he was even offered the throne of Albania! A job that he declined, fortunately for English cricket fans. But there's more! He represented India at the League of Nations, played rugby for the Barbarians, and was a Politician for the Liberal party in the UK.
Denis Compton
Another English cricketer of the 1950s, Compton was an opening batsman for England, who was most famous for never practicing, or preparing for a match, turning up to matches in dinner suits from the night before. He was one of the most naturally gifted batsman, who had the ability to hit the ball to the place that the fielder had just moved from. Compton also won the League and FA Cup for Arsenal in the 1950s. He was the British sporting hero in the immediate post war period. John Major, British Prime Minister from 1992 to 1997, chose to attend a memorial service for Compton, even though it co-incided with the British handover of Hong Kong to China. His brother, Leslie, also played for Middlesex and Arsenal, but not to the same standard as Denis.
Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart was dislexic, yet made the most of his abilities in variety of sports. He won the 1969, 1971 and 1973 Formula One World Championship, and was a pioneer in the motor sport safety revolution in the late 1960s. He also narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 1960 Olympic Games for skeet shooting, and was one of Britain's top shooters, before choosing a career in motor racing.
Alex Higgins
Higgins was one of the most flamboyant snooker players to play the game. He was twice a World Champion, in 1972 and 1982, and was revolutionary in bringing the game to a modern audience. Yet when he initially came to England, he did so as an apprentice jockey. But his snooker career blossomed, so racing took a back seat... Or a back saddle, if you will.
Steve Davis
As a youngster, Davis would play poker at school as a means of making money. When he became one of snooker's leading players, he introduced the game to his snooker pals. As a result of this, over the last 25 years, practically every professional snooker player also has poker in their armoury of skills. Davis started the poker revolution in snooker. He competed in the Final of Poker Million in 2003, coming second to fellow snooker player, Jimmy White. He was also a six-time World Snooker Champion in the 1980s and continues to play both at the age of 50.
Dr Rudi van Vuuren
Van Vuuren represented his country at cricket in the 2003 World Cup, and rugby in the same year. He is the only Namibian to take five wickets in a One Day International, and the only person ever to play in the Rugby and Cricket World Cups - let alone in the same year! He is also a Doctor of Physics, so is clearly in the mould of Fry. But then, it was Namibia! He kept a sense of perspective on his life and career, "How can I compete with Jonny Wilkinson? He would not expect to walk into my surgery and treat my patients." Quite.
Eddie Eagen
Who is the only person to win gold at both the Summer and Winter Olympics? Well, it was Eagen. He won gold in the 1920 Summer Olympics for Boxing, and then won the 1932 Winter Olympic Bobsleigh gold medal too. Not bad for someone who lost his father at the age of 1.
The Botham Family
As a cricketer, Botham was simply the best. Just ask an Aussie. He turned matches, took wickets, scored runs, and was often the hero. But when not touring, he turned out in the old Third Division, playing football for Scunthorpe United. He is the answer to the Trivia Question "Who was the last England captain to play for Scunthorpe United", when everyone naturally assumes you mean football captain. His son was equally talented, playing County Cricket for Hampshire before chickening out of trying to match his Dad, and he ended up playing rugby in the English Premiership. He then moved to play Rugby League for Leeds Tykes.
Eddie Charlton
Eddie Charlton is most famous as a snooker player. He was Australian National Champion for 20 consecutive years, and lost in three World Snooker Finals, and four World Billiards Finals. Apart from that, he was a champion surfer, and played in the Aussie Rules Football AFL for a decade. He lit the Olympic Torch in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympic Games. All this, but he was still probably the slowest snooker player in the history of the game - only Terry Griffiths comes close to matching him.
Chris Balderstone
Another cricketer and footballer, he didn't match the heights of Compton or Botham (or Fry!), but he deserves a mention. One day, he was batting for Leicestershire until 6:30pm. He then dashed up to Doncaster to play football for Doncaster Rovers, which started at 7:30pm. The next day, he was back at Grace Road playing for Leicestershire, where he scored a century, and took 3 for 28 to win the game with just five minutes to go to the end of the match. That result won Leicestershire their first ever County Championship (in almost 100 years of trying)!
JPR Williams
A hugely aggressive fullback for Wales at rugby, Williams was also a Wimbledon Junior Champion. He chose rugby over a game where he had a chance of being the first British male in 30 years to win. Still, a challenge that remains to this day... Williams was also a trained surgeon, he once stitched a hole in his own cheek in a game against New Zealand. Frightening.
Andy Goram
Another cricketing footballer, Goram was the Scottish goalkeeper for many years, and also played for them at the Cricket World Cup. A true Scottish fan favourite.
Steve Ogrizovic
Ogrizovic was a talented goalkeeper for Coventry City, but his main claim to fame is him clean bowling Sir Vivian Richards, one of the world's finest ever batsmen, in the First Round of the NatWest Trophy whilst playing for Shropshire against Somerset.
So, who would you put as #1 of that list? I'd go for Fry; to be offered the throne of a nation when you are not an heir, just a "random foreigner", is quite an accomplishment. Especially when the nation is Albania, who probably knows absolutely nothing about cricket in the first place - they'd have to really admire him!
