Muhammad Ali is 70 years old - and still the greatest sportsman of our times. But who are your favorites?

[The Choonies]

Boxing great Muhammad Ali, right, with the help of his sister-in-law, Marilyn Williams, left, makes an appearance at a balcony before the celebration for his 70th birthday at the Muhammad Ali Center on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in Louisville, Ky. Ali turns 70 Tuesday.

I remember so many great days watching this man perform either in the ring or being interviiewed by the TV, especially the great Parkinson interviews that were aired on the BBC.

I shared so many of these memories with my late father who was also a great fan.

There have been a few great sport stars  that have had a similar impact during my life - such as soccer stars George Best of Manchester United and Northern Ireland, and Jimmy Johnstone of Celtic and Scotland - 2 very special and gifted players - both I got to watch live many times.

In athletics - I loved the period in the early 1980's when Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram - middle distant runners who broke through new barriers constantly.

Or when Grant Anderson (no picture available on google - weird) from Scotland won the first ever Caber Tossing championships in 1980, held in Los Angeles - weirder - a great day and hopefully will one day become a national holiday. Geoff Capes from England has won it the most times - 6 in all - really weird - and it is currently held by an American Dan McKim who now has his own on-line caber tossing tutorial - weirdest - you need a big room to try this out at home - definitely one for portable computer owners and the like. That's big Dan below.

[Sal]

Just looked it up,

Terry Fox and Rick Hanson - Lou Marsh Award ('80 & '83 repectively) but not for sports

 

 

 

[Sal]

The Terry Fox story was and still is a great Canadian story. I remember the news coverage as it happened and that fateful day just outside Thunder Bay. Watching him hobble a marathon a day made the country cry in both pride and shame. His mother just passed away last year and was one of the participants in the Vancouver Opening Ceremonies. There was great debate as to who the final person should have been. As she continued his legacy, many petitioned for her

There has been a few productions made both in Canada and US and as movies and documenteries. Terry also inspired Steve Fonyo and Rick Hansen, two other cancer victims to run across the country. The latter in a wheelchair.

Though my admiration for him is huge, I don't consider him a person on this list as the greatest sportsman of our times. I've known of Thorpe since I was a kid and wished I could have been like him. The Canadian equivelent (the greatest Canadian athlete of the first half of the 20th century) was Lionel Conacher. He won championships in football, hockey, baseball, wrestling and other sports. Then went on to have a good political career

One time, it was said that "Lionel Conacher was Canada's Answer to Jim Thorpe" High praise indeed. The award for the Canadian male athlete of the year is called the Lionel Conacher Award

 

Oh, I did have Jackie Robinson, Pele and Jim Thorpe but not Bobby Orr on my list. Some great athletes will not make the top 10 

[The Choonies]

Wow! Amazing story - Terry Fox. Have Hollywood made a movie? And Jim Thorpe is another. Again I am ignorant until now and will look both up. Thanks.

[Sal]

Same arguments for music

 

And I forgot about some guy named Edson Arantes do Nascimento aka Pelé

[The Choonies]

Good reply Sal, however, I don't know some on your final list - sorry. Such as Babe Dickerson, Walter Payton, Satchel Paige and maybe Jacky Robinson. Wayne Gretzky I think is an ice hockey player - the only ice hockey I've ever seen live was watching Tim Cappon's Changchun team - quite good actually and Tim is the only hockey player I really know of. Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth I've only heard of and wouldn't be able to pick them out in a police line-up. But this is the beauty of sport and who our heroes are.

[Sal]

The problem with putting Carl Lewis in the list of greatest ever - he is too closely linked to PEDs, even his own admission.

Ali was great - but not only was he beatable, he was bested by inferior athletes at time. Definately top 10

What constitues the greatest athlete ever?

Duration: depending on the sport, it can be from a few years to decades

Compitition: people like Borg, Nicklaus, etc faced some equeally dominating foes

Team vs Individual: would have players like Gretzky, Jordan, Ruth et al put up record numbers and championships had the been on lesser teams?

For me, what constitutes the epitome of an athlete are these points including: did they change the game, elevate society's awareness of that sport.

My list in no particular order after the top two:

Jim Thorpe

Babe Dickerson

Jacky Robinson

Wayne Gretzky

Walter Payton

Micheal Jordan

Babe Ruth

Ali

Satchel Paige

Mark Spitz

Diego Maradonna

Tiger Woods

 

Its hard to pick the best in one sport let alone all time. What about Hercules? Or Secritariat? Or Mario Andretti and his cars, or Sandy Hawley/Bill Shoemaker (the top jockeys ever)

[The Choonies]

The great thing about Gareth Edwards was he looked more like a school teacher than a sports star but he did score THAT try and a lot more besides - I think the Welsh at that time produced so many great players. Carl Lewis should have been made to enter the Olympics as his own country, just how he managed to compete in so many events at that level was truly magnificent. Shane Warne - I'm sorry I can't really comment - I never saw him play.

[Richard ridealgh]

Carl Lewis (track and field)

In a career that spanned from 1979 to 1996, Lewis won 10 Olympic medals including nine golds, which included four consecutive long-jump championships, the last won at the age of 35. The International Olympic Committee named Lewis the greatest athlete of the 20th century.

[Richard ridealgh]

Shane Warne (cricket)

Warne is generally believed to be the greatest leg spin bowler in the history of cricket. Described by Martin-Jenkins as “most influential Australian cricketer since Bradman”, he is also one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet. His first ever delivery against England, against Mike Gatting, is known as the “Ball of the Century”.

[Richard ridealgh]

Gareth Edwards (rugby)

There are many other rugby players who could have made the list, but if you are looking for someone who could have performed in any era, you look no further than Edwards. This scrum-half played in the 1970s, but his passing, vision, and athleticism meant he would have been just as effective today. Wales’ youngest ever captain also scored what is referred to as “that try”, thought of as the greatest ever, for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973.