Top 10 Toughest Athletes

[Brown Eyed Girl 1]

Link

 

Contrary to the current sports landscape, there was a time when the majority of athletes were not million-dollar babies or prime-time prima donnas. The symbol of sport used to be physical domination, consistency and enough grit to make John Wayne blush.

 

Sure the emergence of fantasy sports and highlight reels have helped to emphasis stats over substance, but here we have devoted a top 10 list to recognizing those never-say-die athletes whose tolerance for pain and unwavering determination could be admired by any generation. This list pays homage to a sport characteristic that will never go out of style: toughness.

 

 

 

#10

Dale Earnhardt

NASCAR

 

When your nickname is The Intimidator, you better be one tough hombre. Dale Earnhardt earned his nickname in spades when he literally walked away from a 200-mph crash in 1996, at Talladega. Earnhardt slammed into the track wall, nearly head on, flipped his No. 3 Chevrolet and skidded through oncoming race traffic. Moments later, Earnhardt pulled himself from the demolished wreck and waved to the crowd.

 

The brutality of that single crash led NASCAR to mandate a metal bar reinforcement on all car roofs in case of similar crashes. The bar, naturally, has come to be known as the Earnhardt Bar.

 

And The Intimidator could never be accused of having any quit in him. After trying and failing to win the Daytona 500 for 20 years, in 1998 Earnhardt finally captured the coveted checkered flag; a landmark accomplishment that was only overshadowed by his tragic death at the very same track three years later. Even in death, his unprecedented legend as an intense competitor continues to grow.

 

 

#9

Cal Ripken, Jr.

Baseball

 

All you really need to know about Cal Ripken, Jr. is that the Iron Man played in a record 2,632 consecutive games. During this hall-of-fame epic streak, he accumulated 19 All Star Game appearances and two American League MVPs. Cal battled through too many injuries to count in his quest for The Streak, including an instance in 1995, when Ripken remained in the lineup despite sustaining injuries following a bench-clearing brawl with the Seattle Mariners.

 

A year later, Ripken kept himself in the lineup even after suffering a broken nose during a freak accident while taking a team picture for the AL All Star team. Being tough is one thing, but when playing hard doesn’t come at the cost of consistency and longevity, that is something to take note of.

 

 

#8

Ronnie Lott

Football

 

If you polled every NFL wide receiver who has ever played the game and asked them what their biggest fear was, it would almost certainly have to be going over the middle when Ronnie Lott was lurking in the defensive backfield. Lott had a well-earned reputation as one of the hardest hitters to ever step on the gridiron. Lott's toughness was contagious when he led the 49ers to four Super Bowls during the '80s.

 

Late in the 1985 NFL season, Ronnie Lott had a San Francisco 49er team doctor amputate the tip of his injured, right pinky finger so that he wouldn’t risk missing any games. There is old-school football, and then there is Ronnie Lott chopping off appendages in order to stay on the field.

 

 

#7

Glenn Hall

Hockey

 

Mr. Goalie had a remarkable career that was marked with three Vezina Trophies, a Conn Smythe and a Hall of Fame bust. Despite being plagued by brutal nerves (Hall threw up before every game), he seldom missed a game. In fact, at one point, Hall played a record 502 straight -- a run that spanned eight different seasons.

 

If that's not impressive enough, keep in mind that he played all of those games in goal without a mask. Hall, who developed and employed the “butterfly” style of goaltending, was constantly flopping to his knees to stop pucks -- many times with his face -- yet he never missed a start, a streak of which goes unmatched, even today.

 

 

#6

John Stockton and Karl Malone

Basketball

 

Despite wearing yellow and purple for their entire careers, this longtime Utah Jazz duo defined what it meant to be a “gamer.” John Malone missed a grand total of five games during the first 13 years of his career, and the diminutive Stockton missed a whopping 22 games throughout his entire 19-year career.

 

While Malone’s All World accolades (two MVPs, second all-time in points) garner the headlines, his physical presence put the power in his forward position. Malone once played a game after receiving round-the-clock treatment for an ankle injury that was so serious he had to ride in a golf cart to the locker room. When he was on the court, The Mailman ruled the paint with high elbows and thundering drives to the hoops.

 

Stockton, the other member of the pick-and-roll twosome, was about as old school as they come. High shorts, and a workman-like approach to the game, it was common place to see Stockton diving for loose balls and playing physical man-to-man defense. During the Jazz Western Conference title run in 1996, Stockton played all 82 games despite not being able to fully bend his shooting elbow. The injury required surgery as soon as the season ended.

 

 

#5

Steve McNair

Football

 

Steve McNair is not your typical quarterback. You can forget about sliding or ducking out of bounds, because McNair has never been afraid to take a beating throughout his entire MVP career. The Baltimore Raven has played through over a dozen various injuries, and has never missed a beat.

 

Growing up in Mississippi, McNair was toughened up at a young age by his three older brothers. That fortitude was on full display in a 2002 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, when McNair had to have a chunk of skin cut off his throwing hand after it was torn loose during a particularly viscous hit. Despite the sideline medical procedure, McNair still threw for a career high in yards.

 

 

#4

Tiger Woods

Golf

 

While nobody is going to claim that golf is a physical sport, there may not be an athlete more intimidating then Tiger Woods. With his unrivaled will to win and level of dedication to conditioning never before seen in golf, it seems nearly impossible to keep Tiger down on the PGA Tour. All the evidence needed to see this is in Woods' insane 115-consecutive PGA tournament cuts.

 

And when it comes to mental toughness, you have to look no further then Woods who broke down his coveted swing, while he was at the perceived top of his game, and reconstructed his entire mechanics from the ground up. After an initial learning curve, Woods came back stronger than ever and even more complete. If toughness is never settling for anything but your best, then you can not debate Tiger Woods.

 

 

#3

Allen Iverson

Basketball

 

Listed at just a hair over six feet, you would never think that Allen Iverson would have built his game around driving to the hoop, up and over seven footers, but that is exactly what he did. Averaging a remarkable 41 minutes per game, Iverson has made his mark by playing with reckless abandon. While he has been controversial in his disdain for practicing, The Answer makes no bones about the fact that it would take a force of nature, or a crafty team staff member, to keep him off the court. Team trainers have even had to hide Iverson’s jersey from him, so that he would not return to games in which he was injured. In 1999, Iverson removed a cast from his freshly broken thumb by himself after only missing 10 games.

 

 

#2

Gordie Howe

Hockey

 

Age was nothing more than a number for Mr. Hockey, and Gordie Howe was very familiar with some lofty numbers during his seemingly endless career. Howe dominated the rough sport of hockey for several decades, and finished in the top five in scoring for 20 straight years.

 

Despite playing in an NHL era that was geared toward tight checking and defense, Howe racked up over 1,800 points, some of which came at the tender age of 51 when he came out of retirement to lead the Hartford Whalers to the playoffs. Howe wasn’t all about scoring, as he was feared just as much for his high and hard elbows as he was for his snap shot.

 

Howe racked up 1,600 penalty minutes, and you better believe every last one of those came at the crushing expense of a trembling opponent. Howe’s tough and balanced style of play resulted in the coining of the term, Gordie Howe Hat Trick, which is when a player scores a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game.

 

 

#1

Brett Favre

Football

 

Nobody in the violent history of the NFL has come to symbolize toughness quite like the Green Bay Packer gunslinger, Brett Favre. Favre holds the record for most consecutive games played by a non-kicker; a feat that is virtually nonhuman. During the first 200 games of Favre’s streak, 178 different quarterbacks have started for teams around the NFL, 11 of them being backups to Favre at one point or another.

 

Brett had some of his best years while playing hurt. In 2003, he threw for a league-leading 32 touchdowns, despite a broken thumb. While the average NFL career is just under three years, and team turnover is commonplace, you can always count on Favre being under center for the Packers.

 

Even during the toughest of times, Favre has showed up to play. After the sudden death of his father at the age of 58, Favre insisted that he play in a Monday Night Football showdown against the Oakland Raiders. In his father's honor, Favre showed amazing emotional fortitude and threw for 399 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 41-7 blowout.

 

When Favre retires he will take with him into Canton a legacy of toughness and resilience that may never be matched in football or any other sport.

 

 

Tough it Out

Sports are all about being powerful and being the best. And while some sports are even about precision and concentration it all comes down to being tough: Emotionally tough; physically tough; and spiritually tough. The above athletes have proven, over the years, that being tough often means ignoring injuries and giving your sport everything you've got -- even if it hurts like hell. And they get supreme respect from us for every droplet of blood and every bead of sweat.

[Me_2006 14]

No Tom Brady?

[GettnHuge 2]

I gotta call BS. The first fifty or so should be hockey players, then you can get into the other sports.

 

1. Terrible Ted Lindsay

2. Gordie Howe

3. Dave Schultz

4. Red Horner

5. Tiger Williams

6. Dale Hunter

7. Chris Chelios

8. Joey Kocur

9. Bob Probert

10. Tie Domi

 

Playing left wing with centre Sid Abel and right winger Gordie Howe, on what the media and fans dubbed the "Production line," Ted Lindsay became one of the NHL's premier players. Although small in stature compared to most players in the league, he was a fierce competitor who earned the nickname "Terrible Ted" for his toughness. His rough play caused the NHL to develop penalties for 'elbowing' and 'kneeing' to discourage hitting between players using the elbows and knees.

 

Kneeing??

[redtodd 7]

#10 is no good because Car Racers are not athletes.

[frank 2,293]

 

McNair is on the list because he keeps getting hurt. What about guys that play a long time without getting hurt so much?

[Yer mom 2]

I came in at #11

[KingofBeer 0]

Dale, AI, McNair, Woods should move down

 

Ronnie Lott should move up to first or second

[swirvenirvin 25]

McNair???

 

Woods???

 

What an awful list

[HenryChinaski 1]

McNair???

 

Woods???

 

What an awful list

 

I agree. That is focking horrible.

[gocolts 300]

McNair???

 

Woods???

 

What an awful list

No doubt. Lott is legit, but A golfer being touted as a "Tough Athlete"??

[Giants Fan 85]

If Favre is #1 .... where is Jason Seahorn on this list?

[Return of the King 0]

where is Rich Harden or Mark Prior?

[Yer mom 2]

No love for Ryan Leaf?

[posty 2,674]

where is Rich Harden or Mark Prior?

 

The DL...

[gratefulted 14]

Jack Youngblood should be atop this list.

[frank 2,293]

Jack Youngblood Lambert should be atop this list.

 

[gratefulted 14]

Him too

[BMoney 0]

Bobby Baun broke his ankle early in a hockey game.....

 

came back for OT and scored the Cup winner.....

 

no one should be on this list but hockey and football guys....

[kilroy69 1,242]

Link

 

 

#6

John Stockton and Karl Malone

Basketball

 

Despite wearing yellow and purple for their entire careers, this longtime Utah Jazz duo defined what it meant to be a “gamer.” John Malone missed a grand total of five games during the first 13 years of his career, and the diminutive Stockton missed a whopping 22 games throughout his entire 19-year career.

 

While Malone’s All World accolades (two MVPs, second all-time in points) garner the headlines, his physical presence put the power in his forward position. Malone once played a game after receiving round-the-clock treatment for an ankle injury that was so serious he had to ride in a golf cart to the locker room. When he was on the court, The Mailman ruled the paint with high elbows and thundering drives to the hoops.

 

Stockton, the other member of the pick-and-roll twosome, was about as old school as they come. High shorts, and a workman-like approach to the game, it was common place to see Stockton diving for loose balls and playing physical man-to-man defense. During the Jazz Western Conference title run in 1996, Stockton played all 82 games despite not being able to fully bend his shooting elbow. The injury required surgery as soon as the season ended.

 

 

Umm who is this john malone that you speak of. Are we making up basketball players by mixing them? If so I have to add Larry Jordan,Magic Chamberlain,Kareem Abdul-Olajuwon and Dominique Ewing to the list.

[surferskin 30]

Fred Taylor.

[TAS 2]

Fred Taylor.

Most fragile? The guy is a champ! Toughest on the other hand, not so much.

[joneo 556]

WHAT????? No BUTTERBEAN?

[nzoner 937]

No Mark Bavaro?

 

Breaks his jaw,goes into locker room,has it wired shut and comes back out to help lead the G-Men to victory,not as hardcore as Lott but I'd say that trumps the likes of Woods anyday.

[Walter34 3]

Link

 

Favre holds the record for most consecutive games played by a non-kicker; a feat that is virtually nonhuman.

 

Um no, Jim Marshall has that record.

 

Pretty crappy list overall.

 

The toughest hockey player today is Ryan Smyth. Outside of hockey players, NFL lineman should make up the whole list - none of these skill position types.

[pt_mck 7]

George Chuvalo should top the list.

[TylerRoseFan 16]

Earl Campbell

[TylerRoseFan 16]

Earl Campbell

[bob_probert_2000 1]

The fact that Allen Iverson is on this list makes it most laughable- aside from Woods, McNair, etc. Yeah, they're tough.

 

 

 

Bob Probert, top 5 for sure. Most penalty minutes in hockey history.

[frank 2,293]

Earl Campbell

 

 

guy who took a Campbell helmet to the chest and lived > Campbell

[RLLD 4,194]

Daniel Larusso......thread over....

[kilroy69 1,242]

Daniel Larusso......thread over....

wax on. wax off.

[hoytdwow 202]

Pete Rose?

 

Lance Armstrong?

[nospk 230]

Chuck Bednarik comes to mind.

Charles Philip Bednarik (born May 1, 1925) is a former professional football player, known as one of the most devastating tacklers in the history of football and the last two-way player in the National Football League. A Ukrainian-American, he is perhaps best remembered for inflicting a tackle on the New York Giants' Frank Gifford, then a star running back, that knocked Gifford out of professional football for a year and a half, and shortened Gifford's playing career.

[Black59Razor 0]

The fact that Allen Iverson is on this list makes it most laughable ......

 

Say what you want about his Thug, non-chalant attitude. I do not really like him myself. But, Iverson has played through various injuries and has been productive. When he was at Philly he would take a pounding in the paint and just keep coming, even injured. He cannot weigh more than 160 pounds (soaking wet).

[edjr 6,580]

 

What a complete bunch of crap.

 

Dale Earnhardt? Yeah, real tough. Guy died in a car accident.

[patweisers44 840]

Bob Probert, top 5 for sure. Most penalty minutes in hockey history.

1 Dave "Tiger" Williams (1974-1988) 3966

2 Dale Hunter (1980-1999) 3565

3 Tie Domi (1989-2006) 3515

4 Marty McSorley (1983-2000) 3381

5 Bob Probert (1985-2002) 3300

 

source: hockeydb.com

[kutulu 1,670]

Dale Earnhardt? Yeah, real tough. Guy died in a car accident.

 

Did you see the car when he got done with it?

[hoytdwow 202]

Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards

 

thread over

 

[kutulu 1,670]

No Mark Bavaro?

 

Breaks his jaw,goes into locker room,has it wired shut and comes back out to help lead the G-Men to victory,not as hardcore as Lott but I'd say that trumps the likes of Woods anyday.

 

 

Giant fan here so it pains me to say it, but that game where E. Smith ran with one arm over the Giants should put him somewhere on that list. Guy can't say two sentences in a row without focking up at least three words but he was a tough SOB.

[RLLD 4,194]

Say what you want about his Thug, non-chalant attitude. I do not really like him myself. But, Iverson has played through various injuries and has been productive. When he was at Philly he would take a pounding in the paint and just keep coming, even injured. He cannot weigh more than 160 pounds (soaking wet).

 

We're talking about a list here-not a game, a list....I mean, we aren't saying anything about game, we're talking about a list.....a list man, not a game, a list....