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We rank 'em. You react. That's how the Daily List rolls.9/03/2007 11:21:00 AM Five Hardest Working Athletes
By Lang Whitaker, SI.com
Deion Sanders was known to play two professional sports in one day.Photo by AP
Today is Labor Day, the day that we Americans incongruously honor the labor of millions of people before us by, oddly, not laboring for a day. Shouldn't we spend Labor Day working as hard as possible for eight hours? (Wait, that's every day around here at Extra Mustard! Huzzah!) Regardless, while many of us spend Labor Day chilling on the couch or watching the slow devolution of Jerry Lewis, there are many athletes out there who never take a day off, who always go all-out. Here are my top five hardest-working athletes of all-time...
1. Deion Sanders: Sure, Prime Time wasn't the most physical athlete of the last century, but as Deion once told me, "I didn't have to be." He's probably the best cover cornerback of all-time, he was a seven-time All-Pro, he managed to hit .300 in a Major League Baseball season, he hit .533 in the 1992 World Series, and in 1996 while with the Cowboys he participated in 50 percent of their offensive plays and 80 percent of their defensive plays. Plus, he once threw a bucket of water on Tim McCarver.
2. Chuck Bednarik: My dad's favorite football player of all time. Bednarik played in the NFL for more than a decade, from the late '40 through the early '60s, and is known by many as the last true two-way player. Starting at both linebacker and center, Bednarik missed a mind-bending three games in 14 seasons.
3. David Beckham: He might be injured right now, but that's because he ran himself down to nothing. As the face of soccer in the United States, Becks has been on an insane schedule the last few months, doing interviews with every outlet possible while playing through a bum ankle to log time for the L.A. Galaxy and the England National Team. Two weeks ago he played an international match (England v. Germany) in London, then flew to Los Angeles and, less than 24 hours later, played an entire game for the Galaxy in Los Angeles. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised that his knee didn't hold out.
4. Julio Franco: So maybe he can't get around on the fastball like he used to, but the man the Braves called up last week is 49 YEARS OLD. He's built like a Greek statue, and he can still take a ball to right field better than any of the Braves first basemen (other than Mark Teixiera.) I also like him because after Andy Van Slyke insinuated that Franco must be on steroids, Franco responded, "Tell him the steroid I'm on is Jesus of Nazareth."
5. Roy Jones Jr.: He may be the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all-time, compiling a record of 51-4 over the last decade-plus. He also "played" pro basketball, logging time in a USBL game in Alabama and going 11 rounds in Pensacola that evening. He also dabbled in cockfighting and rap music, with questionable results.
Who do you think is the hardest-working athlete? Let us know below?
Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.composted by SI.com | View comments |
Comments:
Did you guys think about this for more than 3 minutes before you made this list? Ask anybody that has played in the NBA over the past 20 years the same question. Karl Malone's chiseled physique would have intimidated many NFL players. His workouts are legendary. He redefined durability over the course of an 18 year career.How is the Iron man Cal Ripkin Jr not on this list?Deion...#1...you are a complete joke!Kindly show the rest of those hard-working athletes on your list some respect by removing Prime Time Neon Deion and replacing him with somebody who was less dedicated to showcasing himself in cheesy rap vids (remember '2 Legit to Quit'?) and more dedicated to perfecting his game and raising the level of play around him.... for instance, JERRY RICE, whose training regiments were an astounding display of physical and mental discipline bordering on masochism.your kidding me right?! no micheal jordan? the guy who played in the playoffs while he had the flu? the guy who played for varsity and junior varsity in high school? the guy who won all the awards you can win?You mean besides Jerry Rice, right?I think Lance Armstrong is the hardest working athlete ever. The director of the US Postal/Discovery Team would only let Lance's teammates train with him for a one day during a training week, because he worked so hard and tired his teammates out.
He would also climb a mountain over and over again just to make sure he "knew" the mountain.
Its no wonder he won 7 straight ToursDid you forget about Bo Jackson, Jerry Rice and Walter Payton?Terry O'reilly of the Boston Bruins!
Has anyone ever had a pro sports career with less natural talent than "Taz"? He played with desire and hustle and love of his game. Name me ONE of todays primadonna's,in any sport, who shows Terry's level of effort and hardwork?Pete RoseYou are an idiot if you don't think Larry Bird should be number 1 on this list. How else does a guy with no talent win 3 MVP's.jordan deserves 2 b on this list. i mean he played game 6 of the nba championship with the fluNo Tiger Woods? Huh?What a stupid article.What a great article!Walter Payton was the hardest working athlete ever. 13 seasons with one missed game. Incredible weight training and running regimen in the off-season (including running his famous hill). And he took as much punishment (and gave as much out) as anyone, once telling an interviewer, "If I'm going to get hit, why let the guy who's going to hit me get the easiest and best shot? I explode into the guy who's trying to tackle me."i find it pretty hard to believe that not only was he left out of the top five, but that walter payton was not the number one hardest working athlete. no one ever conditioned or trained as hard as walter, and he was able to do more than any one of the top 5 athletes listed with far less physical ability simple because of his work ethic.Roger Clemens, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Micheal Jordan, Magic JohnsonJulio Franco is one hard working SOB.Julio Franko is definately one of the hardest working guys I've ever seen play.how is tiger not on this list? 13 majors speaks for itselfWalter Payton, ever heard of him? Crazy workouts...No trainers, no IPod, just sweating...How about Nolan Ryan after a start, on the bike, face stoic, looking like he's thinking about giving Robin Ventura some more knuckles...? There ya go...I believe Ted Hendricks missed zero games in 14 years at linebacker..something like 215 consecutive games!I agree with your list completely. It would be an insult if becks isn't included somewhere on everyone's list.This list does not have Cal Ripken Jr on it....why?nobody worked harder in the off-season than walter payton.nobody worked harder in the off-season than walter payton.Where the heck is Cal Ripken Jr? He played through all sorts of pain and hardship to achieve his record, and that is one that is NEVER falling in this age of coddling MLB players. You really included Julio Franco over him? The only reason Julio is still playing is cause he's a stubborn con artist and teams like the Mets and the Braves are dumb enough to give him a shot, he's been done for years.Pete Roseummm... Cal Ripken Jr.?!?!?!? The man with the longest consecutive games streak in baseball history (and probably in all of sports history) has no place not being on this list.1. Oliver Miller
2. Bryant Reeves
3. Sean Kemp
4. Cecil Fielder
5. Rick Reuschel
all hardcore fitness buffs.david wells had an insane training regime...
10:00am hit "snooze button"
11:45am wake up
11:47am cook/eat 10 lbs of bacon
11:48am take nap
3:45pm go to stadium
4:15pm eat 3 cheesecakes
4:18pm drink six-pack
4:23pm eat 5 lbs of cotton candy
4:26pm take nap
7:05pm go sit in bullpen
7:17pm eat 17 bags of peanuts
7:30pm take nap
8:45pm 7th inning stretch
9:30pm head back to clubhouse
9:32pm eat 24 twinkies
9:40pm shower, go home
10:30pm turn on spice channel
10:31pm have some beef jerky
10:32pm smoke cigarette
10:35pm eat 7 pizzas, 3 cakes
12:01am drink an 18-pack
12:11am lay on couch, pick toenail
4:55am eat 88 twizzlers
4:57am go to bed
5:43am grab midnight snackLarry Bird showing up early and staying late at practice EVERY DAY!!Walter Payton, hands down. Go back and read your own profiles of him in SI.If you're talking all-time, it's got to be Lou Gehrig. Forcurrent players whatabout someone like Alex Rodriguez or Roger Clemens or even Barry Bonds.Jerry Rice was the hardest working athlete ever. His offseason workout was insane, and played a big part in allowing to play for 2 decades. And in my humble opinion, Rod Woodson is the best CB ever, cover or otherwise.ever heard of Hershel Walker's incredible workouts?Spare Me. I know you placed Deion number one to get responses. Walter Payton would have run over Deion anytime he ran up the hill. If Deion is the hardest working then George W Bush is the smartest president we've ever had...Any list of hardest working athletes that does not include Chris Chelios you file under g for garbage. The guy is 45 and playing one of the most physical sports known and contributing. There is a reason the say winning the Stanely Cup is one of the hardest feets and that is the sheer number of grinding rounds you must play after an 84 game season he has done it year in and year out in 22 postseasons.No love for Greg Ostertag? Manute Bol? And where in the hell is Tony Saragusa? This list is a discrace!!Nobody has followed the McWorkout Plan better than:
Cecil Fielder
Prince Fielder
They order their bats from Louisville Slugger with a side of fries.
Elastic waistbands were made for such a family, and I can even hear Prince Fielder getting fatter here in Australia.In no particular Order
Cal Ripkin Jr.
Brett Favre
Anyone on the 60's packers
Michael Jordan
Jerry RiceC'mon. Rod Woodson was not as good a cover corner as Neon Deion.Vijay Singh, when is he not practicing?Have you guys hear of LANCE ARMSTRONG?? He had stage 4 cancer. He came back after having cancer and won 7 Tour de Frances in a row. Come on, how can he not be in the list? Cycling is one of the toughest sports in the world. The Tour de France the toughest race in the world. There's no doubt THE hardest working athlete ever to live. No doubt.How can you forget Jerry Rice. How many NFL players went out to California to participate in his off-season work outs. Oh yeah, then there is coming back from a torn ACL in less than a season!How in the world could you leave Cal Ripken Jr. off this list?!?!?
Even today, post-MLB, just look at how hard he's still working.
Cal's a team owner, runs a charitable foundation, conducts baseball camps, does a radio show, does speaking engagements, writes books, and serves as a Special Envoy to the state dept.
This is a very hard-working individual.would john holmes be considered an athlete? he worked pretty hard.Not even close to the most hard working of all-time..........Larry Bird lacked great hops and great running speed but he still excelled as the best forward to ever play the game. What made him hard-working was all those dives for loose balls and his unwillingness to let a game end unfavorably. Those dives shortened his career tremendously.
All you need to do is watch Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals to know that Bird was so hard working, he played on when both the offense and the defense gave up.I can't believe you left Hulk Hogan off this list, brotherrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!hardest working: Alonzo Morning and Dennis the worm Rodman. They will workout for about 3 hours after each game night, bike conditioning and weight lifting!Why isn't Tiger Woods on this list? Are you guys all scratch golfers or something close? Do you realize the precision that he has is due to hard work? also, in his prime, why wasn't Bo Jackson added to this list? Better then Deion on both fronts. Deion's mouth (self-promotion) is the only reason he made this list........Where's Jerry Rice on your list?
No one worked harder!!!There is no question this list is not meant to be real. Several names in the comments are easily better than the given list.
For my pick I would go with one of the great endurance runners like Andy Jones or Tim Tweitmeyer. These guys train relentelssly for decades to make their bodies toned, efficient, and strong enough to compete in foot races of 100 to 3,000 miles. Yes, up the three thousand miles. Lance Armstrong is tough but there are guys that can competitively run the Tour de France on foot if needed. And they don't take 12 hour breaks each day to sleep while doing it either.I agree with most others - this article is a joke! We are not talking about people who have simply stayed in the game for a long period of time. It is supposed to be the "Five Hardest Working Athletest" of all time. How do you leave out:
Michael Jordan
Lance Armstrong
Larry Bird
Thats only a short list of so many others who should have topped anyone on your list.Lang needs fired. Did he do any research before writing this article?You are on crack. Deion Sanders? I assume you mean worked out his mouth or credit card to buy yet another ugly suit.
1. Walter Payton (case closed) His off season workouts were legendary. Most other players who worked at his pace threw-up before the end of it.
2. Jerry Rice. He was also known for his off-season work regime. The proof is his long career at a sustained high level.
3. Michael Jordan. When he came in the league, he was an unstoppable offensive force because of his physical skills. He worked on his defense and became the Most Outstanding Defensive Player (remember). Plus, as he got older, he developed that drop-step jumper that was just as unstoppable as Kareem's skyhook.
4. Julio Franco. I agree. You don't still play in the Majors at 49 without working your tail off.
5. Tiger Woods. Look at the guy! Not only is he ripped, but there is no weakness to his game. I'm sure he was born with boat loads of God-given ability, but he doesn't rest on that. He is also legendary for working on his game when others are home or at the bar. He singled-handedly has changed the mind-set of the casual fan that golfers are in fact athletes.There actually seem to be seven:
Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Jerry Rice, hurdler Edwin Moses, Dan Gable Cal Ripken Jr. and Lou Gehrig.What about Mario Lemieux? His overcoming chronic back problems, overcoming cancer, and his hard-working comeback regimes. And all of this to remain one of the top 2 or 3 athletes in HOCKEY!!!Any list with out Chris Chelious is ridiculous.
At 43 the guys still skates 40 minutes a game, and then has an incredible workout after each game, including 45 minutes on the bikeI think you're having some trouble with english. "Hardest Working" implies lots of practicing, tireless effort, playing injured, so on and so forth. What you've come up with is a list of five guys who were good at more than one sport or more than one league of the same sport. Maybe you should have titled it "Five pretty good athletes who do other stuff good too." Also, you left off Bo Jackson.I have to agree with territorial souflee. This has to be the most ridiculous list. Julio Franco? Primetime #1? Roy Jones because he was involved with cockfighting and rap?? Why not Ron Artest and Michael Vick then?? I like Beckham, but you admitted he has been on an insane schedule the past few MONTHS. Maybe you should go to people that have had a little longer history than that. Moreover, these rigorous tasks include flights (probably in a luxury jet), and interviews. I wouldn’t necessarily associate that with “hard work” for a professional athlete.
A short list of athletes who have had a reputation for insane work ethic: Ben Hogan should be number one. He used to hit balls until his hand bled, won major tournaments after a near fatal car wreck. Also worth being there: Karl Malone (insane workout regimine, durable throughout career), Lance Armstrong, Vijay Singh, Barry Bonds, Jerry Rice, Brett Favre, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Nolan Ryan. The list could go on. I don’t think you got any right.There are a lot of really talented, really accomplished athletes on this list, many of whom are arguably the best of all time. Let me suggust someone along slightly different lines, namely Rod Smith of the Denver Broncos. Rod leads all undrafted players in NFL history in every major career receiving category and has solid credentials compared against all NFL receivers. Still, it is more than his accomplishments on the field, it is his drive to make it on the field in the first place and season after season that make him deserve recognition.I can't believe you left Ryan Leaf off this list! You call yourself a sportswriter!Ivan Lendl- succeeded with less talent than his top competitors due to his total commitment to diet, fitness and practice. He basically redefined preparation for an entire sport. Just ask McEnroe!Herschel Walker, Jerry Rice, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Mario Lemieux, Nolan Ryan, Lance Armstrong...this list is a joke. Deion? Really?Gilbert Arenas should at least get a mention:
-He tried to make 100,000 shots in 3 months just this summer,
-and always works out after games,
even well into the season, so that "just when others start to get tired, I hit my groove"Jerry Rice's workout regime was comparable to the regime of Fidel Castro!!! I think you meant regimen!Deion? I thought that was a list of the hardest working athletes not the most physically talented. How come Jerry Rice is not on the list. His workout routine was harder than anyone elses and when athletes 15 years younger than him tried to keep up with him they couldn't come close. Thats what a dedicated hard working athlete is.jim abbott pitched in the major leagues with one arm he is automatically one of the hardest workers in sportsRice... Favre... Ripken Jr... Lance Armstrong... and how can you forget about Ichiro who gets at least 50 infield hits every year just by running hard on every at bat.I would put Jordan, Magic, and Kobe on that list WAY ahead of Neon Moron Deion. Baseball players? Ripken for sure and for the active players, it's hard to find a harder worker than Dodger's center fielder Juan Pierre(we're talking work ethic, not stats).rod brind'amour should be one of themI have to mention Bob Gibson, who had to be paid by the STL Cardinals to stop playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. He was that good.
Oh, and Danny Ainge wasn't just a Celtic, he actually made the Blue Jays.I hate that there aren't any women on this list. How about Kristine Lilly who is captaining the US women's soccer team in the World Cup right now? At 36, not only has she played for the national team 20 years, she's blown away the record for international appearances with 334 as of 9/18/2007. To put that in perspective, that's 59 more than the next person (Mia Hamm) and 153 more than the man with the most appearances. Think of how much work you have to put into playing 90 minutes of international soccer and try to argue that she is not the hardest working athlete. Well, maybe behind Lance Armstrong. But KRISTINE LILLY IS A BEAST!!Let's include some harworking female athletes such as Janet Evans, Peggy Fleming, Chris Evert, Billy Jean Moffit King, and any marathoner male of female.Peyton Manning NEEDS to be on this list.deion was the hardest working athlete, besides all the talk, the rap video, and the jewlery, he worked his butt off to play 2 sports. that means no offseason did i even mention that hes the ONLY athlete to win a world series and a superbowl, he had 30 interceptions his first 6 years, and he went to the pro bowl 8 times.Recent Posts
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