Top 10 Old Man Athletes of All-Time (1 Viewer)

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I know it's apples and oranges, but what top athletes today would sign up during a major war?

Tillman is the closest equivalent for today, I think.

I don't know the specifics for these guys, but odds are they were drafted.

 

[identikit]

I don't know the specifics for these guys, but odds are they were drafted.

Good point...

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

And the Splendid Splinter gets my old man batter title. .388 @ 39yo after two tours of duty, still ripping it when he quit 3 yrs later and coulda did 5 yrs more without anyone but Teddy Ballgame knowing the difference.

In an interview with Bob Costas, Williams said a lot of those hits were opposite field on fastballs because he had lost bat speed and couldn't pull the ball against heat anymore. 

 

[Gally]

Greg Oden..........(oh wait, you meant actually old and not just old looking)

 

[tri-man 47]

A couple of top US Olympians:

Swimmer Dara Torres, who won three silver medals at age 41.

Carl Lewis, who won gold at age 35.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The Nature Boy...."Wooooooooooo"

 

[identikit]

Greg Oden..........(oh wait, you meant actually old and not just old looking)

Plus he needed to be actually good.

 

[identikit]

I'll probably butcher this story, but Musial was asked (well after he retired) how he would fare against the current day pitchers.

Stan said something to the effect that he'd hit .270

The interviewer said, but Stan, you're a career 300+ hitter.

Stan said something like , 'Well, I'm 63 years old, so yeah'

All from memory, but the gist is there.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Sure but it's one thing to biff some young punk at a bar than it is to knockout prime world class athletes. I give George a ton of credit for coming back off the couch, getting back into the game pulling off something nobody had ever done. 

Plus he invented the best thing since the waffle iron.

 

[Willie Neslon]

Ralphie Valladaras has to be considered.

 

[Doug B]

Ralphie Valladaras has to be considered.

We got him   At first, all Dan L could remember was “old guy on roller derby” but Google came through.

 

[zamboni]

I think for the NBA, we start with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar starting 155 regular-season games for the Lakers after age 40, and being a 14 ppg scorer on an NBA title team at age 41.

Might have done it for longer if he didn’t have to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court all those years.

 

[zamboni]

For hockey, hard to beat Mr. Hockey himself, but Jaromir Jagr deserves a mention as well.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Let's figure this out, including the criteria.

I'm not suggesting the following are indeed Top-10.  They're just conversation starters.

1. George Foreman
   
2. Gordie Howie
   
3. Nolan Ryan
   
4. Tom Brady
   
5. Jack Nicklaus
   
6. Phil Mickelson
   
7. George Blanda
   
8. Jackie Slater
   
9. LeBron James
   
10. Willie Mosconi
    

ETA: Satchel Paige, duh

ETA, deaux:  Willie Shoemaker, and his other brother, Willie Stargell.

Wait what? Bruce Lee never even made it to old age. Brown retired at age 30. 

I thought the thread was actually about athletes that only the old men saw play vs IDK...my 21 year old son who never got to see Michael Jordan play Basketball, my apologies as I thought I was being funny with a few of the entries but I can clearly see I misread the thread topic. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

1. Michael Jordan

2. Dan Marino

3. Dr J...Dr J!!!

4. Randy "Macho Man" Savage...screw u!

5. Larry Bird

6. Marvin Hagler

7. Caitlyn Jenner...we called him Bruce

8. Linda Carter...let's be real here, my gawd!!!

9. Jim Brown...if not on list you lose!

10. Bruce Lee...he could kick everyone's ###. 

I am not following this logic in the slightest.  

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I am not following this logic in the slightest.  

You are about 7 minutes late...scroll up 1 and I agree with you Binks

 

[Binky The Doormat]

You are about 7 minutes late...scroll up 1 and I agree with you Binks

saw that ...figured

 

[Chaz McNulty]

Oscar Swahn!

 

[Zegras11]

Ralphie Valladaras has to be considered.

I grew up watching him and the T Birds

 

[Ilov80s]

I thought the thread was actually about athletes that only the old men saw play vs IDK...my 21 year old son who never got to see Michael Jordan play Basketball, my apologies as I thought I was being funny with a few of the entries but I can clearly see I misread the thread topic. 

Oh that makes way more sense lol. 

 

[arrow1]

Phil Niekro

 

[popeye]

Wilt Chamberlin

After finishing up with the NBA, he continued with volleyball and track and field.  

 

[zamboni]

Wilt Chamberlin

After finishing up with the NBA, he continued with volleyball and track and field.  

And mattress mambo.

 

[NewlyRetired]

What Zlatan has done the last couple of years I don't believe has ever been done before by a soccer player of his age.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Ottis Anderson for what he did late in his career at RB

Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl at 43

John Elway went out with B2B Super Bowls around 38-39 in the late 90s. 

John Riggins and his late career including running all over Don McNeal en route to a Super Bowl MVP

Mariano Rivera who was striking out the best well into his 40s. 

Ricky Henderson to my knowledge played Baseball into his mis late 40s. 

Julio Franco played for the Atlanta Braves and NY Mets very very late into his career, in fact he sorta left the game in '97 or seemed like he was on his way out in his late 30s and ended up playing until he was 48 years old!

George Blanda played until 46, maybe Tom wants to have that record as well. 

Better list than my 1st and still 2 short of the requested 10. 

 

[Navin Johnson]

Maybe it’s true AND you’re high.

:mindblown: 

win-win

 

[Navin Johnson]

If Bonds doesn't get black balled he probably plays at least another three years to age 45.  Led the league in OBP and had an OPS north of 1.000 his final season.

 

[zamboni]

It was just one moment in time, but Jimmy Connors’ run to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals at age 39 was pretty cool. And I could never stand the guy.

The one point people still talk about

 

[identikit]

It was just one moment in time, but Jimmy Connors’ run to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals at age 39 was pretty cool. And I could never stand the guy.

The one point people still talk about

Absolutely love the guy.

That was a great Open.

 

[ChiefD]

It was just one moment in time, but Jimmy Connors’ run to the 1991 U.S. Open semifinals at age 39 was pretty cool. And I could never stand the guy.

The one point people still talk about

I remember being in college during that run. Me and my roommates never watched tennis in our lives, and we were glued to the TV watching and cheering his every point during that run.

Incredible. 

 

[brun]

My dad is 79, and we golf a few times a week. It’s only 9 holes but we walk...

Lets see if Phil is still golfing at 79. 

Years ago I was on an executive 9 hole course. We had just caught up to an old couple in front of us in a cart. The ranger guy came by us and asked to be patient and just play thru when we get a chance. He let us know that the man was 95 and the woman was 87.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

For hockey, hard to beat Mr. Hockey himself, but Jaromir Jagr deserves a mention as well.

Might as well add Patrick Marleau he recently broke the games played record

 

[E Street Brat]

For hockey, hard to beat Mr. Hockey himself, but Jaromir Jagr deserves a mention as well.

Jaromir Jagr  is to cool to get old

 

[zamboni]

For hockey, hard to beat Mr. Hockey himself, but Jaromir Jagr deserves a mention as well.

Might as well add Patrick Marleau he recently broke the games played record

Fair point. Jagr is on a different level and has done it for longer, but Marleau deserves a lot of props. Chris Chelios is another.

 

[zamboni]

For hockey, hard to beat Mr. Hockey himself, but Jaromir Jagr deserves a mention as well.

Jaromir Jagr  is to cool to get old

He should grow the mullet back for one last NHL hurrah at age 50.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Fair point. Jagr is on a different level and has done it for longer, but Marleau deserves a lot of props. Chris Chelios is another.

When I heard he broke the record I was honestly shocked he was still playing 

 

[Bogart]

Plus he invented the best thing since the waffle iron.

My favorite urban legend/half truth is that the Foreman Grill was originally offered to Hulk Hogan, who turned it down for either a meatball maker or a blender, depending on which day of the week the story is told. Cost Hogan somewhere in the vicinity of $200 million dollars.

 

[zamboni]

When I heard he broke the record I was honestly shocked he was still playing 

Same here - he’s been a bit of a hanger-on, but have to give him credit.

 

[Doug B]

Going back to tennis, Martina Navratilova won three mixed doubles Grand Slams after her 46th birthday -- her last at the 2006 U.S. Open less than two months shy of turning 50.

 

[AAABatteries]

Going back to tennis, Martina Navratilova won three mixed doubles Grand Slams after her 46th birthday -- her last at the 2006 U.S. Open less than two months shy of turning 50.

I think it's kind of frowned upon nowadays to call Martina an old man.

 

[jon_mx]

How can we be deep on page 2 and Usain Bolt not be even mentioned.  The most incredible runner ever.

 

[Doug B]

How can we be deep on page 2 and Usain Bolt not be even mentioned.  The most incredible runner ever.

Bolt retired from track right about when he turned 31 in 2017, after that year's World Championships. No doubt that dominating three consecutive Olympiads is an all-time track-&-field feat, but not a feat based on pushing through "sports old age".

 

[jon_mx]

Bolt retired from track right about when he turned 31 in 2017, after that year's World Championships. No doubt that dominating three consecutive Olympiads is an all-time track-&-field feat, but not a feat based on pushing through "sports old age".

OK...Didn't understand the exact criteria.  

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

The Babe played until he was forty. Hit 36 HR at 38.