Probably the greatest athlete of AT, not just American athlete, either, lads, would have to be Willie Shoemaker. The skill, strength, coordination and concentration needed in his sport make it the number two test of athletic excellence in all of sporting. Wilt considered Willie the greatest athlete in the world. Look it up. Wilt considered auto racing the number one test of an athlete, of course. Look that up, too. Maybe horse racing did not require enough stamina for him--there was no long haul.
For that reason, I have Mario Andretti at #2, following top dog Willie, though I would not kick if someone insisted Mario was #1.
Babe does not make my top 5 list, but would make my top 10.
The top five athletes of all time:
1 Willie Shoemaker
2 Mario Andretti
3 Jim Thorpe
4 Wilt Chamberlain
5 Stan Jonathan
6 Babe Ruth
*Jonathan was the best fighting hockey player ever. He didn't lose. Period.
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