Who was the most INTIMIDATING athlete of all time?

[barrysloate]

For me it's Lyle Alzado...since he once threatened to beat me up!

[sox1903wschamp]

"Pre" or Steve Prefontaine. He intimidated all runners right into the ground.

Don Drysdale for baseball. I like the Willie Mays story.

[tachyonbb]

Baseball: Bob Gibson

Football: Dick Butkus

Basketball: Bill Russell

Wrestling: Dan Gable

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

For me it's Lyle Alzado...since he once threatened to beat me up!

Barry, you could have taken him.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Kawika

Barry, you could have taken him.

Not bloody likely. But I could hide.

[Leon]

I don't know if "intimidating" is the correct word but I think Michael Jordon in his prime was about as dominant as an athlete can get.....or Mark Spitz in the '72 Olympics.....

[Exhibitman]

Intimidating IMO means that the guy scares opponents before he does anything just by his presence.

Boxing: Mike Tyson in his heyday. He basically made opponents wet their pants before the bell rang. Add to that the fact that he was a street criminal in his youth, a rapist in his adulthood, and by all admissions of people close to him has violent mood swings, and I think you have a genuinely scary, violent customer.

Baseball: Ty Cobb [vintage] and Nolan Ryan. Cobb won through intimidation, which is why he had so few friends. Ryan took no crap from anyone, ever. Plus his beatdown of Robin Ventura is a classic.



Football: They Call Me Assassin was one of my favorite sports books as a kid, so I have to go with Jack Tatum. Honorable mention to Jim Brown--if he couldn't go around you, he'd just go through you. 5.22 yards per carry for his career, highest all time, and averaged over 100 yards per game for his career.

Basketball: Bill Russell. He changed entire game plans with his defensive play. 22.5 rebounds per game for a career.

Hockey: The Hammer, Dave Schultz. The baddest bad boy on the Broad Street Bullies.

[Ejm1]

Marvin Hagler

Mike Tyson, until he met Robin Givins

John Randle was pretty scary

I always thought Ben Wallace in basketball looked like a bas a**

Clemente had a look to him like he was all business

[Leon]

He's not the world champion anymore but not many folks would like to meet Brock in the alley...