PunBB

my buddies and i were discussing this the other night over a few beers, and the name that came up the most was Ron Francis...any thoughts?? could be from any sport!

i tried to get them agree on steve young with me, but they seem to think he gets the recognition he deserves..i still disagree thinking he'll forever be shadowed by joe montana, and that his stats would be so much better if he'd been a starter earlier in his career...

Personally, I think Steve Young was every bit as good as Joe Montana so you have a point there. Still, he isn't completely under the radar and is considered a great player.

I can't name the most underrated of all time.

Currently,even though Steve Nash just won an MVP I still think he is underappreciated. Just look at how many people said race had something to do with him beating out Shaq last year. cratch:

I think Jagr doesn't get the credit he deserves from a lot of people. All I hear is that he couldn't win a Cup without Lemieux. My response to that is that Lemieux didn't win a Cup until Jagr joined the team. Lemieux is the better all time player but Jagr is one of the great players of our time in hockey.

Another underrated player that comes to mind is Andre Reed, the ex Buffalo Bill. He was one of the top three receivers in football in his prime.

Stan Musial


and also Paul Coffey.

Tiger Woods by far, I mean how many majors has the guy won, and there's hardly any mention of him in the media. I'm sick of it, the guy is a world class golfer and it's time he gets the recognition he deserves.

Terry Fox in a landslide. I never hear him mentioned in these types of things.

northern wave Wrote:Terry Fox in a landslide. I never hear him mentioned in these types of things.

Great call :thumb:
For most of us it would be almost impossible to even complete a single marathon, and even then we would have to train for months. What Terry did is absolutely astounding

If someone says Crosby I'm going to punch them :lol: :lol:

emperor penguin Wrote:

northern wave Wrote:Terry Fox in a landslide. I never hear him mentioned in these types of things.

Great call :thumb:
For most of us it would be almost impossible to even complete a single marathon, and even then we would have to train for months. What Terry did is absolutely astounding

Greatest athletic achievement I've ever heard of. Not million dollar contracts...not for fame and fortune...pure heart...beautiful

emperor penguin Wrote:Tiger Woods by far, I mean how many majors has the guy won, and there's hardly any mention of him in the media. I'm sick of it, the guy is a world class golfer and it's time he gets the recognition he deserves.

I'm assuming that your post is coated with three or four layers of sarcasm.

Surely you jest?

If not, then it must be a "Canada" thing....because down here, he gets as much "run" as any professional athlete I've ever known.

The Horrible Esthete Wrote:

emperor penguin Wrote:Tiger Woods by far, I mean how many majors has the guy won, and there's hardly any mention of him in the media. I'm sick of it, the guy is a world class golfer and it's time he gets the recognition he deserves.

I'm assuming that your post is coated with three or four layers of sarcasm.

Surely you jest?

If not, then it must be a "Canada" thing....because down here, he gets as much "run" as any professional athlete I've ever known.

:lol: :lol: ya I was being sarcastic

emperor penguin Wrote::lol: :lol: ya I was being sarcastic

:lol: I wondered how anyone could seriously believe such a thing....


As far as 'underrated' athletes go, I might vote for Thurman Thomas. People always mention the Paytons, the Browns, the Sanders', the Dickersons, the Smiths, the Allens, etc. when talking about great NFL RBs; Thomas deserves to be in the same discussion but never seems to be....

clearlyentranced Wrote:If someone says Crosby I'm going to punch them :lol: :lol:

Sidney Crosby.

I think Im the most underrated athlete of all time. I used to kick major ass in minor hockey, my best year ever..

26-2-2
GAA:1.5
Sv%:.970

Career:

North London Minor Hockey Championships

9

MVP Awards

5

South London Hockey Championships

3

MVP Awards

1

Tough question!

Francis would be a good choice. Dale Hawerchuk might be another... "poor" guy was a great centre but had the misfortune of joining the NHL at the same time as a couple of guys named Gretzky and Lemieux.

How 'bout Donovan Bailey? It's been a decade now, and the guy has all but faded away. People still talk about Ben Johnson more than they do him.

Or Moses Fleetwood Walker. He broke baseball's colour barrier 70 years before Jackie Robinson, never gets credit for it. Said to have been a helluva player. I'd assume lack of footage hurts his cause.

And speaking of the Negro leagues, Josh Gibson hit 84 homers in 190 games in 1936, yet he's rarely held to the same esteem as the Sultan of Chunky Wife-Beaters or that whiny chump Barry Bonds.

I've always kinda thought Jean Beliveau and Howie Morenz play second fiddle to Richard and LaFleur when people discuss Habs greats.

But, in my opinion, the most underrated athlete of all time is Lionel Conacher. Canada's Athlete of The Half Century in 1950. He never gets the credit he deserves and would be a folk hero anywhere else on earth.

Here's his bio:

- Canadian Light heavyweight boxing champion in 1921

- Played with the Toronto Argonauts and won the Grey Cup in 1921

- Ran the 100 yard dash in 10 seconds flat when the world record was 9.8 seconds in 1922

- Played lacrosse for the Toronto Maitlands and won the Ontario Amateur Lacrosse championship in 1922

- Played with the Toronto Maple Leafs semi-pro baseball team and won the AAA championship in 1926

- In 1933, he created the first pro football league in Canada

- Played in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 1934, and then with the Canadiens in 1935

- He also managed to wrestle professionally in Maple Leaf Gardens during the Depression, and play pro soccer.

He later went on to become an MP in 1949.