I listened to the show (as a podcast) and was curious to hear how many women would be named. 1 on the air (Nadia Comanechi) and a few others in the comments sections. How about Billy Jean King, Navratalova, Graff in tennis. Shannon Miller in Gymnastics. Ekaterina Witt in Figure Skating (winning back to back olympic golds is pretty amazing). We have the habit of following the guys because of high profile teams. The women do OK too!

Jerry West. Loved his jump shot -- tried to model my own on it when I was high school age -- and his quiet commitment. Lately, I've been looking at clips on youtube and he's still a joy to watch.

Ken Dryden - the best all-around person and star goalie for the Canadians and Cornell.

My favorites- Inane and Vacuous.

BillieJean King, for her stylish win on the court in the 'battle of the sexes'. Torvil & Dean, for changing ice-dancing forever. Olga K and Nadia K.....no one like those 2 everafter.

Did you ever see Jackie Robinson dance on the base lines, especially if he was on 3rd base. Exciting athlete like no other. Pitchers were rattled, the game was so exciting more so when the Dodgers played the hated Yankees. Remember, as one priest stated not only were the Yankees hated but so were those who supported them. Brooklyn lives as does the memories of the 'old Dodgers.'

My favorite for years (from 1040'S) is Ralph Kiner. I have always been a fan of baseball as was my grandmother and mother who liked Honus Wagner and Arky Vaughn. When most girls in my High School were swooning over Frank Sinatra I used to watch all the Pirate games and wait for Ralph to drive past my Aunts house in his white convertible. After the war I married a New Yorker and moved to NYC and became a Met fan eventually and think Ralph was (and still is) one the the best anouncers of all time.Some of his baseball stories are GREAT.

Eric heiden--foto of him speeding down the lane in that silver suit - achieved even more later as a caring and non publicity seeking doctor

he excelled in both worlds and that image turned speed skating around

I have two all-time favorites, Dorothy Hamill and Michael Jordan. Michael because he is unquestionably the best player in the history of team sports. And Dorothy because she is simply the best figure skater ever and absolutely the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes upon.

When you were listing all the attributes of Derek Jeter and why he was your choice for BEST ATHELETE EVER, I thought that all of those wonderful qualities describe YOU and your show as well. I'm serious!
Truly appreciate you and all that goes into your show. Always learn something!
Be Well,
Barry

Former heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney,also a Shakespearean schlolar,lectured at Yale,sat on the boards of a dozen US blue chip companies.Wrote and published two books one one which an autobiography.Married heiress to the Andrew Carnigie fortune, Polly Lauder.One of Tunney's children ,John Tunney became a Senator from Califonia.
He had defeated the great Jack Dempsey twice to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Considering that he was born poor and uneducated in NYC makes this a remarkable story.

Mark Johnson who played on the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team and currently coaches UW-Madison Women's hockey

and
Beezie Madden rides Jumpers in Olympics and World Cups I grew up riding with her, she is extremely hard working and humble and treats her co athlete the horse so well!!

Hard to pick a favorite - I have so many - but I love (even now for her brilliance with others) - "Skater's skater" and World Champion Yuka Sato

My favorite athlete is Leslie Cook. In 1974, I was 12 attending 7th grade in a public school in Greenville, Michigan. There was no girls basket ball team, and Leslie dared to try out for the boy's team and was in the starting line up for two full years on the "boy's" basketball team!

As for famous athletes, Ogla Korbut. I will never forget that back flip/catch on the uneven bars.

Davis Love, III. Not only is he a great golfer, he has stayed true to being a truly nice person. I've talked to him over the years at tournaments, and he's always been interested in what you say and is very caring for the disadvantaged. I think he epitomizes what a great athlete should be.

Carol

I am the person who called about seeing Satchel Paige with my Dad. Thank you for clarifyiing what team he was pitching for back then. My Dad used to take me to the Yankee farm team games in Miami.
It's one of my sweetest childhood memories. I've been a lifelong baseball fan and one reason is that it has wonderful associations for me with my Dad.

Stan the Man....name says it all

Carol, you are right about Satchel Paige and the Marlins. I had a similar situation in 1993 in what was probably a pre-season game in the first year of the Florida Marlins franchise. I told my rowdy nephew to sit quietly and remember always and forever that he was lucky to have had a chance to watch Nolan Ryan pitch...he has never forgotten it.

Lou Gehrig for athletic achievement and humility as a public figure. He is the model upon which Derek Jeter has shaped his character.

As a Mets fan, Derek Jeter was just about the only Yankee I liked, until the 2007 news report of his claiming to live in Florida to escape paying New York taxes. The city has given him so much, and he claims to be proud to be a Yankee, so he should support the city with a tiny fraction of his billions.

Usain Bolt.

I have never been as impressed by a group of players as three that competed in the recent NBA playoffs - Derek Rose, Kevin Durant and Dirk Novitski all demonstrate a truly rare combination of incredible talent, commitment, humility, genuineness and smarts. I felt honored to be able to watch them.

Love Andre Agassi. He became so much more lovable as he got to the end of his career and increased attention to NY Open with so many devoted fans rooting for him. He and Steffi *(also a fav) are now a class act together.

Ozzie Smith, Cardinals short stop. Never a team sport follower I came to baseball late (in my early 40s), watching with a Cardinal fan when Ozzie was playing against the Atlanta Braves. Watching him turn in the air to deliver a ground ball to first or second was a balletic as watching Baryshnikov. And like ohers you mentioned, he seemed so egoless, just quietly delivering the goods.

In response to a phone call, Satchel Paige played for the Miami Marlins in the 1950s. They were a farm team of the Phillies.

The CAPTAIN, Mark Messier. He was tough, skilled, great on face-offs, an all-time leading scorer, solid defensively, and probably the greatest leader in any sport.

Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods...
His personal Life aside, there has never been a more focused athlete, EVER...For those who know how golf challenges the man/woman on a personal, mental, and physical level, Tiger Woods is hands down the greatest Athlete of all time. Oh not to mention the immense good he is doing for the children of the country though the Tiger Woods Foundation.

My favorite athlete of all time is the Brazilian soccer player Edson Arrantes do Nasciniento alias PELE. I like him because of his talents, his brilliance, his fair-play. He is a gentleman on and out of the soccer field.

Duke Snyder. Had the good fortune to see him in his last years with the Mets. A class act all the way.

the Norwegian cross-country skier who won that event in the winter olympics in Norway. No fist pumping, no screaming. Norway is a culture which values modesty as well as being really good at something. We could learn from that.

Stephen Colbert--look how many Olympic teams he tried out for! ; )

Close call between Kelly Slater, surfer and Shaun Palmer, snowboarder.

Their impact on the extreme sports world is immeasurable.

Brian, Nadia was a gymnast. Your caller was too kind to correct you.

Tim Riggins.
Oh, wait...

Tom Seaver. When the Mets were a joke -- as they often have been -- Seaver joined them and changed the culture. A winner, a leader, a smart man. And he and his wife took out an ad that said, in essence, If the Mets can win the World Series, why can't we find a way to get out of Vietnam?

Muhammad Ali!!! Charisma, athleticism, wit and of course, good looks.

Steffi Graf!!
For her athletic ability, her seeming calm but at the same time, obvious emotion on the court. AT every moment, she seemed to be playing out this incredible Freudian drama with her father. She seemed to take no real joy in winning - and what about her inability over the course of her career, most of it spent as the #1 player in the world, to master the topspin backhand??!! It made rooting for her both pleasurable and agonizing.

Don Mattingly aka Donnie Baseball. Was my idol growing up in the 80s-early 90s. Awesome talent, hard nosed player both on offense and defense, lefty like me, just the quintessential Yankee. Would have been a no doubt HOF if his back didnt give him problems the last 5-6 years of his career.

I can't believe no one mentions Mariano Rivera! Made me love baseball again. Humility, skill, grace, faith. He does what he does.

Please also consider the recently retired mare Zenyatta -- she is a great athlete, competitor and has a generous spirit.
I also saw the great horse Citation run -- he too was a great athlete.
Among humans, i share the admiration for
Muhammed Ali.

Shaq!

Because he is publicly supportive of the Arts. I wish more professional athletes spent time and money on the arts and cultural programs.

Easy! But I have to mention two:
Joe Montana, the quarterback for the SF 49ers, with his beautiful and accurate throws, not to mention his witty turn on Saturday Nite Live.
And the great Willie Mays playing for the SF Giants--always wonderful, if moving past his prime near the end.
And yes...I'm from the Bay Area.

Andre Agassi! His career was so interesting, and he combatted and (mostly) overcame his demons... and he was, and still is, adorable!

JIMMY CONNORS. Fun, exciting, determination and commitment.

Kelly Slater has been dominating his sport (surfing) for over two decades, has held the number 1 title for 9 years and has impacted professional surfing like nobody else:

http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/20591/could+kelly+slater+be+the+best+athlete+ever+no+seriously/

Brian,

Yes yes yes...I was thinking of Arthur Ashe also.

Same deal...I watched him as a kid and was so impressed with every aspect of his personality...on court and especially off court.

Andre Agassi best personality, career, 2nd career, & post-career philanthropy! Just getting to see him at the US Open was a life long dream.

# 9...Mr. Hockey...Gordie Howe

Joan Benoit Samuelson - the winner of the 1st womens Olympic marathon in LA in 1984. She won the race less than two weeks after arthoscopic knee surgery. A Maine native - true grit, honor and dignity. And she is still running today.

And of course there is Olga Korbet - the Russian gymnast that won the hearts of all who watched the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento
Pele is the greatest player in the most watched sport in the world. The top goal scorer of all time.

The Jamaican Bobsled team, Eddie the Eagle and always, the last to cross the finish line of the NYC Marathon.

Zenyatta. She was elegant, powerful and heroic. Although a horse, she is my favorite athlete.

Right now its gotta be Abby Wambach. What a shot! In the post game interview she mentioned the spirit of the country and the spirit of the team with charm and humility.

The Saints QB Drew Brees is my favorite. The morale he brought to New Orleans post-Karina gave a new joy to the city. We waited a lifetime for that win!

Also a baseball-plus-tennis (and a little NASCAR) guy. While a New Yorker and ultimately a Mets fan, the guy who made the biggest childhood impression - a combination of his humble demeanor and flamboyant delivery - was Fernando Valenzuela of the expatriate Dodgers.

Billy Jean King--excellent athlete and also the first (I think) athlete to come out as a lesbian.

When I was a kid my favorite Yankee was Bobby Murcer...broke my heart when they traded him to San Francicso...later on, Don Mattingly took his place...came to work every day.

Jamie McMurray-NASCAR
Supper nice guy on and off the track! Always so humble when he has a good day at the track.

1. Billie Jean King
2. ZENYATTA!

arthur ashe!

Michael Phelps

Diego Armando Maradonna - to be the best at a world-wide sport like soccer. The man was a genius.

Roger Federer! He is graceful and beautiful to watch on and off the court. He was utterly dominant for so long, but he also was vulnerable (to Rafael Nadal). His longevity in a sport where most players are plagued by injuries is amazing. He made the best King of Tennis EVER.

Derek Sanderson

Ben Cohen. Retired English rugby star, for his international anti-bullying campaign.

Marty Brodeur

Ruffian. Beautiful and literally gave it her all.

Tie: Edwin Moses, Wayne Gretsky and Secretariat.

Olga Korbut! The first Olympics I can remember seeing, and she seemed so joyful and exquisite!

Jeter is a great player, an easy hall of famer, but he's not my favorite athlete ever, or even my favorite player on the team. Mariano Rivera is simply in a class of his own - there's nobody like him, and nobody who can even touch his accomplishments on the field. My father sums it up best any time we see him enter a game - it's not often that you can say somebody is the best that's ever been at something. That's Mo.

Secretariat.
He was, cimply, magnificent, and made bing simply bmagnificent seem simple.

Billie Jean King: For what she did for women's rights and the LGBT community.

Sandy Koufax

SInce I grew up as a teenager in the home in which his family had previously resided in Brooklyn (all the kids on my block had had him as a baby sitter)

1) As on of the few Jews in baseball he befriended and supported the newly admitted Black ball players on the Brooklyn Dodgers

2) Collectively conspired with All Star teammate Don Drysdale to break the
$ 100,000 salary barrier, rather than signing a contract only for himself. Helped provide momentum for the creation of 'free agency", which finally gave players a fairer share of the owner's profits

3) Refused to pitch on Rosh Hasanah during the 1966 World Series, putting principal over winning

4) Quitting at the age of 30, during the height of his career, in which he pitched 27 complete games in his last year (perhaps more than in the entire league now),

Willie Stargel, one of the star batters at the time, said that hitting against Sandy Koufax was like trying to drink coffee with a fork

The Yankees are over-rated and over-paid, and NYC taxpayers will be stuck paying for the stadium forever (and ever).

Pat Tillman. Someone whose off-the-field actions are notable for something good.

I grew up in the 70's when tennis was king. favorite of all time - Bjorn Borg. close second, Martina Navratalova

Wilma Rudolph! An unbelievably graceful and gracious athlete from Tenn. who overcame a childhood infirmity against many odds ...she won three Golds at the 1960 Rome Olympics (100 and 200 meter dash, anchored the 400 meter relay). Insisted -- against tradition -- that the homecoming in her honor in Clarksville, Tenn., be integrated. A woman of valor...

As a kid, my friend's dad would take us to the Nassau Coliseum to try and meet some of the Islanders and visitng team players before the games. In these experiences, and Brett Hull was by far the nicest athlete I ever met. Even though I am an Islanders fam, I became a lifelong Brett Hull fan because of how nice he was in these interactions. I remember them to this day.

Roger Federer, Tennis
He is pure poetry in motion

My favorite athlete of all time is thiery Henry, the soccer star who currently plays for the NY Red Bulls. In his hay day, he played for the London soccer team Arsenal, where he holds the record for most goals of all time. He not only was a scorring machine, but was the most skilled and graceful player i ever saw.

Dara Torres!!

My favorite athlete of all time was not a competitive athlete. She is Vicky Unus, a circus star with Ringling Bros., who did an act which consisted of pivoting her entire body up and around her right shoulder as she hung from an end of a rope with one hand. She usually did 100 of these swingovers at a time. Her record was over 200!!

Michael Jordan. Put up with a bad team (unlike LeBron.) He could will his team to victory. Retired in his prime and tried to work his way into baseball from the bottom. Returned to basketball and won 3 more titles. Simply the best basketball player ever.

Jean Beliveau, for his leadership, style and superior play, as Captain of the Canadiens, leading them to Stanley Cups by the truckfull. He was the embodient of sportsmanship, and was offered the post of Governor General of Canada (equivalent to ceremonial President). #4 was like Dimaggio and Stan Musial rolled into one.

Pete Rose