Heroes from your Youth

[SissyBoyFloyd]

Which players in any sports would be closest to being what we refer to as a childhood hero? If your older, who is that player from the 20th century that you tell younger people you remember and saw play and loved most as a kid. And for you younger fans, who is a current or recent player that, when you get old, you will be telling your grandkids that you saw play and loved the most way back in the early 21st century.

I will list a few others as the thread progresses, there are so many from my youth. However, #1 by far will always be Mickey Mantle. I was about 10, long before there was anything but the daily newspaper to read a bit of players performances. I would rush each morning across the street to the news stand, grab a paper I couldn't afford to buy, and turn to the sports page to see how many homers Mantle hit the day before. Then put the paper back in the stand. On Saturdays the Yanks were usually the game of the week on TV, so got to see him play a lot that way. I would stand up and take my batting stance when he came to the plate and when he homered I would swing and run around the imaginary bases in my small living room imitating that gimpy Mantle limp as I circled the living room. I can still remember what a joy it was to me, a poor fatherless kid with little to be joyous about. Remembering that, makes one realize the importance of a sports hero to a kid who had such little to be happy about.

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

It wasn't until a teen that I totally was into football, and during that time it was Bullet Bob Hayes that I was enthralled with. Monday mornings while riding the bus to school I would read the sport section mainly to see how long his Sunday TDs were, 50, 60, 70 yards were the norm. Bullet Bob was the 60's version of Tyreek Hill.

Then it was on to the back page of the sports section to see how many races Willie Shoemaker won the day before at Hollywood Park or San Anita. I always thought back then why doesn't everyone just bet on him every race he won so often. He was truly amazing.

 

[oaken1]

Pete Rose. I walked away from baseball the day they banned him from the hall.... he and Johnny Bench were the best.

Bruce Jenner .... I must have eaten a hundred boxes of Wheaties just because Bruce was on the box. They had pictures of his medals on the back of the box with stories about the various events he competed in.

Howie Long and Mark Gastineau .... the two most dominant defensive ends I had ever seen and the guys who inspired me to play defense and be a pass rusher

meadowlark and Curly. I never missed an opportunity to see the globetrotters play because these guys just made basketball fun

 

[Beaver]

Wade Boggs. The reason why I am a Red Sox fan today. I suspect it is because he looked like my Dad.

Barry Sanders. Didn't look like my Dad but was the most fun to watch.

 

[SECTION 11]

Rick Berns

 

[THESMEL]

Multiple Punt return champion, multiple rushing champion, take a head ripping off from Butkus, get up, get down, give Butkus more then he gave! Yea never seen a better football player then Leroy Kelly. Hit em hard, hit em low, if they get back up - hit em again, you could tell who he was- because he was a mudder! A long lost skill in today’s NFL.

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[tnmike]

I had a lot of players that I liked but no heroes. My hero has always been my Dad. He taught me how to be a man just by watching him. He's been gone 11 years now and I think about him every day

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

Rick Berns

1980 was his best year with the Bucs. That one 17 yard scamper he had was something to remember.

 

[Ronin]

My dad and mom.

 

[Shaggy]

Barry Sanders! I wasnt enamoured by him but he was really the only player I ever was a fan of back in the early 90s.

 

[PACardsFan]

My Mom & Dad will always be my ultimate heroes, but there were sports heroes too. My Dad was a baseball Cardinal fan all the way back to the Gashouse Gang. I became a Cardinal fan watching them beat the Yankees in the 64 WS. My favorite players were Lou Brock & Bob Gibson in the 60’s & Ted Simmons in the 70’s. I became a football Cardinals fan in 64 also. My favorite early players were Charley Johnson, Bobby Joe Conrad, and Jackie Smith. We loved college football & I grew up in Syracuse, NY. My favorite players were Larry Csonka & Floyd Little. My favorite NBA players were Dave DeBusshere, Walt Frazier, and Willis Reed of the Knicks. My favorite hockey player was Ken Dryden of the Canadiens.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

Ozzie Smith.

 

[speedy]

Rocky Balboa.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

My Mom & Dad will always be my ultimate heroes, but there were sports heroes too. My Dad was a baseball Cardinal fan all the way back to the Gashouse Gang. I became a Cardinal fan watching them beat the Yankees in the 64 WS. My favorite players were Lou Brock & Bob Gibson in the 60’s & Ted Simmons in the 70’s. I became a football Cardinals fan in 64 also. My favorite early players were Charley Johnson, Bobby Joe Conrad, and Jackie Smith. We loved college football & I grew up in Syracuse, NY. My favorite players were Larry Csonka & Floyd Little. My favorite NBA players were Dave DeBusshere, Walt Frazier, and Willis Reed of the Knicks. My favorite hockey player was Ken Dryden of the Canadiens.

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[AZCrazy]

Was into baseball before I discovered football.
Late 70's in the northeast.

Greg Nettles, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson......

 

[ajcardfan]

The most exciting athlete in my childhood memory was Ali. Even the lead up to the fights were exciting. By the day of the fight, the anticipation was incredible. Then, the fights almost always delivered great entertainment.

 

[HammerCards]

Not a hero but I will tell my grandkids about the greatest golfer to ever live, Tiger Woods. Most dominant athlete in their sport of all time.

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

I remember and appreciated, even at the age of 8-10 the great Milwaukee Braves teams of the late 50s. Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Spahn, and Burdette. I think their world series appearances back then were the first games I remember ever watching on TV.

I even remember the '59 series with the White Sox. I was thinking it was the Braves, but that is wrong. I do remember Nellie Fox on the Sox and that funny bottle bat he used, very short with huge barrel which he still choked up with. Must have helped him for he is still one of the all time top 3 hardest players to strike out. Batted some years around .350 and only struck out about 1 in 50 at bats. Always had a lump of tobacco in his cheek, which I believed caused his cancer which killed him at young age of 47.

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

Not a hero but I will tell my grandkids about the greatest golfer to ever live, Tiger Woods. Most dominant athlete in their sport of all time.

Not sure I can buy that, maybe one of the most ..... Marciano, Phelps, Gretzky, Pele, who else?

 

[oaken1]

Was into baseball before I discovered football.
Late 70's in the northeast.

Greg Nettles, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson......

when I was a kid we used to go down to the Modesto A's field and shag balls for them at practice... they paid you five bucks for every ball you returned which was huge money...I always wondered why...when you could go to K Mart and buy a whole bag of baseballs for 4,50...

one day Reggie Jackson was playing... he hit one over center and I got the ball. when I went around to the field the manager was really being a jerk trying to make me give up the ball.. but I wouldnt.... got Reggie to sign it for me instead.
all summer long I played ball with my Reggie Jackson ball... even risked my life against a few pitbulls when the ball went over the wrong fence, lol... by the end of summer that ball was filthy and the autograph was well worn off... but I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood for weeks. I must have been around 7 or so at the time. Reggie had a reputation for being a selfish jackass... but the dude has always been top notch in my book

 

[Minski]

Barry Sanders
Hulk Hogan
Carl Lewis
Scottie Pippen
Rory Underwood

 

[QuebecCard]

Maurice "Rocket" Richard and Jean Beliveau.

True cultural icons who transcended their sport of hockey.

And "Hammerin" Hank Aaron (the true HR king) and also a bit larger than the sport.

 

[tnmike]

when I was a kid we used to go down to the Modesto A's field and shag balls for them at practice... they paid you five bucks for every ball you returned which was huge money...I always wondered why...when you could go to K Mart and buy a whole bag of baseballs for 4,50...

one day Reggie Jackson was playing... he hit one over center and I got the ball. when I went around to the field the manager was really being a jerk trying to make me give up the ball.. but I wouldnt.... got Reggie to sign it for me instead.
all summer long I played ball with my Reggie Jackson ball... even risked my life against a few pitbulls when the ball went over the wrong fence, lol... by the end of summer that ball was filthy and the autograph was well worn off... but I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood for weeks. I must have been around 7 or so at the time. Reggie had a reputation for being a selfish jackass... but the dude has always been top notch in my book

Sounds like the Sandlot

 

[Garthshort]

My first sports hero was a great player and person, Stan "The Man" Musial.

 

[Garthshort]

Stan was my first and Larry will probably be my last.