Earliest Sports Idols- Who you got?

[gr82be 14,425]

I know most everyone is focused on recruiting right now but I thought it might be fun to see what everyone’s first sports idols or memories were. Most know I’m one of the older guys on here so my idols are all from my childhood which predates the majority of you. My first memory of Auburn was Pat Sullivan, and the rest of these are the reason I gravitated toward the teams I pull for, Bart Starr, John Havlicek and Johnny Bench. The only change is that I am now a Braves fan instead of a Reds fan. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by gr82be

[cbo 7,853]

[WillMunny 1,378]

Hammerin' Hank Aaron

Julius "Dr. J" Irving

Larry Bird

Bo Jackson

[LPTiger 5,165]

Dave Edwards from Abbeville, Alabama via Auburn via Dallas Cowboys.   Roger Staubach.   Tony Dorsett.   Ed Too Tall Jones.   Phil Knucksie Niekro.   Dale Murphy. 

[bigbird 60,532]

 

 

[bigbird 60,532]

11 minutes ago, LPTiger said:

Dale Murphy

Glad I'm not the only one to mention him. 

[LPTiger 5,165]

8 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Glad I'm not the only one to mention him. 

Great person and a great player.

[gr82be 14,425]

27 minutes ago, LPTiger said:

Dave Edwards from Abbeville, Alabama via Auburn via Dallas Cowboys.   Roger Staubach.   Tony Dorsett.   Ed Too Tall Jones.   Phil Knucksie Niekro.   Dale Murphy. 

Good ones. Loved Dale Murphy. 

[LPTiger 5,165]

Just now, gr82be said:

Good ones. Loved Dale Murphy. 

@cbo and @WillMunny making me feel old with the Bo picks.  Heck I played with him...

[AUpreacherman22 3,886]

1 hour ago, bigbird said:

 

 

Add this one for me:

I was a small left handed lead off hitter center fielder and I wore #2.   Brett Butler was my jam!   
I also loved Dale Murphy!

And literally my first AU football memory was Bo over the top! 

[LPTiger 5,165]

22 minutes ago, AUpreacherman22 said:

Add this one for me:

I was a small left handed lead off hitter center fielder and I wore #2.   Brett Butler was my jam!   
I also loved Dale Murphy!

And literally my first AU football memory was Bo over the top! 

16 year career in the bigs.  2,000 plus hits.  Career .290 hitter.   Decent.   Best of all he is a Believer and rightfully your jam!!!!.  

[Gowebb11 9,325]

AU: James Brooks,Joe Cribbs, “Fast” Freddie Smith

Steve Garvey 

Walter Payton

[AEAugirl 9,632]

Randy Campbell.  I had a mad crush on him.  

 

[Mikey 16,605]

The Cardinal's Stan Musial, my all-time baseball favorite. BROOKLYN Dodgers Duke Snyder, Roy Campanella and Pee Wee Reese. Miami Hurricane's FB Don Bossler and WR Jim Dooley. In those days I was a little kid dodging cars on the land and paddling my little skiff around the big boats on the Miami River.

PS: Back then, one year Purdue beat Notre Dame, Miami beat Purdue and the whole town had Hurricane fever. Then Miami went to Birmingham to play some team called Auburn. Auburn gave the ball to a guy named Joe Childress, seemed like 50 times as we huddled over our radios. Auburn and Childress beat the Hurricanes and the bubble was burst. That's all I knew about Auburn until years later.

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Mikey

[Tiger Refuge 6,665]

28 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

AU: James Brooks,Joe Cribbs, “Fast” Freddie Smith

Steve Garvey 

Walter Payton

Same here. Walter is one of my all time favorites. Dude was TOUGH.

[WillMunny 1,378]

2 hours ago, LPTiger said:

@cbo and @WillMunny making me feel old with the Bo picks.  Heck I played with him...

I was a student at AU from 1981-85.  Saw Bo play a lot.

He did original, unbelievable things on the football and baseball fields.  Things no one could truly appreciate unless they saw for themselves.  I think Bo was the greatest overall athlete who ever lived.  Apologies to Jim Thorpe.

Then there's Larry Bird, who was not an elite athlete, but was a truly elite NCAA and NBA player; top 10 all time.  He also did things no one had ever done before.  Anyone who doesn't think Bird would thrive in today's NBA is as clueless as someone who would doubt Bo.

[LPTiger 5,165]

6 minutes ago, WillMunny said:

 

He did original, unbelievable things on the football and baseball fields.  Things no one could truly appreciate unless they saw for themselves.  

This!!!   Some of us lucky ones got to see it everyday.  He had a funny/evil sense of humor too.   We had a second baseman, I believe from New Jersey -- Eddie Dilks.   We all called him Dilksie -- short guy.  One day we were fielding ground balls and running simulations/situations for the infield/outfield i.e. coach hitting fungo's would call out a situation like "nobody on, nobody out" right before he hit the fungo and everyone would have to move/react as if the hitter just hit the ball in that situation.   Bo and I were in center and he says to me, "watch this, next throw to Dilksie I'm going to one hop him, and it is going to eat him up."  None of the guys looked forward to taking a one hop throw from Bo -- particularly from center to second.   I swear I can still hear him saying it to this day with the stutter he had back then.

[wareaglefan444 84]

Dale murphy

walter paytom

john montanna

[maryland tiger 616]

The greatest QB to ever play the game of football! San Diego Super Chargers! Dan Fouts

Edited December 11, 2023 by maryland tiger

[EastAl_Tiger 228]

The Juice

[augolf1716 21,169]

Jimmy Sidle and Tucker Frederickson

Mickey Mantle

Hal Greer 76ers 1965 played with Wilt Chamberlain

Jesse Owens track

Marvin Hagler Boxing 

Rod Laver Tennis

[gr82be 14,425]

28 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Jimmy Sidle and Tucker Frederickson

Mickey Mantle

Hal Greer 76ers 1965 played with Wilt Chamberlain

Jesse Owens track

Marvin Hagler Boxing 

Rod Laver Tennis

My tennis favorite came a little later. John McEnroe. Recently watched his interview with Joe Buck. He’s mellowed quite a bit. 

[ellitor 33,093]

2 hours ago, maryland tiger said:

The greatest QB to ever play the game of football!

Oh you mean...

[NCAubs 377]

7 hours ago, gr82be said:

I know most everyone is focused on recruiting right now but I thought it might be fun to see what everyone’s first sports idols or memories were. Most know I’m one of the older guys on here so my idols are all from my childhood which predates the majority of you. My first memory of Auburn was Pat Sullivan, and the rest of these are the reason I gravitated toward the teams I pull for, Bart Starr, John Havlicek and Johnny Bench. The only change is that I am now a Braves fan instead of a Reds fan. 

Bart Starr?  The f…?

[NCAubs 377]

1 hour ago, augolf1716 said:

Jimmy Sidle and Tucker Frederickson

Mickey Mantle

Hal Greer 76ers 1965 played with Wilt Chamberlain

Jesse Owens track

Marvin Hagler Boxing 

Rod Laver Tennis

Are you even still alive?