Truly fast non-track athletes

[KDFINE]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

Since everone seems to be hung up on "truly fast" as sprinters, I'd like to suggest that soccer's DeMarcus Beasley (sp?) might have the potential to be world class at anywhere from the 800 to the 10,000.

[RJMB_1]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

Sebastien Carrat who played briefly for France at Rugby Union was definately the fastest rugby union player i have seen. Compared to the others on the field he looked like absolute greased lightening. Quicker than Offiah (except maybe in the start of his career). I later found out he was 4x100 runner for france. With bests of 6.63i and 10.34. He would compare as slowish in the track world.

I also have the "Fastest Men on Earth" Book by Neil Duncanson. It goes into the old fashioned type of detail that sprint fans love. I haven't been able to find a video/dvd of tv program it came from circa 1988. I had it on tape once alas! (a tv 2 or 3 parter if i recall). Sadly, you wouldn't get a 2/3 x prime-time evening slot devoted to athletics material like that nowadays.

[Jacksf]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

They say Mickey Mantle was as fast as anybody.
Harrison Dillard once said Mantle could have been a world class sprinter.
I think his speed diminished somewhat after he wrenched his knee on a sprinkler in the outfield, not too far along in his career.

[Cooter Brown]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

While you're talking about Texas A&M, you could include Percy Waddle who was a very fast 400m runner in HS (around 46 flat?) but was a mediocre wide receiver for them. Also, Toya Jones who won a ton of gold medals at the Texas State HS meet over 4 years...10.2 100m, 20.8 200m, 25'+ LJ, 50+ TJ, etc. Once again he proved to be a mediocre receiver for TAMU.



>2 footballers on the same team, Curtis Dickey RB, and Mark Moseley QB for Texas
>A&M in the late '70s early '80s. Dickey ran track at A&M, and was an NCAA
>sprint champ indoors. In high school, Moseley was state champ 110 h hurdler,
>100m from Humble Tx. I'm sure T&F news has some old archive times on Moseley
>from the high school lists. Moseley was a truly gifted athlete, and without a
>doubt, had Olympic caliber talent.

[einnod23]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

I remember a show called The World's Fastest Athlete. It was put on during the NFL Strike of 1987. It had Darrell Green, Rickey Henderson?, Carl Lewis, plus another guy from Santa Monica (Floyd Heard?). Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, and others.

There were three events:
1) Run The Bases
2) The 40yd dash (in pads)
3) The 100m

Green upset the baseball players in the bases event, won the 40, and did ok in the 100m (of course, he didn't beat Carl and Heard), enabling him to win the event overall.

....Carl Lewis stunk in the 40 (he had pads on!).

[highjumpsteve]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

>They say Mickey Mantle was as fast as anybody.
Harrison Dillard once said
>Mantle could have been a world class sprinter.
I think his speed diminished
>somewhat after he wrenched his knee on a sprinkler in the outfield, not too far
>along in his career.

Thanks for the mention of Mantle... I mentioned him earlier too. I think we got off the beam here as people keep mentioning college and pro athletes and speaking of their high school track times. That makes them TRACK athletes. Mantle would be a true example of a "non-track athlete", which was the title of this thread.

[basehead617]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

>I remember a show called The World's Fastest Athlete. It was put on during the
>NFL Strike of 1987. It had Darrell Green, Rickey Henderson?, Carl Lewis, plus
>another guy from Santa Monica (Floyd Heard?). Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, and
>others.

There were three events:
1) Run The Bases
2) The 40yd dash (in
>pads)
3) The 100m

Green upset the baseball players in the bases event, won
>the 40, and did ok in the 100m (of course, he didn't beat Carl and Heard),
>enabling him to win the event overall.

....Carl Lewis stunk in the 40 (he
>had pads on!).


wow talk about interesting historic tidbits! i wonder if anyone ANYWHERE has tape of this!

[Sprintstatman]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

>Mantle would be a true example of a "non-track athlete", which was the title of this thread.

Of course the thread should take what direction people like, but I didn't quite mean that when I started the thread. I just wanted to avoid listing the usual suspects - Hayes, Hines, Nehemiah, Gault, Green - all of whom were already world class or near world-class track athletes.

I guess I'm thinking of guys like Raghib Ismael or Deion Sanders, who never did more than toy with track but who clearly could have achieved something if they'd ever taken it seriously. Or Martin Offiah, until I was put straight about that!

Of course, fast men who never even stepped on a track are even more interesting - Mickey Mantle is a really interesting suggestion.

[hj197steve]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

>>Mantle would be a true example of a "non-track athlete", which was the title
>of this thread.

Of course the thread should take what direction people like,
>but I didn't quite mean that when I started the thread. I just wanted to avoid
>listing the usual suspects - Hayes, Hines, Nehemiah, Gault, Green - all of whom
>were already world class or near world-class track athletes.

I guess I'm
>thinking of guys like Raghib Ismael or Deion Sanders, who never did more than
>toy with track but who clearly could have achieved something if they'd ever
>taken it seriously. Or Martin Offiah, until I was put straight about
>that!

Of course, fast men who never even stepped on a track are even more
>interesting - Mickey Mantle is a really interesting suggestion.

Saw Raghib Ismael show up out of the blue one year for the indoor NCAA 60 in Indy. He ran a great 2nd place from what I can recall.

[KDFINE]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

Dutch International soccer forward Marc Overmarrs just retired due to injuries, and it was reported (I caught it on either Eurosport or Fox Sports World) that he'd had 10.2 speed. If so, and if he didn't play soccer, maybe ...

[parkerrclay]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

I looked for the World's Fastest Athlete on tape and couldn't find it. I recorded it a long time ago. Does anyone have results anywhere??

[Per Andersen]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

About Marc Overmars. Yes the guy had stunning speed, at least over 30-40 meters. Had he focussed on track I suppose 10.2 would not be out of the question. How about Thierry Henry? He runs different from Overmars and has a different build but he seems really fast.

[The Fern]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

Joe Rockococko who plays wing for the All-Blacks is fast. They are playing Australia this Saturday night if it comes throuhg on anyone's cable.

[Per Andersen]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

Ed, What happened to Lleyton Hewitt and Rugby?
Did anything come out of that? He comes from a rugby family and Lleyton is also pretty fast.

[EPelle]

Re: Truly fast non-track athletes

Beckham.