Professional Athletes You've Seen In Person That Were Different Than You Thought

[Bengal Maniac]

I have been fortunate to see many major professional sports live and very seldom have I seen athletes that just wowed me when I saw them in person.

 

In the NFL, I have seen over 350 games live since 1979 and only four wowed me. Watching them on tv just did not do them justice. Earl Campbell was the most impressive. His legs, more specifically his thighs were massive. I was probably 20 feet away from him when he walked by me seat I was shocked. Brett Favre's passes looked faster than any I have ever seen and I did see Elway more than once. Favre had an absolute cannon. Stephen Jackson was huge, on tv he looked just like another RB to me, in person he was huge. His upper body and height were different. Finally, Calvin Johnson is a beast, he is just on a different planet physically.

 

I have seen MLB, NHL and NBA games (only two) and no one just wowed me in being different than what I thought.

 

I also have seen several PGA events and two golfers impressed me. Greg Norman's tee shot was unbelievable. He hit it high and far. The sound was different, just amazing really. I watched Curtis Strange on the practice range at the Memorial in Columbus in the ate 80's. He could move the ball any way he wanted and with amazing accuracy. He must have hit 100, all of them irons, while I was watching and not one, really not one, was off target and he hit fades, draws. high, low, any shot he wanted.

 

Has any athlete wowed you like these guys did me?

[Jumper_Dad]

Steve Garvey...saw him at a corporate event and talked to him a little...he was a shrimp...listed at 5"10" umm :no:

 

Marshall Faulk MUCH faster in person than he ever looked on TV, we were at Colts Camp his first day in Camp after signing Rookie Contract.

 

Steve Emtman was injured (surprise there) but was lifting in a huge tent while the rest of the team was in drills...looked like The Hulk, but pasty white and not a cool green color. Dude was huge and cut for a 300lb'er

 

Got to see Chapman pitch last year and he was hitting over 100mph every pitch...amazing to see in person.

[JCVD]

Saw Steven Jackson in person at Keenland a couple weeks ago. He was absolutely gigantic. I did not expect him to look like that. Very very impressive physically.

[Getslow]

Saw Owen Daniels climb a fire pole at a Louisville restaurant during Derby weekend two years ago while the entire restaurant made fun of him and Matt Schaub laughed like a maniac.

[Clyde]

Ran (almost literally) into Shaq at a bar in Orlando years ago. You can't fully appreciate his size until you're right next to him.

[TheDeuce]

Ran (almost literally) into Shaq at a bar in Orlando years ago. You can't fully appreciate his size until you're right next to him.

 

I was at a Derby party last year he was at... Unreal big.

[bugatti]

Ran (almost literally) into Shaq at a bar in Orlando years ago. You can't fully appreciate his size until you're right next to him.

 

Basketball players in general are just total freaks of size when you see them in person. Mutombo was walking through a hotel I was at in Atlanta once and I nearly fainted. I also saw Boogie Cousins a couple years later in the same hotel. He was as dumb as I thought he would be so no shock in that.

[tark the shark]

I never thought this would come out of my mouth, but got to meet Christian Laettner last year and he was a really nice guy.

 

Also, I almost got into a fight with Alonzo Mourning in a pick up game when I was in college, he was bullying a 55 year old man who was on his lunch break (sad but true story).

[bugatti]

This is a crazy photo I saw last year. To put it in perspective, JJ Watt is 6'5" and 290 lbs. Yao makes him look like a child.

 

[TheDeuce]

^That is nuts.

[rjs4470]

I never thought this would come out of my mouth, but got to meet Christian Laettner last year and he was a really nice guy.

 

Also, I almost got into a fight with Alonzo Mourning in a pick up game when I was in college, he was bullying a 55 year old man who was on his lunch break (sad but true story).

 

I played against Alonzo once in high school. Our tallest guy was 6' 4" and we only had 2 other guys over 6" in our regular rotation. Alonzo was nearly 7" then and crazy athletic. Needless to say, he dropped almost 50 on us.

 

Because I got to play D1 baseball I played with and against quite a few future major leaguers, and because I'm still friends with one of my old teammates, who is now the hitting Coach for the Cardinals, I got to hang out and meet many more major leaguers. Most were pretty normal guys. Two that really stood out physically were Pujols and Ron Gant (who wasn't huge, but was really put together). The most impressive physical specimen I ever met was Reggie White. The Eagles used to hold camp where I went to college and I bumped into Reggie in a 7-11. Just a monster of a man.

[CincySportsFan]

Walked by Anthony Munoz at training camp in the late 80's up in Wilmington. He was in shorts, and a single one of his thighs looked as big as my waist.

 

But, Mary Lou Retton was probably the biggest surprise. You usually don't have a lot of context to see just how big (or little) some of the gymnasts actually are, when you see them on tv. And even when they're standing next to an adult...you still think of them as a little kid. But wow, stood next to her when she was 24 or 25...and still waaaaaayyyyyy tiny.

[Jim Schue]

This is a crazy photo I saw last year. To put it in perspective, JJ Watt is 6'5" and 290 lbs. Yao makes him look like a child.

 

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What's even funnier is that Yao is listed at 310 lbs. I've always found it hilarious how the NBA fudges on what the real weight is of the big big guys. Take Mark Eaton, for instance. He was always listed at 7-4 and 275-300 lbs, when there was no way in hell he wasn't a 400-450 lb man. Same goes for Yao. He's gotta be 400.

[George Amberson]

This is a crazy photo I saw last year. To put it in perspective, JJ Watt is 6'5" and 290 lbs. Yao makes him look like a child.

 

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That picture is crazy. Watt looks like a little kid, my gosh.

[nkypete]

He's not a professional athlete, but Marty Brennaman has a little "Howie Mandel" in him. Don't touch him if he doesn't know you. I had a photo opp with him at a fundraiser. I was given the heads up while in line for the picture.