Best natural Athlete

[BigErnMcCracken]

Dropo's athletic career isn't limited to his rookie baseball season, impressive though that was. As I posted originally, while at UConn, Dropo played for the football team, basketball team and baseball team. Dropo was drafted in basketball and football and baseball. That's three GM's of different pro sports that thought he was a pro caliber athlete. That screams athleticism.

Your claim that he did none of the things that "we normally associate with athleticism" just doesn't hold water.

• Rookie of the Year (1950)
• All-Star (1950), as a rookie - impressive.
• Top 10 MVP (sixth, 1950) Think about that. In his first year as a pro baseball player only five others were "more valuable" to their teams than he was.
• Led league in RBIs (144, 1950) Hmm RBI's seems like a decent indicator of eye hand coordination couple with sports IQ.
• Led league in total bases (326, 1950)
• Tied an MLB record with 12 consecutive at-bats with a hit (July 15, 1952) Again even among pros he stood out.
• Tied an AL record with 15 hits in four games (July 16, 1952)
• Dropo was the first rookie to top 100 RBIs with more RBIs than games played (144 in 136 games, 1950)
• For those enamored with size Dropo was 6'5" 220: a giant for that era.
• He had a 10 year career as a MLB ballplayer.

LINK

So give me a list of accomplishments that tops that.

But . . . but . . . his weighted on base average and ultimate zone ratings leave something to be desired!!

 

[mauconnfan]

Let's not put Michael and Deion/Bo in the same sentence please…….Michael was a horrendous player in the low minor leagues and would hardly have played on a team in the Greater Hartford Twilight League………..

The way Deion and Bo played baseball they would demand millions a year, not great players but there's plenty worst playing now who make way too much!

 

[Rico444]

Let's not put Michael and Deion/Bo in the same sentence please…….Michael was a horrendous player in the low minor leagues and would hardly have played on a team in the Greater Hartford Twilight League………..

The way Deion and Bo played baseball they would demand millions a year, not great players but there's plenty worst playing now who make way too much!

Regardless of who we all choose for best athlete at UConn, I think we can all agree that Bo and Deion were in a class of their own. And actually, I don't think anyone can touch what Bo did. He was unreal.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Well there's no debate over who the best natural dancer is

dammit why didn't that gif work

 

[CallMeBruce]

Regardless of who we all choose for best athlete at UConn, I think we can all agree that Bo and Deion were in a class of their own. And actually, I don't think anyone can touch what Bo did. He was unreal.

Fun fact: in three of Bo's four seasons in the NFL, he recorded the longest TD run in the league.

 

[Rico444]

Fun fact: in three of Bo's four seasons in the NFL, he recorded the longest TD run in the league.

Another fun fact: Bo could NOT be tackled in Tecmo Bowl. I'm on my phone, so I can't, but I hope someone posts that video on YouTube.

 

[mauconnfan]

Nomar had several years of high-level performance before he broke his wrist. Dropo had one very good year as a rookie, and then never approached that level again. There are countless winners of the ROY who weren't particularly good players outside of one season: Pat Listach, Marty Cordova, Bob Hamelin, Bobby Crosby, Ben Grieve, Chris Coghlan, and the list goes on. Baseball is weird like that.

The issue isn't just about stealing bases. It's that Dropo the baseball player did none of the things we associate with athleticism. He was too slow to steal bases, and he played a position that required the minimum of agility and throwing prowess. I guess if you think that one season of good hitting followed by 11 years of below-average performance makes him an all-time great athlete, then that's your prerogative. I'm not particularly impressed.

Key here is Dropo never used performance enhancing drugs…………While Nomar………well you got the idea…….

 

[CL82]

If we are limited to that list then, yeah Scott Burrell, but the best all around athlete that we've ever had at UConn is Walt Dropo.

While at UConn, Dropo played for the football team, basketball team and baseball team. Dropo was drafted in basketball and football and oh yeah, he was American League rookie of the year for the Red Sox. Yeah, you read that right - he could have played three sports as a pro. He was a pretty good ball player before being injured:

• Rookie of the Year (1950)
• All-Star (1950)
• Top 10 MVP (sixth, 1950)
• Led league in RBIs (144, 1950)
• Led league in total bases (326, 1950)
• Tied an MLB record with 12 consecutive at-bats with a hit (July 15, 1952)
• Tied an MLB record with 12 consecutive plate appearances with a hit (July 15, 1952)
• Tied an AL record with 15 hits in four games (July 16, 1952)
• Dropo was the first rookie to top 100 RBIs with more RBIs than games played (144 in 136 games, 1950)

For overall athleticism at UConn there's Dropo and then there's everyone else. LINK

So with Scotty Burrell likely getting the nod to coach basketball at Sounthern, it seems as good a time as any to break out the "who's the best athlete ever at UConn" thread. As shown above, I don't think Walt Dropo can be beat. He played three sports at UConn, and had an opportunity to go pro in any of them. Read the quoted post for more detail but I don't think anyone tops that. If you do, let's hear your argument.

@Rico444

 

[Danzz]

Not even close, Scott Burrell. If somebody has his dunk over Rodney Rogers you will see the best dunk in UConn history. Nobody could jump higher. Never saw Walt Dropo though.

 

[tcf15]

Not even close, Scott Burrell. If somebody has his dunk over Rodney Rogers you will see the best dunk in UConn history. Nobody could jump higher. Never saw Walt Dropo though.

Dunk is somewhere in here:

 

[Gurleyman]

So with Scotty Burrell likely getting the nod to coach basketball at Sounthern, it seems as good a time as any to break out the "who's the best athlete ever at UConn" thread. As shown above, I don't think Walt Dropo can be beat. He played three sports at UConn, and had an opportunity to go pro in any of them. Read the quoted post for more detail but I don't think anyone tops that. If you do, let's hear your argument. @Rico444

Burrell could have been an excellent college QB (recruited by Miami) but played in an era where multi-sport athletes in college were very rare. The fact that he only played hoops at UConn shouldn't be held against him.

Shoulder injuries cut his NBA career short, so Dropo's MLB resume is a little better than Burrell's NBA one. Hard to say how Burrell would have done if he stuck with baseball or played QB in college.

Difficult to say definitively who the best athlete is based on circumstance - I think George Springer probably would have been good at a lot of sports, but won't be in the conversation since he was baseball only. Could someone like Chris Gbandi or O'Brian White have been a good football or baseball player if they chose a different path? Both were fantastic athletes - national POYs.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Walt Dropo, good as he was, played in the 40s. The best athlete in UConn history didn't play in the 40s. It's Burrell or Rudy Gay.

 

[David 76]

Dropo was an amazing athlete who doesn't get enough mention because virtually none of us saw him. Offered contracts from the Bears and being the fourth overall pick in basketball is amazing. Turning them both down and going to the Red Sox as a rookie free agent and making the team and beating out Whitey Ford for ROY is amazing.
That said, my view of the thread includes athleticism. No way a basketball big man and first baseman circa 1947 could touch Scott Burrel's athleticism.

 

[fatlucy]

Burrell. No competition.

Just a funny story about Burrell, I played football against him in high school and as middle linebacker I had a sweet almost interception of his pass over the middle but when the ball came to me, he had thrown it so hard that it went through my hands and knocked me onto my back, lol.

 

[Danzz]

Outside the program Dave Winfield as a pretty special "athlete" especially when you look at how large the man was…….

As far as Bruce Jenner: In 1977, the Kansas City Kings selected Jenner with the 140th pick of the NBA Draft. Jenner had not actually played basketball since high school; the closest he came to a roundball career was when he sank a basket in the "YMCA" sequence of the film Can't Stop the Music in 1980

Didn't know he was drafted until you wrote that looked it up - also sad to see his brother was killed in an accident in Canton CT soon after his Olympic feats…...

He would be playing in the WNBA today.

 

[mauconnfan]

He would be playing in the WNBA today.

Nicely played

Little did I know at the time of this thread.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Others not mentioned
Norman Baily
Willie McCloud
Al Frederick

 

[superjohn]

Also no mention of Dan Cyrulik.

 

[JimHurley]

The ones that stick out for me are Stanley, Boat, and Burrell.

 

[CL82]

Burrell could have been an excellent college QB (recruited by Miami) but played in an era where multi-sport athletes in college were very rare. The fact that he only played hoops at UConn shouldn't be held against him.

Shoulder injuries cut his NBA career short, so Dropo's MLB resume is a little better than Burrell's NBA one. Hard to say how Burrell would have done if he stuck with baseball or played QB in college.

Difficult to say definitively who the best athlete is based on circumstance - I think George Springer probably would have been good at a lot of sports, but won't be in the conversation since he was baseball only. Could someone like Chris Gbandi or O'Brian White have been a good football or baseball player if they chose a different path? Both were fantastic athletes - national POYs.

Yeah it is tough to compare across eras but in my view "could of, might have" doesn't trump "did."

Dropo's MLB resume "is a little better" than Burrell's NBA one?

• Rookie of the Year (1950)

• All-Star (1950)

• Top 10 MVP (sixth, 1950)

• Led league in RBIs (144, 1950)

• Led league in total bases (326, 1950)

• Tied an MLB record with 12 consecutive at-bats with a hit (July 15, 1952)

• Tied an MLB record with 12 consecutive plate appearances with a hit (July 15, 1952)

• Tied an AL record with 15 hits in four games (July 16, 1952)

• Dropo was the first rookie to top 100 RBIs with more RBIs than games played (144 in 136 games, 1950)

I love Scott and the kid was a great athlete, but it is tough to top that. As to athleticism, Dropo isn't going out jump Scott but don't underestimate the eye/hand coordination needed to hit major league pitching consistently.

 

[Scoe]

Darius Butler and DJ Hernandez were very good athletes.

 

[HuskyFich]

Byron Jones?

Guess World Records don't mean much

 

[microfich]

Burrell hands down. NBA, MLB first round pitcher, tremendous HS QB. And big!
Next tier: Darius Butler, Byron Jones, Springer, Dropo
Dark horse: Brian Herosian, Safety early '70's (NFL Colts, CFL Blue Bombers). Baseball - star pitcher with a 0.62 ERA over 72 IP in 1971.

 

[HistoryMajor]

Burrell hands down. NBA, MLB first round pitcher, tremendous HS QB. And big!
Next tier: Darius Butler, Byron Jones, Springer, Dropo
Dark horse: Brian Herosian, Safety early '70's (NFL Colts, CFL Blue Bombers). Baseball - star pitcher with a 0.62 ERA over 72 IP in 1971.

I try to not go too far back with my posts as I think the majority of posters only go back (perhaps) 20 years at most. That said, Raymond James has to be in the running for the best athlete ever. Not saying he was better that Scott B or Walt D but he has to be in the conversation. He was an outstanding football player and he also set a world record in the 55 yard dash. He played with Ken Switcher (sp) who was also a great athlete. But back to James, unfortunately James was a head case and IIRC, he only played one season and part of another.

 

[David 76]

I try to not go too far back with my posts as I think the majority of posters only go back (perhaps) 20 years at most. That said, Raymond James has to be in the running for the best athlete ever. Not saying he was better that Scott B or Walt D but he has to be in the conversation. He was an outstanding football player and he also set a world record in the 55 yard dash. He played with Ken Switcher (sp) who was also a great athlete. But back to James, unfortunately James was a head case and IIRC, he only played one season and part of another.

What time frame?