Famous Athletes a to z

In 1996, Dominique Dawes won Olympic gold with the U.S. women's gymnastics team as well as an individual bronze medal—becoming the first African American to win an individual Olympic medal in women's gymnastics.

Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer who is best known for his winning bouts in six different weight classes, and for his popular televised fights.

Soccer player Ronaldo starred for the Brazilian national team and several European clubs over the course of a career that spanned nearly two decades.

Dizzy Dean was a Major League Baseball pitcher who led the St. Louis Cardinals to World Series victory in 1937.

Jack Dempsey -- known as the "Manassa Mauler" -- was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1919-1926.

French bicyclist Henri Desgrange is best known for organizing the first Tour de France.

American track athlete Gail Devers overcame Graves disease, a thyroid disorder, to win Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996.

Joe DiMaggio was one of the best all-round baseball players in the history of the game, helping the NY Yankees to nine World Series titles.

Serbian professional tennis player Novak Djokovic won the 2011 Wimbledon Championship, becoming the number one tennis player in the world.

Professional soccer player Landon Donovan led the U.S. national team to the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup.

Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas is best known as the first African American to win the individual all-around event. She also won a team gold medal for the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

American football wide receiver Donald Driver, drafted by the Greenbay Packers in 1999, won the 14th season of Dancing with the Stars in May 2012.

Didier Drogba has earned worldwide acclaim as a professional soccer player and champion for peace in his native Ivory Coast.

Basketball player Tim Duncan has led the San Antonio Spurs to multiple championships and is widely hailed as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

Kevin Durant is a top-scoring American professional basketball player, who plays for the National Basketball Association's Oklahoma City Thunder franchise.

Dale Earnhardt was a champion stock car driver with NASCAR who won seven championships. He died in the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001

At the Summer Games in London, Ashton Eaton—the youngest to member of the U.S. decathlon team that year, at age 24—took home the decathlon gold medal.

American swimmer Gertrude Ederle achieved fame when she competed in the 1924 Olympics and became the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926.

Teresa Edwards is an American basketball player best known for winning five Olympic medals in women’s basketball including four gold and one bronze.

British track and field star Jessica Ennis won a gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Italian tennis player Sara Errani has won several honors, including two WTA singles titles and six WTA doubles titles. She lost to Maria Sharapova in the final round of the 2012 French Open.

Hall of Fame basketball forward Julius Erving, or "Dr. J," was an acrobatic player in the NBA and ABA. His dunks and graceful play helped change the game.

Boxer Marlen Esparza is the first American female to qualify in her sport at the Olympics. At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, she won a bronze medal.

Barney Ewell was one of the leading sprinters of the 1940s, and won three medals at the 1948 Olympics.

Patrick Ewing is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player best known for winning Olympic Gold Medals in 1984 and 1992 for U.S. Men's Basketball.

Soccer player Cesc Fàbregas has starred for the Arsenal and FC Barcelona clubs and led Spain to multiple championships in international competition.

Quarterback Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI, and is the all-time leader in career passing yards and touchdowns.

Tennis pro Roger Federer was the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title. In 2012, he became a seven-time Wimbledon champion, tying with Pete Sampras for the world No. 1 ranking record of 286 weeks.

Allyson Felix is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she won two gold medals, in the women's 200 and the 4-by-100-meter relay.

Alex Ferguson is a Scottish soccer player known for his highly successful, long-term management of the Manchester United league.

Figure skater Peggy Fleming won the only U.S. gold medal in the 1968 Olympics. Later, she publicly battled breast cancer, beating it with radiation therapy.

Mick Foley is a professional wrestler with WWE, Inc. who wrestles under the names Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind. He wrote a best-selling autobiography.

George Foreman is a retired American boxer who twice won boxing's heavyweight championship. After retiring, he became a popular pitchman.

Rube Foster was a baseball player and manager who organized the Negro National League, the first long-lasting professional league for African American players.

Paraguayan model and javelin thrower Leryn Franco received wide fame after competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, but not for her athleticism alone—her good looks are equally, if not more, responsible for her mass appeal.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Missy Franklin won gold in both the 100-meter and 200-meter backstrokes, and two more gold medals with the 4-by-200-meter and 4-by-100-meter relay teams.

Sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the first Jamaican woman to win the 100-meter Olympic gold medal in 2008. She won her second straight 100-meter Olympic gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Joe Frazier was the world heavyweight boxing champion from February 1970 until January 1973 and fought in the famous "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975.

Dallas Friday is a champion professional wakeboarder. She won silver and gold medals at the X-Games and an ESPY Award for Best Female Sport Athlete.

Spanish professional basketball player Pau Gasol is a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was Spain's flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Justin Gatlin sprinted to fame by setting a world record in the 100-meter race. Months later, he tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended. Gatlin is slated to make a comeback at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Tyson Gay is a track and field athlete who specializes in sprinting. He placed fourth in the men's 100 at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, following a hamstring injury.

Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig played for the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 1930s, setting the mark for consecutive games played. He died of ALS in 1941.

Bernice Gera became the first female umpire of a baseball game in 1972, but later resigned, reportedly because other umpires refused to work with her.

Tennis star Althea Gibson was the first African American to play at Wimbledon. She also broke racial barriers in professional golf.

Baseball player Juan Gonzalez, considered by some to be the best Puerto Rican player since Roberto Clemente, played for the Rangers, Tigers, Royals and Indians.

Ekaterina Gordeeva is a Russian figure skater who, with her late partner and husband Sergei Grinkov, was a two-time Olympian and four-time world champion.

Jeff Gordon is best known as an American stock car race driver with the most wins in NASCAR modern history (1972-present).

Steffi Graf is an internationally renowned pro tennis player who ranked up scores of championship titles in the 1980s and '90s.

Hank Greenberg became one of Major League Baseball's first Jewish super stars, while playing for the Detroit Tigers.

Arguably hockey's greatest player, Wayne Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers during his long career.

American professional baseball player Ken Griffey, Jr. was a dominant power hitter of the 1990s and ranked among the best defensive outfielders of all time.

Quarterback Robert Griffin III won the 2011 Heisman Trophy before emerging as a dynamic playmaker for the NFL's Washington Redskins.

Janet Guthrie was the first female racecar driver to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup stock car race, the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500.

Dorothy Hamill is a gold medal-winning Olympic figure skater known for her moves on the rink as well as her signature bobbed haircut.

Laird Hamilton is an athlete, surfer, model and television host. He is one of today’s best known big wave surfers.

Scott Hamilton is a U.S. Gold Medal Olympiad also known for his sports commentary and raising cancer awareness.

Mia Hamm is a former American soccer player who has scored more international goals than any other player, male or female.

World Wrestling Federation fans knew Owen Hart as "the Rocket" or "the Blue Blazer." He died tragically during a pre-match publicity stunt when he fell 90 feet.

Robert Harting is a German discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist. Known for tearing open his shirt after big wins, he is often called "The Incredible Hulk."

Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder, probably the most famous to ever be involved in the sport.

Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater who won three Olympic gold medals. After retiring from skating, she acted in Hollywood films like The Thin Ice.

20th century explorer and mountaineer Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the peak of Mt. Everest along with fellow climber Tenzing Norgay.

Hulk Hogan was one of the most beloved figures in the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s, known for his flamboyance and the frenzy of his fans—Hulkamania.

American football player Santonio Holmes was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIII after making the game-winning touchdown catch for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Boxer Evander Holyfield fought in the Olympics and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1990 to 1992, and again from 1993 to 1994. In an infamous bout in 1996, Holyfield's ear was bitten by Mike Tyson.

American professional basketball player Dwight Howard began playing with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. Prior to that, he was a star with the Orlando Magic.