Famous Athletes a to z

Melissa Rycroft is known for her engagement and break-up on the 13th season of The Bachelor, and for winning 2012's Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars.

Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone has won dozens of World Championship and U.S. National Championship medals—competing with such teammates as Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson—and won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Tennis player Pete Sampras is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. In 2002 he set the career mark for most Grand Slam victories with 14 titles.

Curt Schilling was a major league baseball pitcher, who helped the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox to World Series victories.

American swimmer Allison Schmitt is best known for her medal-earning performances at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she won three gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

One of the world's premier golfers, Adam Scott became the first Australian to win the Masters Tournament with his 2013 victory.

Actor Steven Seagal makes popular action movies such as the 1998 hit Under Siege. He studied martial arts in Asia and opened an academy in the U.S.

Monica Seles is a former No. 1-ranked women's tennis player with nine Grand Slam titles. She is also an author and speaker, and competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2008.

Mike Shanahan is a highly effective NFL football coach who led John Elway and the Broncos to two consecutive Superbowl wins.

Maria Sharapova has won various honors throughout her career, including the 2012 French Open and a silver medal in women's singles at the 2012 Olympics.

Claressa Shields is an American boxer who made her Olympic debut at the Summer Games in London in 2012, and took home an Olympic middleweight gold medal.

Overweight as a child, Richard Simmons is now an American fitness personality best known for his high-energy and eccentric aerobic videos and DVDs.

O.J. Simpson is best known for his arrest and trial in the 1994 murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, of which he was found not guilty.

At the age of 26, U.S. golfer Webb Simpson won the 2012 U.S. Open—his first major tournament victory—with a final score of 1-over par.

Emmitt Smith was a running back with the Dallas Cowboys. In 2002, he broke Walter Payton's rushing record to become the leading rusher in NFL history.

Former San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in baseball history.

African-American track and field star Tommie Smith broke both the Olympic and world records and won the 200-meter race in the 1968 Olympics.

Sam Snead was an American pro golfer who won a record 82 PGA tournaments.

Goalkeeper Hope Solo helped the U.S. Women's Soccer Team win gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. She also appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2011.

Sammy Sosa is a former MLB slugger, most notably with the Chicago Cubs, with whom he chased Roger Maris's home run record.

U.S. baseball player, executive, and sporting-goods manufacturer A.E. Spalding co-founded one of the premier American sporting-goods companies.

American swimmer Mark Spitz set a world record at the 1972 Olympic Games, when he won seven gold medals across individual and team events.

Roger Staubach is a former NFL quarterback who led the Dallas Cowboys to win two Super Bowls. He’s also a businessman and sports commentator.

Teófilo Stevenson was a Cuban boxer best known for becoming the first fighter to win three Olympic gold medals in one weight class.

Toni "Tomboy" Stone made history in 1953 when she joined the Negro Leagues, making her the first woman ever to play professionally in a men's league.

Michael Strahan is a former defensive end for the New York Giants, and co-host of the morning television program Live! With Kelly and Michael.

Stephen Strasburg drew close media scrutiny as the first pick in Major League Baseball's 2009 draft.

Power-hitting outfielder Darryl Strawberry was one of baseball's biggest stars in the 1980s before his career was derailed by substance-abuse problems.

Picabo Street won gold in the Super G women's skiing event at the 1998 Olympics.

Ichiro Suzuki is a record-holding hitter in major league baseball, having played for the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees.

Actor and professional wrestler Mr. T, known for his mohawk and gold chains, starred in 1980s TV programs like The A-Team and Mister T.

South Korean swimming champion Park Tae-Hwan became the first Korean to win a medal in swimming, as well as the first Asian swimmer to win a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle, at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

British swimmer Liam Tancock is a world record holder in the 50-meter and 100-meter backstroke events.

American football player Lawrence Taylor was a member of the New York Giants and is considered one of the best linebackers in the history of the game.

Sean Taylor was the No. 5 NFL draft pick in 2004 and played with the Washington Redskins until he was murdered in 2007.

Manti Te'o is an American football player who became embroiled in controversy in early 2013, when the story of his girlfriend's tragic death was revealed to be a fabrication.

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow won both the Heisman Trophy and the BCS National Championship while playing for the Florida Gators in college. He was drafted by the NFL’s Denver Broncos in 2010 and joined the New York Jets in 2012.

Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian professional cricket player, considered by many to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

Debi Thomas was a figure skater who went on to become the first African-American to win an Olympic medal at the Winter Olympics.

Isiah Thomas is generally regarded as one of the best point guards in the history of basketball. He played for the Detroit Pistons.

Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe won the most gold medals of any Australian athlete, and was the youngest to win a world championship. He went on to win 10 more.

Jim Thorpe was a Native American professional football and baseball player, known for his all-around athleticism. He was a gold-medal runner at the 1912 Olympics.

Willie Thrower was a pioneer for African Americans in football, the first to play quarterback professionally.

Chinese golfer Guan Tianlang became the youngest player in Masters history when he teed off at the 2013 tournament at age 14 years and five months.

Dara Torres is an American swimmer who has taken home 12 Olympic medals and will seek more at the age of 45 in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

World-ranked tennis pro Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in 2008, as an unseeded player. In 2012, he lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals at Wimbledon.

Football player Emlen Tunnell was the first African American to play for the New York Giants, and the first African American to be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Mike Tyson is a former heavyweight boxing champion who's served jail time and also appeared in several films.

Belgium-born action-film star Jean-Claude Van Damme has showcased his patented splits and acrobatic kicks in such movies as Bloodsport.

Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura went on to a career in acting and politics, becoming the governor of Minnesota.

Star Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's promising career has been tainted by illegal activities including involvement in an illegal dog-fighting ring.

Dana Vollmer is a swimmer and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She set the world record for the 100-meter butterfly at the London Olympics in 2012, and won two gold medals there.

Lindsey Vonn is an American alpine skiier who has won numerous competitions, including four World Cup overall titles. She won a gold medal in the downhill event at the 2010 Olympics.

Basketball star Dwyane Wade plays as a guard for the Miami Heat, with which he has won two NBA Championships, in 2006 and 2012.

Kerri Walsh-Jennings is a professional beach volleyball player and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She is the longtime competitive partner of Misty May-Treanor.

Wide receiver Hines Ward played his entire 14-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, helping lead the team to wins in Super Bowls XL and XLIII.

Paul Warren is a former professional American football wide receiver from Warren Ohio known for his grace on the field in the 1960s and 1970s.

Professional golfer Bubba Watson is a leading player on the PGA Tour and winner of the 2012 Masters Tournament.

Tom Watson is an American golfer and six-time PGA Player of the Year. He was one of the sport's dominant figures in the 1970s and '80s.

Liberian soccer star George Weah was named African, European and World Player of the Year in 1995 and has since become a prominent humanitarian and politician.

Jerry West is a former basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers who went on to become the team’s head coach and general manager.

American skateboarder and snowboarder Shaun White, known as the "Flying Tomato," is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He has also won multiple Summer and Winter X Games medals.

American gymnast Jordyn Wieber is best known as the first U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team member to hail from Michigan.

Hoyt Wilhelm was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher known for his knuckleball and who set a pitching record.

Esther Williams, nicknamed "America's Mermaid," was an American actress who helped popularize synchronized swimming through a string of hugely popular films in the 1940s and '50s.

American professional tennis player Serena Williams has won 29 Grand Slam titles and several Olympic gold medals.

Baseball legend Ted Williams was best known as the Boston Red Sox Player who had a contentious relationship with Boston fans, who he refused to tip his hat to during his career.

Venus Williams rose from a tough childhood in Compton, Los Angeles to become a champion women's tennis player and four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Professional golf player Tiger Woods was the youngest man (at the age of 21) and the first African-American to win the U.S. Masters.

Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, is a professional basketball player known for his fierce defensive play and 2011 name change.

Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki has been ranked No. 1 on the WTA Tour, and is the youngest singles player worldwide to be ranked in the top 10.

Kristi Yamaguchi is a U.S. figure skater and Olympic gold medalist. She is also an author, philanthropist and founder of the Always Dream Foundation.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1914–1956) was named "Woman Athlete of the Half Century" in 1950 for her skills in basketball, track & field, and golf.

One of soccer's all-time greats, Zinedine Zidane led France to victory at the 1998 World Cup, but was thrown out of the '06 Cup final for striking an opponent.