Top 10 Best Athletes of the 1980s

1. Diego Maradona

   

   Diego Armando Maradona (October 30, 1960 - November 25, 2020) was an Argentine professional footballer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. Maradona was nicknamed "El Pibe de Oro... read more

   He is still the God of football for the Argentinians (Messi hasn't managed to dethrone him).

2. Wayne Gretzky

   

   Wayne Douglas Gretzky CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League for four teams from 1979 to 1999 and is widely considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time. Gretzky also served as head coach of the Phoenix... read more

   The Great One, a big bash of records and awards, the man who lifted pro hockey in the United States. In 1982, he did a triple crown of awards: 1) ABC Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, 2) Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, and 3) Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

   His highlight reel of goals and moments made the sports nightly reel and gave CNN Sports Tonight an instant success. The Stanley Cups, over 3,000 points, and a place in hockey history forever. It's Joeysworld.

3. Larry Bird

   

   Larry Joe Bird is a retired American professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics in the NBA from 1979 to 1992. He won three NBA championships, was named Rookie of the Year, and earned a Finals MVP award. Bird also won the Three-Point Contest three times and is widely regarded as... read more

4. Carl Lewis

   

   Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete. He won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His athletic career lasted from 1979 to 1996, ending with a gold medal in the long jump at the 1996 Atlanta... read more

   He should be in the top ten. The number 1 of this list (Gretzky) is famous for 350 million people and totally unknown for over 6 billion... (also third as greatest athlete of all time!).

5. Martina Navratilova

   

   Martina Navratilova is a retired tennis player and coach who holds both Czech and American citizenship. She was born on October 18, 1956, in Prague and became a U.S. citizen in 1981, later regaining Czech citizenship in 2008. Navratilova won 59 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles... read more

6. Joe Montana

   

   Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana Jr., nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "The Comeback Kid," is a retired American football quarterback. He is best known for his time with the San Francisco 49ers, where he led the team to four Super Bowl championships. Montana is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks... read more

   In 1984, movie fans went nuts seeing The Karate Kid. In 1986, 49ers fans went nuts seeing the comeback kid playing again. In week 1 of the NFL season, Montana led the 49ers to a 31-7 win over the still-rebuilding Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but during the game, Montana suffered a back injury. The injury was so severe that doctors suggested Montana should retire.

   Then, in week 10, he was back and it became the NFL Lead Story of the day as he led the 49ers to a 43-17 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. At the end of 1986, he was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year (with Tommy Kramer), another reason why Joe is the best.

   Its Joeysworld

7. Ivan Lendl

   

   Ivan was one of the best of the 1980s in the tennis scene. His legendary victories only added to his Hall of Fame career.

   He won the French Open three times (1984, 1986-87), the Australian Open in 1989, and the U.S. Open three times (1985-87). 1986 was special when he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated after winning his second U.S. Open title.

   Winning 83 titles in the 1980s, he was a six-time money-leading champion (1982-83, 1985-87, 1989), beat 136 players who were in the top 10 during this decade, and was a three-time ATP Player of the Year from 1985 to 1987. He was also the 1981 ATP Most Improved Player of the Year.

   Its Joeysworld

8. Chris Evert

   

   Christine Marie Chris Evert (born December 21, 1954) is an American former professional tennis player who held the world No. 1 ranking for 260 total weeks, the most in WTA history at the time. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles: seven at the French Open, an Open Era record for women, and six at the... read more

9. Vladimir Salnikov

   

10. Lawrence Taylor

    

    Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame American former professional football linebacker. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, spending his entire career with the New York Giants.... read more

    I voted for him because he was a very good defensive player and he is very well known.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Allan Simonsen

12. ?

    Kirby Puckett

The Contenders

13. Magic Johnson

    

    Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 13 seasons. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

14. Eric Dickerson

    

    Eric Demetric Dickerson is a former college and professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for eleven seasons during the 1980s and early 1990s. He is best known for setting the NFL single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards in 1984. Dickerson was inducted... read more

    I voted for him because I like power, and he was a powerful running back.

15. Moses Malone

    

    Moses Eugene Malone was an American basketball player who competed in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association from 1974 to 1995. A dominant center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player three times, selected as a 12-time NBA All-Star, and earned eight All-NBA honors... read more

16. Mike Bossy

    

    Michael Dean Bossy was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent his entire NHL career with the New York Islanders. He was one of the league's most prolific goal scorers and played a central role in the Islanders' four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1980 to 1983. Bossy was inducted... read more

17. Marvin Hagler

    

    Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler. May 23, 1954 - March 13, 2021) was an American professional boxer. He competed from 1973 to 1987 and reigned as the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987. During his championship reign, he made twelve successful title defenses, with... read more

18. Michael Jordan

    

    Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. Widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, he made six NBA Finals appearances. Jordan won the NBA championship each time.

    I totally disagree with this top ten. The absolute number 1 of the decade is Diego Armando Maradona. The number 2 belongs to Michael Jordan. MVP of the NBA in 1988, three consecutive years (1987, 1988, 1989) top scorer, twice best male basketball player of the year (1983, 1984) as a college player, Olympic champion with the National team (1984). Also, his personal best career year in the NBA was in this decade. Although three NBA super players were at their best in the '80s (Jabbar, Johnson, Bird), Jordan was the one that amazed everybody. Only club titles weren't in his hands.

    I voted for him because I think he is the best basketball player of all time.

19. Naim Süleymanoğlu

    One of the greatest athletes of all time, 'the Pocket Hercules' was the first weightlifter to win three gold Olympic medals and broke his first world record in the men's category aged 16!

20. Florence Griffith Joyner

    

    Florence Griffith-Joyner is regarded as the fastest woman of all time. In the 1988 USA Olympic trials, she broke the world record in the 100 meters by 0.27 seconds, and in the same year's Olympics, the world record in the 200 meters by 0.37 seconds. I remind you that Usain Bolt improved the world record in the 100 meters by a total of 0.15 seconds and the 200 meters by a total of 0.13 seconds. She won 3 gold medals and one silver medal in the 1988 Olympics. She also won a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics.

    Her world records still stand. They aren't the oldest (J. Kratochvilova, 800 meters since 1983), but if there is a record in track and field that will stand for half a century, it will be her 100 meters (10.49). She's quite forgotten by a lot...

21. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

    

    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, a record he held from 1989 until it was surpassed in 2023... read more

    In 2013, Julius Erving (always an opponent of Jabbar) said that according to stats, Kareem is the number 1 of all time. Maybe this is partially true, but Jabbar is definitely in the top 5 of all time (positions 3-5 with LeBron James and Earvin Johnson).

22. Julius Erving

    

    Julius Winfield Erving II, commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American retired basketball player who helped popularize a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim. He was a key figure in the American Basketball Association (ABA) before the merger with the NBA, and... read more

23. Michel Platini

    

    Michel François Platini (born June 21, 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. He served as UEFA president until he was banned in 2015 by FIFA over ethics violations, with the ban extended until 2023.... read more

24. Jackie Joyner-Kersee

    

25. Sugar Ray Leonard

    

    Ray Charles Leonard, best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer. He competed from 1977 to 1997 and is regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Leonard also became a motivational speaker and occasional actor after retiring from the sport.

    Sugar Ray had many great bouts in this decade, one of which occurred on September 16, 1981, against Thomas Hearns. In the fight of the year, "The Showdown," Leonard came back after 12 rounds and trailing on all scorecards. He hurt Hearns with a right and then a combination of punches that sent Hearns through the ropes for a knockdown. In the 14th round, despite having a badly swollen left eye, Leonard kept punching after Hearns until referee Davey Pearl stopped the fight, giving the bout to Ray Leonard. With it, he became The Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year, ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, and The Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

    Its Joeysworld

26. Daley Thompson

    

27. Marita Koch

    From Germany comes Marita Koch, her specialty running full speed ahead. Throughout her career, she set 16 world records outdoors and 14 more indoors. She took part in the 1980 Summer Olympics and then the 1983 World Track and Field Championship, but one moment stands out.

    On October 6, 1985, at the year's World Cup meet, she blazed her way at the 400 meters at a record pace so fast it was hard to explain. She set a world record of 47.60, a record that still stands. One of track's most unforgettable moments. It's Joeysworld.