50 Sports Personalities You'd Want to Meet for Lunch

Personalities of the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and numerous other sports competitions run the gamut from self-absorbed to selfless. Fans watch these athletes on the field and admire them from afar, but can we ever get a true sense of the what the modern day professional athlete is like?

Most of us would be too awestruck if we ever met a pro athlete in real life.

However, some sports personalities do things that are so great, so outrageous or so iconic that they become part of our national culture.

Drew Brees and the Saints winning the Super Bowl for the city of New Orleans. Michael Jordan's last shot as a Bull. Or Lou Gherig's "Luckiest Man Alive" speech.

Some people who work in the sports industry are simply fascinating people. Here are 50 of them that have achieved incredible feats, have spectacular personalities or are just good people to sit down and talk with over a nice lunch. 

Is there anyone you would add?  

Bill Walton

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The harbinger of the activist-athlete, Bill Walton was perhaps the only professional basketball player who was also a Dead Head (or was it the other way around?).

The UCLA center was a centerpiece of one of the most interesting championship teams ever ('77 Trailblazers). Walton ranks as one of the most colorful commentators in announcing history.  

Vince Lombardi

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“When Pride Still Mattered” is the title of a Lombardi biography. That phrase speaks volumes about what the former Packers coach represented. At times, it seems character is the last thing that matters in sports. Lombardi remains a bold symbol of a the halcyon days of pro football.

Bill Bradley

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The former New York Knick has one of the most decorated pedigrees outside of the sports world: Rhodes Scholar, subject of a John McPhee book, author and US Senator. He was also an integral part of the only two championship Knicks teams. Bradley ranks as one of the only professional athletes who could be more famous for what he did outside of basketball.

Even Jay-Z is astounded by what Bradley has to say.

Cal Ripken Jr.

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The former Orioles shortstop is the type of athlete you don't hear about too often anymore. He was consistent, ready to do his job, and all without complaining.

Ripken is still active with many charitable efforts around Baltimore.

Steve Nash

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Steve seems like a real down-to-earth guy who has a fantastic sense of humor. He's extremely committed to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns point guard is also active with numerous charities.

Nash is also a huge soccer fan and is part owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Billie Jean King

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Hero to 1970s women everywhere, "Battle of the Sexes" champion Billie Jean King proved that girls can play with the boys. Not every athlete can overcome the social obstacles that King did.  

Manny Pacquiao

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The fighting Filipino is a decorated boxer, Congressman and recording star. Pacquiao seems to excel at everything he tries to do. It's not too often that you could pick the brain of someone who has succeeded at so many different pursuits.

Shaquille O'Neal

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A towering center with an even bigger personality, Shaq remains one of the most likable athletes in all of professional sports. Talking about Shaq's basketball career, cop career or career as an art curator would lead to an extremely interesting lunch.  

Chad Ochocinco

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Love him or hate him, Ochocinco sticks it to the "No Fun League." Fans are the biggest beneficiaries of Chad's tweets, over-the-top TD celebrations and excellent fan relation promotions.

Phil Jackson

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The Zen Master knows the secret to success. The 10-time championship winner has the mysterious tradition of handing out books to each of his players before the season starts.

Jackson's reading list, personal philosophy and keys to successfully run the triangle offense would make great lunch conversation. 

Bill Simmons

Simmons' The Book of Basketball is like a great basketball conversation with your best buddy at the bar. Simmons represents what every armchair quarterback wants to be: a wealth of information on sports and pop culture, with a wicked mustache to boot. 

Magic Johnson

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Magic is an accomplished announcer, businessmen and the most popular basketball player of the 1980s. The Laker point guard and TNT analyst also strikes this writer as a genuinely nice person. 

Branch Rickey

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Branch Rickey was the architect of Jackie Robinson's entry into the major leagues. Rickey was a daring man with the courage to change the face of professional sports forever. 

John Wooden

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"The Wizard of Westwood" had a unique style of coaching, and a philosophy that many college coaches don't have today. Winning seven NCAA championships in a row is unprecedented.

Wooden stood for dedication and discipline, two traits rarely seen anymore in college athletics.   

Billy Beane

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The subject of Moneyball is one of the most influential managers in 21st century sports. Although, many more females would want to have lunch with him if he were actually his film doppelganger, Brad Pitt.   

Roberto Clemente

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The ball player who remained humble to his roots, Clemente knew that being an professional athlete didn't give him an excuse to be selfish. And he was one heck of a ball player too.  

Gordie Howe

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"Mr. Hockey" is the very definition of longevity. Howe played in the NHL in five different decades (he also played one game in the IHL in the '90s).

Can you imagine the stories Howe has from his time playing "old time hockey"? 

Peyton Manning

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Another goofball-athlete, Manning is self-depricating (not a trait you find in many pro athletes) and is always up for a laugh.

Add that to his sterling football resume and Peyton Manning is a first-rate meal companion.  

Charles Barkley

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Some may think Barkley is hotheaded and just runs his mouth off, but Barkley is one of the most entertaining analysts on TV today. Get him to talk about anything from politics, to Dwyane Wade, to his golf swing, and you are bound to have an entertaining lunch. 

Michael Jordan

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The most popular athlete of the last 25 years, Jordan crossed the boundary from athlete to cultural icon.

What else can you say about him other than that he's the greatest? Many fans would be curious to know what that's like.  

Herb Brooks

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Herb Brooks was the leader of the most iconic cultural moment of the Cold War era.

This game seemed to transcend the boundaries of mere sport and represent something greater to the USA. A simple man from Minnesota, Brooks really did the impossible, and helped boost our country's morale during some of the darkest days of the Cold War. 

Ken Griffey Jr.

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The modern day "cool" athlete, Griffey carried a certain swagger about him that was confident, but not pretentious. The Mariner was well respected and liked among other professional athletes and baseball fans. He also seems like a cool guy just to hang out with for a day.  

Muhammad Ali

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"The Greatest" was the first athlete to stand out as a cultural icon. Stripped of his boxing titles for standing up for his beliefs, Ali became a powerful symbol for the anti-war movement.

He was also part of some of the most memorable boxing matches of all time, "The Rumble in the Jungle" and "The Thrilla in Manilla."

Named the Sports Personality of the Century by BBC, Ali's confidence and swagger would be a welcome addition to any lunch.  

Bart Giamatti

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The late "Commissioner-Poet" had one of the best senses of baseball's indescribable magic.

A former Ivy-League president who remained a lifelong fan of the game, Giamatti is someone who could probably retell some whimsical springtime moments effortlessly.  

Bob Costas

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Whenever a seminal moment in sports occurs, I always remember it being called by Bob Costas. He is a true fan who understands the power of narrative in professional sports.

His voice always makes whatever game I'm watching more special, more powerful and more legendary. 

Jim Valvano

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Though I never saw a game coached by "Jimmy V," his speech at the ESPY awards always makes me tear up a little bit.

The leader of one of the greatest underdogs in college basketball history, Valvano was a positive and genuinely fun inspiration for fans of the game everywhere. 

Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann

These two revolutionized SportsCenter.

Patrick and Olbermann brought humor, drama and spunk to the sportscasting world. These guys had the "it" that makes good broadcasters legendary.

Babe Ruth

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Deciding which legendary Yankee to have lunch with is tough, but Ruth takes the cake (and the hot dogs too). The Babe is one of only a handful of athletes who has achieved mythic status.

Also, he could finally tell you if he really called his shot.

Alan Page

Another athlete who has become a distinguished and notable public servant after his time in football was finished, Page is the currently an associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

If I were a lawyer, I'd be nervous about having to argue in front of one of the infamous "Purple People Eaters."  

Mia Hamm

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One of the most popular names in women's soccer history, Hamm helped build respect for women's soccer.

The leader of the 1999 World Cup champion team and still active in the sport today, Hamm continues to promote the values of the game.  

Bob Uecker

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"Harry Doyle" knows how to call a game. The Milwaukee Brewers announcer has one of the most well known voices in pro baseball. Also, not many guys got choked by Andre the Giant and lived to tell about it. 

Satchel Paige

The ultimate journeyman who, unfortunately due to segregation, did not get to the major leagues until the age of 42. Paige played all over North and South America.

One of the greatest "What ifs?" in all of sports is if accurate statistics had been kept during Paige's amazing career. 

His "Rules for Staying Young" did him well, as he pitched in a professional game at age 61.

The Harlem Globetrotters

Going to a 'Trotters game is one of my fondest sports memories.

Converging the worlds of comedy and sports, the Globetrotters own an alleged 2,495-game win streak. Sweet Georgia Brown is also the catchiest tune of any sports team. These guys are all about the fun.  

Jim Thome

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Every time Jim Thome comes up to bat, fans are reminded that he is a very nice guy. He is also the newest member of the 600 home run club.

A surefire Hall of Famer, Thome is proof that nice guys can succeed.  

Red Auerbach

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The former Boston Celtics great crafted a dynasty with a philosophy that sometimes bordered on insanity. Red's victory cigars are the stuff of legend and his record of eight straight championships isn't likely to be broken any time soon. 

Chris Berman

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Berman is one of the longest tenured employees at ESPN. During my elementary school years, my parents would let me stay up long enough just to see Berman do the Top 10 plays of the week during halftime of Monday Night Football.

Berman is the purveyor of plucky catchphrases. Many kids playing backyard football surely uttered "He could go all the way!" when sprinting for a touchdown. 

Jesse Owens

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Proving Hitler wrong on an international stage is a pretty amazing accomplishment. Owens accomplished near impossible feats during the shameful days of our nation's race relations history.  

Walter Payton

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The Walter Payton award is given every year to an NFL player who does extensive charity work. "Sweetness" is still remembered as one of the most feared running backs in all of NFL history. He also probably has some fantastic stories from the '85 Bears.

Janet Guthrie

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Janet Guthrie must have one of the coolest resumes ever. She is a former aerospace engineer turned race car driver. Guthrie is the first woman to qualify in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.  

Lisa Leslie

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Leslie once scored 101 points in the first half of a high school basketball game. She is a cornerstone of the WNBA and an accomplished fashion model. 

Yogi Berra

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Yogi is another one of those athletes with a great sense of humor. His alleged quotes are legendary. When asked about his "Yogisms" he said, "I really didn't say everything I said."

Francois Pienaar

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Not many athletes can say they were an integral part of creating a new nation.

Pienaar was captain of the South African Rugby team during the fledgling days of the new Republic. His performance and the play of the Springboks helped ease tensions in the new South Africa. 

Lou Gehrig

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Fans rarely hear about gracious professional athletes who publicly state how fortunate they are to play a game for a living. Gehrig was a genuine professional who knew what really mattered in life. 

Howard Cossell

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Cossell was the most illustrious illustrator of alliteration in all of NFL announcing history. Cossell was the gold standard of football broadcasting for years. Sharing a booth with Frank Gifford and Don Meredith must have been equally as crazy as Cossell's color commentating. 

Mike Veeck

A legendary baseball promoter, Veeck is one of those rare front office guys that understands that fun is a necessary part of sports.

Veeck has created some of the most legendary promotions in all of sports. Some of the best promotions with the St. Paul Saints have included bobble foot dolls (lampooning infamous senator Larry Craig), Randy Moss hood ornament night and, of course, the always fun Saints pig mascot.

Pardon the pun, but Veeck really does put the fun in fundamentals.  

Hank Aaron

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Breaking Babe Ruth's home run record can't be easy. Aaron performed at a consistently high level for a record number of years. "The Hammer" has some of the most memorable home run shots in league history.  

David Halberstam

Halberstam wrote some of the most poetic books on the subject of sports. His Summer of '49 and October 1964 books should be at the top of any baseball fan's reading list.

The Breaks of the Game, about the 1979-80 Portland Trail Blazers remains the gold standard of books on the sport of basketball. 

In a sports world driven by the 30-second highlight, Halberstam's books bring a new level of intelligence and insight to the games we love so much.

Image from: http://www.observer.com

Brian Wilson

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Wilson is another sports star where you just want to pick his brain for 20 minutes to figure out what exactly goes on in his head. 

Dwight Howard

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I have a lot of respect for athletes who have great relationships with their fans. Howard always seems to be having fun on and off the court.

The Orlando Magic center is an active tweeter and gives a lot back to the Orlando area. He also has released a music album for children. Howard's cover of "All Star" just might get many young fans through the lockout.  

Jackie Robinson

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The single most important figure in professional sports history. Jackie climbed the toughest mountain in sports with grace, style and class.

Jackie is a true hero for all sports fans. As a baseball fan, I would be humbled to share a meal with Mr. Robinson.