The 10 Most Iconic United States Summer Olympians in History

What makes an Olympian immortal?

One could simply suggest winning, but if that were the case more people in the world would know Eric Heiden's name rather than Jesse Owens'.

As with all international events, timing is everything.

And with the 2012 Summer Olympics in full swing, what better time than now to look back—and perhaps into the present—by counting down the 10 most iconic U.S. Olympians in history?

For the sake of this list, I am ranking the athletes based on what they did strictly on the Olympic stage.

As such, obvious sports icons like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James will not make the cut because they brought or made their stars after winning during the Games.

That said, other professionals that did use Olympic success as a catapult do warrant merit.

This will definitely be a controversial list, and I readily admit there will be plenty of room for debate.

Also, there are many great athletes that excelled in the Winter Olympics that will not receive mention because this is a strictly summer list. So with all that out of the way, here is number 10...

#10: Edwin Moses

The list starts with the king of the 400-meter hurdles, Edwin Moses.

A three-time Olympic medalist, Moses won gold at the 1976 Montreal and 1984 Los Angeles games. It is widely assumed that he would have won gold in 1980 had the United States not boycotted the Moscow Olympics.

Moses was famous not just because of his Olympic prowess, but because he was simply unbeatable.

From 1977 to 1987, Moses won 122 consecutive races including 107 finals.

During this stretch, he would break his own world record four times. Even when winning bronze at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Moses ran a time that would have bested his own gold medal performance in '76 and '84.

Visually, Moses was distinctive for his technique of taking 13 steps consistently between each of the hurdles. This enabled him to consistently pull away in the second half of races as his opponents changed their stride pattern.

Along with fellow U.S. Olympian Mary Lou Retton, Moses was named Sportsman of the Year in 1984 by Sports Illustrated. 

Even after his racing days ended, Moses remained a factor in the Olympic games with his participation in the development of a number of anti-drug policies for track and field.

#9: Mark Spitz

The original swimming superstar in U.S. Olympics history was Johnny Weissmuller, who went on to became famous as Tarzan in the movies.

The first swimmer to become a media sensation was Mark Spitz.

Nicknamed Mark "The Shark" for his aggressive technique, Spitz would dominate the competition at the 1972 Munich Olympics, setting records that still stand to this day.

Even before his performance in 1972, Spitz was on the fast track to win big in 1968 at the Mexico City Olympics. Although he only won two gold medals after boasting he would win six, those Olympics did put Spitz on the map.

By the time the 1972 games came around, Spitz was favored to win the six gold medals he said he would in 1968.

Instead, he won seven, a mark that would stand for 36 years. 

More remarkable than winning seven Olympic gold medals was the fact that Spitz set a world record in every event he participated in, a feat that to this day has not been duplicated.

In total, Spitz won 11 Olympic medals and set 33 official world records before retiring after the Munich games. 

His iconic status goes beyond his legendary achievements though.

Spitz's fame escalated after his career thanks to a famous pin-up poster with his gold medals and television appearances on shows like Emergency! and his work as an analyst at the 1976 Olympic Games.

#8: Sugar Ray Leonard

No Olympic athlete ever used the stage as a direct catapult into professional sports success more than Ray Leonard did.

Part of the famed 1976 U.S. Olympic boxing team that also featured gold medalists Michael Spinks, Leon Spinks, and Howard Davis, Leonard became one of the two major U.S. stars of the games.

Winning his first four bouts by a unanimous 5-0 decision—fights are simply deemed won or lost by the five Olympic judges—Leonard moved into the semifinals against Kazimierz Szczerba of Poland.

Szczerba had won a highly controversial decision over Leonard in his home country despite Leonard knocking him down three times in the third round.

The rematch was anticlimactic as Leonard dominated and won another clear 5-0 decision setting up a gold medal bout against Cuba's Andres Aldama.

A great knockout artist and amateur fighter, Aldama had scored five straight knockouts to reach the final. But like his first five fights, Leonard was be too much as he dominated, scoring a second round knockdown and forcing a standing eight count in the third and final round.

With the decision, he won the Olympic gold medal and established himself as one of the most charismatic Olympians of any country in 1976.

Thanks to his name value established by the Olympics, Leonard turned pro and debuted in February 1977 before a crowd of 10,270 in his home state of Maryland.

Many of his early fights were televised on ABC or HBO as a result of his popularity.

By 1979, he would win the first of his five world titles.

#7: Greg Louganis

When it comes to the sport of diving, there is Greg Louganis and there is everyone else.

During the time he competed, Louganis was among the most dominant athletes in his sport.

In the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, he swept the springboard and platform events, the only male in history to accomplish that feat.

Although he won an Olympic silver medal as a 16-year-old at the 1976 Games, it is his performances at the Los Angeles and Seoul Games that made him iconic.

One of the more enduring images in Olympics history was when Louganis hit his head on the the platform during preliminary rounds at the '88 Games.

Despite a concussion, he would go out and earn the highest single score of the qualifying round for his next dive. From there, Louganis went on to repeat the dive during the finals, earning the gold medal by a margin of 25 points.

All the while, Louganis was winning while concealing from his homosexuality and HIV-positive diagnosis from the world.

His interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1995, where he announced publicly that he homosexual, was one of the most compelling in terms of sports and sexuality.

Since coming out, Louganis has become an author and his life story was documented in the 1996 movie Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story.

#6: Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Some athletes become iconic simply because of their greatness in competition.

A great example of this is Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

A six-time Olympic medalist—including three golds—Joyner-Kersee is widely considered among the best all-around female athletes of all time. Sports Illustrated went so far as to vote her the greatest female athlete of the 20th century.

Joyner-Kersee's Olympic career began in Los Angeles in 1984 while she was still attending UCLA.

Although she failed to win the gold medal in the women's heptathlon by a mere five points, the experience proved to be a springboard to her history performance in 1988.

At the time, Joyner-Kersee was deemed so much better than the rest of the field, the only question was whether she broke the world record for the heptathlon.

As it turned out, she destroyed the mark, becoming the first woman to exceed 7,000 points and still the only woman to exceed 7,100.

During her quest, Joyner-Kersee set personal records in the 800-meter run and a heptathlon best 7.27 meters or 23 feet, 8 1/2 inches in the long jump.

She would eclipse that mark in the individual long jump event, soaring 24' 3" to win her second gold medal.

After her second gold medal for the heptathlon in 1992, Joyner-Kersee began to slow down.

A hamstring injury during the 1996 Olympic Trials limited her effectiveness going into the games. But after having to withdraw from the heptathlon, Joyner-Kersee somehow managed to jump an even 23' on her final attempt to win bronze, her sixth and final Olympic medal. 

Currently, her world record of 7,291 points still stands in the women's heptathlon.

As a matter of fact, the next six points totals are also owned by her.

In 2007, she joined many other famous athletes like Andre Agassi, Mia Hamm, Mario Lemieux, and Cal Ripken Jr. in founding Athletes for Hope, a charitable organization, which helps professional athletes get involved in charitable causes and inspires millions of non-athletes to volunteer and support the community.

#5: Bruce Jenner

There is something strange and sad about the fact that the name Bruce Jenner conjures up a trifling reality television show instead of one of the greatest American athletes of all time.

Luckily, I am not paid to keep up with any socialites. Instead the focus is on the man who helped define the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

After finishing 10th in the decathlon in 1972, Jenner devoted himself to becoming the world's best for the Montreal Games.

For many in America, the decathlon was one of the three "must win" events along with men's basketball and the 100-meter dash, which had all been won by the Soviet Union in 1972.

Jenner would do his part, winning the decathlon with a world record 8,618 points.

The combination of his good looks, boyish charm, and world record achievement made him arguably the American star of the games and a sudden celebrity.

Jenner would cash in on that fame, first appearing on an iconic Wheaties box with the now famed "hero shot."

Currently, he remains one of seven spokesmen for the brand, even though there have been hundreds of athletes to grace the box. Jenner would go on to make feature films and starred on the television show CHiPs in the 1981-82 season. 

No matter what people see now, those who watched Jenner compete will remember the athlete that dominated 1976.

He would win the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and was named James E. Sullivan Award winner, emblematic of the top amateur in the United States.

Jenner was inducted in the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986.

#4: Michael Phelps

Where do you begin? Oh yeah, 20 Olympic medals, only the most of all time.

Sixteen gold medals—most in history.

Eight gold medals at one Olympic Games? Most of all time.

By any measure, the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time is Michael Phelps. 

The reality has come, the man is so good that he is measured by what he used to be, instead of against the rest of the field.

As of this writing, Phelps has won two gold and two silver medals in London. That would be a historic achievement for 99 percent of the competitors in Olympic history.

Instead, people are focusing on how much Phelps has lost as a swimmer. Criticism is the ultimate compliment of your history when it only manages to show how dominant you have been.

It had been 36 years since the Olympics saw the performance Phelps put on in Beijing in 2008.

Mark Spitz won seven gold medals, but did so in a much less competitive era.

What Phelps—and his relay teammates—accomplished was remarkable because of the increased scrutiny, the level of competition, and the amount of pressure put on him not just to win, but to win at the highest level in the history of the Games.

Mission accomplished.

There has been a lot of backlash for the indiscretions Phelps has had and for what has been deemed a lack of total preparation for the 2012 Olympics.

Yet we sit here with him having won four more medals and in position to win more before the closing ceremonies.

Sometimes you can look at an athlete for what they could have done. But when a man has won 20 Olympic medals, perhaps is time to fully appreciate what it did take to achieve that kind of sweeping history.

Can we see another male swimmer like Phelps? Possibly.

Will we? Not likely.

And for that, he is to be celebrated. 

#3: Mary Lou Retton

Like I said at the beginning, when it comes to icons, timing is often everything.

Mary Lou Retton is the perfect example of external forces slamming together to create an enduring icon.

She did not win the most and may not have been the most spectacular, but Retton was hands down the most beloved athlete of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Combine that with the Soviet boycott of the games and the American pride and sentiment that created and Retton became more than an athlete. For a moment in time, she was a symbol of the perceived spirit of America.

Going into the 1984 Olympics, Retton was expected to compete for medals in the vault, floor exercise, uneven bars, and the team event in gymnastics.

But all-around gold seemed out of the question: Since gymnastics became an Olympic sport, the event was dominated by Eastern European competitors.

Retton would win bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars as well as silver in the vault and as part of the U.S. women's team. 

However, it was her performance in the all-around that made her a superstar. Staying close Romanian-favorite Ecaterina Szabo, Retton trailed by 0.015 of a point going into the last two events.

Needing to be great, Retton was perfect.

She scored a perfect 10 on both the floor exercise and vault to win the all-around title by 0.05 points. As a result, she would be named Sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated at the end of 1984.

But the enduring image of her fame was Retton's appearance on the iconic Wheaties box, making her the first female athlete in history to earn the distinction.

Throughout the rest of the 1980s and into the '90s, her star remained bright as she was a supporter of the Reagan Administration and remained one of the most popular athletes in America even after she was done competing.

#2: Carl Lewis

With apologies to all the great sprinters in the past and the best in the world right now—Usain Bolt—when you think of sprinters, it begins and ends with Carl Lewis.

Still the flag bearer for sprinting, Lewis won a combined five gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter individual and relay sprints.

If it was just the measure of his sprinting, Lewis might very well make this list.

Add to the fact that he won four straight Olympic gold medals from 1984 to 1996 and you have a certifiable icon.

Lewis has been a diva, outspoken and then grudging to give others their just due (see: Mike Powell). But invariably, no track star was as famous and performed on the biggest of stages like Lewis did.

His first foray into international super stardom came at the 1984 Olympics.

Winning four gold medals, Lewis almost single-handedly elevated the sport of track and field while making himself an American celebrity to match the world success he had attained in 1983.

His sweep of the 100, 200, and 4x100 meter relay as well as the long jump matched the achievement by Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Games. 

In 1988, Lewis went to Seoul looking to duplicate his four gold medal feat of 1984, however, he was an underdog to Canada's Ben Johnson, who had consistently beaten Lewis from 1986 heading into the Seoul Games.

In one of the most anticipated events in Olympic history, Lewis ran a personal best of 9.92 seconds but was a distant second to Johnson who had destroyed the world record with a 9.79 second mark.

Of course, most know that Johnson tested positive for steroids and was stripped of his medal, later awarding the gold to Lewis.

While he would also add gold in the long jump, fellow American Joe DeLoach upset Lewis in the 200-meter finals to relegate Lewis to silver. A botched baton hand-off disqualified the American relay team in the 4x100-meter relay and they were shockingly disqualified. 

Although Lewis was past his prime, he was still fast enough to lead the United States to a world record in the 4x100-meter relay at the Barcelona Games in 1992, giving him two more gold medals, including his third straight gold in the long jump.

By 1996, Lewis had become a sentimental favorite competing in the long jump. 

Gray hair showing, a heavy underdog to world record holder Mike Powell and Cuba's Ivan Pedroso, Lewis managed a jump of 27 feet, 9 inches to win his fourth-straight long jump gold medal.

Upon his retirement from track and field in 1997, Lewis was universally considered the greatest sprinter in history and the International Olympic Committee named him the "Sportsman of the Century" in 1999.

#1: Jesse Owens

The number one and most iconic United States Olympian of all time is a man whose deeds were done 76 years ago.

What Jesse Owens accomplished—even while facing discrimination in his home country—in the face of Adolf Hitler's claims of racial superiority still ranks as one of the crowning achievements in sports history.

As such, Owens is still remembered as a great American hero and the finest example of letting deeds, not words, dictate the truth of anyone's merits.

Heading into the 1936 Berlin Games, the world was already wary of Hitler's claims of racial superiority. The United States nearly boycotted the games in protest of Hitler's desire that blacks and Jewish competitors not be allowed to participate.

Only in the face of a sweeping boycott did he backtrack, even adding a token German member of Jewish heritage, Helene Meyer, to the national team.

Owens first gold medal came in the 100-meter final, holding off fellow African-American Ralph Metcalfe.

The next day, after ironically receiving tips from German competitor—and friendly rival—Luz Long, Owens won his second gold in the long jump.

The following day, his gold medal tally went to three with a dominant win in the 200-meter finals.

Four days later, after the Germans demanded that Jewish-Americans Sam Stoller and Marty Glickman be replaced, Owens and Metcalfe were added to and helped the U.S. win the 4x100-meter relay.

The tally would give Owens a then unprecedented sweep of the major track events.

Although Hitler infamously avoided shaking his hand after winning his gold medals, Owens proved diplomatic stating, "Hitler didn't snub me—it was FDR who snubbed me. The President didn't even send me a telegram."

After his success, Owens endured struggles before finding second life as a United States goodwill ambassador and a race horse owner.

Some 32 years after his death in 1980, Jesse Owens' performance remains one of the finest examples of achievement in sports history.

As Jeremy Schaap pointedly said in 2009, "Owens struck a blow against the racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic government of Germany. With his brilliance on the track, handsome appearance and grace in victory, Owens seemed to embody the Greek athletic ideal the Germans had suggested was theirs (Hitler believed the ancient Greeks were Aryans)."

In short, he became an icon because his deeds helped to debunk a myth while at the same time holding up an ideal. 

Honorable Mention/Conclusion

I would be remiss if I did not mention some of the great Americans in history who did not quite make the cut.

They include Mary Decker, famous for her collision with Zola Budd in the 1984 Games.

Michael Johnson, who became the star of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

The great female sprinter Wilma Rudolph, Tommie Smith, famous for winning 200-meter gold in 1968 and even more famous (or infamous) for his "black power" salute with John Carlos. 

Last but not least, the original U.S. Olympic star, Johnny Weissmuller.

The five-time Olympic gold medalist, Weissmuller parlayed his swimming stardom into Hollywood stardom, portraying Tarzan in 12 movies. 

It is possible that someone from 2012 (Missy Franklin?) can one day make a mark like the athletes on this list.

But as the Olympics move away from the dominant spectacle they once were in the world, it will take athletes that dominate both with force of will and personality to leave imprints like those of the athletes that have preceded them.

These athletes represented America at various times of conflict and won with flair and grace.

They performed at times during the height of political pressures not likely to be duplicated on international stages.

For that, they are worthy of the praise received since their days in competition.