Intimidating athletes as compiled by TSM staff; We broke it down by sport (Sorry to fans of golf, NASCAR, soccer, rugby and other sports we did not include) and tried to put the intimidators in order by each sport, starting with the most fierce. Obviously, the top ten in each sport is only our opinion, as is the order. We are sure the list could be added to, subtracted from and reordered over and over. Nonetheless, here it is. Let the debate begin.

NFL

Dick Butkus - No one got through the middle. He played every play with unequalled intensity and was literally out to destroy opposing players.

Jim Brown - He would run over you or through before he got tackled by you.

Ray Nitschke – About as mean as they came. He was an intimidating run stopper who was also excellent in coverage. Teammate Bart Starr said of Nitschke,” He enjoyed hitting people.”

Jack Lambert – One look at Lambert tells you just about all you need to know. He was also a leader of Pittsburgh vaunted Steel Curtain Defense. Lambert was known for the intensity with which he played. Lambert prided himself on his ability to hit hard and intimidate the opposition - Possibly the greatest linebacker of his time.

Lawrence Taylor - He was at his best when he was coked up and crazy. A quarterback had to know where he was lined up at all times. He changed the way the position of linebacker was played.

Ronnie Lott – Pound-for-pound, one of the most brutal hitter in NFL history. He had a finger amputated so he wouldn’t miss a game. His thunderous hit on Ickey Woods that nearly decapitated the Bengals’ star was a pivotal moment in Super Bowl XXIII and one of the most infamous hits in NFL history.

“Mean” Joe Greene – Along with Jack Lambert, he was the leader of Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain defense. Greene was incredibly strong, quick and intense. Throughout the early 1970s he developed into arguably the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL. He is considered by many to be one of the best defensive linemen to ever play the game.

Jack Tatum - The guy was an executioner, not a safety. Just ask Darryl Stingley. Tatum was also one of the most hated players of all time.

Ray Lewis - This generation's Dick Butkus. If a play is made on the Ravens' defense, he's usually there.

Jack Youngblood – Uniformly respected by teammates, opposing players and coaches who all marveled at his play. Said Art Shell, "Jack Youngblood was a terror. He played hard, he played tough and he was as quick as a hiccup. He was a hellacious player who definitely should he in the Hall of Fame." Anyone who plays in the Super Bowl on a broken leg and can still strike fear into the opposition is intimidating.

MLB

Bob Gibson – Hank Aaron said it best, “Don't dig in against Bob Gibson, he'll knock you down. Don't stare at him. He doesn't like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow, don't run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don't charge the mound, because he's a Gold Glove boxer.”

Ty Cobb - Knowing you could be spiked trying to tag him out on the base paths is no way to go through a game.

Don Drysdale – If he didn’t knock you down the first time, he wanted to try again. He was an advocate of a second knock down pitch.

Roger Clemens - Here is what Derek Jeter said about Clemens not long after his trade to the Yankees 10 years ago: "I hated facing him, but I'm glad he's on my side."

Albert Belle - One of the meanest, most intimidating player ever to put on a MLB uniform, Albert Belle was not to be messed with.  Standing 6′2” and weighing 225, he defiantly intimidated pitchers when he stepped to the plate.

Nolan Ryan - Ryan was a fearsome competitor who possessed a 98 mph fastball and good control, but he was not shy about throwing at batters’ heads. Ryan owns the MLB record for most strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (seven). In 1993 Ryan hit Robin Ventura with a fastball, an enraged Ventura charged the mound, and Ryan secured Ventura’s head and delivered seven stiff punches before the two were separated.

Randy Johnson – 6’10” and full of heat. 100 mph fastball. Ugly and mean on the mound. Add his early control problems and you have a pitcher that made many hitters knees knock.

Pete Rose - Went balls-to-the-wall, even in All-Star Games. Just ask Ray Fosse.

Pedro Martinez - A different level of intimidation. Had a reputation as a head-hunter. In one game in July of 2003, he hit both Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter in the hands in the first inning, knocking them out of the game. As a hitter, you couldn't get comfortable in the batter's box.

Sandy Koufax - Speaking of discomfort...Sandy Koufax would make you uncomfortable because he was flat-out unhittable between the years of 1962 and '66.

NBA

Wilt Chamberlain – Bill Russell's greatest rival - Maybe the most intimidating big man ever?

Bill Russell - His mere presence; and at 6’9” maybe the best rebounder and defensive player ever. Russell played with a demonic intensity. His surly off-court demeanor even intimidated the press. Russell changed forever the way defense was played in the NBA. Oh, he also 11 NBA titles.

Michael Jordan - He'd talk trash during practice and make you look like lunch meat during the game; had some of his best games while sick with the flu.

Shaquille O’Neal – 7’2”, 325 pounds and had a mean streak that his peers at the time - Ewing, Olajuwon and Robinson, and Duncan - didn't have.

Charles Barkley – The Round Mound of Rebound was an absolute terror in the low post and he was mean to boot - on and off the court.

Alonzo Mourning - The guy put the “rage” in the term, “competitive rage.” The image of Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy hanging on his leg to prevent him from committing mass murder on the court during a bench-clearing brawl in the 1997 playoffs is an all-time highlight image. 

Patrick Ewing - 255 pounds of muscle hardened by five-times-a-week weight-training sessions, even during the season. Seven feet tall. Nasty-looking scratches dot his upper arms. Thunderous one-handed dunks and a constant nasty scowl – Enough said.

Karl Malone – When he turned his fat into muscle, his patented pick-and-roll move become even more devastating. Outside of Dikembe Mutombo, Malone may have had the sharpest elbows of any player in the league. And he wasn’t afraid to throw them.

Bill Laimbeer – Perhaps the dirtiest player to ever take the court, he was also one of the best outside shooting centers of his time.

Dennis Rodman – His defense and rebounding skills were unparalleled during his playing days. He could shut down any opposing player, from point guard to center.

NHL

Gordie Howe - A goal, an assist, and a fight. The Gordie Howe hat trick.

Bobby Clarke - Was he the dirtiest member of the Broad Street Bullies? Maybe.

Scott Stevens - Ask Eric Lindros what it was like to skate through the neutral zone with your head down.

Bob Probert  - He would move entire piles of people with one punch. One of the greatest fighters of the 1980s-90s.

Tie Domi – He might have only been 5’10”, but he’d take on anyone, anywhere at any time (including a fan who fell into the penalty box). He was like a ticking time bomb on skates.

Stu "The Grim Reaper" Grimson – Widely considered one of the most feared enforcers to take the ice, he compiled more than 2,100 penalty minutes in his career. Grimson once said, "I had plenty of concussion-like episodes but just played right through them.” Interesting footnote: Grimson is now a lawyer.

Dave "The Hammer" Schultz - He almost killed Rangers defenseman Dale Rolfe. 

Clark Gillies - Played on the line with Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy. He not only used his hands to score goals (six 30-goal seasons), he protected his linemates at every turn.

John Kordic – Like Probert and Grimson, Kordic was a goon’s goon, and he relished the role.
Wayne Gretzky - If he was on the ice, chances were a play was being made to lead to a goal.

BOXING/MMA

Brock Lesnar – Just look at him. Why would you step into the ring with that? His picture alone is intimidating.

Mike Tyson - You can't help crazy. In his prime, Tyson was a calculating cold-blooded headhunter.

George Foreman - Was once one of the most brutal heavyweight boxers ever. He routinely knocked out his competition with ease. Foreman annihilated Joe Frazier in the second round to win the heavyweight title, a belt he held until the legendary “Rumble in the Jungle." To this day he is still considered the hardest punching boxer ever.

Muhammad Ali - As intelligent a fighter and devastating a puncher as there ever was.

Frazier - A brawler to the nth degree. Frazier may have had the hardest hook of all time.

Duran Roberto Duran - His nickname, "Manos de Piedra," said it all.

Marvin Hagler - Few punched harder or more directly than The Marvelous One.

Joe Louis – The Brown Bomber. Lewis held the heavyweight title for over 106 months, longer than anyone else before or since, recording 25 successful defenses of the title. In 2003, Ring Magazine ranked him No. 1 on its list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Wanderlei Silva - Nicknamed the “Axe Murderer”, Silva is trained in Muay thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  He is a knockout artist, and puts fear in the heart of every opponent that dares to fight him.  His staredown before fights is extremely intimidating.

Royce Gracie – In the early days of UFC, the Brazilian grappler, along with Ken Shamrock, helped put the sport on the map. Gracie was at his best when he appeared to be in a position of submission. If he got you in a scissorlock, you were a goner.