Athletes
Montanans participate in a wide variety of sports including: baseball, basketball, boxing, cycling, football, golf, rodeo, figure skating, skiing, and wrestling.
| Name | Lifetime | Montana connection | Comments | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan, PatPat Donovan | 1953–present | Attended high school in Helena | National Football League left tackle (1975–1983); four-time Pro Bowler; played in three Super Bowls, winning one | |
| Jackson, PhilPhil Jackson | 1945–present | Born and lived for several years in Deer Lodge | National Basketball Association (NBA) power forward (1968–1980) and head coach (1990–2011); considered one of the Top 10 coaches in NBA history | |
| Leipheimer, LeviLevi Leipheimer | 1973-1993 and more | Born and raised in Butte, Montana | American professional road bicycle racer. Won the 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré and the 2005 Deutschland Tour. | |
| Linderman, BillBill Linderman | 1920–1965 | Born in Bridger; raised in Red Lodge | Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world champion All-Around Cowboy (1950 & 1953); elected to ProRodeo Hall of Fame (1979) | |
| McNally, DaveDave McNally | 1942–2002 | Born and lived in Billings | Major League Baseball starting pitcher (1962–1975) | |
| Schmidt, ScotScot Schmidt | 1961–present | Born in Helena | First ever professional extreme skier | |
| Wigger, LonesLones Wigger | 1937–present | Born in Great Falls | Rifle shooter; three-time Olympic medalist—gold and silver in the 1964 Summer Olympics and gold in the 1972 Summer Olympics; once held 80 national championships and 29 world records |
Read more about this topic: List Of People From Montana
Famous quotes containing the word athletes:
“To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires a training such as the athletes underwent, the steady intention almost of the whole life to this object.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The quality of American life is an insult to the possibilities of human growth ... the pollution of American space, with gadgetry and cars and TV and box architecture, brutalizes the senses, making gray neurotics of most of us, and perverse spiritual athletes and strident self-transcenders of the best of us.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)