Sportsmen/women who were not athletes in school

[Michael13]

Are there any examples out there of non-athletic folk or people who didn't excel at sports in school becoming successful in an athletic endeavour later in life?

 

[bad seed]

Phil Taylor, the greatest darts champion of all time.

Joey Chestnut, the greatest competetive eater of all time.

 

[CWMMA]

Sure, I’d take a guess they would never be transcendent athletes like Phelps/Tyson though.

 

[blaseblah]

 

[Frank23]

 

[Krixes]

He didn't even wrestle in High School...

 

[Badger67]

Are there any examples out there of non-athletic folk or people who didn't excel at sports in school becoming successful in an athletic endeavour later in life?

Rich franklin didnt pick up mma until like his 2nd year in uni. Was never an athlete prior.

 

[n...not crazy]

Dennis Rodman had a very unusual sports path. It's worth a read.

 

[Liquid Smoke]

These lumbering goofs would have fit in great on HW TUF.

 

[Alphaboy]

Practically all of WMMA.

 

[badascan]

Brock was a trash wrestler wasn't he?

 

[Lavitz]

Brock was a trash wrestler wasn't he?

He was very decorated.

NCAA champ
NCAA runner up
JUCO champ and AA

 

[Vil7]

Chuck Norris wasn't naturally athletic & he went on to become a multiple time karate champion.

 

[Alphaboy]

Just about everyone in WMMA.

 

[Alphaboy]

Dennis Rodman had a very unusual sports path. It's worth a read.

Didn't he just grow 2 feet in height one day?

 

[n...not crazy]

Didn't he just grow 2 feet in height one day?

He was 5'6" in high school, but after HS he grew a foot in about a year. Something like that.

 

[Pugilistic]

He was 5'6" in high school, but after HS he grew a foot in about a year. Something like that.

I hoped that'd be my case when I was still only 5'5 in 8th grade...

 

[DanMMAleague]

Eddie Bravo started BJJ at 24, cobrinha 21.