Did you have a sporting hero as a kid?

guitars4you

Roy of the Rovers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cricket wise it was G Boycott and D Lillie

Rugby wise it was David Duckham

Football wise it was Eddie Gray, Billy Bremner and Peter Lorimer

Before I was 14 I'd seen them all live as well - Maybe that is were your influences came from - Far less TV coverage then as well

Woodandwires

Steve McDowell New Zealand Rugby prop and Judo international should have gone to the Olympics but because of the boycott didn't, so not only dual international but principled great role model.

Axe_meister

The only time I was interested in Football was in the 80s and I lived in Germany, So it was Paul Breitner and Karl Heinz Rummaneger of Bayern Munich fame.

RobDavies

VimFuego said:

Brian Jacks, I had no clue about judo, but he always totally caned everyone on Superstars, so that made him boss of bosses.

Although, Geoff Capes, I likewise knew feck all about whatever throwing event he did, but he rocked Britain's Strongest Man.

Have a wis from me.   Before I really got into football as a kid, Brian was THE man.  Superstars was compulsive viewing in our house.   I’d love to see a modern version but I guess they’d never be able to insure modern athletes....

not_the_dj

Daley Thompson is the one that first comes to mind. Olympic gold, world records, TV adverts and a game on the BBC Micro. 

Sassafras

Henry Cooper.

scrumhalf

Jimmy Greaves
Martin Chivers
Derek Underwood 

thecolourbox

Super Super Bob, Super Super Bob, Super Super Bob, Super Bobby Taylor

I'm sure @mudslide73 will agree

fretmeister

Daley Thompson 
Ayrton Senna

p90fool

RobDavies said:

VimFuego said:

Brian Jacks, I had no clue about judo, but he always totally caned everyone on Superstars, so that made him boss of bosses.

Although, Geoff Capes, I likewise knew feck all about whatever throwing event he did, but he rocked Britain's Strongest Man.

Have a wis from me.   Before I really got into football as a kid, Brian was THE man.  Superstars was compulsive viewing in our house.   I’d love to see a modern version but I guess they’d never be able to insure modern athletes....

It would also lose that slightly amateurish feel, as they'd all be awesome. 

They did do a similar programme about 15 years ago whose name escapes me, but even run of the mill Premiership defenders all had Commonwealth standard 800m times. 

Fitness is on a different scale to 40 years ago. 

Sassafras

We didn't have as many performance enhancing drugs 40 years ago.
They had amphetamines and low doses of strychnine, and that was about it.

WiresDreamDisasters

Not really. I didn't like sports when I was a kid, or even when I was a human. I can just about tolerate a jog now.

EricTheWeary

Sassafras said:

We didn't have as many performance enhancing drugs 40 years ago.
They had amphetamines and low doses of strychnine, and that was about it.

And they all had polio and lit up an Embassy in-between rounds.

I seem to remember formula 1 drivers and weightlifters making up the numbers, it was fairly amateur. I have a vague memory of Kevin Keegan falling off a bike on Superstars that took him out of football for months. 

Philly_Q

p90fool said:

Barry John and Meadowlark Lemon. 

I loved the Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series but had no idea they were real people.

SidNewton

Kenny Dalglish
Nigel Mansell
Marvin Hagler

axisus

RobDavies said:

VimFuego said:

Brian Jacks, I had no clue about judo, but he always totally caned everyone on Superstars, so that made him boss of bosses.

Although, Geoff Capes, I likewise knew feck all about whatever throwing event he did, but he rocked Britain's Strongest Man.

Have a wis from me.   Before I really got into football as a kid, Brian was THE man.  Superstars was compulsive viewing in our house.   I’d love to see a modern version but I guess they’d never be able to insure modern athletes....

They did a second run of Superstars, must be over 10 years ago now. I remember that 400m runners Jamie Baulch and Euan Thomas were fiercely competitive, and Colin Jackson was most definitely not! He was a right wet blanket. 

I loved the original show, I was a big David Hemery fan. Everyone remembers Kevin Keegan crashing on the gravel track on a bike and ripping his leg up!

crunchman

Boycott for me.  My earliest memories of cricket were us getting whacked against the Windies in 1976.  When Boycott came back in 1977 and batted all day, he became a hero.  Just listening to him now on TMS.

Philly_Q

axisus said:

RobDavies said:

VimFuego said:

Brian Jacks, I had no clue about judo, but he always totally caned everyone on Superstars, so that made him boss of bosses.

Although, Geoff Capes, I likewise knew feck all about whatever throwing event he did, but he rocked Britain's Strongest Man.

Have a wis from me.   Before I really got into football as a kid, Brian was THE man.  Superstars was compulsive viewing in our house.   I’d love to see a modern version but I guess they’d never be able to insure modern athletes....

They did a second run of Superstars, must be over 10 years ago now. I remember that 400m runners Jamie Baulch and Euan Thomas were fiercely competitive, and Colin Jackson was most definitely not! He was a right wet blanket. 

I think that was the first time I realised how out of shape Ricky Hatton got between fights.  He was going on about his fitness and I thought fucking hell, look at the state of you.  Despite that, he actually did fairly well on Superstars, as far as I can remember.

It wasn't a patch on the original series, though.  Mostly people nearing the end of their careers and there wasn't the same degree of carefree injury risk.

guitars4you

Add Brendan Foster as well to my list - before the days of Ovett + Seb

blobb

Eddie Fiola