I admire anyone who can compete on a world class level in any sport, even obscure stuff I'm not particularly crazy about like table tennis, synchronized swimming, or archery. But for me the best all-around athlete was Bo. He excelled in baseball and football in both college and the pros (Heisman, MVP, Allstar, stolen base record, five consecutive home runs, etc.), had the 100 yd., 40 yd. dash and 100 m. hurdles records for a time, and lots more. The guy could do it all. Just wish he had taken up boxing too, then he would have been the first to beat Tyson. I like Bo though mainly because of his longevity and versatility.
Jim Thorpe and Jesse Owens were the greatest in their eras, but all their records have been beaten. And all the records being set today will soon fall to the next generations.