Athletes from United States

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Athletes of all time. This list of famous American Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Athletes.

1. #1

   

   Jesse Owens

   1913 - 1980

   HPI 75.1985 languages

   Jesse Owens was an African-American track and field athlete. He is most famous for winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

2. #2

   

   Florence Griffith Joyner

   1959 - 1998

   HPI 71.5354 languages

   American track and field athlete

3. #3

   

   Thomas Burke

   1875 - 1929

   HPI 71.0939 languages

   Thomas Burke is most famous for his book, "The Outlaw's Journal," which was published in 1837. The book is about a man who is on the run from the law and is not afraid to rob, steal, or kill to get what he wants.

4. #4

   

   Bob Beamon

   b. 1946

   HPI 69.9850 languages

   Bob Beamon is most famous for his record-breaking jump in the 1968 Olympics. He jumped 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches, which was almost two feet farther than the previous world record.

5. #5

   

   Carl Lewis

   b. 1961

   HPI 67.9073 languages

   Carl Lewis is a retired American track and field athlete. He was the most successful athlete in the sport's history, with nine Olympic gold medals and ten World Championships gold medals.

6. #6

   

   Louis Zamperini

   1917 - 2014

   HPI 67.4227 languages

   Louis Zamperini was a world-class distance runner who was a member of the 1936 US Olympic team. He served in World War II as a bombardier and survived a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean. He was taken prisoner by the Japanese and tortured for two years.

7. #7

   

   Thomas Curtis

   1873 - 1944

   HPI 67.3829 languages

   American athlete

8. #8

   

   Charley Paddock

   1900 - 1943

   HPI 67.3727 languages

   American athlete and Olympic gold medalist (1900-1943)

9. #9

   

   Dick Fosbury

   1947 - 2023

   HPI 67.2441 languages

   Dick Fosbury was a high jumper and is most famous for inventing the Fosbury Flop. The Fosbury Flop is a technique in which the jumper does not bend their knees, but instead throws themselves backwards and upwards, using the momentum to propel them over the bar.

10. #10

    

    Frank Jarvis

    1878 - 1933

    HPI 67.1031 languages

    American athlete, Olympic medalist (1878–1933)