What pro athletes have done best/worst after retirement?

Too many have done very well. Fran Tarkenton has made far more money after football that he ever made playing.

Bob Uecker has to be up there. Mediocre catcher who retired to become a beloved announcer who gets to call baseball games and hang around the game and not have to stress coaching or playing. Then got paid for gigs to come and speak. Yeah, that's pretty good gig.

Byron White went on to become a Supreme Court Justice. Alan Page is a MN Supreme Court judge.

Also too many who made the least. Recently saw that Ryan Leaf was in trouble again.

Nick Symmonds has succeeded in being just like William Shatner after Star Trek.

Vote for de Castella and his work with aboriginal people. The guy is leaving a legacy for generations.

The ESPN 30/30 Money episode is a great watch.

You always read about these guys going broke and you know they had a $40M contract. You listen to them tell their tale and you can see how it can happen.

Top Reasons They Lose It All:

-divorces

-child support

-crooked money managers

-too many hangers on

-investing in friend's bars/restaurants (see above)

-lavish lifestyles

Foreman might be better known for the grill more than his boxing career for many people.

Luv2Run wrote:

Fran Tarkenton has made far more money after football that he ever made playing.

Roger Staubach, too. He's made A LOT more in commercial real estate than even thought about making playing pro football.

runnerdave wrote:

Sort of off the topic, but why do college runners stop competing? Maybe many don't? But why don't the BroJo's compete in races anymore? Is it burn out? Or just the reality of not being able to run as fast as they once did? I always ran with an adult track club with track workouts and long runs together - and competed in road races and marathons into my late 50's. I'd win my age group from time to time. No big deal but I really enjoyed it. I loved competing and being in shape, but most of all just love the feeling from running and hard workouts. Why give it up?

Did you run competitively in college? In high school?

If a young runner starts training and racing in 7th grade, but the time he's through middle school, high school, and likely 5 years of college (with red shirts), that's 11 years of training and racing, the last 9 of which often times are pretty serious. Sometimes a competitive runner just wants to do something else. 100+ MPW plus strict diet and all that training isn't what they want to do anymore. And then, after being a competitive athlete, it's tough to just train for general fitness...no real goal to set. Some do want to continue, but it's easy to see why the vast majority do not. What's the fun in running a local 5k and dusting a bunch of nobodies?

The unmentioned...

Jim Bunning - After MLB career, became a senator

Dave Wottle - After his track career, he became a Dean at Rhodes College for just shy of 30 years and then he had administrative roles at two other colleges.

Byron "Whizzer" White.

All-American in football, 2nd in Heisman voting.

Top of his class at Yale Law school but took a leave of absence to play for Lions and led NFL in rushing (for 2nd time).

Rhodes Scholar.

Served on Supreme Court for 30 years.

Flagpole wrote:

The unmentioned...

Jim Bunning - After MLB career, became a senator

Dave Wottle - After his track career, he became a Dean at Rhodes College for just shy of 30 years and then he had administrative roles at two other colleges.

I mentioned Bunning too. But I only had him as a rep, not a senator.

Flagpole wrote:

The unmentioned...

Jim Bunning - After MLB career, became a senator

Dave Wottle - After his track career, he became a Dean at Rhodes College for just shy of 30 years and then he had administrative roles at two other colleges.

Had a friend's kid who went to the school Wottle worked at (Rhodes I think). Had met Wottle since he was the admissions director (or something like that). The kid was amazed when I told him what Wottle had done and showed him the video.

GettingFasterDude wrote:

Seriously? No one has nominated OJ Simpson yet, for worst?

In college, wins the Heisman trophy and goes on to become one of the best running backs in NFL history. He retires, then goes on to murder his ex-wife, her boyfriend, and then does years in jail for armed robbery. It doesn't get any worse than that.

Oscar Pistorius? He was convicted of murder...

Here is a list of Olympians were sent to prison (I am counting them as pro athletes). Some of them seem dicey like Abdul Azziz (for leftist views). A few for war crimes during WWII.

Look at Falih Fahmi---executed for insulting Saddam Hussein in front of military officers.

This guy will be joining the list pretty soon.https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/32308155/former-olympic-swimmer-klete-keller-pleads-guilty-storming-us-capitol

Luv2Run wrote:

GettingFasterDude wrote:

Seriously? No one has nominated OJ Simpson yet, for worst?

In college, wins the Heisman trophy and goes on to become one of the best running backs in NFL history. He retires, then goes on to murder his ex-wife, her boyfriend, and then does years in jail for armed robbery. It doesn't get any worse than that.

Oscar Pistorius? He was convicted of murder...

Here is a list of Olympians were sent to prison (I am counting them as pro athletes). Some of them seem dicey like Abdul Azziz (for leftist views). A few for war crimes during WWII.

Look at Falih Fahmi---executed for insulting Saddam Hussein in front of military officers.

https://www.olympedia.org/lists/81/manual

HRE wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

The unmentioned...

Jim Bunning - After MLB career, became a senator

Dave Wottle - After his track career, he became a Dean at Rhodes College for just shy of 30 years and then he had administrative roles at two other colleges.

I mentioned Bunning too. But I only had him as a rep, not a senator.

Ah...sorry, I missed that, brother.