@Bengal B Lee Trevino always makes lists like this, but it was more of an on-camera persona. A friend of mine played a pro-am with him during the New Orleans tournament one year, and he said once they were away from the crowd at the first tee, he never spoke to the other players in the group.
He wasn't mentioned on the show while I was listening but Freddie Coleman did say that Tiger Woods had a great personality in person but the never let it show on the golf course. Freddie said Tiger would be one of the great characters if he had a little more Shaq in him.
Shaq was on one of the shows a couple of weeks ago, I think Mike & Mike. He said when he was in a business class at LSU, he failed a big project in which he was to create a startup business plan. He proposed how he would market himself as a professional athlete. The professor said the public wouldn't embrace a big man as a marketable character. He also said it was the same professor who flunked Todd Graves for his chicken fingers franchise idea that became Raisin' Cane's.
Shaq should have should that prof the video of the Mean Joe Greene Coke commercial. I'm not surprised. If that professor knew anything about business he would be in business instead of teaching it.
George Foreman was another one who reinvented himself from the mean fearsome fighter of the 70's into the likeable cheeseburger eating grill pitchman. He made more money selling George Foreman grills than he did in his whole career as a boxer
Some good ones mentioned. Not sure if Muhammed Ali fits in this list. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors for tennis. Jim McMahon, Ocho Cinco, Terrell Owens for football. Chi Chi Rodriguez for golf.
Every time I hear Chi Chi Rodriguez name I think of WKRP in Cincinatti's Les Nesman. The nerdy newsman would pronounce his name Chy Chy Rod re gweez
The other day I heard that John McEnroe said that he could beat Serena Williams. McEnroe is 56. I wonder if he is trying to set up a Bobby Riggs-Billy Jean King type match.
