Walker, who has dabbled in MMA fighting and is known for a fitness routine that still includes includes hundreds of pushups and situps a day, insisted he still had his sprinter's speed. He said he ran a 4.3 40-yard dash a year ago.
The former Dallas Cowboy's claim might be a stretch, considering that at the last NFL Scouting Combine, just one player ran faster than 4.3.
But Walker insisted he could put on the pads and make history. "I want to be the George Foreman of .. football," he said, referring to the heavyweight boxer who won a world title at age 45 before retiring at age 48.
Another George is football's age-defying champion. In 1975, George Blanda of the Oakland Raiders was the NFL's oldest player ever at age 48.
Just shy of her 50th birthday, tennis legend Martina Navratilova won a mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open. "You can do great things regardless of your age if you just believe and, you know, go for it," she told ESPN at the time. "Don't get limited by people that say, 'No, you can't do that because you're too old or because you're heavy or you're not an athlete.' Whatever your limitations might be, don't let them define you. I didn't let it define me." These are certainly words she lives by -- just days after completing radiation treatment for breast cancer, she won the senior doubles title at Wimbledon at the age of 53, The New York Times reports. And at 55 she went way outside of her comfort zone by competing on "Dancing With The Stars". "I've always been set on facing my fears," she told The Los Angeles Times."[...] I'm scared of dancing, so what better way to conquer my fear of that than to go on the largest dance floor in the world and compete on 'Dancing with the Stars'!"
Eileen Philippa 'Phil' Raschker
It seems unlikely that a nearly 65-year-old accountant could be compared to the likes of Usain Bolt, LeBron James and Apolo Ohno for her athleticism. But Raschker, who holds 68 gold medals at the World Masters Athletics Championships and 22 World Masters Records for both outdoor and indoor events, is considered one of the best athletes in the world -- of any age. She's also a two-time Sullivan Award finalist and a motivator for competitors: "She's an inspiration," Mary Trotto, age 64, told ESPN. "When I compete with her, I'm actually faster."
Jamie Moyer
Earlier this year Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher to win a major league baseball game -- he'll turn 50 this November. He's had a rough season since leaving the Rockies in May, but he told KFFL earlier this month, "I'm not retired. I'm just kind of laying in the weeds and just trying to figure out what's going on." The lefty pitcher made his major league debut in 1986, after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1984 MLB amateur draft. "I tell you what, there's not a harder worker in baseball," Ruben Amaro Jr., assistant general manager for the Phillies, one of Moyer's former teams, told The New York Times. As a player in his 40s, Moyer would arrive six hours before games to run on an underwater treadmill, the Times reports.
Laura Sophiea
At age 57, Laura Sophiea has been selected by USA Triathlon as this year's "Grand Master," based on her performance as compared to other female triathletes over 55. She has completed four triathlons this year to date, and is currently the top woman in the 55-to-59 age group. "I think what motivates me is my love of racing, competing, great fitness and [the] health that comes with being in shape," she told Huff/Post50 in an email. "I was a cheerleader in high school and never participated in sports and when I found this, I found my passion and have continued in the triathlon world for 27 years now. I am looking forward to continuing to race, compete and break age group records into my 80's!"
Willie Gault
The 51-year-old former NFL star has been devoting his energies post-football to becoming a master's track champion. He recently set world records in his 50-to-54 age group in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, clocking in at 10.88 and 22.44 respectively. His fame has also given a big boost to senior athletics in the public eye says Ken Stone, editor of masterstrack.com and a leading expert on masters track athletes. "He's certainly the fastest man in the world over 50," says Stone. "His records would beat the vast majority of high school kids on the track today. In fact, he would beat the vast majority of elite women on track today: if his records were entered, he would qualify for the Olympic finals for women."
Olga Kotelko
The 92-year-old Canadian super-athlete holds 23 world records and 17 in the 90-to-95 age bracket for track and field events, according to a 2010 story in New York Times Magazine. Since that time, she has picked up seven wins at the 2011 World Masters Athletics Championships last July. Her feats of athleticism are so surprising that a team of doctors from the Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University are studying her. They've found that her muscle tissue is deteriorating at a far slower rate than would be expected for her age. "I still have the energy I had at 50," she told The New York Times. "More. Where is it coming from? Honestly, I don't know. It's a mystery even to me."
Don Pellman
Don Pellman, age 96, holds four U.S. track records in his age group, including the 100-meter dash, and four world records. Although he did high jump in college, he told masterstrack.com that he didn't participate in dedicated exercise or sports for 58 years, save for occasional social activities like bowling, golf and softball. When he took up track events and running after retirement, he quickly moved up the rankings, though he said there's no big secret to his success: just sensible exercise and a balanced diet. "I feel you have to keep in training 365 days a year. No off-season. I do something every day, if nothing but long brisk walks," he explained.
Phyllis Sues
"Love what you do, with no limitations!" is 83-year-old Phyllis Sues' mantra. Sues was a dancer as a young woman, but at the age of 83 she picked up yoga and the tango (her dance partner, Felix Chavez, is 79). Oh, and she also dabbled in trapeze in her 80's, though she's since given that up.
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
Teams have made their big splashes in free agency and made their draft picks, it's time for you to do the same. It's fantasy football mock draft time. Some call this time of year best ball season, others know it's an opportunity to get a leg up on your competition for when you have to draft in August. The staff at Yahoo Fantasy did their first mock draft of the 2024 season to help you with the latter. Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens are here to break it all down by each round and crush some staff members in the process.
It’s key to note that we’re not saying the “best team” or “best roster.” Instead, we’re talking about the best confluence of factors that can outline a path for survival and then success.
With free agency and the draft behind us, what 32 teams look like today will likely be what they look like Week 1 and beyond for the 2024 season. Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski reveal the post-draft fantasy power rankings. The duo break down the rankings in six tiers: Elite offensive ecosystems, teams on the cusp of being complete mixed bag ecosystems, offensive ecosystems with something to prove, offenses that could go either way, and offenses that are best to stay away from in fantasy.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate edged back toward 7% this week but remains elevated, prompting housing experts to revise their forecasts for the rest of 2024.
Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman discuss the Padres-Marlins trade that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego, as well as recap all the action from this weekend in baseball and send birthday wishes to hall-of-famer Willie Mays.
![Just shy of her 50th birthday, tennis legend Martina Navratilova won a mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open. "You can do great things regardless of your age if you just believe and, you know, go for it," <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/usopen06/news/story?id=2578105" target="_hplink">she told ESPN at the time</a>. "Don't get limited by people that say, 'No, you can't do that because you're too old or because you're heavy or you're not an athlete.' Whatever your limitations might be, don't let them define you. I didn't let it define me." These are certainly words she lives by -- just days after completing radiation treatment for breast cancer, she won the senior doubles title at Wimbledon at the age of 53, <em>The New York Times</em> reports. And at 55 she went way outside of her comfort zone by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/27/martina-navratilova-eliminated_n_1383924.html" target="_hplink">competing on "Dancing With The Stars"</a>. "I've always been set on facing my fears," <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/19/sports/la-sp-sn-martina-navratilova-dancing-with-the-stars-20120319" target="_hplink">she told <em>The Los Angeles Times</em>.</a>"[...] I'm scared of dancing, so what better way to conquer my fear of that than to go on the largest dance floor in the world and compete on 'Dancing with the Stars'!"](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/lD3HiB.gyy2Md2nq58nlXA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/55a3d622140000b6109a7cb8.jpg)
![At age 57, Laura Sophiea has been selected by <a href="http://www.usatriathlon.org/" target="_hplink">USA Triathlon</a> as this year's "Grand Master," based on her performance as compared to other female triathletes over 55. She has completed four triathlons this year to date, and is currently the top woman in the 55-to-59 age group. "I think what motivates me is my love of racing, competing, great fitness and [the] health that comes with being in shape," she told <em>Huff/Post50</em> in an email. "I was a cheerleader in high school and never participated in sports and when I found this, I found my passion and have continued in the triathlon world for 27 years now. I am looking forward to continuing to race, compete and break age group records into my 80's!"](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/anbMcqVAdlQeErvux8KmUg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/55a3d622170000111132686f.jpg)
