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15 greatest Olympians to appear on a Wheaties box

By Josh Criswell

Jul 9, 2015; Montreal, CAN; A general view of the olympics rings on top the Canada Olympic House. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 9, 2015; Montreal, CAN; A general view of the olympics rings on top the Canada Olympic House. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – 1932: Mildred Babe Didrikson of the USA throws the javelin to win the gold medal during the Women’s Track and Field javelin event at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. Didrikson was one of the most versatile sportswomen in the world, winning fame at the 1932 Games where she took both the 80 meter hurdles and javelin titles, and finished second in the high jump. Over a two year period, she continued to set world records in each event. She was an All-American basketball player but her more lasting fame came when she took up golf and won the Women’s Amateur title once and the US Open on three occasions, the third time in 1953 after fighting cancer from which she died in 1956. (Photo by Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – 1932: Mildred Babe Didrikson of the USA throws the javelin to win the gold medal during the Women’s Track and Field javelin event at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. Didrikson was one of the most versatile sportswomen in the world, winning fame at the 1932 Games where she took both the 80 meter hurdles and javelin titles, and finished second in the high jump. Over a two year period, she continued to set world records in each event. She was an All-American basketball player but her more lasting fame came when she took up golf and won the Women’s Amateur title once and the US Open on three occasions, the third time in 1953 after fighting cancer from which she died in 1956. (Photo by Getty Images) /

9. Babe Didrikson, Track & Field

The career of Babe Didrikson is one of the most intriguing stories in sports history. It also, unfortunately, is one of the most untold.

Born in 1911, Didrikson grew up and competed in a time when being a dominant, imposing female athlete did not exactly in line with social norms of society. Despite these obstacles, she was able to thrive in the athletic arena while breaking down barriers off of it.

Didrikson first gained recognition as an AAU basketball champion, but it was her Olympic success shortly after that would initiate her rise to fame. A natural all-around athlete, Didrikson excelled at track and field during the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

She claimed a gold medal in the first Olympic 80-meter hurdles event, setting a world record in the process. She brought home gold in the first Olympic javelin throw that year as well, in addition to earning a silver medal in the high jump.

In 1935, Wheaties made her the first female athlete to appear on their cereal box.

She would enjoy an impressive golf career for the better part of the next two decades, winning a total of ten major championships. To illustrate just how remarkable her career was, the Associated Press listed Didrikson as ninth-greatest athlete of the 20th century — the only female athlete to make the top-10.

Next: No. 8

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