GGOATRANK

GOAT Rank · 30

Greatest Athletes who debuted in the 1880s

This ranking is led by Bob Fitzsimmons, Bobby Abel and Nonpareil Jack Dempsey. GOAT Rank currently ranks 30 eligible athletes who debuted in the 1880s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Quick answer

According to GOAT Rank's current model, Bob Fitzsimmons ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 86.5.

How the GOAT Score is calculated →
#AthleteGOAT Score
Sport
Cricket
Career
1881–1904
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
94.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: Bobby Abel
Sport
Tennis
Career
1888–1927
Country
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
Peak
90.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
96.0
Athlete: Arthur Gore
Sport
Boxing
Career
1888–1904
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
82.0
Statistics
88.0
Honours
76.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Joe Choynski
Sport
Cricket
Career
1889–1904
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
92.0
Dominance
80.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
78.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Jack Brown
Sport
Baseball
Career
1888–1903
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
96.0
Dominance
88.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Ed Delahanty
Sport
Baseball
Career
1880–1897
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
88.0
Athlete: Roger Connor
Sport
Baseball
Career
1888–1906
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
96.0
Dominance
88.0
Statistics
92.0
Honours
82.0
Longevity
82.0
Athlete: Hugh Duffy
Sport
Baseball
Career
1880–1897
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
84.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Buck Ewing
Sport
Baseball
Career
1888–1907
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
88.0
Dominance
78.0
Statistics
94.0
Honours
76.0
Longevity
94.0
Athlete: Jake Beckley
Sport
Baseball
Career
1886–1903
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
92.0
Dominance
84.0
Statistics
90.0
Honours
76.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: Frank Grant
Sport
Golf
Career
1888–1921
Country
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
Peak
92.0
Dominance
86.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
86.0
Longevity
90.0
Athlete: John Ball
Sport
Tennis
Career
1886–1892
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Peak
90.0
Dominance
74.0
Statistics
78.0
Honours
76.0
Longevity
58.0
Athlete: Henry Slocum
Sport
Golf
Career
1885–1930
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
90.0
Dominance
72.0
Statistics
82.0
Honours
74.0
Longevity
94.0
Athlete: Sandy Herd
Sport
Golf
Career
1886–1905
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
88.0
Dominance
72.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
74.0
Longevity
84.0
Athlete: David Brown
Sport
Golf
Career
1880–1895
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Peak
90.0
Dominance
72.0
Statistics
84.0
Honours
74.0
Longevity
74.0
Athlete: Jack Burns

Compare the leaders

Bob Fitzsimmons vs Bobby Abel

Read the full methodology

Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.

Read the full methodology

Frequently asked questions

How is this ranking calculated?

Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.

Who is included?

According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.

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