GOAT Rank · 30

Greatest athletes of the 1880s

This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.

#AthleteGOAT Score

228

Bob Fitzsimmons

88.0

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1883–1914
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 90.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: Bob Fitzsimmons

635

86.5

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

661

Nonpareil Jack Dempsey

83.7

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1883–1895
Country: 🇮🇪 Ireland

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Nonpareil Jack Dempsey

879

82.9

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1882–1899
Country: 🇦🇺 Australia

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Peter Jackson

1001

William Attewell

84.6

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1881–1900
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 80.0
Longevity: 88.0

Athlete: William Attewell

1176

85.6

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

1186

James J. Corbett

80.2

Sport: Boxing
Career: 1885–1903
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 82.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 74.0

Athlete: James J. Corbett

1192

81.6

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

1360

81.8

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1880–1893
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 84.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Ernest Renshaw

1475

81.2

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

1630

Oliver Campbell

78.0

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1888–1893
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 86.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 88.0
Longevity: 66.0

Athlete: Oliver Campbell

1921

80.2

Sport: Cricket
Career: 1886–1903
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 86.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 88.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 84.0

Athlete: Bill Brockwell

1980

William Renshaw

75.7

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1880–1889
Country: 🇬🇧 Great Britain

Peak: 94.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 80.0
Honours: 86.0
Longevity: 62.0

Athlete: William Renshaw

2092

81.8

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1888–1901
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 82.0

Athlete: Billy Hamilton

2096

81.8

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

2114

83.0

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

2190

81.1

Sport: Baseball
Career: 1882–1894
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 96.0
Dominance: 88.0
Statistics: 94.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: John Clarkson

2246

81.1

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

2402

81.1

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

2407

72.7

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1881–1887
Country: 🇺🇸 United States

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 90.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 84.0
Longevity: 55.0

Athlete: Richard Sears

2660

81.7

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

2718

79.3

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

2859

81.1

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

3014

Willoughby Hamilton

69.6

Sport: Tennis
Career: 1887–1896
Country: 🇮🇪 Ireland

Peak: 92.0
Dominance: 74.0
Statistics: 78.0
Honours: 76.0
Longevity: 58.0

Athlete: Willoughby Hamilton

3045

69.3

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

3252

77.5

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

3289

74.9

Sport: Golf
Career: 1880–1900
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 90.0
Dominance: 76.0
Statistics: 86.0
Honours: 78.0
Longevity: 80.0

Athlete: Willie Fernie

3424

74.3

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

3544

71.3

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

3924

62.4

Sport: Golf
Career: 1888–1897
Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Peak: 88.0
Dominance: 62.0
Statistics: 76.0
Honours: 66.0
Longevity: 60.0

Athlete: Hugh Kirkaldy

#	Athlete	Sport	Country	Career	GOAT Score
228	Bob Fitzsimmons	Boxing	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1883–1914	88.0
635	Bobby Abel	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1881–1904	86.5
661	Nonpareil Jack Dempsey	Boxing	🇮🇪 Ireland	1883–1895	83.7
879	Peter Jackson	Boxing	🇦🇺 Australia	1882–1899	82.9
1001	William Attewell	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1881–1900	84.6
1176	Arthur Gore	Tennis	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1888–1927	85.6
1186	James J. Corbett	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1885–1903	80.2
1192	Joe Choynski	Boxing	🇺🇸 United States	1888–1904	81.6
1360	Ernest Renshaw	Tennis	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1880–1893	81.8
1475	Jack Brown	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1889–1904	81.2
1630	Oliver Campbell	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1888–1893	78.0
1921	Bill Brockwell	Cricket	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1886–1903	80.2
1980	William Renshaw	Tennis	🇬🇧 Great Britain	1880–1889	75.7
2092	Billy Hamilton	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1888–1901	81.8
2096	Ed Delahanty	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1888–1903	81.8
2114	Roger Connor	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1880–1897	83.0
2190	John Clarkson	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1882–1894	81.1
2246	Hugh Duffy	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1888–1906	81.1
2402	Buck Ewing	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1880–1897	81.1
2407	Richard Sears	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1881–1887	72.7
2660	Jake Beckley	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1888–1907	81.7
2718	Frank Grant	Baseball	🇺🇸 United States	1886–1903	79.3
2859	John Ball	Golf	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	1888–1921	81.1
3014	Willoughby Hamilton	Tennis	🇮🇪 Ireland	1887–1896	69.6
3045	Henry Slocum	Tennis	🇺🇸 United States	1886–1892	69.3
3252	Sandy Herd	Golf	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1885–1930	77.5
3289	Willie Fernie	Golf	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1880–1900	74.9
3424	David Brown	Golf	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1886–1905	74.3
3544	Jack Burns	Golf	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1880–1895	71.3
3924	Hugh Kirkaldy	Golf	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1888–1897	62.4

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?

Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.

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