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Where does Pro Football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann rank on the list of athletic politicians?

The Oklahoma native, and University of Tulsa grad, returned home in 1992 and served in the Sooner State's 1st congressional district from 1994 to 2002, where he was always able to secure at least 60 percent of the vote.

3. For Democrats, it is painfully obvious that there are more great athletes within the Republican Party than their own. But one Democrat in particular stands out as extraordinary in his athletic accomplishments.

The list of sporting accomplishments for Bill Bradley, former U.S. Senator and 2000 presidential candidate, goes on and on: College Basketball Player of the Year. Olympic Gold Medalist. Two NBA Championships. Retired jersey. First Ballot Hall of Famer.

2. There is an argument to make that Walter Johnson was the most dominant pitcher in baseball history. With 417 wins, 3,509 strikeouts and a career ERA of 2.17, "The Big Train" even stunned other all-time greats. "His fastball," Ty Cobb said, "looked about the size of a watermelon seed and it hissed at you as it passed."

But Johnson had more success with the Senators than with congressmen. After being elected Montgomery County (Md.) Commissioner in 1938, Johnson turned his focus to Federal office. In 1940, he lost his bid for a Maryland congressional seat in a closely fought race against William Byron. According to one Senators' historian, Johnson "had no agenda and made few speeches but nearly won anyway."

1. The most athletic politician twice earned a much grander title: World's Greatest Athlete. In the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, Bob Mathias won gold in the decathlon, one of only two Olympians ever to do so. (The other was Daley Thompson, who won in 1980 and 1984.) But Mathias' athletic dominance didn't end with the Olympics. After the 1952 Games, he returned to Stanford, where, as the football team's fullback, he led the Indians to the Rose Bowl.

Mathias ran for a California congressional seat in 1966, defeating the incumbent who had held the seat for 14 years. He served for four terms until he was defeated in 1974 after the Watergate scandal.

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