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15 Famous Athletes Who Are Vegetarians

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15 Famous Athletes Who Are Vegetarians

Mike Tyson
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Vegetarians are everywhere; from Bill Clinton and Rosa Parks to Ozzy Osbourne and Albert Einstein, the gang of plant-consuming animal lovers includes world leaders, activists, celebrities and really smart people.

In professional sports, vegetarians are rare, but here are 15 athletes who went plant and never looked back.

15. Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves
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15. Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves
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With a rating of 70/30 on the Truth/Rumor scale, Hank Aaron may or may not be, but probably is a vegetarian. And, if he is a member of the Tree Tribe, he's one of their most prized associates.

Here's why: He was a 25-time MLB All Star, 1957 NL MVP, World Series Champion and the holder of the all-time, non-steroid induced home run record with 755 long balls.

14. Alex Honnold

Alex Honnold
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14. Alex Honnold

Alex Honnold
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Best known for his free solo -- where a rock climber goes alone and does not use ropes, harnesses and other protective gear while ascending -- climbs of big walls, Honnold is the only vegetarian/person known to solo climb the Yosemite Triple Crown.

It took him 18 hours and 50 minutes.

13. Tia Blanco

Tia Blanco
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13. Tia Blanco

Tia Blanco
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When Blanco isn't ripping into her vegan diet, she's slashing waves throughout this great nation. As a 16-year-old competitor in the NSSA Open and NSSA Explorer, she's revered as an exceptional surfing talent and could be the vegan face of the future.

12. Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams Miami Dolphins
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12. Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams Miami Dolphins
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When one hears of Ricky Williams going green, it's hard not to think abut his fervor for the other kind of greenery. However, Williams is also a vegetarian who gained 10,009 yards and scored 66 TDs in 11 seasons as an NFL running back.

11. Dave Scott

Dave Scott
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11. Dave Scott

Dave Scott
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One of only two people to win the Ironman World Championships six times (from 1980-1987), Dave Scott used plant power to swim, bike and run his way to history.

10. Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey
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10. Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey
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Caged vegetarian fury is unleashed every time Ronda Rousey steps into the ring, and here's a fun fact; in eight UFC bouts, Rousey has submitted her opponent six times.

Bow to the best, meat lovers.

9. Robert Parish

Robert Parish Boston Celtics
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9. Robert Parish

Robert Parish Boston Celtics
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Nine-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion and two-time All-NBA selection Robert Parrish spent 20 years in the NBA, and he did it all on a plant-based diet. He is a prime candidate for the position of Chief Vegan Officer.

Get it?

8. Hannah Teter

Hannah Teter
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8. Hannah Teter

Hannah Teter
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When she's not too busy shredding kale, Hannah Teter can be found shredding a pipe in a winter wonderland. The winner of X-Games and Winter Olympics gold, she's making the air up there a little cleaner for all of us.

7. Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis
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7. Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis
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In the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, Carl Lewis won a combined six gold medals. In 1990, he decided to become a vegan and went on to add two more gold medals in the '92 games before collecting his final gold on home soil in 1996.

6. Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson
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6. Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson
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There has to be an ear reference in here somewhere, right?

His meat eating, body bashing days are long gone and today, Mike Tyson is a vegan. No word on whether the change will create a calmer Iron Mike -- apparently it's too early for that kind of zen s***.

Ears of corn (ah, there it is) beware.

5. Bode Miller

Bode Miller
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5. Bode Miller

Bode Miller
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A vegetarian from childhood -- he grew up eating plants in a log cabin that somehow fittingly, had no heating or plumbing -- Miller went on to win four FIS World Championship events, five Winter Olympics medals in 2002, 2010 and a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi games.

4. Tony Gonzalez

Tony Gonzalez Atlanta Falcons
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4. Tony Gonzalez

Tony Gonzalez Atlanta Falcons
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Gonzalez owns the NFL record for most receptions (1,325) and TDs (111) for a tight end, but did you know that he became a vegan in 2007? From that point forward -- from age 32 to 37 -- Gonzalez averaged 84 receptions, 874 yards and seven TDs per season.

He will be the first vegan tight end inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

3. Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder Texas Rangers
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3. Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder Texas Rangers
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No one can forget the moment Prince Fielder chased a ball into foul territory only to come up with nothing but a single serving of nachos, but for a moment, and perhaps even again, veggies were all the two-time Home Run Derby champion and All-Star MVP ate.

2. Serena Williams

Serena Williams
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2. Serena Williams

Serena Williams
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Serena Williams had plenty of success -- 15 Grand Slam titles -- on the typical western diet and little changed when she and her sister, Venus, went vegan in 2012. Ever since she chose forks over knives, Serena has added three more titles (in the 2013 French and US Opens and the 2014 US Open) to her legacy.

1. Joe Namath

Joe Namath Los Angeles Rams
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1. Joe Namath

Joe Namath Los Angeles Rams
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Arguably the most famous NFL vegan, who else but Joe Namath could present his point so bluntly and effectively saying, "I've been a vegetarian for a few years. Fred Dryer of the Rams has been one for 10 years. It shows you don't need meat to play football."

In fact, there are studies showing you don't need to eat meat at all.

Jeff Pearlman is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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