There are two types of toughness really.
Mental toughness: the ability to play under pressure. Jerry West from The Los Angeles Lakers (1960 - 74)was called "Mr. Clutch". He made many great plays when the game was on the line. When Tiger Woods was on top of his game, it was his "mental toughness" that made him so good. He could focus like no other athlete, no matter what was going on around him.
Physical Toughness, the ability to play through pain and still perform at a high level.
How is toughness defined? Bobby Baun of the Toronto Maple leafs scored an overtime winner with a broken ankle. That is toughness. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/29182-bob-baun-scores-winner-on-broken-leg-defining-moments-in-leaf-history-no-5
The rare athlete that can combine mental and physical toughness, well, for me they are just fun to watch. I loved watching Dougie Gilmour back in the day. He was not big, but when he hit the ice, pound for pound, there was nobody tougher. Wendell Clark, same thing. These guys would never take a night off. If they suited up for a game, put on the sweater, no matter what kind of pain they might be in on a given night, they would play through it, and excel.
Whether you like him or not, Brett Favre defines toughness. He is 41 years old. Check out his injury list. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/1025/injuries.html Here is a quarterback that is playing arguably the toughest pro sport and is 41 and has the record for consecutive starts. 318 including playoffs.
All you athletes out there, even you Favre haters, think about that. Imagine starting 318 games of any sport, without missing one. That is phenomenal.
Who is on your list for "tough" athletes?
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