In 1996, George Mikan was selected as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players -- and with good reason. As one of the NBA's first "big men," Mikan, perhaps more than any other player, had a profound influence on the game, as anyone who has practiced the "Mikan Drill" can attest. In fact, he was so dominant inside that the league was forced to widen the foul lane, calling it the "Mikan rule."

But like Lynn Swann, Mikan's success in the athletic realm didn't carry over to the political. Mikan challenged Congressman Roy Wier in 1956 for Weir's seat in Minnesota. He lost the race by fewer than 10,000 votes. In subsequent years, he returned to basketball, becoming the first commissioner of the ABA, where he, among other things, invented the three-point line.