Most Athletic Presidents: Where does Trump rank?

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MaxPreps All-American Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball make the cut.

Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States and he is one of the more athletic presidents in our nation's history, as his frequent trips to the golf course will attest.

But where does he rank among the nation's most athletic presidents of all-time? MaxPreps revisits its list of the Top 10 Most Athletic Presidents, first published in 2008, with the inclusion of Trump.

10. George W. Bush

Bush was an avid golfer, like his father, grandfather and great grandfather before him. He also ran marathons and played baseball in high school at Phillips Academy. Bush also showed off his arm following 9/11 at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 of the World Series when he threw the first pitch down the middle for a strike. Bush also owned the Texas Rangers and played rugby in high school and in college.

9. John F. Kennedy

Kennedy was a swimmer at Harvard and won an intercollegiate sailing championship with his brother Joe. He also played football and the family touch football games on the White House lawn were legendary during his term as president. He played football, basketball and baseball in his first two years at Choate Rosemary Hall School (Wallingford, Conn.), but illness caused him to quit playing those sports during his high school years.

8. Jimmy Carter

Carter was president in the late 1970s – right when the running craze hit America. Carter was often shown running for recreation during his White House days and he also installed a tennis court at the White House. In high school in Plains, Ga., Carter was a standout in basketball and reportedly ran cross country and played "lightweight" football while attending Navy.

7. Ronald Reagan

Reagan may have been better known for portraying athletes in the movies than actually being an athlete. He played George Gipp in the movie "Knute Rockne, All-American" and Grover Alexander in "The Winning Team." Reagan graduated from Dixon (Ill.) where he played sports. According to Reagan, he was lifeguard and saved 77 lives in 1926. He also reportedly played football at Eureka College. Riding horseback and working on his California ranch were some of the more physical activities he participated in during his two terms as president.

6. Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt was a rugged outdoorsman who was known for his marksmanship. Roosevelt took boxing lessons as a youth and enjoyed the sport up until his presidency when he was injured in one eye and was forced to give up the sport. During his time as governor of New York and early into his presidency, Roosevelt would often go into the ring against some of the top boxers and wrestlers in the nation.

5. Donald Trump

The owner of multiple golf courses in the United States and abroad, Trump is regarded as a near scratch golfer and was even rated by Golf Digest as the best golfing president. By his own accounts, he has won 18 country club championships. Although he didn't play any sports in college, Trump played high school baseball and football at New York Military Academy (Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.) and was even scouted by the Phillies and Red Sox, according to various reports.

4. Barack Obama

The 44th president was famous for his pickup basketball games during his eight years in the White House, even installing a court on the White House lawn. He reportedly played a good game even into his early 50s. During his second term, he turned to golf as his main recreational activity and reportedly played over 300 rounds during his time as president and reportedly shot in the low 80s. In his younger days, he played basketball at Occidental College from 1979-1981 and he helped the JV team go undefeated. Obama graduated from Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii) and played on the state's 1979 state championship team along with future NFL players John Kamana and Mark Tuinei.

3. George H.W. Bush

During his days at Yale, Bush was a left-handed first baseman and played in the first two College World Series. He was a team captain and batted .354 his senior year with a pair of home runs. Bush's golf background is extensive. His grandfather (on his mother's side) and father both served as the president of the United States Golf Association. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. While at Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.), Bush was captain of both the baseball and soccer teams.

2. Dwight Eisenhower

Eisenhower was a talented running back at West Point and participated in the famous Carlisle vs. Army game in 1912 that included Jim Thorpe (Thorpe's Carlisle team won). Eisenhower was a graduate of Abilene (Kan.) in Kansas. Eisenhower's football career came to an end, however, when he injured his knee. The 34th president also enjoyed golfing during his two terms in office.

1. Gerald Ford

Ford was the center on two national championship teams at Michigan (1932, 1933). He earned team MVP honors his senior year and was reportedly offered contracts by both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, but he decided to go into politics instead. Ford also played in the College All-Star Game against the Chicago Bears as well as the East-West Shrine Game. Ford graduated from Grand Rapids South High School where he was an all-city player.