With the successful debut of Henrik Larsson in the Swedish floorball league for Helsingborg I was wondering if any other players have played other sports prefessionally or at a high level?

I know of Andy Goram playing cricket but who are the others?

I suppose Ian Botham's worth a mention. In his mid 20s he took up a Football League career with Scunthorpe while trying to get fit for cricket and also played non-league with Yeovil Town prior to that.

Gary Parker played football for Hearts (mainly in the reserves), rugby for Melrose & US Football for the Scottish Claymores.

He was also capped at at least "A" level for Scotland at rugby.

Another one comes to mind - can't recall his name offhand but there was a lad who played a few 1st team games for Albion Rovers in the late 90s that became a well known boxer.

Edit: Willie Limond and while searching for him I found reference to Mark Docherty being a very good amateur boxer before taking up pro football at 17.

Steve Orgozivic played cricket briefly for Shropshire, I'm sure I read he once took the wicket of Viv Richards.

Back in the 50s (and earlier) there were quite a number of sportsmen who combined football and cricket careers because the seasons didn't overlap as much as they do now. Denis Compton and his brother Leslie both played for Arsenal as well as having successful cricket careers. Jack Dyson scored a goal in an FA Cup Final for Man City and also played cricket for Lancashire.

Ricky Hatton was a very useful footballer and was offered trials by League clubs as a schoolboy before deciding to concentrate on boxing.

John Millar (ex Blackburn, Hearts, Raith & Livvy) was a youth cricket internationalist.

I'm sure 80's goal machine and now Spurs coach Clive Allen had a rather brief, and unseuccesful, spell with the now defunct London Monarchs as their kicker.

Ex-Coventry and QPR (and US of A international) forward Roy Wegerle is now a pro-golfer although I doubt very much he's on one of the major tours. I'm sure I read somewhere that he finished dead last in a South African tournament once upon a time.

Is Julian Dicks not a pro golfer as well?

Did Henry Smith of Hearts not have a brief stint as kicker for the Claymores? We're they not also trying to lure Gavin Hastings?

He was certainly trying to be a pro golfer but whether or not he made it i'm not quite sure. I think I would run in the opposite direction if I saw Julian Dicks coming towards me with a 7 iron in his hands.

Also, I think Phil Neville was a handy cricketer in his time and might have played for England at youth level. Presumably as some sort of rubbish all rounder.

Andy Farrell.

Rugby League and Rugby Union.

See what I did there?

Also, did Dwyane Chambers ever play for that Rugby League team he trained with?

The late Chris Balderstone played top-class cricket and football (occasionally both sports on the same day) over a long number of years. Highlights were playing a couple of test matches for England v the West Indies in 1976 and playing top division football for Carlisle United. He later made a few appearances for Queen of the South.

I'm sure there are a few others - I'll have a think...

Jim Cumbes, ex-Villa and West Brom keeper in the 70s, played cricket for Worcestershire.

Hastings did play for the Claymores, according to this website.

Im sure Roy Wrigley or whatever his name was, an American footballer who played for a few English teams played in a few tournaments on tour in Europe.

Is there not a Scottish rugby player at the moment who's also a pro golfer? Im sure i read in an interview he's putting (ahem) his golf career aside for a crack at rugby.

There are all sorts of people back in the old days who were brilliant at everything, and even after the war Denis Compton was able to play cricket for England as well as winning both league and cup with Arsenal, but it's pretty difficult nowadays.

Simen Agdestein is a chess grandmaster, and was already one when he made his eight international appearances for the Norwegian football team in the late 80s. Only a knee injury cut short his footie career while he was still in his early 20s.

He plays squash for Watsonians too... although I think its East of Scotland Division 4 or 5 stuff, so not very good!

George McNeill, pro footballer (Hibs, Morton, Stirling) and world champion pro sprinter

David Johnston, pro footballer (Hearts) and Scotland rugby internationalist

J Scotland Symon, pro footballer and manager (Rangers) and Scotland cricket caps

We covered something similar a wee while ago
http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=67592

CB Fry wins Mr Multisport for me
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_B_Fry

Going slightly off the line of the question, but former Scotland cricket captain George Salmond is now a grade 1 referee doing 2nd/3rd division games.