World's Shortest in Sports
Measuring Height is one of the standard fitness tests in sports. Being tall is usually advantageous for sports, though in some sports like diving, gymnastics and for jockeys short stature is advantageous. In the lists below, there are some short people being successful in sports which require height despite their short stature.
See also a discussion and examples of the World's tallest and shortest people. This information about the shortest sports people of the world may change, as the current crop of players change and people grow.
Short Sports People
Here are some examples of short people in the world of sport. Despite their size, many have been very successful in their chosen sport.
| Sport | Height | Height | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Football | 154 cm | 5' 1⁄2" | Jack "Soupy" Shapiro | Shapiro is most famous for being the shortest player in NFL history at (). played in one game with the Staten Island Stapletons of the National Football League (NFL) in 1929. |
| American Football | 165 cm | 5' 5" | Trindon Holliday | Shortest more recent player in the NFL |
| Australian Football | 155 cm | 5' 1" | Jim Bradford | the shortest Aussie rules footballer ever. He played seven games with Collingwood in 1943, and nine with North Melbourne in 1949. |
| Baseball | 109 cm | 3' 7" | Eddie Gaedel | Shortest person to play in Major League Baseball. This however was a publicity stunt and Gaedel only stood at the plate once. 1925–1961 |
| Basketball | 160 cm | 5' 3" | Muggsy Bogues | Shortest to play in the NBA |
| Basketball | 165 cm | 5' 5" | Earl Boykins | Shortest active player currently in NBA - the second shortest player in NBA history. |
| Basketball | 157 cm | 5' 2" | Shannon Bobbitt | Shortest to play in the Women's National Basketball Association. |
| Bodybuilding | 84 cm | 2' 9" | Romeo Dev | "World's Smallest Bodybuilder". Born 1988. |
| Cricket | 150 cm | 4’ 9” | Kruger Van Wyk | played for New Zealand in 2012 |
| Football (Soccer) | 153 cm | 5' 0" | Marcin Garuch | played professional football in Poland |
| Gymnastics | 124.4 cm | 4' 1" | Bai Chunyue | Shortest gymnast ever |
| Ice Hockey | 106 cm | 3' 6" | Henry Franklyn | A 3-feet, 6-inch tall goaltender, possibly the smallest notable person in ice hockey history. |
| Ice Hockey | 160 cm | 5' 3" | Roy Worters | Shortest to play in the NHL and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969. 1900–1957 |
| Jockey | 149 cm | 4' 10.5" | Julie Krone | In a sport where they are all short, this one is the shortest in America |
| Wrestling | 135 cm | 4' 5" | Dylan Postl (Hornswoggle) | Currently the shortest professional wrestler |
| Wrestling | 130 cm | 4' 3" | Lionel Giroux | known as "Little Beaver", a Canadian professional wrestler in the WWF. |
Related Pages
- Procedure for measuring Height
- Examples of the World's tallest and shortest people
- The Shortest Athletes at the Olympic Games
- Height growth charts — monitoring height changes over time
- Anthropometry at the Olympics
- Height of all Wimbledon Champions
- More Fitness Testing Records and other Sporting Records
- Sporting records from the Guinness World Records
- Converting cm to ft and in and vice versa.
- More Records? I scan the internet for the latest athlete results. If you know of something I have missed, it would be great to hear from you.
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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