The five most athletic U.S. presidents in history

It's President's Day, and we're celebrating the long weekend by ranking the most athletic presidents in U.S. history.

Commanders in Chief were not always known for athletic prowess, but as sports have become ingrained in our society, the occupant of the Oval Office has often had an athletic background.

But who was the best? Well, we're glad you asked.

5. Barack Obama

Obama gets some bonus points for being arguably the most athletic president while he was in office. George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were avid runners, and Donald Trump almost certainly was the best presidential golfer, but the legend of the White House basketball games during Obama's eight years is well documented.

Obama doesn't have the prettiest left-handed jumper, but he makes up for it in confidence.

4. Theodore Roosevelt

If this list were about the manliest presidents, Teddy would probably be at the top. The former Rough Rider was a fan of contact and combat sports.

A noted outdoorsman, Roosevelt also boxed regularly until a serious eye injury ended that practice, but he also took up judo and jiu-jitsu.

3. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ike couldn't make the Army baseball team, but he was good enough to play both ways on the West Point football team as a halfback, and famously squared off against Jim Thorpe.

An injured knee ended Eisenhower's football career, but he did pretty well for himself after that.

2. George H.W. Bush

Bush kept a baseball mitt in the Oval Office, and for good reason.

A captain on the Yale baseball team, Bush helped the squad reach the first two college baseball national title games, in 1947 and 1948, although the Bulldogs lost both times.

Although he was best known for that glove at first base, according to Paul Dickson's Baseball: The Presidents' Game, "He hit for the cycle against North Carolina and was seriously scouted."

He also passed on the love of the game to his son, fellow president George W. Bush, who was a co-owner of the Texas Rangers for nearly a decade.

1. Gerald Ford

To put this into proper sports parlance, this is a layup.

Ford wasn't just a football player who put in some time in college. He was a center and linebacker for Michigan when it won two national titles, in 1932 and 1933. He was also named the team's MVP in 1934.

Ford has the unique distinction of having his No. 48 retired by Michigan twice. It was first retired in 1994, "unretired" in 2012, and "re-retired" in 2015. Let's keep it that way, Michigan.