CrossFit Games

Rich Froning’s CrossFit Legacy is Untouchable

Photo Credit: Crispy Dudes
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Ten is kind of an iconic number.

It’s the first birthday where you breach double digits and the base for the numerical decimal system. In the history of sports dynasties it’s an absolute milestone. The Yankees hit the 10 championship mark in 1943, but it took 20 years from their first in 1923. The Dallas Cowboys only have five NFL championships, while the most dominant division three football team in history, Mount Union (the team that Scott Panchik played on) won 13 championships, but it took them 24 years.

In eleven years, between 2011 and 2022 Rich Froning has won 10 CrossFit Games championships. There is no way to understate this, what he has accomplished is truly remarkable. Not only will no one ever duplicate this type of resume, but no one will most likely even get close to it. That is not a challenge, but rather a statement of fact. Froning’s legacy is untouchable because he did it during a crucial time in the sport’s young history, something that can’t be replicated. 

The CrossFit Gods have smiled down on Rich Froning for many years. He gave the sport of CrossFit its first bonafide superstar and at key moments acted as its de facto spokesperson as the sport went through the usual growing pains. He is a consummate professional, and has always handled himself with the utmost respect and integrity. He’s rarely, if ever, been involved in controversy with anyone, a testament to the fact that not only is he a beast on the floor, but he is a gentleman off of it. 

It’s easy to trot out all the stats associated with his name, a laundry list of accolades, trophies and awards. But where Froning has shined the most is in the brand, the name he has built for himself and the people around him. The companies he has founded, the gyms he has built, the friendships he has forged and the people he has helped get into the sport and become the best athletes they can be.

Froning’s legacy will surely lie on the foundation of awards and that golden number: 10, or even more if he decides to continue competing. But CrossFit is and always will be the house that Rich built, and we all thank him for that. 

People love to throw out words these days with little reprieve: icon, hero, superstar.

When it comes to Rich Froning in the world of CrossFit, he is all of these things, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude for what he has done. Whether or not he decides to retire after this season, or head off into the masters division, the truth is, no one wants to see him go anywhere and we all wish he could continue competing forever.

Whenever Froning does decide to leave his shoes on the mat, the sport will never be the same. He is irreplaceable, and his legacy will never be touched, duplicated or bettered. Froning is CrossFit and CrossFit is Rich Froning. 

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