We take a look at the greatest non-football athletes of all-time from the 14 SEC institutions. The 50 selections mostly are based on the athletes’ post-college accomplishments. Who says the SEC is only about football?

THE MISFITS AND RANDOMS

50. John Daly (Golfer, Arkansas)

At one point the longest driver on the PGA Tour, Daly — who never completed his degree at Arkansas — also won the PGA Championship and the British Open.

But Daly is much better known for a life of excess, including weight issues, alcohol and gambling problems and a history of marital failure (in December, he got engaged for the fifth time; he was involved in domestic disputes with at least two of his former wives).

A famous patron of the restaurant chain Hooters, Daly at times has enjoyed a near-cult following for his anti-country club persona.

49. Sheila Taormina (Multi-Sport Olympian, Georgia)

A four-time All-American swimmer for the Georgia Bulldogs, Taormina topped an outstanding career with a gold medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Then her career as an Olympic athlete got interesting. She converted to the triathlon, competing in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney (finishing sixth) and again in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Taormina then became the first female athlete to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports, earning a spot in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the modern pentathlon.

48. Carl Edwards (NASCAR driver, Missouri)

Edwards dropped out of Missouri after studying engineering for three semesters, but he’s found a wildly-successful career as a stock car driver.

In addition to winning 24 races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and finishing second overall to Jimmie Johnson (2008) and Tony Stewart (2011), Edwards has appeared in all sorts of commercials and is a fitness icon.

He’s appeared shirtless on the cover of ESPN The Magazine and Men’s Health and is known for celebrating victories with backflips off his car.

47. Bubba Watson (Golfer, Georgia)

The two-time Masters winner is best known for his driver, as he once hit a 442-yard bomb off the tee during competition. He reached No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings in February and has seven PGA Tour wins to his credit.

Often loud and petulant on the course, he’s been voted as the least-liked player on tour by his peers.

46. Howard Hill (Archery, Auburn)

One of the greatest trick-shot archers of all-time, Hill’s unofficial nickname was “World’s Greatest Archer.”

He won a world-record 196 consecutive archery field tournaments. According to record books, he’s the first white man to kill an elephant with a bow-and-arrow. He set a world record for longest flight shot at 391 yards in 1928 and got famous by shooting apples off someone’s head from 60 feet away.

Hill appeared in numerous films, including “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938).

45. Bill Goldberg (WCW/WWE Wrestler, Georgia)

A defensive tackle for the Bulldogs, Goldberg fought through a fringe NFL career from 1990-95 before blossoming as one of the most memorable wrestlers in entertainment history.

Goldberg launched his career as WCW’s foil to WWF’s Steve Austin, complete with a bald head and goatee. At one point Goldberg enjoyed a lengthy undefeated streak. His exact number of consecutive wins is disputed, but some cite a number as high as 173 consecutive matches.

A well-known wresting “heel,” he eventually joined WWE before his career ended.

44. Forrest Griffin (UFC, Georgia)

A patrol officer with the university police department while attending the University of Georgia, Griffin eventually became one of UFC’s first icons.

His fight against Stephan Bonnar in the finals of Spike TV’s reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” proved to be a cornerstone moment that launched UFC into the mainstream. Subsequent Griffin fights against the likes of Tito Ortiz, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Anderson Silva were legendary.

He finished his MMA career with a 34-7 record as a UFC Hall of Fame member.

43. Abby Wambach (Soccer, Florida)

A three-time All-American at Florida, Wambach helped the Gators win the team’s first-ever NCAA women’s soccer national championship in 1998.

Since then, Wambach has become one of the greatest U.S. soccer players ever, earning 2012 World FIFA Player of the Year. Currently competing in her fourth World Cup for the United States team, as of June 8, she had scored 182 goals in 243 international matches.

That makes her the all-time leading active international scorer among men and women.

THE SWIMMERS

42. Jon Olsen (Alabama)

An outstanding relay swimmer for the United States, Olsen won five Olympic medals, including four gold medals, in Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996).

Olsen once held world records in the 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relays.

41. Rowdy Gaines (Auburn)

A five-time NCAA champion at Auburn, Gaines broke 10 world records during his prime from 1978 to 1984. He could’ve had one of the greatest Olympics ever by a U.S. swimmer in 1980, but the country boycotted the Games in Moscow.

At the tail end of his prime in ’84, Gaines won a surprising gold in 100-meter freestyle, followed by anchoring two gold-medal relays for the Americans. Overcoming Guillain-Barré syndrome, he qualified for the ’96 Olympic trials at 35 years old, but didn’t compete, instead launching a successful TV career with NBC Sports.

Gaines is a member of the U.S. Olympic and International Swimming Hall of Fame.

40. Kirsty Coventry (Auburn)

Another product of the Tigers’ excellent swimming & diving program, Coventry won seven Olympic medals for her native Zimbabwe. Alternately called “a golden girl” and “our national treasure” by Zimbabwean dignitaries, Coventry won two gold medals, four silver medals and a bronze medal at the ’04 and ’08 Summer Olympics.

Coventry set numerous world records in the backstroke and individual medley.

39. Dara Torres (Florida)

The only swimmer ever to represent the United States in five different Olympics, Torres won an incredible three silver medals at age 41 during the ’08 Beijing Olympics. Many have either marveled at her unprecedented longevity or accused her of performance enhancement.

Torres won at least one medal in all five Olympics in which she participated. Only seven athletes — any country, any sport — claim more Olympic medals than the 12 that Torres celebrated, including four golds. She broke the world record in the 50-meter freestyle three times and also held world records in the 4×100-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter medley relays.

Even at 45 years old, after having one child, her six-pack abs shocked a CNN host.

38. Ryan Lochte (Florida)

An international heartthrob as long as he doesn’t open his mouth during interviews, Lochte also has an international career that nearly rivals that of Michael Phelps in U.S. swimming lore.

Lochte owns 11 Olympic medals, including five golds. The owner of numerous world records, he still holds the best-ever times in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter individual medley as well as the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

Check SaturdayDownSouth.com on Tuesday morning for Part II of the series.