Athletes who are successful in more than sport sport are held in high esteem: Jim Thorpe. Jim Brown. Bo Jackson.

Of course, modern sport doesn't allow for much of such crossover. Multi-millon dollar contracts and insurance policies make sure that (with rare exceptions) athletes stick to one vocation.

That wasn't the case 100 years ago. In fact, Thorpe is far from being the lone multi-sport star of the bygone era: we already profiled a multi-sport champions Alfred Hajos and Otto Herschmann, and there are countless others.

One of those others was Louis Bookman, a Lithuanian-born Jew. He recorded an amazing feat of representing his adopted country, Ireland, in two team sports: soccer and cricket. (And was also quite possibly the first Jew to play in the top division of English soccer.)

Does that automatically make him the best Irish Jewish footballer AND the best Irish Jewish cricketer? Quite possible. Even more reason to hold Bookman in high esteem...