10 Athletes That Died While Playing
Death is something that most people fear, simply because we don’t know what happens after we die. Others aren’t afraid to die, but I think it’s safe to say that a lot of us get a bad feeling when we think about what comes next. While we may not know when or what is next, we do know that it is sure to come.
Most people want to die a peaceful death; usually while asleep. However, let’s look at a few athletes from the last few decades that have been active and awake before the time of their death. All of these men died doing what they loved. Maybe this is the way to go…who knows!
10. J.V. Cain
J.V. Cain was a tight end for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1970s. He had been the tight end for six years and was racking up great statistics for the team. On July 22, 1979, Cain was taking part in the teams training camp in order to get ready for the new season. This day was also his 28th birthday. During camp, he was running a normal pass route and suddenly took a few steps backward, huddled over, and collapsed. Cain died from congenital heart failure. Though he didn’t die during the NFL Season, he still died doing something he loved.
Top 10 Playoff Home Runs in Baseball History
Few things can electrify a home crowd or silence the stadium like a home run in baseball. While other sports have their big moments: a dunk in basketball, a penalty kick in soccer or the Hail Mary in football, the home run stands tall in sports history. Read along and see if you can remember these famous home runs that changed the baseball playoffs. Batter up!
10. Chris Burke, Houston Astros, 2005 NLDS, Game 4
We start off our list with the homer that ended the longest postseason game in Major League Baseball history. In the 18th inning, and nearly six hours after the game started, Chris Burke of the Houston Astros took a pitch from Atlanta Braves rookie Joey Devine and lifted it out of the part. Burke’s homer sent the Astros into the NLCS, where they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in six games and would go on to make their first World Series appearance in 44 years.
Top 10 Sports Teams We Love To Hate
We can all understand the reasons to root for a team, but what goes into truly despising and hating a team so much that we expend energy on praying and wishing for them to lose? It would seems success breeds contempt and a loathing we can’t deny. You’ll find 10 successful sports teams that many people love to hate on this list.
10. Miami Hurricanes
Drop him, drop him!
“Thug U” - that was the name given to critics of the Miami Hurricanes football team during the 1980s. They were bold, they were brash, they were cocky, they had attitude, and they won a lot. Under head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson, the Canes won three National Championships. However, the reason critics loved to hate them wasn’t just because they were successful. It wasn’t even just their in-your-face style of play and their trash-talking. It was because of off the field incidents that included a pay-for-play scandal involving a nationally known rap-artist, as well as an improper benefits ring during the late 80s and early 90s that led the NCAA to uncover widespread, unpunished drug use and declare that the university had lost institutional control of their football program. While recent coaches have worked hard to change the program’s image, some say the “Thug U” mentality is alive and well, pointing to the team’s 2006 brawl with Florida International as evidence.
Top 10 Greatest Upsets in Sports History
Who doesn’t root for the underdog, unless of course, the underdog is playing your favorite team. America loves an upset and that is why many upsets of become legendary with books being written and films being made to document the amazing feat that is an upset. And while upsets usually involve a team, we have listed some individual upsets that rocked the sporting world as well. Take a moment and relive some of these magical moments, unless you were rooting for the favorite.
10. Jack Fleck Beats Ben Hogan in 1955 U.S. Open
- Jack Fleck and Ben Hogan
From humble beginnings came the man who would pull of the greatest upset in golf history. Jack Fleck was born in Iowa, the son of destitute farmers who would eventually lose their land. He was a caddy, a dentist and an assistant golf pro before joining the Navy and serving in World War II. Shortly after the war, Fleck made the decision to join the PGA Tour on a full-time basis. His first win would come in 1955, as he knocked off the legendary Ben Hogan in a three-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open. It would wind up being just one of three PGA Tour events Fleck would win during his golfing career.
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Top 10 Successful College Football Players That Failed in the NFL
Many college footballs players dream of making it to the NFL. While only a fraction of the those who play college football eventually play on Sundays there were a lot of “sure” bets that failed to live up to expectation or just simply failed due to injury or lack of talent. Here is the top 10 list of college football players that were considered NFL busts. Hut, hut, hike!
10. Bo Jackson
The first inclusion on this list is sure to create a great deal of controversy, but there’s little doubt that Jackson failed to live up to his potential as a professional football player. Jackson, who became a cultural icon for his “Bo Knows” advertising campaign, was a tremendous two-sport athlete at Auburn. He not only ran for more than 4,000 yards during his football career, he also once hit over .400 for the Tigers baseball team. Yet in four seasons with the NFL’s Raiders, he had managed less than 2,800 yards rushing while essentially playing second-fiddle to Marcus Allen. Jackson’s career ended prematurely due to a hip injury, so there will always be questions about whether or not Jackson would have eventually lived up to the massive hype.
Top 10 Worst Olympic Mascots
A good Mascot is a symbol of the spirit of the Olympics in general; while, at the same time, teaching the world something about the country where the event is taking place. I also feel that mascots should exude a positive and focused energy and enthusiasm for the games as well as the city, country and culture they represent.
10. MukMuk (2010, Vancouver Winter Games)
This character is supposed to be a Vancouver Island Marmot but it would be more accurate to describe him as an underdog. He is the ‘designated sidekick’ of the three official mascots for the Winter Games: Quatchi, Miga and Sumi. It’s like the real mascots are saying, “Okay MukMuk you can hang out with us but you’re not really one of us.” And pathetic little MukMuk says, “Gee, thanks guys! Woo hoo!”.
While the official mascots are out in the real world promoting the Olympics (okay, they are really just humans in costume) MukMuk the wannabe just exists on the internet and is not even important enough to include on the souvenir merchandise. Poor little guy.
You can read more about little MukMuk’s plight.
Top 10 Most Decorated Olympians
Every four years, the world comes together to watch athletes compete in either summer or winter sports competitions. Many athletes aspire and dream about the Olympics, few make it. But for those few, they are the top of their sport and arguably some of the best athletes of all time. Over the last 29 Olympics, there have been more than 12,000 medals handed out and this top 10 list is just a paltry sum when compared to the overall total. However, these Top 10 Olympians represent the crème of the crop winning the most gold medals. For this list, ties are broken by most silver after gold and then most bronze.
10. Matt Biondi
Considering that the Americans have won one-third of all swimming medals in the modern Olympics, it is no wonder that Matt Biondi leads a list of four American swimmers among the Top 10 Olympian champions. Biondi also tops the list of five American Olympians – the Americans have also won roughly a quarter of all Olympic medals in the current games. Biondi competed in three Olympics where like our No. 1 Olympian he dominated the freestyle category. His record: eight gold, two silver and one bronze in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
Top 10 Ugliest Sports Uniforms
Lets get one thing out of the way: The 70’s and 80’s spawned some of the worst uniform ideas imaginable. Yes, fashion was a low point all around, and we don’t need to look much further than our professional sports teams to realize that decadence and illegal chemical substances were rampant during those times. Thankfully, we all came to our senses around the time that big hair bands died out and the major sports franchises hired marketing directors with fashion sense to overhaul their team’s look.
You’ll notice a common theme: Orange rarely makes for a good choice in uniform color. Some teams can get away with it, but pair it with brown, yellow, or more orange and things go south pretty quickly. Without further adieu, the top 10 worst sports uniforms of all time:
10. Quebec Nordiques, 1972 - 1995
The Nordiques sported these fashionable jerseys with minimal changes, throughout their franchise history, which began in the WHA in 1972 and ended with the team’s move to Denver prior to the 1996-97 NHL season. At first glance, you may notice the team’s logo and ask, “What is a Nordique, and what does it have to do with that elephant in the middle of their jersey?” Rest assured, that’s no elephant, upon further review we can see that it is an artist’s rendition of a letter “N” next to a hockey stick. As for the name the Nordiques…well, some things were meant to remain a mystery.
Top 10 Worst “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” Performances at Wrigley
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” turns 100 this year (2008) so I feel its only fitting to give it a top ten list. This favorite sing-a-long to America’s past-time has been a staple of the seventh-inning stretch in many baseball parks, but none more famous than the performances given at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. My Dad is a Cub’s fan, so I remember watching on WGN. The song was always lead by Cub’s announcer Harry Caray. While he began singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” originally for the Chicago White Sox in the 1970s, he moved on to Wrigley Field and sang it from 1982 until 1997. After his death in 1998, celebrities began taking their turns. And that’s where our list begins. Because musical tastes are so different these singing efforts are in no particular order. (OK, Ozzie’s was the worst). Take a look at the Top 10 Worst “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” Performances at Wrigley, but have your fingers ready to place in your ears.
Jeff Gordon, NASCAR Driver
“It’s great to be here at Wrigley Stadium.” Stadium? You mean Field.
Thankfully he drives much, much better than he sings, otherwise we would be scraping his crispy corpse off the asphalt at Daytona. He crashed and burned all the same with this “rendition.” or”Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
