5. Ricky Williams
Although considered by many to be one of the more talented running backs
to come along in some time, Ricky Williams has gained a reputation as
one of the oddest players in NFL history. He gained fame immediately
upon his entrance into the league for his quickness, long dreadlocks,
and intense shyness, which led him to conduct many post-game interviews
with his helmet still on. Williams famously tested positive for
marijuana in NFL drug tests multiple times, and was fined $650,000
before unexpectedly announcing his early retirement from the game. After
leaving football, Williams studied holistic medicine and Hinduism and
traveled to India and Australia, where he supposedly spent time living
in a tent. He returned to the NFL in 2004, only to fail a drug test
again and be suspended for the season. While banned from the NFL,
Williams played Canadian football for a season while teaching yoga
classes on the side. He finally returned to the NFL in 2007, and now
plays for the Miami Dolphins.
Known for his counterculture personality and unique throwing style, Bill
“Spaceman” Lee was a pitcher who played for the Boston Red Sox and the
Montreal Expos in the 1970s. Lee often sported a wild mountain-man
beard, and was known for his candidness in interviews, openly admitting
that he smoked marijuana and
offering his opinion on everything from race relations to health food.
His on-field antics were equally famous, and included separating his
shoulder in a fight with New York Yankees players in 1976, and
threatening to bite off an umpire’s ear during a 1975 World Series game.
Lee’s wild personality and his tendency to speak out against club
management endeared him to the fans, and musician Warren Zevon even
wrote a song about him, but his outspokenness ultimately got him kicked
off of both his major league teams. After leaving professional baseball,
Lee ran for President in 1988, but he was unable to get on the ballot
in any states.
3. Mike Tyson
One of the most feared and explosive fighters in boxing history, Mike
Tyson has gained a reputation as one of the unpredictable and downright
bizarre athletes of all time. After a rapid rise to fame, Tyson’s career
took a hit following an upset defeat by Buster Douglas in 1990, and a
subsequent rape conviction saw him spend 3 years behind bars. After his
release, Tyson attempted to make a comeback in boxing by defending one
of his titles against Evander Holyfield, but he lost the fight by
technical knockout. The two fought again a year later in one of the
highest paying boxing matches of all time. In what would come to be
known as one of the oddest events in sports history, the fight was
called in the third round after Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s
ear, supposedly in retaliation for Holyfield head butting him. The
incident led to a near-riot in the arena, and Tyson was fined millions
for it. After making a number of guest appearances in professional
wrestling, Tyson returned to the ring in 2002 for a title fight against
Lennox Lewis, and once again made headlines for saying to Lewis, “I want
your heart, I want to eat his children.” Tyson lost the fight by
knockout, and has since retired from boxing.
2. Dennis Rodman
One of the most famous “bad boys” of professional sports, Dennis Rodman
is a basketball player who played as a forward for a number of NBA teams
throughout the late 80s and 90s. Also known as “The Worm” and “Dennis
the Menace,” Rodman had a remarkable rebounding ability, collecting
nearly 12,000 during his career, but he is best known for his antics
both on and off the court. He famously dyed his hair a variety of
colors, head-butted opponents, appeared in public wearing a wedding
dress, and seemed to make a habit of being ejected from games. In 1998,
he briefly married Baywatch star Carmen Electra, and later had a
high-profile fling with singer Madonna. Rodman had a big interest in
wrestling, and while still in the NBA he began a side career as a
professional wrestler with his friend Hulk Hogan, even going so far as
to participate in WCW events while in the middle of the 1998 NBA finals.
He also cultivated another side career as an actor, appearing in the
action movie Double Team along with Jean-Claude Van Damme, and later as
the star of the film Simon Sez, but both films were huge commercial and
critical failures.
1. Joe Namath
Popularly considered to be the first media star in professional
football, quarterback Joe Namath has been making a name for himself on
and off the field for over forty years. Namath is most famous his
audacious prediction that his underdog New York Jets would win the 1969
Superbowl. He delivered on his promise, and immediately became one of
the most famous athletes in America. Nicknamed “Broadway Joe” for his
flamboyant style, Namath would often wear a full-length fur coat while
on the sidelines during games, and he enthusiastically appeared in racy
television ads for women’s pantyhose, which caused an uproar in the
media at the same time that it helped establish him as a sex symbol.
Namath famously retired from the NFL for a brief stint in 1969 after
refusing to sell his stake in a New York City bar called Bachelors III,
which the NFL commissioner claimed had become a popular mafia hangout,
but he eventually complied and was back for the next season. Since
retiring from football, Namath has appeared in a number of films and
television shows, and even hosted his own late night talk show for a
short time. In 2004, Namath was in the headlines once again when he
drunkenly told ESPN reporter Suzy Kolber that he wanted to kiss her
during an interview, and he has since gone into treatment for
alcoholism.
No comments:
Post a Comment