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We rank 'em. You react. That's how the Daily List rolls.
Greatest Performances by Injured Athletes
The last week has presented us two opportunities to celebrate the glory of the gritty performance. Both Tiger Woods and Paul Pierce managed to post amazing performances despite bum knees, continuing a long tradition of athletes who have had to bite their lip and play through the pain. Here's my top five performances by injured athletes. (And for the purpose of this list, we're taking the athlete's word that they were actually injured.) 1. Willis Reed: The standard by which all other injured performances are measured. During Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Reed limped onto the court in spite of a torn thigh muscle and led the Knicks to an NBA title. (Ironically, Reed didn't really have that great of a performance -- his teammate Walt Frazier scored 36 points.) 2. Kirk Gibson: Despite two bad knees and a stomach flu, Gibson wobbled onto the field during the 1988 World Series and jacked a home run to win Game One. 3. Curt Schilling: The veracity of his bloody sock has been question (and dismissed), but Schilling's win in Game Six of the 2004 ALCS with staples in his ankle earned him a place on this list. 4. Isiah Thomas: In Game Six of the 1988 NBA Finals, Thomas fractured his ankle but stayed in the game and scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, carrying the Detroit Pistons, but still losing the game. 5. Byron Leftwich: While playing college ball at Marshall, Leftwich fractured his shin during a 2002 game against Akron. He continued playing and his linemen carried him to the line after each completion, as he helped the Herd to a 17-point comeback victory. What was the greatest performance by an injured athlete? Let us know below... Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.com
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Comments:Jack Youngblood -- playing the entire 1979/80 playoffs, including the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, on a broken fibula
Kerri Strug - vault in '96 olympics. Incredibly clutch. A shame it was overlooked.
Did anyone see Malone of the Detroit Red Wings take a piece of vulcanized rubber going 90mph in the face, bleed everywhere, and then get back on the ice for his next shift? NHL players have got the wimps in other sports whipped.
What about Emmitt Smith's performance with a separated shoulder?
Its not really an "injury," but I gotta mention Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the Finals against the Jazz in 1997, when he was sick as a dog but somehow still scored 38 points.
Bobby Baun scored a game-winning goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals. And what about MJ's famous flu game?
Bobby Baun: scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal in OT in 1964 with a BROKEN ANKLE incurred earlier in the game
Buck Shelford played for the New Zealand All Blacks (rugby) against France and suffered a torn scrotum and leaving one testicle hanging free. He also lost four teeth. Incredibly, after discovering the injury to his scrotum, he calmly asked the physio to stitch up the tear and returned to the field.
Donovan McNabb on a broken ankle -- yes, that is a broken ankle -- QB'd the Eagles to a win with something like 5 TD tosses.
How about Terrell Owens coming back in 3 weeks from a broken leg tro play in the Super Bowl? Or Donovan McNabb playing a game against the Cardinals on a broken ankle?
No Ben Hogan from the 1950 U.S. Open? A little before my time, too, but sports did exist before the 1980s. Also, Isiah scored 25 in the third quarter of Game 6.
The flu game has got to fall on this list somewhere
have you guys never heard of bob baun?
Two come to mind: Michael Jordan's "Flu Game" in the '97 NBA Finals and Bob Baun's OT game winner (scored on a broken ankle) in Game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals.
After today's performance, so may say Tiger Woods - but they are wrong. Ben Hogan should certainly be above Tiger and the five on this list. He won 11 tournaments after suffering a car accident that left him with a double-fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collar bone, a left ankle fracture, a chipped rib, and near-fatal blood clots. It was a struggle to walk 18 holes.
Dont remember the game but E. Smith rushed for a bunch of yards with a seperated shoulder - i think it was agaist the giants??
realspd In 1976, after a fiery crash at the Nurburgring that had burned much of his face and most of his lungs, Niki Lauda climbed back into a Ferrari four weeks after and finished fourth at the Italian Grand Prix. Nothing compares to that, though Tazio Nuvolari's drive in the 1948 Mille Miglia comes close.
If ever there was one moment when Wayne "Buck" Shelford embedded his name forever into rugby's rich history, it was during the infamous "Battle of Nantes" in 1986.
Playing only his second Test for the All Blacks against a physically intimidating French side, Shelford found himself at the bottom of a rather aggressive ruck on 20 minutes. An errant Les Bleus stud found its way to his groin, where it somehow managed to tear his scrotum, leaving one testicle hanging out. This alone would leave most men screaming in agony and heading for the nearest hospital. But not Shelford. He calmly instructed the physio to stitch him up. The French public were gobsmacked as an over-eager pitchside cameraman filmed the stomach-turning surgery, and even more so when Shelford returned to the field and carried on playing. "I was knocked out cold, lost a few teeth and had a few stitches down below," recalls the Saracens coach. "It's a game I still can't remember - I have no memory of it whatsoever. RED CONWAY - ALL BLACK
A softball catcher (he represented Rotorua at that sport in 1956) Dick Conway broke his finger during a game. The finger set very badly and was obviously going to suffer further damage at work, Dick Conway was a carpenter, or play, either softball or rugby. So, to avoid a problem whilst with the All Blacks in South Africa Conway had the finger amputated. Bobby Baun. In game six of the 1964 Stanley Cup finals Baun was hit with a shot and suffered a broken ankle. He had the ankle taped, took a pain killer shot and came back in overtime and scored the game winning goal to send the series to a game seven that the Leafs won.
And oh yeah he played in game seven and never even missed a shift. Reed had guts and was tough but Baun is the standard for injured athletes. Michael Jordan, Game 5 1997 NBA Finals in Salt Lake City. Suffering from the stomach flu he absolutely crushed the Jazz while looking like death. Even as a Jazz fan, I had to admire that performance.
How in the world can anybody with anytype of intelligance not put Emmitt Smith's performance against the Giants in the 1993 season finale at the top of this list? The numbers he put up in that game are incredible on their own, but that he did with a seperated shoulder in the 2nd half is just mind boggling !! Not to mention that he did it in the cold hostile conditions at Giants Stadium should easily beat out any other performance.
Jack Youngblood played Super Bowl XIV (and the NFC championship game before it) with a broken leg.
'Nuff said. Emmitt Smith in the NFC Championship (93 I think?), playing with a separated shoulder. Now that's tough.
I know it's not a traditional sport, but Kerry Strug, sprained ankle and all, sticking that vault in the 1996 Olympics to win the Gold was something pretty damn special.
Not having Emmitt Smith on this list is a mistake. In the 1993 season finale between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, he suffered a separated shoulder yet still had 168 yards rushing and 10 receptions. His performance helped the Cowboys clinch the NFC East and get a first round bye in the playoffs! And, of course, the Cowboys ended up winning the Superbowl that year, behind Smith's MVP performance of 30 carries for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns plus 4 receptions for 26 yards. I am very surprised he isn't on this list!
Not having Emmitt Smith on this list is a mistake. In the 1993 season finale between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, he suffered a separated shoulder yet still had 168 yards rushing and 10 receptions. His performance helped the Cowboys clinch the NFC East and get a first round bye in the playoffs! And, of course, the Cowboys ended up winning the Superbowl that year, behind Smith's MVP performance of 30 carries for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns plus 4 receptions for 26 yards. I am very surprised he isn't on this list!
Bert Tautman on Manchester City broke his neck in the 1956 FA Cup Final and completed many spectacular saves to help City win the cup.
He was alos a german POW who decided not to repatriate. How about Donovan McNabb in a 2002 game against the Arizona Cardinals? He broke his ankle on the Eagles' first drive (later missing the rest of the regular season). He stayed in the game and was 20 of 25 passing, with 255 yards and 4 touchdowns.
I believe a Detroit or Toronto Player (NHL) played an entire game with a broken ankle. Would be great to see SI or esp--
entertain other sports than the big three in their surveys. Oh: what about the gymnast who vaulted in the Olympics with that leg injury. Would be great to see a little more research by the writers! 1995 ACC men's basketball tourney. With a dislocated pinkie on his shooting hand, Randolph Childress broke the tournament scoring record by an individual and hit the game winning shot in OT of the championship game to give Wake Forest their first ACC championship in 33 years.
I would say Emmitt Smith rushing for over 200 yards with a seperated shoulder in a must win game against the Giants should be up there.
While I'm not a major fan of gymnastics, I'm surprised the performance of Keri Strugg (sp?) in the olympics about ten years ago was not listed.
Does Brett Farve with a concussion scoring a TD pass count? How about the Notre Dame receiver (don't know his name) knocked out on the five yard line and still fell into the endzone for a TD?
At least Kerri Strug did NOT make the list, as memory serves she could have passed on her vault attempt and the team would not have suffered, therefore her performance although gritty was selfish. While I can't argue with anyones choices, I think Byron Leftwich was number 1 not 5...
Most sports don't have 300 lbs guys trying to clobber you, so to do that while you know you are badly hurt is courageous beyond belief... Maybe Byron will be chosen as a Green Lantern someday... a man without fear! How about Kellen Winslow in the 1982 Dolphins/Chargers AFC division playoff game. He wouldn't sit down.
Ronnie Lott - tip of pinkie removed so he continue to play in the game.
In a 1988 game against the New Orleans Saints, suffering with a torn pectoral muscle in his shoulder, Lawrence Taylor demonstrated his remarkable strength and determination. Wearing a harness to keep his shoulder in place, he managed to record seven tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. The Giants won 13-12.
Steve Yzerman...2002 Stanley Cup plus the Olympic Gold Medal. Played on one knee. Couldn't stand up...
What about Big Brown's performance in the 2008 Belmont Stakes with a cracked hoof... Oh - never mind.
Blood on a sock, please! That "injury" was totally blown out of proportion. I've had bigger blood spots on myself after squashing mosquitos. Credit for pitching a good game, I couldn't do it but I'm not sure how a cut on your ankle makes you a greater clutch performer.
Blood on a sock, please! That "injury" was totally blown out of proportion. I've had bigger blood spots on myself after squashing mosquitos. Credit for pitching a good game, I couldn't do it but I'm not sure how a cut on your ankle makes you a greater clutch performer.
Despite what others may think, Jordan should be on the list. Sure his play was heroic, but being dehydrated because of the flu isn't really "injured".
Shun Fujimoto. 1976 Japanese Olympic gymnast. "He scored 9.5 on the pommel horse and 9.7 on the rings with a broken knee, dismounting from the rings from eight feet above ground and keeping his balance after landing on his feet. He "raised his arms in a perfect finish before collapsing in agony". Doctors ordered him to withdraw from further competition or risk permanent disability
the pac-10 officials overseeing the oregon/oklahoma game...you know the one im talking about.
How can this not make the top 2?Kerri Strug, vault in 1996 olympics.
Japanese or Chinese gymnast at Olympics who did his high bar routine and hit the landing with his leg broken.
Kerri Strug 1996 Olympiocs. without question.
Sacrificing herself by vaulting with an injured ankle, to win the US Team Gold, assuring she would be unable to compete in further individual events. Multi-millionaire, wannabe-gangsta crybabies can't hold a candle to the performance of one shy, painfully injured, teenage girl with nothing to win for herself but everything for her team. you should be ashamed of yourselves for forgetting about her. These Americans have no clue. Bobby Baun scoring the game-winning goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals WITH A BROKEN LEG has to be tops!
I gotta go with leftwich. The fact that he could not even walk and he led a 17 point comeback was amazing. When his lineman were carrying him, I could not believe what I was seeing.
Maybe some of you young kids should read up on an NFL Hall of Famer named Larry Wilson. Specifically about the game in which he brake his finger so bad that it was just hanging on by the skin. When he ran to the sidelines and asked the trainer to tape it up, the trainer took one look and barfed. Larry taped it back together himself and returned to the field to play the rest of the game. When other NFl Hall of Famers vote you the toughest player they ever played against, then you really are tough (unlike those hickey wimps)!
Maybe some of you young kids should read up on an NFL Hall of Famer named Larry Wilson. Specifically about the game in which he brake his finger so bad that it was just hanging on by the skin. When he ran to the sidelines and asked the trainer to tape it up, the trainer took one look and barfed. Larry taped it back together himself and returned to the field to play the rest of the game. When other NFl Hall of Famers vote you the toughest player they ever played against, then you really are tough (unlike those hickey wimps)!
Shaun King played nearly an entire season at Tulane with a broken arm
Anonymous @ 9:41 AM, I believe you are mistaken about Keri Strug. The American gymnast who went before her (Dominique Moceanu, I think) fell on both vault attempts and Keri fell on her initial vault, which is when she sprained her ankle. This was the final rotation of the team competition and the Russians were in first place, although only barely. Keri nailed her landing on her second vault, sprained ankle and all, and scored just high enough to eclipse the Russians and win the gold for the USA. It was the least selfish performance by an injured athlete, as well as one of the greatest. It should not have been omitted from the list.
Dwight White - In hospital the week before Super bowl IX, plays entire game, including scoring a safety
Brett Favre playing an entire season with a broken thumb - on his throwing hand.
I don't remember the particulars of the match (date, opponent, etc.) but I vividly remember watching Pete Sampras puking his guts out on the court during some tournament final.
Ummm... how about a dozen or so players, every year, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Kirk Gibson had an ouchie in his knees and a tummy ache? Give me a break, put Gibbers on Skates and lets see how tough he is. The stories of guys playing with broken bones in the NHL is endless. How about Doug Gilmore loosing 20 pounds a game and being fed intravenously between periods so he could go back out there.
I vividly remember watching Pete Sampras puking his guts out on the court during the final of some tournament.
Bobby Douglas playing for the Bears. Broke his wrist, stayed in the game and threw 2 touchdowns in addition to marching the team up-and-down the field...
way to recycle a story, cnnsi....
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/scorecard/10/19/top10.playing.with.pain/index.html Ronnie Lott had a fingertip amputated in order to keep playing.
if you will remember schilling also went on to pitch i believe it was 8 innings of shut out ball in the WS with the ankle injury so yes he many have had 1 great game but he had two solid performances in a row
The Strug vault to clinch gold on a broken ankle is number one and what all other injury performances should be measured by.
Steve Yzerman, 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs
Yzerman led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup while essentially playing on one leg. He scored 23 points in 23 games despite a knee so badly damaged he had reconstructive knee surgery in the offseason that kept him out almost all the next season. How about Ronnie Lott of the 49ers
having a finger amputated during the middle of the game and continuing. Irving Fryar - cut his hand in an apparent knife fight with his wife just before the Super Bowl in 1986. He managed to catch the Pats' only touchdown in the second half, disappointing the Bears who settled for a 46-10 win. I remember instead of spiking the ball, he cradled it between his injured arm and good hand and carried out the back of the end zone, just to be sure.
Terry Glenn - injured his hamstring during training camp his rookie season. Then his coach (can't remember his name, damn!) informed the press that "She's getting a lot better." Motivated by that remark, Glenn came back and helped lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl, where they lost to Favre and the Packers. These were some of the good ol', bad ol' days of the New England Patriots. We're still waiting for the book... There's only one to consider - Bert Trautmann, 1956 FA Cup Final
Played on with a BROKEN NECK. "his neck was notably crooked" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Trautmann Joan Benoit winning the gold medal in the MARATHON at the 1984 Olympics after surgery on her knee, which may even be harder than several rounds of golf. :)
1956 english FA soccer cup final, Bert Trautmann, goalkeeper, hrt his neck diving at the feet of an attacker, carried on to the end of the game which his team won. 3 days after the final his neck was still crooked, had an xray and revealed his neck was broken
Steve Yzerman led his team to a Stanley cup in 2002 with one knee basically blown. Although he was in huge pain, he never complained, never backed down and played like the champ he is, and always will be.
Sean Avery playing with a lacerated spleen.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/hockey/nhl/specials/playoffs/2008/04/30/avery.spleen/index.html That's just insane. Leftwitch did not complete the comeback, they did end up losing the game 34-20 to the Zips (it was heroic though)... http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/features/the100?index=100
I believe it was the 1972 Olympics and a Japanese gymnast executed a flawless routine and dismount from the parallel bar with a broken lower leg.
Flu? Give me a break. Brett Favres career day against Da Bears on an
ankle the size of an orange and not only playing but throwing 5 TDs in the process. How do you leave that out? Maybe because he had so many of those it's hard to pick just one? Possible? I know SI is biased against Alabama, but how about Lane Bearden? The former Crimson Tide punter and place kicker returned to the field one day after tearing his ACL against Arkansas in 2002, and kicked the rest of the season in obvious excruciating pain. His pluck and grit in the 2002 Alabama-Ole Miss game should earn him an Honorable Mention at least.
TRIPLE H WINNING THE TITLE AFTER TEARING HIS QUAD
Clete Pillen, LB of Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in mid-70's had cracked ribs and a few broken toes and still had 33 tackles.
I was just starting to type Kerri Strug but then saw someone else's post. This easily belongs in a top five of this type.
Uta Pippig winning the women's division of the 1996 Boston Marathon after suffering through menstrual cramps and diarrhea.
She was forced to stop several times to clean menstrual blood off her legs, soiled herself, etc. Somehow ignoring that, Pippig (an MD herself) closed a 220-meter deficit and blew by Kenya's Tegla Loroupe. True grit! All rugby players win automatically. I've personally seen a teammate so concussed after a game he didn't remember where he lived, but had scored 2 tries 20 minutes earlier.
Oh, and Sean Avery didn't know he had a lacerated spleen, so that doesn't really count. Alex Oquendo with a case of the chicken pox pitched a no hitter and lead his team to the championship
Herschel Walker in the Sugar Bowl playing with a separated shoulder, rushing for over 150 yards against a Notre Dame defense that hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher all year...Coach Vince Dooley called it a "national championship performance by the best player in college football"...MY GOD, A FRESHMAN
Kerri Strug - Without a doubt! I've played football with a broken arm and baseball (going 2 for 4) when I was throwing up on the field. What she did was damn near impossible.
In 1953, Babe Didrikson was diagnosed with rectal cancer and underwent surgery to have her colon removed. Later that year, she competed in the All-American at the Tam O'Shanter, finishing third. Six months after her operation she won the Servin Women's Invitational. The next year she was back on the LPGA tour and won the '54 U.S. Open by a record 12 strokes.
Also not really an injury but what about what Mario Lemieux did after being off during chemo surgery. He led the league in scoring on his return.
Definitly Kerri Strug at the 1996 olympics..when she injured herself on vault..such a young kid with such determination should not have been missed by you.
I have to go with Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto's performance in the still rings at the '76 Montreal Olympics. I remember watching the event on TV and seeing him take a little hop after the dismount and (not knowing squat) thinking the landing had ruined his routine.
When it was later revealed that he had fractured his patella earlier in the floor exercise, then competed in the pommel horse, THEN finished his ring routine knowing he was going to basically jump 8 1/2 feet straight down on a broken leg my concept of athletic heroism changed. I think we all have to agree that the rugby player should be number 1. Just getting hit down there would put most people out but to require surgery DURING the GAME is sheer toughness.
MJs fever game
What about Ali? Broken jaw in first round against Norton (i think). Fought 11 more rounds - albeit in a loss.
ANDRE THE GIANT VS HULK HOGAN WRESTLEMANIA 3. ANDRE HAD A BAD BACK AND DIED 3 WEEKS LATER, BUT HE MAIN EVENTED WRESTLEMANIA AND PUT ON THE GREATEST MATCH EVER IN WRESTLING HISTORY
Seriously, perhaps you don't consider it a sport?
Kerri Strug makes Paul Pierce look like a sissy... I believe it was perhaps the first Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii?
Forget her name but she CRAWLED to the finish, after leading the grueling race for near its entirety. two words:
Armstrong/Cancer a lot of great ones here; two that come to mind are Greg Louganis in Barcelona after hitting his head on the platform and Sampras' performance against Alex Corretja in the US Open
Dwight White at Super Bowl IX.
Hospitalized all week with pnumonia,loses 17lbs. Leaves the hospital on gameday and gets the 1st saftey in Super Bowl history. Ronnie Lott: Pinched his finger between a face mask, Amputated part of it, taped it back up and went on the finish the game. TOUGH!!
Barry Bonds -- enjoyed a remarkable performance run despite an undiagnosed ailment causing his head to swell to twice its normal size.
Ronnie Lott getting part of his finger removed to play.
Brett Blackwell had part of his finger removed so he could continue to play Aussie Football. http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/archive/2005/09/14/finger_amputation_improves_game_play.php
How about a look at a non-American sport: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Trautmann
German soccer goalkeeper Bert Trautmann played the final fifteen minutes of a FA cup final (and won) despite a neck injry which, "An X-ray revealed he had dislocated five vertebrae in his neck, the second of which was cracked in two" Along with Leftwich, Kerri Strug is always the first athlete to come to my mind when thinking about gritty performances with an injury. Simply amazing and inspiring.
Terrell Davis in the Broncos' Super Bowl win over the Packers. Missed the entire 3rd quarter with severe migraines but came back in the 4th and earned MVP. May not be as severe as a broken ankle or a puck in the face, but anyone who suffers from migraines knows how debilitating they can be.
Three names:
1) Larry Joe Bird: played the last 3 years of his career with a back injury that would put the rest of us in traction. 2) Tiger Woods: playing on two bad legs and winning two majors while coming second in a third. 3) Philip Rivers: Playing on a bad leg in the AFC Championship game. Very gutsy performance. Bobby Baun. Broken ankle. Hockey.
Try skating on a broken ankle, let alone play a physical game of hockey. Enough said. Tigers win at the last US Open is historic. Hobbled by a broken leg and torn acl he scraped along for 91 holes against a player playing the best golf of his life.
Two do or die putts on the last hole or elimination, unbelievable. Not an injury as such, but Doc Ellis pitched a No-hitter while high on acid.
Bert Trautmann, Man City keeper in the 50's and 60's, played the final 25 minutes of the '56 FA cup final with a broken neck. And City won the cup. Kinda puts Jordan and his flu to shame.
Plaxico Buress in Super Bowl XLII.
He caught the game winner! I believe there was a Japanese men's gymnastics team member - last name Fujimoto, who had a broken leg in the '76 Olympic, had to do his rings routine and stick the landing in order for Japan to win the team gold - did it with intense pain and Japan took the gold. This was similar to Keri Skruggs Olympic heroics as well - probably the two greatest injury performances ignored by SI.
Bobby Orr. 1974 stanly cup finals vs philly. plyed on one leg and still caught Bobby Clark from behind.Ted Lindsy said "I wish I could open up his chest and see the size of that mans heart"
Andre's last match the greatest in history? Did Ricky Williams leave you a present? TO's ankle injury wasn't as bad as TO wants you all to believe. He came back within the normal window for his injury.
A great performance was John Riggins by spending the week in a hospital in traction then running for 100+ yards on Sunday. And doing this for nearly an entire season. Michael Jordan with 104 and vomiting on the sidelines with severe stomach flu and cramping hits 40 points and winning a pivotal game 5 against the Utah jazz in the NBA Finals.
The trainers had a bucket that they had to empty to hold Michael's vomiting The 1989 AFL (Aussie Rules) Grand Final saw Dermott Brereton finish the game with a bruised kidney, internal bleeding and broken ribs. This was after he vomited on the field. Brereton refused to leave the ground and finished the game with three goals. Later heavy clashes would see teammates John Platten concussed and Robert DiPierdomenico suffer broken ribs and a punctured lung. Brereton and Dipper spent the night in intensive care...
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