How about Joe Namath? He was a brash, cocky, NY QB who predicted a SB III victory and delivered. But otherwise he was a below average quarterback who rode that one win to the Hall of Fame.
Dick Fosbury changed the game.
I honestly thought this thread was going to be about Doug Flutie. That Hail Mary pass got him on all kinds of TV shows, on SNL, etc.
His stats are lousy, but in his time Joe Namath was one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
He threw for over 4,000 yards in 1967, the first passer to ever do it,
Can’t forget Pheidippides whose story inspired the marathon race by running 25 miles from Marathon to Athens non-stop and then died from exhaustion when he arrived. If true it certainly changed his life.
I love this example. He played 4 years at Harvard, was undrafted, and had made no inroads to being a regular player in the year and a half he was knocking around the NBA. Then, one game where he got minutes and played great, led to another game, and another game, and another game. He did get a minor injury after a couple of months, but absolutely proved he could hang in the NBA, and got a solid career out of it.
He also led the league in interceptions. He had more pass attempts by a large margin, which helps all those numbers. His career win/loss record (granted, not a great QB stat) was 62-63-4.
Broadway Joe was dynamic, exciting, but except for one season/Super Bowl he was pretty average.
Loris Karius had a terrible Champions League final for Liverpool in 2018, was immediately loaned out to Turkey and never recovered to start in a top league.
Mark Spitz. He was the most successful athlete at the ***1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record time.
He went from a solitary life training in the pool to a agent and tv appearances. He was a ABC Sports commentator for the 1976 and 1984 summer Olympics.
***I am calling the Olympics a single life changing event. Setting world records that weren’t broken for 36 years.
Spitz is also an important Jewish figure. A symbol of pride.
Sure that certainly cemented his Heisman Trophy win. But it led to a stint with the Jersey Generals and a lackluster early NFL career. His lack of size was always a factor. What really changed things around for him was going to the CFL and excelling there.
I know what you’re saying, but it was literally one play and, because of that, I know his name, he made talk show appearances, etc. Basically, he was known outside of college football fans, all because of a single throw.
I’m pretty sure he also was the last guy to drop-kick an extra point in the NFL.
When I lived in Natick, Mass., I would often see him shooting hoops at a local playground.
That’s very cool!
I’m surprised nobody mentioned Rachael Gunn, AKA Raygun, the infamous Australian breakdancer.
She was the best thing that ever happened to this Midwestern t-shirt etc. company.
I actually came to this thread to mention one Vinko Bogataj, whose surname, BTW, is pronounced boh-gah-tie.
How about Chris Moneymaker? No, I am not saying Chris Moneymaker, or poker players are athletes*, but back in 2003 Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event and it transcended the game. It changed his life from an unknown Memphis accountant to a celebrity (at least in the Poker World).
Poker (and the WSoP) had a huge growth spurt after Moneymakers win. This year there are 100 live tournaments. It started a few weeks ago and the Main Event will start in a couple of weeks.
As for athletes, I think Boris Becker might qualify. He was mostly unknown 17 years old when he won Wimbledon in 1985. He went on to win 5 more Grand Slams as well as legal problems.
Never mind.
yes, but while Wimbledon was his breakout performance, he clearly was a top tier tennis player. It was his first big win, but if he hadn’t won there, it is unlikely it would have changed the trajectory of his career significantly.
Roger Bannister ran the first sub 4 minute mile May 6, 1954, won the 1500 at the European Championships on Aug 29, retired late in 1954 to concentrate on his budding medical career as a neurologist.
If we are going the more morbid route, Daryl Stingley, a promising young NFL wide receiver, was rendered a quadriplegic from a nasty hit by Jack Tatum in a preseason (!) football game.
Kim Duk-koo died in a WBA championship boxing match with Ray Mancini in 1982.
While most people don’t know his name, I think that “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” is a part of shared Gen X culture (and probably Boomers.) It’s the sort of cultural fodder I’d expect to be parodied on shows like Family Guy, if it already hasn’t.