# Great names in the history of sport **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 8, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047 "2002-08-08T23:37:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/1 "2002-08-08T23:37:02Z")
Dick Trickle: Current NASCAR driver I.M. Hipp: Late 70’s Nebraska walk-on turned All America. Career avg more than 7 yards per carry. One game NFL career with the Raiders: 0 carrys, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns Fair Hooker: Early 70’s WR with the New Orleans Saints. Red Robbins: ABA journeyman center. One stop included the San Diego Conquistadores ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/2 "2002-08-08T23:48:53Z")
Fair Hooker played on MNF once, Don Meredith said,“Fair Hooker, never met one!” Keith Jackson didn’t wanna go there! ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/3 "2002-08-09T00:35:03Z")
My favorite has always been Bart Crashley - he used to play hockey in the old WHA. There was a basketball player a few years ago named World B Free. The USFL had Turdell Middleton. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/4 "2002-08-09T03:49:08Z")
Chandra Cheeseborough: World Class Sprinter who the TV announcers inevitably referred to as Chandra CHEESEBURGER. Sleepy Floyd: Golden State Warriors Fennis Dembo: single NBA season with the Pistons Oil Can Boyd: Boston Red Sox Plaxico Burress: Pittsburgh Steelers Picabo Street: Olympic skier ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/5 "2002-08-09T04:17:01Z")
A few years ago, there was a college basketball player named God Shamgod. Any pressure on a kid named God, ya think? U.of Virginia had a basketball player named Majestic Mapp. Even better, he had an older brother who also played (don’t know where) named Scientific. The Phillies had a 2B named Putsy Caballero Current college football players: I-Perfection Harris, DB Ga Tech Craphonso Thorpe, WR Fla State ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/6 "2002-08-09T04:29:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jk1245 \* > \*\* > Craphonso Thorpe, WR Fla State \*\* Think that kid’s grade school classmates gave him a hard time because of his name? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/7 "2002-08-09T05:56:08Z")
Can’t forget Miroslav Satan of the Buffalo Sabres. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Kahuna_Burger)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/8 "2002-08-09T06:02:02Z")
Dick Butkus takes the cake Honorable Mention: Larry Csonka Leon Spinks ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/9 "2002-08-09T06:04:24Z")
Misty Hyman gold medallist 200m 'fly Sydney 2000. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/10 "2002-08-09T06:34:19Z")
Dick Buttons (did he ever play anything, or is he just an announcer guy?) Rich Zisk (say that one five times fast). Ed Sprinkle (Chicago Bears, a LOOOONG time ago). ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/11 "2002-08-09T12:17:52Z")
Boubacar Aw (pronounced Ow) - Played hoops for Georgetown ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/12 "2002-08-09T12:27:30Z")
Forgot yet another Georgetown alum (really the only place to go for interesting names) Ya Ya Dia ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/13 "2002-08-09T13:48:06Z")
**Peaches Bartkowitz** – A fair-to-middling pro tennis player of the 70s, winner of 14 tournaments. Her name even became part of a Monty Python routine. **Plums Bartkowitz** – Peaches’s younger sister. A junior tennis champ, but never made it in the pros. **Zenon Andrusyshyn** – Placekicker for UCLA and around the NFL/CFL/USFL. The name is pure poetry. **Sean Fitzmaurice** – Played in about three games as an outfielder for the Mets. About as Irish a name as you can find. **Ronald Mcdonald** – a minor league outfielder in the Mets system, nicknamed “Big Mac,” of course. **Howard Johnson** – hotel owner . . . I mean tuba player . . . I mean major league third baseman. **Bob Petit** – one of the early NBA stars; his last name is French for “little.” So there is room of the the little man in the pros. **Preston Ridlehuber** – journeyman NFL player whose greatest moment was a play nobody saw – he scored the final touchdown in the famous “Heidi Bowl” game. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/14 "2002-08-09T14:27:42Z")
The worst sports name of all time: **Rusty Kuntz** Formerly a backup outfielder in the early 80’s, played the the Tigers in '84 when they won it all. Of course, he claimed it was pronounced “koontz.” A likely story. Let’s also not forget ballplayers named **Van Lingle Mungo Urban Shocker Wonderful Monds Milton Bradley Fielder Jones (well, of course) Yogi Berra** ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/15 "2002-08-09T14:27:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jk1245 \* > \*\*A few years ago, there was a college basketball player named God Shamgod. Any pressure on a kid named God, ya think? > > \*\* He put it on himself - think the kid (and World B Free) were both from Brooklyn, and changed their names. IIRC World was named Lloyd, and Shammgod was the other guy’s first name. They may have been legal name changes. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/16 "2002-08-09T15:08:23Z")
**Harry Caray** - Sports Announcer **Lake Speed** - NASCAR Driver ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/17 "2002-08-09T15:52:10Z")
Sorry, the single best sports name in history was a college basketball player at Memphis in the mid-80’s. His name? **Baskerville Holmes** ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/18 "2002-08-09T15:56:12Z")
Shirley Muldowney: former funny car driver/owner Dikembe Motumbo: Georgetown BBall; various NBA clubs Billy White Shoes Johnson: mid 70’s kick returner/wr Houston Oilers Knute Rockne: Notre Dame Kiki Van de Weghe: various NBA clubs Sterling Marlin: current NASCAR driver Tim Biakabutuka: U Mich RB, Carolina Panthers ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/19 "2002-08-09T17:52:10Z")
BTW, I think Tim Biakabutuka’s real first name is Tshimonga or something like that. I nominate Cornelius MacGillicuddy. Now why’d he have to go and shorten it to Connie Mack? ---
**Author:** ![SteverinoAlaReno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SteverinoAlaReno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteverinoAlaReno)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2002, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047/20 "2002-08-09T18:28:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LifeOnWry \* > \*\*Dick Buttons (did he ever play anything, or is he just an announcer guy?) > \*\* I do believe he was an Olympic skater, but I could be wrong. My nominee: **Bronco Nagurski** , old-time football player And for brevity: **Ed Ott** , baseball catcher for a few teams [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-names-in-the-history-of-sport/123047.md?page=2)