# Handicapped pro athletes **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 23, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138 "2010-04-23T19:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/21 "2010-04-23T21:15:15Z")
Oh, yeah, another bonus item: [An LA Times article about a kid who became famous as “the crippled kid who wanted to see Pete Gray” and what happened to him afterwards.](http://articles.latimes.com/1986-05-04/sports/sp-3783_1_pete-gray) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/22 "2010-04-23T21:26:30Z")
> [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](#): > > To be fair, Willlis’ condition was treatable, and wouldn’t be considered a handicap. The treatments don’t seem to have been working, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/23 "2010-04-23T23:43:55Z")
[Marty Bergen?](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=22k1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=2RMLAAAAIBAJ&pg=1427,199901&dq=marty-bergen&hl=en) You could compare him with later athletes like, say, Jimmy Piersall (bipolar) or Defensive End Lionel Aldridge (schizophrenic), who had treatment available. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/24 "2010-04-23T23:45:39Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > [Marty Bergen?](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=22k1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=2RMLAAAAIBAJ&pg=1427,199901&dq=marty-bergen&hl=en) You could compare him with later athletes like, say, Jimmy Piersall (bipolar) or Defensive End Lionel Aldridge (schizophrenic), who had treatment available. Holy shit. We’re looking for generically feel-goody uplifting, so I think that one I’ll have to give a pass on. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/25 "2010-04-23T23:51:32Z")
Then just go with Aldridge, who eventually rose above his schizophrenia and became a public speaker/advocate for the homeless & mentally ill. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/26 "2010-04-23T23:57:46Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Curtis Pride is another deaf baseball player. > [@Marley23](#): > > There have been a few deaf baseball players, including Curtis Pride. (He played for a bunch of teams, including, fittingly, the Yankees.) And went on to coach baseball at Gallaudet. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/27 "2010-04-24T00:04:35Z")
[Profesional tennis player Eric Highsmith had one leg.](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1290&dat=19940322&id=Dc0PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JI0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6769,4160124) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/28 "2010-04-24T00:31:09Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > [Profesional tennis player Eric Highsmith had one leg.](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1290&dat=19940322&id=Dc0PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JI0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6769,4160124) Wow. Tennis, even doubles tennis, on one leg. Just wow. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/29 "2010-04-24T01:31:33Z")
“Dummy” Hoy played for several baseball teams in the 19th century. His deafness led to the invention of umpires’ signaling balls and strikes. Speaking of Gallaudet, the field there is named for him. Also speaking of Gallaudet, they invented the football huddle so no one could read their hand signals. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/30 "2010-04-24T01:35:18Z")
David Garrard, QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has Crohn’s disease. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/31 "2010-04-24T04:45:51Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Antonio Alfonseca, another Cubs pitcher, had six fingers on his throwing hand, come to think of it. I don’t think that was a handicap for him, though. Six fingers on both hands, and six toes on each foot. However, the extra finger evidently does not affect his pitching, since it doesn’t touch the ball. I love his nickname: _El Pulpo_, Spanish for “The Octopus.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/32 "2010-04-24T04:57:09Z")
Martel Van Zant. Deaf CB who played at Oklahoma State and is now in the arena league. Great guy. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/33 "2010-04-24T05:18:54Z")
Alex Zanardi lost both his legs in an accident in a CART race in 2001 and has returned to compete in Touring cars. > **[Alex Zanardi | CART return and Lausitzring crash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Zanardi#CART_return_and_Lausitzring_crash)** > > In the 2000 season Zanardi was not signed for a team, but was interested in a CART comeback. He tested for Mo Nunn in July at Sebring driving for 246 laps and opted to sign to the team for 2001. > For most of the season, Zanardi had little success, with three top-ten finishes and a best result of fourth place in the 2001 Molson Indy Toronto. During the 2001 American Memorial at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz on 15 September 2001, Zanardi started from the back of the grid and was gaining the upper hand o... ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/34 "2010-04-24T15:03:58Z")
This is a good time to highlight Ken Green, PGATour Golfer. Ken Green had a journeyman career in the 80’s and 90’s. Winning a couple of tournaments, and even playing on a Ryder Cup Team. But he was a non-conformist on Tour, and was not very popular with the fans. He turned 50 a couple of years ago and was trying to get status (w/ little success) on the Champions Tour, the PGATour for golfers. Last summer, he was in an RV (might have been driving) when it got into a horrific accident. He was critically injured, and Doctors had to amputate his right leg. His brother and girlfriend were killed in the wreck. (as was his treasured dog). And then, even more tragedy cam to Greean as this past January, his son was found dead at college, he apparently committed suicide with pills and alcohol. After the accident, Green got fitted with a prosthetic leg and has been practicing very hard to get competitive in golf and still has hopes of getting status on the Champions tour. This week, the Champions Golf Tour has one of their special events of the year, a team competition. Mike Reid, another journeyman pro of Green’s era, asked Green to play as his partner. yesterday they shot a respectable round and a T17 after round 1. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/35 "2010-04-24T23:41:15Z")
Don’t see him mentioned, but [Rocky Blier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Bleier) was wounded in Vietnam, awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, but told he’d never play football again. Went on to earn 4 Super Bowl rings. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/36 "2010-04-25T04:13:58Z")
[Brian McKeever](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_McKeever), a cross-country skier from Canada, suffers from Stargardt’s disease, which cost him his vision. Despite this, he managed to qualify for a spot on Canada’s cross-country skiing team for the 2010 Winter Olympics. He would have been the first ever person to compete in the Winter Paralympics and Winter Olympics in the same year, but the team’s coaching staff gave his spot in the 50 km race to another skier. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2010, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/37 "2010-04-25T06:22:18Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > It’s yet another baseball player, but former Kansas City Royals outfielder [Jim Eisenreich](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Eisenreich) has Tourrette’s Syndrome. It made him miss about 2.5 years of playing ball. If Tourrette’s counts, there’s Everton & U.S. national team goalkeeper [Tim Howard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Howard). ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/38 "2010-04-26T02:36:37Z")
Mixed martial artist [Matt Hamill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Hamill) is deaf. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/39 "2010-04-26T04:47:58Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > David Garrard, QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has Crohn’s disease. As did Rolf Benirschke, placekicker for the San Diego Chargers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He missed most of a season due to it. Jim McMahon, quarterback for a number of teams (most notably the 1985 Super Bowl Bears) suffered a childhood eye injury (he accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with a fork). I’ve read various accounts of how severely damaged his vision in that eye was; at a minimum, it became very sensitive to light (which is why he always wore a dark visor). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138/40 "2010-04-26T04:51:32Z")
Almost forgot Bo Jackson. At one time a star player in both the NFL and MLB, he suffered a hip injury as a running back for the L.A. Raiders in a game in 1991, which ultimately led to him needing to have his hip replaced. He was able to come back as a baseball player, playing two more seasons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handicapped-pro-athletes/537138.md?page=3)