# Quickest carrer ending injury in pro sports **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966 "2005-12-09T23:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/1 "2005-12-09T23:20:57Z")
Does anyone know what the quickest career ending injury in pro sports was? I’m talking about a player that was injured in their first pro season (or game) in the NFL, NBA or MLB and had to retire because of the injury. Also was there ever a career ending injury during the NFL Pro Bowl? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/2 "2005-12-09T23:36:27Z")
Well, it wasn’t career-ENDING, but New England’s Robert Edwards wrecked his knee in Hawaii in 1999 playing flag football before the actual Pro Bowl. He was never the same. He was out of football until 2002, when he latched on with Miami, but he didn’t rush for very many yards and didn’t last very long. He wound up in the CFL. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/3 "2005-12-09T23:49:24Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Well, it wasn’t career-ENDING, but New England’s Robert Edwards wrecked his knee in Hawaii in 1999 playing flag football before the actual Pro Bowl. He was never the same. He was out of football until 2002, when he latched on with Miami, but he didn’t rush for very many yards and didn’t last very long. He wound up in the CFL. I dropped in here to give the same example. As a Robert Edwards fan from back at UGA, this absolutely sucked. - Peter Wiggen ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/4 "2005-12-09T23:53:49Z")
I’d vote for [url=“[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki-Jana\_Carter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki-Jana_Carter)”]. > [@](#): > > Ki-Jana Carter is a former NFL running back who played for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was a number one overall draft pick in the 1995 NFL draft. He was injured during a preseason NFL game, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. The injury robbed him of his speed and led him to be regarded as one of the biggest draft flops of all time, compiling only 1144 rushing yards in 10 seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/5 "2005-12-09T23:54:53Z")
Ugh, [Ki-jana Carter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki-Jana_Carter) ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/6 "2005-12-09T23:54:55Z")
He had one GREAT game for Miami after his comeback. He rushed for like 2 TDs or something, right? Another pick would be Kellen Winslow, Jr…sort of. He had an injury in the first couple of games for the Browns. Then after rehabing all summer, he wrecked his motorcycle (which he was prohibited from driving) and tore up his knee. It remains unclear if he will play again, but I doubt he will. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/7 "2005-12-09T23:56:49Z")
[Normand Leveille](http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1981/81014.html) was a first round draft choice of Boston Bruins in 1981. Towards the end of his rookie season he suffered an aneurysm between periods of a game. He has made a remarkable recovery, but never played hockey again. ---
**Author:** ![from\_a\_to\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5fc32e/32.png) [@from\_a\_to\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/from_a_to_z)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/8 "2005-12-10T00:20:16Z")
For MLB, likely Larry Yount, Hall of Famer Robin’s older brother. A pitcher, injured while warming up after being called into his first (and last) game. [http://www.astrosdaily.com/history/yount.html](http://www.astrosdaily.com/history/yount.html) and > **[Larry Yount Stats | Baseball-Reference.com](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yountla01.shtml)** > > Career: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 SO, P, Astros 1971, t:R, born in TX 1950 have an overview. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/9 "2005-12-10T00:32:14Z")
Len Bias died of a drug overdose shortly after being drafted by the Boston Celtics. I guess that doesn’t count as an injury though. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/10 "2005-12-10T00:34:23Z")
Wow, Boston teams have had a lot of bad luck in this regard, huh? ---
**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:** [December 10, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/11 "2005-12-10T02:25:44Z")
Burl Toler was drafted from SFU by the Cleveland Browns in 1951 but suffered a career ending knee injury without ever playing a game. He later became the first black NFL official. The other pick Cleveland had that round was used to draft Don Shula. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/12 "2005-12-10T03:10:52Z")
Wasn’t there a blazing hot hockey prospect (college kid?) who died as a result of an injury sustained in a game? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/13 "2005-12-10T03:56:43Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > Wow, Boston teams have had a lot of bad luck in this regard, huh? Or that Boston fans tend to really, really remember Bad Sports Things. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/14 "2005-12-10T05:37:14Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > He had one GREAT game for Miami after his comeback. > > He rushed for like 2 TDs or something, right? He rushed for one TD and caught a pass for another. Unfortunately, he would not score again for the rest of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/15 "2005-12-10T05:43:34Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Unfortunately, he would not score again for the rest of the year. Sounds like my sex life. Another nominee could be Adam Greenberg, who was a minor-league player for the Chicago Cubs. He was called up to the majors this past season, and, in the first pitch he saw as a big-leaguer, was beaned in the head. He suffered a concussion, didn’t play the rest of the year, and was “designated for assignment” by the team recently. DFA means that the team had 10 days to trade him, or he was a free agent. He is now a free agent. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/16 "2005-12-10T05:58:38Z")
Then there’s the case of Brien Taylor, who was signed by the Yankees in 1991 [for a record $1.5 million](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2003/05/22/taylor/). He injured himself in a brawl a fairly short time afterwards, and, as a result, [never played above Class A baseball](http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/T/brien-taylor.shtml). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/17 "2005-12-10T06:10:15Z")
> [@middleman](#): > > It remains unclear if he will play again, but I doubt he will. I think he’s expected to- for whatever that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/18 "2005-12-10T12:14:48Z")
Tom Pachorick (mispelled?) Houston Astros, went 4-4 in his major league debut and never played again due to an injury. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/19 "2005-12-10T12:26:05Z")
> [@Mr. Roboto](#): > > Tom Pachorick (mispelled?) Houston Astros, went 4-4 in his major league debut and never played again due to an injury. Check That… John Pachorick! (Tom had a long career) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966/20 "2005-12-10T13:03:17Z")
> [@Mr. Roboto](#): > > Check That… John Pachorick! (Tom had a long career) Double Check That…John Paciorek,on the final day of the 1963 season for the Houston Colt 45’s went 3-3 w/ 3 RBI’s & 2 walks and scored 4 runs in a 13 -4 romp over the Mets. Back Surgery, doom an otherwise promising career. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quickest-carrer-ending-injury-in-pro-sports/334966.md?page=2)