Championship Year | Athlete | Team (as applicable)
1983: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
Let’s build a list, shall we?, of individual athletes (not teams) in any sport who finally, after a long and storied career, became a champion. Copy and paste the list and its title, then add one name to the end of the list, with a description. Include the year that the championship game or event was won (just the year, not the season: e.g., list 1983 and not 1982-1983 if NBA or NHL).
Define “long and storied career” how you want. Define “finally became a champion” how you want.
I’ll start with Dr. J, Julius Erving. This thread is inspired by my watching “The Doctor” (Philly.com link) last night. Highly recommended, for any sports history buffs. It was a good recap of Erving’s life journey and how he helped changed the game. Yes, Dr. J did win 2 ABA championships earlier in his career, but those can’t really count because the ABA wasn’t the NBA. After the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, Dr. J’s Sixers came close several times but lost the NBA championship in 1977 (Portland Trail Blazers), 1980 and 1982 (Los Angeles Lakers). Finally, in 1983, the 76ers swept the Lakers in the finals. Dr.J retired 3 seasons later. And yes, the 1983 76ers had at least one other athlete that can be added to this list.
The thread title was also inspired when watching “The Doctor”, I was reminded of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen’s announcement after winning Super Bowl XXXII, 15 years ago. I’ll let someone else add that athlete.
Jason Kidd’s rookie NBA season was 1994-95 with the Dallas Mavericks. Then, from 1996 to 2001, Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns and later for the New Jersey Nets from 2001 to 2008. He led the Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. In the middle of the 2007–08 season, Kidd was traded back to Dallas, where he won an NBA championship in 2011.
23rd year in the League, Wikipedia says that’s the longest a Stanley Cup winner took. Didn’t win with the franchise he is most strongly associated with, unlike Erving and Elway.
Championship Year | Athlete | Team (as applicable)
1983: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
2011: Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
2001: Ray Bourque, Colorado Avalanche
1998: John Elway, Denver Broncos
Elway had been to three previous Superbowls without a win. Then he went eight years without even getting to the Superbowl. But he finally made it back and won the championship in 1998. And then did it again in 1999 just to show it wasn’t a fluke.
Championship Year | Athlete | Team (as applicable)
1983: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
2011: Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
2001: Ray Bourque, Colorado Avalanche
1998: John Elway, Denver Broncos
2002: Dominik Hasek, Detroit Red Wings
After winning 5 Vezinas and 2 Hart Trophies in the '90s including losing in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999, Hasek finally won in 2002 and promptly retired. (I will then pretend he didn’t pull a Favre to finish his career coming back a year later)
This doesn’t really fit in with the rest, but you did say “any sport” and to my mind this is the quintessential example in individual sports from recent history. Ivanisevic had reached the final of Wimbledon 3 times before and lost, and had had a lot of trouble with injuries. In 2001 he was not ranked highly enough to get an automatic place, but was given a wildcard. In the semi-final, home favourite Tim Henman was in a strong position when rain forced the match to be held over to the following day, and a rejuvenated Ivanisevic won. The final (against Pat Rafter) swung both ways but Ivanisevic eventually won 9-7 in the fifth.
He was quite a character who was often in trouble for breaking his racquets, and he had a superstition that he would not shave or have his haircut until after a tournament was over. He was a very exciting player to watch, making use of the between-the-legs return whenever he was lobbed, and his serve was unreturnable when he was on form.
Excellent call. Sweetness carried the Bears for many (MANY!) terrible seasons, then finally wins the ring in one of the most lopsided SBs ever, 46-10 against Steve Grogan and the Pats (Tony Eason started at QB but was ineffective).
I changed the year to 1986 because although those were the 85 Bears, the championship game was played in 1986. Hope you don’t mind, mcgato.
Thanks for mentioning the Indy 500 above… here are two major single auto race victories that apply:
1998: Dale Earnhardt @ the Daytona 500
2013: Tony Kanaan @ the Indy 500
Earnhardt won his first (and only) Daytona in his 20th attempt, though he won a bunch of other races at the track other than the 500. This past year, Tony Kanaan won the Indy 500 in his 12th attempt.
Rickey was the heart and soul of the greatest set of linebackers in NFL history…The Dome Patrol…but otherwise the Saints were not very good. Rickey had to go out west to get his ring…but he went into the Hall of Fame as a Saint. Super Bowl XXIX was played in 1995, as the culmination of the 1994 season.
1982: Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds, San Francisco 49ers
Ricky Jackson’s story reminded me of Hacksaw. After 11 seasons with the LA Rams, Reynolds goes to the 49ers and wins the Super Bowl for the 1981 49ers (game played in 1982), and then a second Super Bowl for the 1984 49ers in his final season. Not in the same category as a Ricky Jackson, 2-time pro bowler Hacksaw had a long and storied NFL career before becoming a champion.
2001: Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks. Although he was a late bloomer, Johnson had been a top-flight pitcher since at least '93. He was a member of some great Mariner teams that suffered some post-season disappointments. At 37 with Arizona, he put together one of the best pitching performances of recent World Series history to help the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in 7 games.
You could probably make a case for Roger Clemens in 1999, but I don’t particularly feel like it…
1982: Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds, San Francisco 49ers
2001: Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondacks
2007: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
I am a Bears fan and I am so disappointed in their last Super Bowl appearance. That being said, Peyton Manning was known up until then as the “Best regular season NFL QB who always chokes in the playoffs.” He got the Superbowl win and the MVP, though I don’t think his numbers were all that spectacular. I am OK with Manning getting a SB victory, despite it being against the Bears.