Favorite Name In Sports

[ProfessorGAC]

The last few years i've decided that there is one guy, in the NFL, that has the best name in sports: TJ Houshmandzadeh! Man, what a cool name for a guy who scores TD's and gets to have his name announced on ESPN and the others. He has just the coolest name in sports right now.

So, i'm wondering: Who does everyone else think has just an outstanding name in the world of sports?

The Professor

(Yeah i know, stupid question. But, this is how my brain works.)

[Ptah]

1. That NASCAR guy

Dick Trickle.
:rofl: :rofl:

[ProfessorGAC]

2. Yeah, That's A Good One

The guys on ESPN love it.
The Professor

[joeybee12]

72. Shouldn't he see a doctor about that?

[Oreo]

3. NHL player Hakan Loob

Hakan Loob
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=buccigross_john&id=2265269

[ProfessorGAC]

4. You Guys Are Finding The Funny Ones!

I wasn't thinking funny, but i'm glad you did!
The Professor

[Oreo]

5. What's funny about Hakan Loob?

I named my son Hakan Loob... do you have a problem with it

;)

I agree with you... Housh is a cool name.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. No Problem. But I AM Laughing Out Loud About It

The Professor

[CoCre8tor]

76. John Bocabella

Catcher for the Montreal Expos in the 1970's. When he came to bat at Jerry Park, the announcer would draw out his name, "John Bocccc a bellllllla!"

[underpants]

7. Porkchop Womack

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5576

[underpants]

8. Coco Crisp

http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/crispco01.shtml

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Yeah, That's A Good One

We don't have any good ones in Chicago! Although Muhsin Muhammad is close.
The Professor

[GOPisEvil]

10. But Coco is a nickname.

:shrug:

[GOPisEvil]

11. My favorite sports name: God Shammgod

Played point guard for Providence (I think).

[underpants]

12. A man named Mookie

CBS graphic for Mookie Blalock when he was at Oklahoma. Pearl Jam almost named themselves "Mookie Blalock"

Mookie Wilson falls under this heading as well

[timber84]

26. Named my dog after Mookie

[Captain Hilts]

85. Mookie Wilson was the first 'Mookie'.

William Hayward Wilson or his birth certificate.

[akarnitz]

13. Placido Polanco of the Detroit Tigers

I always liked Minnie Minoso, too.

I must be a sucker for alliteration.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Polanco! Yeah!

That's a good one. Not a funny one, but it just has a feel to it, doesn't it?
The Professor

[bmbmd]

14. Two come to mind-

NoNeck Williams and former Steeler QB Dick Shiner.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. The Second Is A Hoot

Noneck's real name was Walt. My best friend in grade school was a Sox fan. (I was a Cub fan.) He loved NoNeck. I'm not sure if Walt played when i was in grade school of high school, but i still would have been paying attention to the Sox because of my friend.

The Steelers' QB is a great one.
The Professor

[akarnitz]

17. It might not be the greatest name in the world

but I can't think of Jody Davis without smiling. Remember how Harry would sing his name to the tune of "Davy Crockett"? Jody, Jody Davis......

:)

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Good Hitter. Rotten Catcher

Had the lateral movement of a mountain and hands of clay. Nice guy, though.
The Professor

[akarnitz]

22. And king of the wild frontier. n/t

[bmbmd]

28. Saw him on one of those TV hunting shows the other day.

He is as big as a barn.

[akarnitz]

18. Secretariat

Or do they have to be human?

[ProfessorGAC]

20. I Meant Human

But, since i failed to properly set any species criteria, that's on me! By the way, i always get a kick out of seeing that film of the Belmont when the camera guy is trying to frame the shot so he can keep Secreteriat in the shot and still see the other horses, and then about 1/2 furlong from the finish line, he just says "Heck with it!" and centers the big chestnut. Can't even see another horse at that point. I think that is just a wonderful moment of sports video.
The Professor

[akarnitz]

21. I was 7 years old

watching that race in '73. I knew then how special it was. I'm getting all misty just thinkin' 'bout it.

That's why I love the name.

[tiptoe]

69. All three of Secretariat's Triple Crown races were simply...supernatural

Three wins...two world records (...with a third WR in the Preakness, according to non-official timers)...breaking last out of the gate and running on the outside to win "the hard way" in both the Derby and Preakness...and then those phenomenal wins TOPPED by the Belmont!

...and that Belmont backstretch...with Secretariat flying across the world's tv screens... alone...running "like a tre-MEN-dous ma-CHINE"... still sends goosebumps... And most people are unaware that Secretariat ran the first 1 1/4 split of that 2:24 Belmont FASTER than the World Record time he'd set in the Kentucky Derby...with a 1/4 mile still to run!..."He's gonna kill that horse!!" chimed one observer about Secretariat's rider. But Secretariat killed the rest of the field...to the tune of 31 lengths.

For ESPN's project honoring the Greatest North American Athletes of the 20th Century -- where Secretariat was rated #35 by journalists and observers (human, presumably :) ) -- Dick Enberg reports in the 30-minute taped profile about Secretariat that immediately after the Belmont win, he turned to gaze about and observed -- not exaggerating -- that half the people in the stands that day had tears in their eyes over the awe-some performance they had just witnessed.

ESPN SPORTSCENTURY CROWNS SECRETARIAT THE 35TH GREATEST ATHLETE
As part of ESPN's extensive SportsCentury project presented by GM, a panel of journalists and observers has named Secretariat the 35th greatest North American athlete of the 20th century. The network will present a 30-minute profile on the 1973 Triple Crown winner on Friday, May 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET. The show is part of ESPN's 49 weekly programs counting down the 50 greatest athletes of the century.

The panel consisted of a group of 48 professionals drawing from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. They were asked to base their selections on athletic ability alone. Panelists included Roone Arledge, Chris Berman, Lucy Danzinger, Frank Deford, Dick Enberg, Curt Gowdy, Keith Jackson, Robert Lipsyte, Jim McKay, Al Michaels, the late Jim Murray, Dan Patrick, the late Shirley Povich, Robin Roberts and George Will.

Previously profiled athletes were: 50-Chris Evert; 49-O.J. Simpson; 48-Pete Sampras; 47-Edwin Moses; 46-Eric Heiden; 45-Bill Tilden; 44-Bobby Jones; 43-Julius Erving; 42-Sandy Koufax; 41-Wilma Rudolph; 40-Lawrence Taylor; 39-Walter Payton; 38-Ben Hogan; 37-Mickey Mantle; and 36-Oscar Robertson...

Big Red: The Fast Facts on a Fast Horse
THE RUN FOR THE ROSES, MAY 5, 1973

Secretariat was the first horse to complete the 1 1/4-mile course for the Kentucky Derby in less than two minutes. He won the 99th Run for the Roses in a record 1:59 2/5, which was 3/5 faster than Northern Dancer's 1964 mark of 2:00, to set a track and stakes record that still holds. He also ran each successive quarter-mile of the race FASTER than the previous one, with split times of :25 1/5, :24, :23 4/5, :23 2/5 and :23.

CONTROVERSY AT THE PREAKNESS, MAY 19, 1973
Secretariat's winning performance in the Preakness Stakes was marred by a controversy over the timing of the race. The original teletimer time was 1:55 for the 1 3/16-mile race. Pimlico amended it to 1:54 2/5 two days later.

BELMONT GLORY, JUNE 9, 1973
Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths -- the longest winning margin in the race's history -- while setting a track record of 2:24, which has not been surpassed. The time was 2 3/5 seconds faster than the mark set by Gallant Man in 1957. Secretariat's victory made him the ninth Triple Crown winner and first since Citation had swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 1948.

On June 11, 1973, after winning the Triple Crown -- the first horse to do so since Citation in 1948 -- Secretariat simultaneously made the covers of Time, Newsweek and Sports Illustrated, the only horse to be so honored.

Secretariat didn't always win. His most famous defeats came at the hands of trainer Allen Jerkens -- who justly earned the nickname "the giant-killer." Jerkens trained Onion, who defeated 1-10 favorite Secretariat in the 1973 Whitney; and Prove Out, who won the 1973 Woodward Stakes over Secretariat.

"Big Red" is buried at Claiborne Farm in Paris, KY.

(In autopsy was discovered that Secretariat's heart was 150% larger than the average thorougbred's. Secretariat was an "oxygen-producing machine"...a phenomenon of nature.)

[tiptoe]

70. As for human name: Edson Arantes do Nascimento ...

A name as noble as the game of...Pele

[Awsi Dooger]

86. You're confusing track records with world records

Only the Belmont was a world record. The Derby wasn't close to a world record and neither was the Preakness even if you give him the lowest time anyone clocked.

All three races on scraped tracks that were fast beyond belief, virtual freeways. Few people realize 11 of Belmont Park's 14 main track records were broken within a two weeks either way of that Belmont, completely unprecedented before or since. In fact, a mediocre horse broke a major track record in the race immediately preceeding the Belmont.

Sorry to provide the rest of the story. Anyone who knows squat about horse racing also realizes the 31 length margin was phony as hell. There were only 5 horses in the race and Sham broke down never to race again midway through the race. That left garbage to finish the race other than Secretariat. If you apply the 1 length equals 1/5 of a second rule, it means no other horse in the race broke 2:30 on a cement track, which means they couldn't have beaten pigs.

Thank you for mentioning the losses to Onion and Prove Out. Most Secretariat fans are blinded to those realities. They like to pretend every race was like the Belmont, when in fact it was the only race Secretariat won by 10+ lengths in his 20+ race career. Secretariat also ran a dull 3rd in the Wood Memorial immediately preceeding the Derby. He certainly picked the right time to run the three biggest races of his career, but Sham was within 2 lengths of him in both the Derby and Preakness. If Secretariat is so awesome and ran incredible races in all three Triple Crown races, then how do you explain he never beat Sham by more than slightly over 2 lengths in any race in which Sham didn't break down? Sham was one of the horses who beat Secretariat in the Wood.

I would have loved to have seen a freak frontrunner like Seattle Slew race against Secretariat and watch Big Red spit it out when suddenly he found a horse he couldn't pass. That's exactly what happened against Prove out in the Woodward when Secretariat had the lead then buckled and lost by nearly 5 lengths.

[two gun sid]

67. Bobnoxious.

Pacing gelding racing out in Delaware right now. He's a good hoss.

[underpants]

23. Jihad Muhammad

trying getting on a plane with THAT name

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=22174

[KamaAina]

24. Chief Kickingstallionsims, center for the Stetson Hatters

the pride of DeLand, Fla. and proud members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, which probably explains why their games are never, ever even on ESPNU.

Fortunately, since he plays center, he doesn't score all that much, thereby sparing PA announcers throughout the A-Sun from having to repeat, "Basket by Kickingstallionsims".

edit: Don't believe me? Here he is on their roster:

http://www.stetson.edu/athletics/mbb/roster.php

[akarnitz]

25. King Clancy

NHL HoFer. It's not a nickname(like "Ace" Bailey or "Cyclone" Taylor). His real name was Francis King Clancy.

on edit: Hockey's still considered in "the world of sports", right? Just checking.

[rinsd]

27. Rusty Kuntz

Others include World B. Free, Milton Bradley & Spike Owens.

[bmbmd]

29. This is fun! How about former Packer running back

Terdell Middleton???

[akarnitz]

50. Known as T.D.

He had one good season('77?). There was another Packer from the same era who didn't have an outstanding name, but did have an outstanding character. His name was Willard Harrell. The thing about it was that he always changed the pronounciation. wil-LARD har-RELL, WIL-lard HAR-rell, any # of combinations of where the syllables were stressed. (Packer radio play-by-play man) Jim Irwin would inform the audience at the beginning of each game. Kinda fun.

[mduffy31]

53. What else was fun

with the old announcing crew for the Packers is when the game would be in the later stages, and Max McGee has had a few ever team they were playing was either the Bears or the Vikings.

[maxpower]

30. Former Georgetown Hoya

Boubacar Aw. Classic name

[PDittie]

31. I nominate Moochie Norris

who also once had Big Ben Wallace beat in the 'fro department. My favorite picture:

[MaineDem]

32. Boom Boom Geoffrion and Mosi Tatupu

I've always thought Boom Boom was a classic hockey name (yeah, I know it's a nickname.)

As a Bruins fan I was never fond of the Canadiens but you had to give it to those early Habs teams and their talent!

And Tatupu with the Patriots was fun to watch and it's fun to say his name. I think his son is doing pretty well in college football now as well.

[ProfessorGAC]

38. Ah! Mosi Tatupu. That's A Good One

Another i thought of is both guys with the last name Tuiasasopo. (Not sure about that spelling, but you get the drift!)
The Professor

[opiate69]

33. Mack Strong

A perfect name for an NFL fullback.

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

34. Here's a few more

Razor Shines


Pokey Reese (First name Calvin)


Popeye Jones


Buckshot Jones


Dick Butkus


Racin Gardner


Ricky Steamboat is his wrestling name, His real name Richard Blood sounds so much cooler

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

35. More

Spud Webb


muggsy Bogues


On the Left Rick Rude (That's his real name just spelled different)



Turk Wendell The All-time most superstitious player in baseball!!!!




Roosevelt Potts, Not that funny of a name I just included him because I once saw him drunk in a bar singing on a karaoke Elvis songs :rofl:

[realisticphish]

36. I'd have to agree with T.J.

i mean, just say it... it's freakin fun to say!

[RPM]

37. Craphonso Thorpe

heheheheheh - you said crap...
http://www.kcchiefs.com/player/craphonso_thorpe/

[nickgutierrez]

39. Adewale Ogunleye

Defensive end for your boys. :)

[ProfessorGAC]

40. Now How Did I Forget That?

Yeah that's a good one! Good catch!
The Professor

[BOSSHOG]

41. SIDNEY MONCRIEF

so easy to say. He's also the subject of the greatest Sport's Illustrated Cover Picture ever (13 February 1978.) If I knew how to put it on this post I would.

[Lefty48197]

42. Tito Fuentes

probably not that unusual in his native land, but it sure sounded cool when George Kell said it.

[El Supremo]

43. Marshall Foche n/t

[El Supremo]

44. Howard Johnson n/t

[El Supremo]

45. Killer Carl Cox

Rastler from the 60's.

[jakefrep]

46. Ademchinobe Echemandu

former RB for Cal-Berkeley

Soccer is always good for names:

Romano Denneboom
Carlton Fairweather
Lomana Tresor LuaLua
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Ellery Cairo
Tijjani Babangida
Benedict McCarthy
Quinton Fortune

[Lefty48197]

47. ...and from the Detroit Pistons a couple of years back:

Dick Trickle and Dick Harter.

[H2O Man]

48. Ali

Many years ago, I sat in a ringside seat in Madison Square Garden for the 2nd Frazier-Ali fight. There were 20,000 people there that night, and even if only half were there to support Muhammad, that is still 10,000 people cheering, "Ali! Ali! Ali!"

[Tummler]

49. Boniface N'Dong

He's a marginal NBA rookie:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4016

Favorite fake name: Vladimir Mandingo, one of the aliases Shaq uses when checking into hotels.

[Elwood P Dowd]

51. Happy Dicks

Starting linebacker for Georgia in the 60s. Now a prominent attorney in Atlanta.

Georgia lost a game once when they had to play the second half with Dicks out.

[blue neen]

57. That's the best laugh I've had all day!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[fishwax]

52. I used to like Biakabatuka

but he's not playing anymore ... Houshmanzadeh is a great name, with a great rhythm to it.

[Lefty48197]

65. I liked Tshimunga Biakabatuku too.

.

[mduffy31]

54. Wassawanga Serwanga

I think that is how it was spelled, he was a DB with the Vikings for awhile.

[muriel_volestrangler]

55. Adedayo Adebayo

http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2287

England rugby player - but surely he was also in the first draft lyrics of "Bohemian Rhapsody".

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

56. Ebenezer Ekuban...when you speak it, it just flows. And, I can't believe

anyone in this day and age is still named "Ebenezer". MKJ

[blue neen]

58. Chris Fu'amatumaafala

He was a running back for the Steelers just a few years ago...not even sure if that's the correct spelling! That name is almost impossible to say.

[bumblebee1]

59. James Thrash

formerly of the Eagles and now with the Redskins. He's a wide receiver but his name sounds like he should be a defensive end. Alas, he's just not big enough.

[trotsky]

60. Carlester Crumpler

NFL TE. Just sounds like someone that you don't want to get blocked by. Or, sounds like he works at the junkyard in the offseason destroying old automobiles.

[omshanti]

61. Plaxico Buress

NFL player.
I just like the way "Plaxico" sounds. It's an X-men, superhero kind of name.

[Dulcinea]

62. Here are a few!

Jeff Beukeboom, fmr. defenseman for the NY Rangers
Rollie Fingers, great name for a pitcher
Bob Walk (see above)
Saku Koivu
Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala

[DelawareValleyDem]

63. Volleyballer Scott Ayakatubby and former NFL player

Manu Tuiasosopo (father of Marques)

[frylock]

64. bake mcbride

[Lefty48197]

66. Ugeth Urbina

good ole UU.

[WernhamHogg]

68. Jonathan Cheechoo

Runners up (sorry, I only know NHL):

Nikolai Khabibulin
Michael Peca
Fedor Fedorov
Maxim Afinogenov
Jamie Langenbrunner
Dimitri Afanasenkov
Jay Bouwmeester
Tie Domi (only because an anagram for his name is "Me Idiot")

[Phoebe_in_Sydney]

71. Titus Bramble

is the name of an English soccer player. And he's a defender :-)

[SammyBlue]

73. NASCAR driver Dick Trickle

Or the Gamecocks! I know, I have a flithy mind!

[AmericanErrorist]

74. Milton Bradley

The Baseball Player.

[CoCre8tor]

75. Garth Butcher

There was a defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues in the 1990's named Garth Butcher. His play lived up to his name.

[imouttahere]

77. Fair Hooker!

Cleveland Browns Wide Receiver in the 70's. Even when I was 8, I thought that was funny!

[imouttahere]

78. Mickey Klutts!

Oakland A's infielder, late 70's & early 80's. Seems like an unfortunate name for an infielder in particular.

[Feenicks]

79. Miraslav Satan

Just kidding. Hands down it's The Great One, Wayne Gretzky

[ProfessorGAC]

81. Actually, I Thought About Your First One!

Man that makes people of the radical right upset. They don't even know how to pronounce his name!
The Professor

[Feenicks]

82. "Beel-ZEH-bub"??? :-) n/t

[Feenicks]

80. Or, I nominate Van Lingle Mungo n/t

[joeybee12]

83. Pittsnoggle!

That kid on West Virginia basketball--that name cracks me up!

[Swede]

84. Wacey Rabbit plays for the WHL,Miroslav Satan in the NHL.

Jordan Tootoo,Johnathan Cheechoo.

[Loge23]

87. The Great Messier

In tribute to the great # 11 of the New York Rangers.

[henslee]

88. Thats easy.Stromile Swift -- he's in the NBA.,,on Houston,