Favorite Sports Nicknames

[korme]

There are some great nicknames out there past and present. Be it iconic players, role players, or journeymen, some just resonate with people and I'd like to hear (and perhaps learn) about some of your favorites.

I think my favorite is Stacey Augmon's nickname, "The Plastic Man". Augmon was never a star in the NBA but he was known for his lockdown defense, and that always stuck with me.

[Logan]

Love Megatron for Calvin Johnson. So fitting.

The Round Mound of Rebound is classic.

Pillsbury Throwboy on the comedy side for Jared Lorenzen...Hefty Lefty worked there too.

[Pumpy Tudors]

As much as I hated the little bugger, Dante Hall's "The Human Joystick" was a good one.

Edit to add: Comedy Shawn Bradley "The Great White Nope" response

[Suburban Rhythm]

Pat Verbeek - Little Ball of Hate

No better description for the way he played

[digamma]

One of my favorites was for a Georgia Tech offensive lineman named John Davis. Georgia Tech upset Clemson in 1984. It was William the "Refrigerator" Perry's senior season and he was an all-American (prior to stealing a touchdown from Walter Payton in Super Bowl XX). Davis shut down Perry in the win and earned the nickname, the "Refrigerator Mover" which stuck.

He still uses the handles refrigeratormover or moveroffridge on the Georgia Tech message boards.

[Grover]

Some Flyers players have started calling Ilya Bryzgalov "Universe" which is hilarious. Ben-Jarvis Green Ellis' "Law Firm" is excellent too. I always liked Mendenhall's 'Bronco' nickname at Illinois too.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch
John "The Count" Montefusco
Jerry West - "The Logo"

[Marmel]

I always loved Chris Berman's Andre 'Bad Moon' Rison.

[Grover]

Also, the Nigerian Nightmare Christian Okoye.

[Izulde]

Shawn "The Matrix" Marion.

[EagleFan]

"The Great One"

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

I think my favorite is Stacey Augmon's nickname, "The Plastic Man". Augmon was never a star in the NBA but he was known for his lockdown defense, and that always stuck with me.
i was just thinking of augmon the other day. lefty ballers always have one of 2 styles. fluid and athletic or old man game.

the polish powder keg
the human hack

[sterlingice]

Recent nicknames are kindof lame, for the most part: "I know, let's take the first letter of their first name and mash it together with the first three letters of their last name and we have a winner!"

But I'm a big fan of "The Law Firm" for BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

EDIT: Grover beat me to it

SI

[EagleFan]

"Lefty"

[EagleFan]

"The Hammer"

[EagleFan]

"Chocolate Thunder"

[k0ruptr]

The Janitor

[AlexB]

'One Size' Fitz Hall

[heybrad]

The Hick from French Lick

[DanGarion]

Nothing beats Will "The Thrill" Clark.

[Blackadar]

Mean Joe Greene

Doesn't hurt he's my favorite Steeler of all time, too.

[DougW]

Rod “He Hate Me” Smart

[whomario]

"The Admiral"
"The Dream"
"The Mailman"
"Il Fenomeno"

[Pumpy Tudors]

I have no idea who some of the nicknames in this thread belong to.

The Pittsburgh Power AFL team has a player named Lonnell Dewalt. The team's PA announcer called him "The Power Tool" a few times. What an awful nickname. I mean, I get the reference, but you're basically calling one of the team's players a tool. Dewalt made so many mistakes in his first two games, I thought they were going to cut him from the team. By the end of the season, he was the star of the team, and he's my favorite player. Funny, he got better right around the time the PA announcer stopped calling him "The Power Tool."

Also, I'd like to add Billy "Fuck Face" Ripken.

[CU Tiger]

I mean as a dude, can you get a better nickname than: The Big Unit?
And who as the guy in the 90s that (I think) the Colts called the "rolling ball of butcher knives"

[Abe Sargent]

Ron Mexico

[Maple Leafs]

Pat Verbeek - Little Ball of Hate

First one I thought of.

Other classic hockey ones:
Link Gaetz - "The Missing Link"
Shawn Cronin - "Cronin the Barbarian"
Stu Grimson - "The Grim Reaper"

[molson]

Oil Can Boyd.

I don't even know what the hell it's supposed to refer to but it's so old-timey.

I do like nicknames that replace the real name entirely, or at least permanently complement it (Like Mean Joe Green).

[PurdueBrad]

I'm not a Cubs fan but I did always enjoy Mark "Amazing" Grace.

In terms of teams I root for, I think I'm particularly partial to 'The Bus' for Bettis and 'Pops' for Stargell.

[DougW]

Stu Grimson - "The Grim Reaper"

I think of all sports nicknames, this one was the most unavoidable.

[tarcone]

Catfish Hunter

[Vince, Pt. II]

Joe Cool
Magic Johnson
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Sweetness
Air Jordan
Deacon Jones
Ickey Woods
Cool Papa Bell
Death to Flying Things ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ferguson_(infielder) )

[SirFozzie]

Bulldog (Jim Bouton)
Catfish (Catfish Hunter: strange how two of my favorite nicknames wore the wrong uniform)
Papi (David Ortiz)
Spaceman (Bill Lee)
The Mad Hungarian (Hrabowsky)
GRONK
Larry Legend (Larry Bird)

[ntndeacon]

Three Finger Brown
The Crime Dog
Rabbit Marranaville

[albionmoonlight]

Andre "Bad Moon" Rison

[Julio Riddols]

Spud Webb, Muggsy Bogues. Nicknames so good they replaced the players real name.

[larrymcg421]

Bert "Be Home" Blyleven.

[mckerney]

Ricky Avis - He ain't got no D.

[Radii]

Spud Webb, Muggsy Bogues. Nicknames so good they replaced the players real name.

He's been mentioned above but Magic Johnson fits this perfectly.

[Glengoyne]

Lou Gehrig, "The Iron Horse".

Ripken's streak was longer, but I've never had as many mixed emotions about a "feel good" moment as when Cal walked out onto the field for number 2131. Certainly no one's played a better 2130 consecutive games than Gehrig.

[ColtCrazy]

Surprised not to see Ironhead Heyward up yet. Always liked him.

Ones I've always liked
Larry Legend
The General (Bob Knight)
Nigerian Nightmare
Super Duper
Human Highlight Reel
Round Mound of Rebound
Natron Means Business

[PineTar]

Spanky
Cannonball
Flaming Death
Loincloth

[Karlifornia]

Oil Can Boyd....it supposedly refers to his beer drinking habits.

EDIT: It's my favorite with or without the beer reference.

[CrimsonFox]

The Fat Pig

[Matthean]

Stan "The Man" Musial
Walter "Sweetness" Payton
Ed "Too Tall" Jones

[Matthean]

Dick "Night Train" Lane
Denard "Shoelaces" Robinson

[Sublime 2]

Always thought "Employee #8" was a cool nickname...despite what Antoine turned out to be.

[britrock88]

Just from scanning Pro Football HOFers and excluding those already mentioned...

Lance Alworth, "Bambi"
"Weeb" Ewbank
Lou Groza, "The Toe"
"Curly" Lambeau
"Greasy" Neale
John Riggins, "The Diesel"
Gale Sayers, "The Kansas Comet" (my favorite)
Fran Tarkenton, "Frantic Fran"

Had to represent the old coaches, I guess.

[EagleFan]

Andre "Bad Moon" Rison

Bert "Be Home" Blyleven.

Were they actual nicknames or creations of ESPN?

[CrimsonFox]

"One-Nut" Kruk

[Izulde]

Dick "Night Train" Lane
Denard "Shoelaces" Robinson

Good call on Night Train. Might be my favorite sports nickname of all time, in fact. Makes me think of an Edward Hopper painting.

[Grover]

Always thought "Employee #8" was a cool nickname...despite what Antoine turned out to be.

"I can go wide open into the lane for a lay-in or dunk? Naaaah, I'll pull up for three."

[whomario]

"I can go wide open into the lane for a lay-in or dunk? Naaaah, I'll pull up for three."


http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6941/480/400/antoine14.jpg

[CU Tiger]

The fat toad
The Playmaker

[sterlingice]

Yeah, I thought we had done this before:
Favorite Pro Nicknames - Front Office Football Central (www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=34763)

I went with "Sweetness" there- it definitely belongs in the Nickname Hall of Fame, if such a thing exists.


SI

[Bigsmooth]

Sam "Bigsmooth" Perkins is a classic. Considering he was a 7-footer and always looked blunted out of his mind and just sat out at the 3-point line bombing lefty-set-shots during the twilight of his career. Anyway, seems like a fitting name for the guy.

[Matthean]

Les "The Mad Hatter" Miles
Paul "Bear" Bryant

[Abe Sargent]

"The" Abe Sargent

[Pumpy Tudors]

Ike "Toast" Taylor ... or at least that should be his nickname after today.

[korme]

Spud Webb, Muggsy Bogues. Nicknames so good they replaced the players real name.

Bimbo Coles, Fat Lever, Speedy Claxton, Sleepy Floyd

[Matthean]

"Iron" Mike Tyson