Mount Rushmore: One Hit Wonder Athletes
 

The Mount Rushmore and the One Hit Wonders thread got me thinking. What would be your Mount Rushmore of Athletic One Hit Wonders?

I am thinking of instances of journeyman (or worse) athletes who for one season, or one playoffs, or maybe just one game, did something legendary and amazing that their grandkids' grandkids will still be proud of and talking about.

Here, we will very much stick to the idea that it is your mountain, so you get to decide who gets on it. You get to decide who had an average enough career that his/her one great moment can be a one hit. And you get to decide how discrete of an athletic accomplishment counts as a wonder.

Who you got?

Buster Douglas: He's the guy who got me to think of this list in the first place. People on FOFC are of the right age to remember that you just didn't beat Mike Tyson. Hell, if you lasted past the first round, you exceeded expectations. And that was when boxing was still mainstream. And Douglas was not a great fighter. He just had the night of his life and promptly gained 200 pounds and lost the titles. Good for him.

David Tyree: Eli's the guy who really made that play, along with the Giants' O-line. And people forget that the Pats still almost came back with a Brady to Moss bomb that just missed, which would have made this play just a cool highlight. But the helmet catch is one of the most memorable plays in NFL history, and Tyree made it. And he never did anything of note again.

Bob Beamon: In 1968, on the Olympic stage, the dude broke the long jump world record by two feet. It was such an outlier that it stood as the world record until 1991. And his only other medal of any type (according to Wikipedia) is a silver in the 1967 Pan-Am games.

Timmy Smith: Hate to put another Super Bowl guy on here instead of expanding to another sports, but Smith was the quintessential "just a guy" player who happened to set the Super Bowl rushing record that stands to this day.

Don Larsen pitches a perfect game in the World Series

DeWayne Wise enters the game and robs a homer with maybe the greatest catch I’ve ever seen. Preserves Mark Burhlre’s perfect game.

Claiming That One while I come up with 3 more

Ohio focused ones:

Ickey Woods: 2nd round pick in 1988, ran for over 1000 yards and 15 TDs his 1st season, helped lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl. All Pro, Pro Bowler as a rookie. Tears his ACL in '89, rushes for less than 500 yards and 12 TDs in his next 3 seasons and he's out of football. Also, the "Ickey Shuffle".

Buster Douglas: Already mentioned, a great one.

Peyton Hillis: 1177 yards and 11 TDs in 2010. Otherwise, 1600 additional yards and 12 TDs in parts of 6 other seasons. Madden cover athlete somehow.

Maurice Clarett: Helped lead Ohio State to a national title in 2002 with over 1200 yards and 18 TDs in his freshman season. Runs into trouble, tries to sue to get in the NFL, has to wait until 2005 and never plays a regular season NFL snap.

I totally forgot that Hillis made the Madden cover. A bizarre decision at the time which has somehow gotten only weirder in hindsight.

My first reaction was Brady Anderson

First thought was Francisco Cabrera.

Bob Hamlin

Bob Hamelin Stats | Baseball-Reference.com

Mark Fydrych

Brady Anderson
Jonathan Cheechoo
Jonas Gray
Tom Magee

Just gotta throw Rulon Gardner in here. That was one big hit.

Jim Craig

2007 Derek Anderson

Matt Flynn set single game Packers records in the final game of the 2012 season, throwing for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns, signed a $20mm contract with the Seahawks and then disappeared from history.

Kase Keenum

That's a good one, thought about him. He might even still be in the NFL, not sure.

Anderson was Cam Newton's backup for 7 years, with 4 starts, and multiple wins over Tampa in that very limited time which became a meme among carolina fans.

Looks like he spent 2018 in buffalo and actually announced his retirement about a month ago.

My list:


1. Desmond Howard, Super Bowl MVP
2. Jeff Hostetler, took over Giants due to injury, got a Super Bowl with them.
3. Rich Gannon. Total journeymen, exploded at the end of his career with the Raiders, and won league MVP.
4. Rickey Proehl - He made the Rams machine move as their 4th option. He was the most reliable at moving the sticks. When Kurt Warner needed a 3rd and 10 play, Proehl got it perfectly, every time. He was a vital part of the Rams machine and overlooked.


Those are my four!

Oh, how about this...


How about I do my one-hit wonders mount Rushmore for my favorite team?


Jaguars:

1. DT Sen'derrick Marks, Signed off FA as a journeyman with low stats. Exploded off the line in his first year for the Jags and lead the league in sacks at the DT spot. Then was injured and never regained his form.

Hmmm....let me put some thought into my others. I'll be back.

Beamon for sure

I think Mark Fidrych, but Brady Anderson has a case (era hurts it i think)

Rulon Gardner, that’s clever

Still don’t see a football entry better than Timmy Smith

Outside of football - UMBC!

I'd say Rocco Mediate - had that amazing duel with Tiger back in 2008 at Torrey Pines, but only 6 wins between 1991 and 2010, none of them major.

Chris Moneymaker
His improbable WSOP run launched the poker boom

Leicester City
5000-1 odds to win the Premiere League at the start of the season

Buster Douglas
The match that lit the fuse of Tyson's downfall

John Paciorek
A late season call up for the Houston Colt .45's. Only played in one game, went 3-3 with 2 walks, 3 RBIs and scored 4 runs. Was injured prior to the start of the next season and never played again in the majors.

Hog fan here so obviously biased.

Don't think he should be listed as a one hit wonder. He did great in his 2010 year with the Browns but also did relatively well as a rookie in 2008.

Not related but biggest disappointment was DMac. Twice Heisman runner-up, first arguably "stolen" from him and had better NFL careers than the 2 winners. Regardless, my (and others') expectations were severely disappointed as to "what if he didn't go to the Raiders" which I blame for a bad start and a mediocre career.

Toronto Raptors