When most sports fans think of comebacks, they probably associate them with teams overcoming a deficit to win a game that they have no business even competing in. This article, though, is about the athletes who showed that they had the drive and will to get back to what they love the most, dealing with injuries or unforeseen circumstances to return to their sport and play at a high level again. These are the most shocking athlete comebacks ever.
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15. Lance Armstrong
As much as everyone despises former *seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, it’s hard not to admire some of the things he did during his remarkable comeback to pro cycling after beating testicular cancer. Sure, he was using PEDs to help in his return, but for all of the good Armstrong did with his LIVESTRONG foundation for cancer research—even if he did drag his name and others’ through the mud—he deserves a mention here.
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14. Joe Namath
The Hall of Fame and Super Bowl-winning quarterback from the New York Jets might best be remembered for his guarantee before Super Bowl III, but Joe Namath had other moments that proved he was great, too. One of those came in 1974 when, after years of nagging knee problems, Broadway Joe started 14 games for the Jets following knee surgery, winning Comeback Player of the Year that season.
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13. Shawn Michaels
After having back surgery, there were many who believed that legendary wrestler Shawn Michaels would never return to the ring, let alone compete on a consistent level. Determined to prove them wrong, Michaels worked his way back and was, dare I say, even better afterwards? Wrestling might have plotted outcomes, but when a guy returns and accomplishes things most of us could never imagine doing physically, that’s impressive.
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12. Clint Malarchuk
In one of the most gruesome injuries an athlete could ever sustain, former NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk had a skate pop under his goalie mask and slice his jugular, immediately shooting out blood and nearly causing him to die on the ice right there. With a remarkable recovery following surgery, Malarchuk returned to his place between the pipes less than two weeks later, proving that he was one of the tough guys the NHL had ever seen.
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11. Kirk Gibson
On the shelf with a variety of injuries, when Kirk Gibson’s name was called during the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics, there probably weren’t too many fans thought they would see what happened. Limping to the batter’s box, Gibson sent a Dennis Eckersley slider over the right-center field wall, causing the home crowd to go ecstatic and winning the game of the L.A. Dodgers. He looked like a gimp while rounding the bases, but it was one of the best moments in MLB postseason history.
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10. Stephen Strasburg
If there are a few words that no pitcher on any level of baseball wants to hear, it’s ‘Tommy John Surgery.’ Unfortunately, for Washington Nationals prized hurler Stephen Strasburg, he couldn’t avoid them a few years ago, requiring him to have a reconstruction of his throwing arm. Formerly a guy who could throw as hard as nearly anyone who stepped on the mound, Strasburg didn’t waver in coming back, doing so in short order and becoming a top-of-the-rotation pitcher his first season after the injury.
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9. Drew Brees
Who would have ever thought that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees would ever achieve the greatness he has in recent years? After minimal success during his first couple of years with the San Diego Chargers, Brees injured his throwing shoulder during a scrum for a fumbled football, requiring surgery. Rather than fall into oblivion, though, Brees bounced back, signing a big deal with the New Orleans Saints and, eventually, leading them to a Super Bowl victory a few years later, along with breaking numerous passing records since.
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8. Ric Flair
After being involved in a plane crash in 1975, wrestler Ric Flair was battling for his live more than he was trying to remain in the ring. With fellow wrestler Johnny Valentine left paralyzed from the accident, Flair was left with a broken back and told he would never again wrestle. That didn’t stop the Nature Boy, though, as he proved skeptics wrong by getting back to the mat by early 1976 and becoming one of the all-time greats in WWF/WWE history.
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7. Curt Schilling
This is one of the most famous performances in MLB history, so you probably knew it would fall high on this list. Following an injured ankle during the 2004 playoffs, then Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling found himself on the trainer’s table just mere hours prior to his critical Game 6 start against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. With the Red Sox needing a victory to avoid elimination, Schilling put on a heroic effort, shutting down the Yanks hitters and earning the victory for his team to extend the series and, eventually, win the World Series to break the Curse of the Bambino.
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6. Adrian Peterson
Anytime a football player blows out his knee, it’s unfortunate and career-threatening. But when a running back as talented, explosive and reckless as Adrian Peterson does it, it’s downright scary, thinking that the player has every God-given athletic gift taken from him. Not for Peterson, though, as he overcame a torn ACL in December of 2011 to return the following year—with a ridiculous outcome. Rushing for a league-leading 2,107 yards, AD was a mere eight yards from the single-season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. His performance earned him the league MVP and showed how near-inhuman he really is.
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5. Ronnie Lott
For those who complain about a few aches and pains now and again, think about what former All-Pro and future Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott did. After injuring his finger during a game, Lott wasn’t satisfied with the prognosis of remaining on the sideline and sit the rest of the game out. So what did he do? He amputated part of his pinkie finger in order to return. There’s tough and insane in sports, and Lott just defined both words by choosing to do this.
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4. Mario Lemieux
Following treatment for non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, former Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux was back on the ice and showing that he was still Super Mario. While he wasn’t the exact same player as before the cancer, Lemieux was an integral part of the only franchise he has ever known for a few seasons before calling it quits for good. He is now a part owner of the team and in good health.
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3. Tommy John
After seriously damaging his throwing arm, former MLB pitcher Tommy John endured a long procedure that not only revolutionized shoulder surgeries, but also extended his, and many others’, careers. Coming back in the 1976 season following the procedure, John won Comeback Player of the Year and was named to the All-Star team from 1978-’80, making his return one that was never seen before.
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2. Tiger Woods
Hands-down, one of the most epic moments in sports history, 14-time major winner Tiger Woods’s performance during the 2008 U.S. Open is one that will forever live on. That’s because Woods was playing with, what turned out to be, a torn ACL during the final-round. If that wasn’t enough, he had to play a full 18-hole playoff round to determine the winner, with Woods grimacing in pain after nearly every shot. His courage was rewarded, as he defeated Rocco Mediate for his most recent of his major titles.
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1. Michael Jordan
Who else but Michael Jordan can be No. 1 on this list? One can argue that MJ had a few comeback-type moments during his career, not limited to just the 36-point, Game 5 outburst while battling the flu during the 1997 NBA Finals. More than that, though, it was Jordan’s complete return to the game of basketball after an 18-month try at baseball that earns him the nod here. Following three-straight NBA titles from 1991-’93 and his subsequent departure from the league, Jordan came back to lead his team to three-straight titles again from ’96-’98, proving that he is, indeed, the best to ever play the game.
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