GhostOfNormMacdonald Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I was wondering what the weirdest path to a sports hall of fame and I immediately thought of my favorite football player growing up, Jared Allen. Allen was drafted in the 4th round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Chiefs. He was originally drafted because he was considered the best long snapper in the country that might be able to have a solid career as a backup at TE or DE. He impressed coaches at practice with his athleticism and started 10 games his rookie year and lead the team in sacks with 9. Allen unfortunately had a drinking problem which led to him being traded to the Vikings after leading the league in sacks in 2007. Allen cleaned up his act in Minnesota and went on one of the best 6 year stretches in NFL history notching 85.5 sacks all while creating a cult of personality around his mullet and hunting prowess. In 2011 he was half a sack away from breaking Michael Strahan's record for sacks in a season. He went to the Bears and Panthers but didn't really have that much success, although he did play in the superbowl with a broken foot. When he retired he was tied with Julius Peppers in career sacks and was top 10 all time in the category. I know he probably won't be a first ballot HoFer, but he'll be in sooner rather than later. An alcoholic long snapper becoming one of the best defenders of the early 21st century is wild. What's your guy's favorite crazy hall of fame careers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnWis97 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I suppose Mike Piazza, who was drafted in like the 70th round (as a favor or something?). I don't know that I'd call this, or the original post a "strange path" but it's definitely a low-profile start by comparison. Other potential strange paths are dead-ball era players that by today's standards, would never get in...great fielders who could not hit, for example, Tinker, Evers, and Chance. If any one of those guys would have not been around the whole time, none of them gets in. Of the three, only Chance could hit a lick. But the threesome was famous (hey, I guess it's Hall of "Fame")...it's through somewhat odd circumstance that they are in. Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse." BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD POTD (Shared) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc49erfan15 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Kurt Warner Morten Andersen - born in Denmark, came to the US as a high school foreign exchange student, had never kicked an American football before, ended up with a scholarship to Michigan State and then played 25 years in the NFL. The whole story just seems like he left Denmark as a foreign exchange student and didn't return for 30 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Chris Carter was cut by Buddy Ryan because he was a drug addict. Ryan covered for him and hid his issues so that he could catch on with another team. That team ended up being the Vikings, he got clean, and the rest is history. He could very easily have ended up dead or suspended from the league had Ryan not done that. "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Comet Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Zack Greinke. Yeah, he's still playing, but I think his stats merit a Cooperstown invite at some point down the line. Bombed with the Royals to start off, retired due to anxiety, came back and won the Cy Young in 09 with a team that lost nearly 100 games. Then, he gets traded to Milwaukee (as Greinke is sick of playing for a loser like Kansas City) for Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain and both players contributed to the Royals's two pennants in the middle of the 2010s. Greinke then goes on to dominate with multiple teams over the years. And all because he overcame his mental struggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnysama Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 On 4/20/2020 at 10:26 AM, sc49erfan15 said: Kurt Warner Morten Andersen - born in Denmark, came to the US as a high school foreign exchange student, had never kicked an American football before, ended up with a scholarship to Michigan State and then played 25 years in the NFL. The whole story just seems like he left Denmark as a foreign exchange student and didn't return for 30 years. The same can kind of be said for another "Anderson", Gary Anderson. He was from South Africa, and his father was a reverend who emigrated to the USA in the mid-1970s, and like Morten, Gary found about this "American" football on his third day in the States. Gary had grown up with rugby, so he drop-kicked the balls from the 50 yard line. And this led to a college career in Syracuse, and then 23 seasons in the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinsUp1214 Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 I don’t know if it’s the craziest, and he’s not quite eligible for the HOF yet, but Antonio Gates’ story is still pretty crazy. Never played college football, was a college basketball star, was told he was too short for his position to play in the NBA, arranges an NFL workout instead because he did play in high school and wanted to explore his options, the Chargers sign him as an undrafted free agent...long story short, yada yada, he retires from the NFL 15 years later as one of the greatest tight ends of all-time. 8x pro bowler, 3x First Team All-Pro, 7th in all-time TD receptions and 1st among tight ends. Pretty good for a guy who never played in college. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 18 hours ago, johnnysama said: The same can kind of be said for another "Anderson", Gary Anderson. He was from South Africa, and his father was a reverend who emigrated to the USA in the mid-1970s, and like Morten, Gary found about this "American" football on his third day in the States. Gary had grown up with rugby, so he drop-kicked the balls from the 50 yard line. And this led to a college career in Syracuse, and then 23 seasons in the NFL. Fun fact: Gary Anderson learned to kick American footballs at my high school. He was a rugby player, started kicking American footballs, got noticed by the coach, who arranged for a tryout with the Eagles. Dick Vermeil knew he wouldn't be eligible, so he then arranged for college tryouts, and he ended up going to Syracuse where he also played soccer. "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DG_ThenNowForever Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 It's not really that bizarre because lots of guys are talented to go pro in multiple sports, but Dave Winfield was drafted by the MLB San Diego Padres, the NBA Atlanta Hawks, the ABA Utah Stars, and the NFL Minnesota Vikings. 1 hour ago, ShutUpLutz! said: and the drunken doodoobags jumping off the tops of SUV's/vans/RV's onto tables because, oh yeah, they are drunken drug abusing doodoobags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nash61 Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 He's in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, so I'm gonna stretch a bit for this one. Danny Ainge is the only person to be a high school first team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball. He played basketball at BYU from 1977-1981 and won a John R. Wooden Award (best collegiate basketball player in the nation) his senior year (1981) The catch? At the time, he was already a professional baseball player, playing second base for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1979-1981. He retired from baseball upon graduation, then was selected in the NBA Draft. The Celtics had to take the Blue Jays to court to buy out his contract. He went on to play 14 years in the NBA, before going on to be a coach and GM. On September 20, 2012 at 0:50 AM, 'CS85 said: It's like watching the hellish undead creakily shuffling their way out of the flames of a liposuction clinic dumpster fire. On February 19, 2012 at 9:30 AM, 'pianoknight said: Story B: Red Wings go undefeated and score 100 goals in every game. They also beat a team comprised of Godzilla, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, 2 Power Rangers and Betty White. Oh, and they played in the middle of Iraq on a military base. In the sand. With no ice. Santa gave them special sand-skates that allowed them to play in shorts and t-shirts in 115 degree weather. Jesus, Zeus and Buddha watched from the sidelines and ate cotton candy. POTD 5/24/12, POTD 2/26/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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