Top 5 Forgotten Sports Heroes

By Ned Hepburn on April 10th, 2009

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When you follow a team, the news of one of your favorite players leaving can be pretty devastating. Often the player will go to another team or retire, but sometimes people just fall through the cracks.

After reading this New York Times article on Kevin Pittsnogle, who went from the darling of college basketball during his time at West Virginia to a part time basketball coach at a local middle school, it got me thinking. Not every flash in the pan turns out to be gold, but theres a lot of flashes in sports and some of them just turn out to lead out weird stories after the flash is over. What happened to so many of these sports stars?

5. Arthur Agee & William Gates

You may know these two better as the stars of 1994’s (frankly amazing, if you haven’t checked it out yet) Hoop Dreams, the story of two young basketball players from southside Chicago trying to make it into the NBA. As it turns out, neither made it. Arthur Agee became a pastor, and William Gates started a clothing line. Yawn. I was hoping one of them would become the next Chris Tucker.

4. Jim Abbott

Or, as you may know him, The Baseball Pitcher Who Had Only One Arm. Dude now works as a motivational speaker. NO WAY. I wonder what got him into that? DO you think it has something to do with the fact that dude was born WITHOUT A RIGHT HAND? And that he’s still a pitcher for THE MAJORS? Nooo.

3. Tommy Morrison

Or, The Boxer With AIDS. The Fightin’ White Blood Cell. After initially testing positive for HIV around 1995, he went from the next big thing in Boxing to almost total obscurity, as no-one was willing to fight him. However, he’s still around, disputing the claim (although a recent test in June 2007 still proved he was, indeed, still testing positive). I guess it proves that some people just still have the fight left in ‘em, despite being in so much denial that you’re putting others lives at risk… geez… get another hobby, buddy!

2. Gheorghe Muresan

Gheorghe was a brilliant basketball center for many years. Billy was a comic with a waning career. But… as luck would have it…. (record stop scratch)… THEY MADE A MOVIE. Starring Gheorge Muresan as The Really Tall Dude in… Disney’s My Giant. Yep, one of the greatest centers of the last 20 years went and did a Disney movie and an Eminem video and then *poof*. A quick google search shows he’s still vaguely active on the LA theater circuit. But then, when you’re 7′7, what are ya gonna do? Accounting?

1. Bo Jackson

Bo knows sports. Bo played NFL Football and baseball in the majors at the same time. What did you do with your weekend? Fart around on the internet? Dude punched people. After being pretty much ubiquitous for the better part of the late 80’s / early 90’s, Bo now just takes it easy up in Burr Ridge, IL, managing a sports complex. And that’s pretty much it. He’s not an Applebee’s manager by day and a crime-fighting ninja by night, as I had hoped for. Nope. Bo knows suburbia. Bo know’s what to do with the dishes after he’s done with them. Bo knows she makes all the rules around the house. That’s what Bo Knows these days. Sad!

(Photos By: Slamball, John Traub)