OT: College & Professional Athletes Nicknames

[The deacon]

Any old NY Mets fans here?
“And over at 3rd, the Glider, ____________”.

I remember Marvelous Marv, but not The Glider... good one!

 

[The deacon]

Charles Edward Greene aka Mean Joe
Samuel Adrian Baugh aka Slingin' Sammy
Vernon Sanders Law aka The Deacon
Louis Roy Groza aka Lou the Toe
Peter Edward Rose, Sr aka Charlie Hustle
Joseph Louis Barrow aka The Brown Bomber
Rubin Carter aka Hurricane
L.C. Greenwood aka Hollywood Bags
Jack Raphael Ham, Jr. aka Dobre Shunka
Elroy Leon Face aka The Bullpen Baron
James John Corbett aka Gentleman Jim
William Harrison Dempsey aka The Manassa Mauler
William David Conn aka The Pittsburgh Kid

Great list, Bama fan... I'm a bit embarrassed to say I recall David 'Deacon' Jones of the Rams but had forgotten Vern Law was also The Deacon during the same era.

Your mention of Elroy Face reminded me that fellow great reliever Mo Rivera was The Sandman... might have been mentioned above.

 

[Stymie]

I remember Marvelous Marv, but not The Glider... good one!

“….The Glider, Ed Charles”.

 

[Stymie]

Anyone post “the Sandman” yet?

 

[Carnac]

Great list, Bama fan... I'm a bit embarrassed to say I recall David 'Deacon' Jones of the Rams but had forgotten Vern Law was also The Deacon during the same era.

Your mention of Elroy Face reminded me that fellow great reliever Mo Rivera was The Sandman... might have been mentioned above.

An interesting bit of trivia about Hall of Famer Deacon Jones is that he is credited with coining the phrase "Sacking the quarterback", or simply what a "sack" referrers to.

A proud member of the Ram's "Fearsome Foursome." The other members were Lamar Lundy, Roosevelt Grier and Merlin Olson.

I was lucky enough to see them play in person and on TV during their heyday. A precursor the the Pittsburgh Steelers "Steel Curtain."

 

[The deacon]

An interesting bit of trivia about Hall of Famer Deacon Jones is that he is credited with coining the phrase "Sacking the quarterback", or simply what a "sack" referrers to.

A proud member of the Ram's "Fearsome Foursome." The other members were Lamar Lundy, Roosevelt Grier and Merlin Olson.

View attachment 78114

I was lucky enough to see them play in person and on TV during their heyday. A precursor the the Pittsburgh Steelers "Steel Curtain."

Good stuff, Carnac... yes, I also watched and admired the Fearsome Foursome, except for several years they were the biggest threat to my favorite player, Johnny Unitas, and the Baltimore Colts.

 

[Carnac]

Black Jesus
Diésel
The big fundamental
Megatron
Black Mamba
Magic
Captain
The kid from French Lick
The glove
The Pearl
Dr J
Chairman of the boards
The Admiral
The Answer.

Doggie, you're too easy on these folks. Most of these are "no-brainers" if you call yourself a sports fan.
I'll just take a stab at 2 of them..................The Diesel = John Riggins (Washington Redskins/Commanders), the answer is Allen Iverson (Georgetown Univ/Philadelphia 76'ers). I'll leaver the rest to others.

 

[Stymie]

Good stuff, Carnac... yes, I also watched and admired the Fearsome Foursome, except for several years they were the biggest threat to my favorite player, Johnny Unitas, and the Baltimore Colts.

Lest we forget the “Purple People Eaters” from Minnesota?

 

[Carnac]

The Nigerian Nightmare

Christian Okoye - running back for the Kansas City Chiefs.

 

[Carnac]

The Snake and The Mongoose

Tom "Mongoose" McEwen and Don "The Snake" Prudhomme. Drag racing legends. I had the pleasure to watch these 2 legends race for many years also. There is another "Snake", Ken Stabler former quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, but I didn't think you were referring to him.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Here's two more: BIG Daddy (not David Ortiz) & The Express. The express is an easy one. BIG Daddy, not so much. If you're under 50, I doubt you know this one.

The Express Ernie Davis died of cancer before he could play a game with the Cleveland Browns.

 

[Carnac]

Pac Man

Adam "Pac man" Jones.

Adam Jones (American football) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Carnac]

The Express Ernie Davis died of cancer before he could play a game with the Cleveland Browns.

There is another "express" Nolan Ryan, HOF. He got the nick name "express" because of his ability to consistently throw pitches that were clocked above 100 miles per hour (161 km/h).

Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball spanning four decades, Ryan pitched for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. Wikipedia. As any real baseball fan knows, Ryan holds the record for the most career no-hitters with 7, and 12 one hitters.

Ryan was a right-handed pitcher who consistently threw pitches that were clocked above 100 miles per hour (161 km/h). He maintained this velocity throughout his pitching career. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.[2]

Ryan had a lifetime win–loss record of 324–292 (.526) and was an eight-time All-Star. His 5,714 career strikeouts is an MLB record by a significant margin.[1] He leads the runner-up, Randy Johnson, by 839 strikeouts. Similarly, Ryan's 2,795 bases on balls lead second-place Steve Carlton by 962 – walking over 50% more hitters than any other pitcher in MLB history. Ryan's lifetime batting average against of .204 is also a major league record.

Ryan, Pedro Martínez, Randy Johnson, Trevor Hoffman, and Sandy Koufax are the only five pitchers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame who had more strikeouts than innings pitched. Ryan is one of only three players in history to have his number retired by at least three teams, along with Jackie Robinson (whose number was retired by Major League Baseball) and Frank Robinson.

Ryan is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than any other pitcher. He is tied with Bob Feller for the most one-hitters, with 12. Ryan also pitched 18 two-hitters. Despite this, he never pitched a perfect game, nor did he ever win a Cy Young Award. Ryan is one of only 29 players in baseball history to have appeared in MLB games in four different decades.

 

[Sifaka]

Surprised no one has yet mentioned Moose and The Barber.
How about Connie Mack?

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Skowron and Maglie. Maglie was special. He played for all three NY teams. Connie Mack=Cornelius McGillicuddy.

 

[PoppaBear]

I know a " Peanuts", but not Peanut.

Peanut Tillman, Chicago Bears-Carolina Panthers DB, 2003 - 2018

Now an FBI agent

 

[Golden Husky]

Surely the most innovative nickname in all of sports belongs to Bill Mlkvy, who played basketball for Temple in the late '40s and early '50s. Mlkvy was known as "The Owl Without a Vowel."

No slouch, Mlkvy led the nation in scoring one year and still holds the NCAA record for longest uninterrupted scoring streak in a game when he scored 54 consecutive points for Temple without a single teammate even notching a free throw in that span. Yowzah!

Fun topic, @Carnac.

 

[The deacon]

Surprised no one has yet mentioned Moose and The Barber.
How about Connie Mack?

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Skowron and Maglie. Maglie was special. He played for all three NY teams. Connie Mack=Cornelius McGillicuddy.

Good ones, Sifaka.

Maglie pitched a no-hitter at Ebbets Field soon after coming to the Dodgers from the Giants in the mid-'50s. That game was my older brother's first in-person major league game. Mine was a different sort two years later, seeing Mays and Giants pound the Redlegs, 17-3, at the Polo Grounds about six weeks before both Brooklyn and the Giants pulled up roots for the Left Coast.

Skowron was a relatively unsung hero for several of the Yanks' World Series champ teams.

 

[Monte]

Reading Rifle and Skoonj Carl Furillo
Shotgun: George Shuba
The Penguin: Ron Cey
Duke: Edwin Snider
Oisk: Carl Erskine
Campy + the Round Man: Roy Campanella
The Arkansas Hummingbird: Lane Warnake
Big Newk: Don Newcomb
Big D: DonDrysdale
Dollar Bill: Bill Bradley
Peanuts: Harry Lowrey
Whitey: Carrol Lockman+Ed Ford
Red: Albert Schoendienst
The Thumper: Ted Williams
Jolting Joe: Joe Dimaggio
Pee Wee: Harold Reese
Junior: Jim Gilliam

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Someone mentioned Sandman - I think I heard it in reference to Mariano Rivera.

In early mentions - the old Professor - more accurately, the old Perfesser I remember him, when he was with the Mets.

 

[Viet Vet]

RoMoLoKat

 

[meyers7]

A poster mentioned the Purple People Eaters - Vikings

Reminded me of some other TEAM nicknames.

Monsters of the Midway - Bears
Gashouse Gang - Cardinals (with Dizzy and Daffy Dean) of the 1930's
Miracle Mets - even though I hate them
Pi Slamma Jama - Univ of Houston (circa 1982.83ish)
Flyin' Illini - the Fighting Illini (circa 1988-89)
Big Red Machine - Cincinnati Reds of the 70's.
No Name Defense - Miami Dolphins early 70's
Fearsome Foursome - Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, Lemar Lundy. LA Rams defensive line.
America's Team - Dallas Cowboys
Bronx Bombers - Yankees (back in the day)
Evil Empire - Yankees, TN Vols
All Blacks - New Zealand Rugby team
The Dream Team - USA Men's Basketball 1992


Oh geez, how could I forget

Gunners - Arsenal Football Club
Gooners - fans of AFC

 

[PoppaBear]

A poster mentioned the Purple People Eaters - Vikings

Reminded me of some other TEAM nicknames.

Monsters of the Midway - Bears
Gashouse Gang - Cardinals (with Dizzy and Daffy Dean) of the 1930's
Miracle Mets - even though I hate them
Pi Slamma Jama - Univ of Houston (circa 1982.83ish)
Flyin' Illini - the Fighting Illini (circa 1988-89)
Big Red Machine - Cincinnati Reds of the 70's.
No Name Defense - Miami Dolphins early 70's
Fearsome Foursome - Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, Lemar Lundy. LA Rams defensive line.
America's Team - Dallas Cowboys
Bronx Bombers - Yankees (back in the day)
Evil Empire - Yankees, TN Vols
All Blacks - New Zealand Rugby team
The Dream Team - USA Men's Basketball 1992


Oh geez, how could I forget

Gunners - Arsenal Football Club
Gooners - fans of AFC

Don't forget these

Bad Boys, Detroit Pistons
Steel Curtain, Pittsburgh Steelers
Who Dat?, New Orleans Saints
Who Dey? Cincinnati Bengals

 

[Stymie]

A poster mentioned the Purple People Eaters - Vikings

Reminded me of some other TEAM nicknames.

Monsters of the Midway - Bears
Gashouse Gang - Cardinals (with Dizzy and Daffy Dean) of the 1930's
Miracle Mets - even though I hate them
Pi Slamma Jama - Univ of Houston (circa 1982.83ish)
Flyin' Illini - the Fighting Illini (circa 1988-89)
Big Red Machine - Cincinnati Reds of the 70's.
No Name Defense - Miami Dolphins early 70's
Fearsome Foursome - Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, Lemar Lundy. LA Rams defensive line.
America's Team - Dallas Cowboys
Bronx Bombers - Yankees (back in the day)
Evil Empire - Yankees, TN Vols
All Blacks - New Zealand Rugby team
The Dream Team - USA Men's Basketball 1992


Oh geez, how could I forget

Gunners - Arsenal Football Club
Gooners - fans of AFC

The Fightin’ Irish-Notre Dame

 

[boontonbomber]

Peanut Tillman, Chicago Bears-Carolina Panthers DB, 2003 - 2018

Now an FBI agent

I was thinking of Peanuts Lowrey, mlb player in '40's and '50's.

 

[Carnac]

Too easy.......the splendid splinter was MLB’s Ted Williams (Boston Red Sox). Teddy ballgame was also one of williams’ monikers. Williams still holds the record of being the last player to hit over .400 (406) for an entire season (1941). Tony Guinn came close finishing at .396 in 1984.

A spelling correction of Tony’s last name
:Gwynn (not Guinn) who also had a moniker of “Mr. Padre.”