Picking the ten best nicknames in the history of professional sports is like picking the ten hottest cheerleaders of all-time. There’s just too many of them. That’s not going to stop us from trying.
Unathletic has scanned the history of professional athlete nicknames and picked the ten best. What makes them the best? We judged by uniqueness, cleverness, and whether the nickname became a household name.
Here are the 10 Best Athlete Nicknames of All-Time…..
10. “The Juice” – O.J. Simpson
Forget the man, the nickname was legendary. It was kind of a no-brainer with O.J., but a hell of a replacement from Orenthal James.
9. “The Golden Bear” – Jack Nicklaus
Greatest golfer of all-time? Great nickame, that’s become a trademark.
8. “The Great One” – Wayne Gretzky
I mean come on, The Great One. Is there a better nickname to have?
7. “Pistol Pete” – Pete Maravich
One of the more famous nicknames in basketball, one of the greatest shooters to ever play the game. Everyone knows Pistol Pete.
6. “The Iron Horse”, “The Iron Man” – Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken
Two iconic figures in baseball. Both known for their toughness, thus the nicknames.
5. “Ryan Express” – Nolan Ryan
“The Express” is the nickname for the greatest pitcher in the history of baseball. Just a great, fitting nickname for the man who holds the record for all-time strikeouts.
4. “Big Country” – Bryant Reeves
The least accomplished guy on the list, but just an awesome nickname. There was “Big Country” fever in the nation when he was in college.
3. “The Refrigerator” – William Perry
The Fridge.. Just makes me laugh. Who gets a nickname like that? Well, the guy pictured above. Maybe one of the greatest nicknames of all-time.
2. “The Great Bambino” – Babe Ruth
The guy had a million nicknames. The Sultan of Swat, umm Babe, The King of Crash, The Colosus of Clout. His nicknames help make him a legendary figure.
1. “Shoeless Joe” – Joe Jackson
Forget your cleats one day, next thing you know you’re a legend. Field of Dreams definitely helped further his legend
3 Responses to The 10 Best Athlete Nicknames of All-Time
Ck
October 12th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
What about Megatron,Black Mamba,Magic,tHE ANSWER, the truth
Northpaw
October 20th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
I think you just picked the first ten nicknames you came across. How the hell is the Wild Thing Mitch Williams not on here?!! or the Nigerian nightmare, Christian Okoye or Da Meat Hook Demetrius Hill.
1 of the 10 probably should have been all the Ismail brothers.
Pistol Pete is a terrible nickname.
Knee-jerk article if I ever read one
Northpaw
October 20th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Ryan Express is also awful…didnt even know that existed.
your new nickname…..knee jerk Norty