Top 15 Players In New Uniforms
Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent
The Brett Favre saga’s finally come to an end, and the Packer legend will conclude his career in a different shade of green.
If you find it difficult to picture Favre in a Jets jersey, you’re not alone.
Favre’s the latest in a long line of superstars who became synonymous with the team and city they played for, only to conclude their careers in a foreign jersey.
This is a list of the 15 ballplayers who looked most out of place in their uniforms at the end of their careers.
Top 15 Strangest Looking Uniforms
15. Bruce Smith - Washington Redskins
Smith terrorized AFC East quarterbacks for 15 seasons and went to four consecutive Super Bowls as defensive end for the Buffalo Bills. After the 1999 season, he took his pass rushing prowess to Washington, where he finished out his career with four mediocre seasons for the Skins. He made history there in 2003 when he surpassed Reggie White as the NFL’s all-time sack leader.
14. Karl Malone - Los Angeles Lakers
The rest of the country barely recognized there was a professional basketball team in Utah until Karl Malone and John Stockton arrived in the mid ‘80s. Malone scored more points than any player other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, while building the Jazz into a perennial playoff contender. However, in ‘03, he signed with the Lakers in hopes of winning the championship that had eluded him throughout his career. Unfortunaetly, he fell just short once again as the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the NBA Finals.
13. Duke Snider - New York Mets and San Francisco Giants
The Duke was a mainstay in centerfield for the Dodgers for 16 seasons, powering the team to two championships. In the 1962 season, the Dodgers sold him to the Mets, where he was instantly a crowd favorite from his days in Brooklyn. After one season in New York, though, he asked to be traded to a contender and was sold to the Giants. Years earlier, his teammate Jackie Robinson retired rather than play for the Dodgers’ arch rival, but Snider accepted the move and concluded his career with one unproductive season in San Francisco.
12. Emmitt Smith - Arizona Cardinals
Smith ran for more yards than any running back in NFL history during his 12 years with America’s team and was arguably the Most Valuable Player on their Super Bowls in the mid ‘90s. After his record-breaking 2002 season, the Cowboys hired Bill Parcells to rejuvenate the floundering franchise and he cut Smith. He signed with the Cardinals and spent his last two seasons running behind their weak offensive line.
11. Hank Aaron - Milwaukee Brewers
Hammerin Hank smacked home runs for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves organization for 20 years. In 1974, just months after he broke Babe Ruth’s record, the team traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers so he could prolong his career in the American League as a designated hitter. His numbers significantly declined over his two seasons with the Brewers, though he was selected to his 21st All-Star Game in 1975.
10. Franco Harris - Seattle Seahawks
Harris was an important component of all four of the Steelers’ championship teams in the 1970s, and in ‘72 he won a playoff game with one of the most famous plays in football history, “The Immaculate Reception.” The Steelers cut the popular veteran before the ‘84 season after he threatened to hold out if the team didn’t give him a raise. He signed with the Seahawks and ran for a few hundred yards in his lone season with the team.
9. Patrick Ewing - Seattle Supersonics and Orlando Magic
Ewing was the centerpiece of the New York Knicks franchise from the moment they selected him with the first pick in the 1985 draft. He led them to two NBA Finals, but by 2000 the Knicks had transitioned into an up tempo team, ill-suited for his aging knees. Unwilling to meet his demands for a contract extension, the Knicks traded Ewing to the Seattle Supersonics where he played for one season before riding the bench for the Orlando Magic the following year.
8. Ray Bourque - Colorado Avalanche
The all-time leading scorer for NHL defensemen suited up for the Boston Bruins for 21 seasons. In 2000, though, the team was in rebuilding mode and Bourque requested the team trade him to a contender. Management honored their captain’s request and shipped him to Colorado, where he capped off his career by winning the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in his final season. He brought the cup to Boston to celebrate at a rally with Bruin fans.
7. Joe Montana - Kansas City Chiefs
“Joe Cool” quarterbacked the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories and was quite possibly the greatest clutch performer in football history. After he missed the entire ‘91 season and most of ‘92 with an elbow injury, the team decided to go with the younger Steve Young at quarterback and traded Montana to Kansas City. At 37 years of age, he showed he still had something left in the tank as he led the Chiefs to the AFC championship game in January 1994 and to the playoffs again the following season.
6. Bobby Orr - Chicago Blackhawks
During his 10 years with the Boston Bruins, Orr won three MVP awards and scored the winning goal in the Stanley Cup Finals in ‘70 and ‘72. Then, in ‘76, he turned down a lucrative offer from the team, which included part ownership, to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks. Crippled by knee injuries, he played in only 26 games in three seasons with them and famously never cashed a check from the team, because he didn’t perform up to expectations.
5. Willie Mays - New York Mets
The “Say Hey Kid” roamed centerfield for the New York/San Francisco Giants from 1951-72. Widely considered the best all-around player in the game, he led the team to victory in the 1954 World Series, making the most memorable catch in baseball history along the way. At 41 years of age, Mays was washed up when the Giants sold him to the Mets in 1972. The hearts of baseball fans sank to the floor when he misplayed two fly balls in the World Series during his final season in 1973.
4. Joe Namath - Los Angeles Rams
No athlete was more associated with the spotlight and nightlife of New York than “Broadway” Joe. He was the Jets’ quarterback from 1965-76 and led the team to a legendary upset over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. By the mid ‘70s, knee and hamstring injuries had sapped him of his mobility, and in May ’76, the Jets waived him so he could sign with the Los Angeles Rams. Broadway Joe just didn’t look right in a blue and yellow jersey, playing in only three games for the Rams before calling it a career.
3. Babe Ruth - Boston Braves
Though he began his career in Boston, the Babe was such so synonymous with the Yankees that Yankee Stadium became known as “The House That Ruth Built.” In the twilight of his career he desired to become a manager, but the Yankees had no intentions of replacing skipper Joe McCarthy, so they sold Ruth to the Boston Braves in 1935. Overweight and broken down, the Great Bambino played less than two months for the Braves before walking away from the game.
2. Johnny Unitas - San Diego Chargers
Unitas was the field general of the great Baltimore Colts teams of the late 1950s and one of the individuals responsible for the surge in the popularity experienced by football in the United States. From 1956-72, he led the team to two championships and won three MVP awards. By 1973, his body had broken down and the Colts traded him to the San Diego Chargers. He only played five games for them before retiring after the ‘73 season.
1. Michael Jordan - Washington Wizards
When we envision M.J. soaring through the air with his tongue wagging or knocking down a game-winning shot, we picture him wearing a red Chicago Bulls jersey. However, in 2001, Air Jordan wasn’t content simply owning the Washington Wizards. He came out of retirement at the age of 38 to play for his new team as well. Though he still performed at an All-Star level, it wasn’t the same Jordan we knew and loved, and the Wizards failed to make the playoffs both seasons he took the floor.
Honorable Mentions
O.J. Simpson - San Francisco 49ers
Allen Iverson - Denver Nuggets
Jerry Rice - Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks
Walt Frazier - Cleveland Cavaliers
Hakeem Olajuwan - Toronto Raptors
Clyde Drexler - Houston Rockets
Tony Dorsett - Denver Broncos
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Comments
Pencilthief on 08/18 at 07:07 AM
Uhhh. Gretzky!
Tough Love on 08/18 at 08:38 PM
What about Mark Belhorn in a Pads jersey?!
Chris on 09/09 at 04:04 PM
Penny Hardaway in anything but a Magic Pinstriped jersey…
Radie on 09/12 at 08:34 AM
I was upset at Gretzkey not being here too, but if you look at the list, it is all guys that played theior entire career in ONE place and then switched at the VERY end.
The argument could be made that gretzkey split his time between Edmonton and LA before coming to NY.
Still, perhaps an asterisk would have worked to explain that.
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