10 Greatest Athlete Comebacks/Second Chances

When the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday signed a two-year deal with Michael Vick, it created a possibility of Vick playing for the first time since 2006, when he was implicated in an extensive and unlawful interstate dog fighting ring that operated over a period of five years.

In August of 2007, he plead guilty to felony charges, and was indefinitely suspended from the NFL. He was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison, and began his incarceration in November 2007.

If he plays this year, it could be the biggest comeback and second chance in the history of sport.

Willie Mays

One of the greatest players to ever play the game, Willie Mays, the "Say Hey" Kid, started his career with the New York Giants from 1951 to 1957.

The bulk of his Hall of Fame career was played with the San Francisco Giants, from 1958 to 1972.

But Mays, strapped for money after the 1972 season, played for the New York Mets in 1972 and 1973.

His last glorious moments came in the 1973 World Series, where he got the first hit of the series, but went 2—for—7 in a losing effort against the Oakland A's.

Deion Sanders Returns To Football

Deion Sanders played both professional baseball and football but probably was a better football player. He retired after the 2001 season, but was lured back to football in 2004.

He signed a one year deal reportedly worth $1.5 million with the Baltimore Ravens to be a nickel back.

Sanders chose to wear the number 37, which matched his age at the time, to preemptively let people know that he was well aware of his relative senior status for an NFL player.

On Oct. 24, Sanders scored his ninth career touchdown on an interception return against the Buffalo Bills, moving him into a tie for second place with Ken Houston and Aeneas Williams behind Rod Woodson (12) for all-time in that category.

In January of 2006, Sanders once again retired from the NFL, becoming an analyst for the NFL Network.

Tiger returns from knee surgery

Two days after winning an exciting U.S. Open in 2008, Woods announced that he would be required to undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on his left knee and would miss the remainder of the 2008 golf season.

This included the final two major championships: The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship.

He returned in 2009 and has collected four wins, and finished second in the PGA championship, the last of the major championships.

The Golden Bear Wins Masters At 46

In 1986, Nicklaus capped his career by recording his sixth Masters victory under incredible circumstances, posting a six-under 30 on the back nine at Augusta for a final round of seven-under 65.

At the 17th hole, Nicklaus hit it to within 18 feet and rolled it in for birdie, raising his putter in celebration and completing an eagle-birdie-birdie run.

Nicklaus made a victory-sealing par-four at the 72nd hole, and waited for the succeeding players to falter.

At age 46, Nicklaus became the oldest Masters winner in history, a record which still stands.

Mario Lemieux Returns From Bout With Cancer

Mario Lemieux led Pittsburgh to two Stanley Cups, and Canada to an Olympic gold medal and two World Cups of Hockey.

He won three Hart Trophies as the NHL's most valuable player during the season, six Art Ross Trophies as the league's leading scorer, and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP.

At the time of his retirement, he was the NHL's seventh-ranked all-time scorer with 690 goals and 1,033 assists.[3]

In 2004, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

But in 1997, he retired due to health issues, including Hodgkin's lymphoma. He returned in 2000, before retiring for good in 2007.

Foreman Regains Boxing Title After 10-year Layoff

George Edward Foreman (born Jan. 10, 1949) is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and famously successful entrepreneur as founder of the Foreman Grill.

He became the oldest man ever to ever become heavyweight boxing champion of the world when, at age 45, he knocked out Michael Moorer, to reclaim the title he held 20 years earlier.

He has been named one of the 25 greatest fighters of all time by Ring magazine. He gave up the sport for 10 years, before returning to greatness.

The Man Who Changed All Pitcher Comebacks

In the middle of the 1974 season, Tommy John was cruising along with a 13-3 record as the Dodgers were en route to their first National League pennant in eight years.

He then permanently damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm, leading to a revolutionary surgical operation.

This operation, now known as Tommy John surgery, replaced the ligament in the elbow of his pitching arm with a tendon from his right forearm.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe on Sept. 25, 1974, and although it seemed unlikely he would ever be able to pitch again, he spent the entire 1975 season in recovery and returned to the Dodgers in 1976.

His 10-10 record that year was considered "miraculous" but John went on to pitch until 1989, winning 164 games after his surgery.

Ankiel Moves 60 Feet From the Mound

Rick Ankiel began his career in the majors as a starting pitcher, posting a solid rookie season in 2000 with 11-7 record and 194 strikeouts.

But during the playoffs that year, he suddenly found himself unable to throw strikes consistently.

After a few years of struggling with injuries and command, he abandoned pitching in 2005 and began to work his way back up to the major leagues as an outfielder, finally succeeding in August 2007.

He is the only active major leaguer to have played as a full-time major-league pitcher and position player, and one of only a handful in history.

Vick Tries To Turn The Page With Eagles

There were some shock waves when Michael Vick signed as a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League.

He previously played for the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons before serving 18 months of a 23 month sentence in prison for his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring.

When he plays sometime in October or November, if he can come all the way back, it will be an incredible act of redemption and forgiveness.

Hey, George, bring back Billy Martin

The number one comeback story of all time in sports has to be the saga of Billy Martin and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

Martin was hired and fired five times by Steinbrenner. Martin was the New York Yankees manager in 1988, 1985, 1983 and 1975-79.