12 Sports Performances Gutsier Than Tim Tebow's

Tim Tebow put on a gutsy performance this weekend, running head-down and helmet first at a stiff, but ultimately overmatched, LSU defense. The numbers weren't gaudy, but the play was suicidally driven and riveting to watch.

That said, Tebow's concussion didn't appear to be all that severe, and it's time to defuse the hype a little bit until we know how big of a medical comeback he faced.

My guess is Tebow's game belongs nowhere near the storied history of sports stars playing through injury, overcoming insurmountable odds, to capture a moment.

Here's twelve sports performances that vastly outweigh Tim Tebow's for how high the stakes were, how long the odds were, and how the athletes committed themselves and rose to the challenges they faced.

#12: Nancy Kerrigan Wins The Silver After Her Assault

At the 1994 Olympics tryouts, an attacker struck Nancy Kerrigan on the knee, severely impairing her ability to skate for the qualifying rounds.

When it was revealed that Kerrigan's competitor, Tonya Harding, and her ex-husband were behind the attack, the USOC granted Kerrigan a bid to to the Olympics.

Whether it took more guts not to strangle Kerrigan or to skate, it's difficult to say. Either way, Kerrigan took home the silver, losing to Oksana Baiul, four months after almost seeing her career destroyed by hired goons.

#11: Curt Schilling's Bloody Sock

Recurrent, and baffling, ankle injuries plagued Curt Schilling late in his career, but no one game was more emblematic than the ALCS game against the Yankees on October 19, 2004.

Schilling played on a torn tendon sheath that leaked blood all over his sock - the same injury that helped contribute to the Sox overwhelming loss in Game 1. Schilling's discomfort was apparent as he continued reaching down and readjusting his cleat.

But the Sox won on a 4-2 decision, forcing a Game 7 and making the Boston the first team in MLB history to come back from down three in the series.

Schilling went on to pitch (and win) Game 2 of the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals despite the sutures opening up and soaking his sock again. The tendon in his right ankle required repeated stabilization. Schilling still pitched seven innings, allowing one run and four hits, and posting four K's.

This second sock was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame after Boston swept the Cardinals to ewin the series, their first since 1918.

#10: Tiger Woods Wins The 2008 US Open On A Bum Knee

Tiger Woods has never lost a major with the lead on the final day.

But that streak looked seriously in doubt during an up and down perfromance on the final day of the 2008 US Open.

To complicate matters, Woods was playing on a rehabbed knee after undergoing arthroscopic surgery in April. Only later did he reveal that he'd suffered a double stress fracture of his tibia during rehab, and had played through enormous pain.

Rocco Mediate shot a great round to put him in the clubhouse and ahead of Woods by one stroke as Woods and partner Lee Westwood approached the final green.

Westwood missed his birdie put. Tiger sank his.

The winner of the Open was decided in playoff, when Tiger won in sudden death on hole 19 before bowing out for the rest of the tour to address the weight of the injury.

#9: The Flu Can't Keep Jordan Out Of Game Five

With the NBA finals tied 2-2, the Chicago Bulls hoped they could turn to Jordan to seal up game five in Utah and be within one win of the championship for the return to the United Center.

But on the day before the game, Jordan woke up with overwhelming nausea and a high fever from what doctors diagnosed was either food poisoning or a flu bug.

The speculation leading up to the game was that Jordan's unmatched prowess on the court would be hindered, and that seemed to be true as the Jazz got off to a sixteen point lead.

But Jordan put on a superhuman effort, scoring 38 points (including 15 in the fourth quarter) and grabbing seven rebounds as the Bulls head off a late Jazz rally to seal up a 3-2 lead.

And we all know how that one ended, right?

#8: Jack Youngblood Stays In With A Broken Fibula

St. Louis Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood played through a broken fibula the man's way: the trainers taped him up at halftime, and he came back out to score a sack on Roger Staubach in the second half of the Rams' 21-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in 1979.

Instead of sitting out, Youngblood wore a leg brace for the remainder of the playoffs as the Rams won the NFC title over Tampa Bay, losing Super Bowl XIV to the Steelers.

For this, Youngblood was dubbed the "John Wayne of football," which also meant he started calling everyone, "pilgrim."

#7: Kerri Strug Holds Off The Russians To Win Gold

Strug will be remembered for completing her 1996 Olympics gymnastic routine despite seriously injuring her ankle on the preceding event.

In retrospect, Strug didn't even need to attempt the vault; the American's worse score was to be dropped, and because of Strug's previous fault, hers would be lowest.

But due to a trainer's miscalculation, she was sent out anyway, and landed perfectly, albeit on one foot, in a moment considered one of the most definitive of athletes playing through pain.

#6: Ronnie Lott Just Puts Some Tape On It

In a collision with running back Tim Newsome, 49ers cornerback Ronnie Lott brutally mangled his finger, forcing him to the sideline. Lott returned to seal the 49ers win over the Dallas Cowboys, which gave San Francisco a wild-card berth in the NFC playoffs.

The following week, Lott asked trainers to tape his fingers so that he could continue to play, despite the severity of the pain.

The team eventually lost to the Giants. In the offseason, Lott's injury brought excruciating pain, and he was forced to decide between surgery and amputation.

Lott chose to have the top of his finger chopped off. The next season was a third in the Pro Bowl, and another playoff appearance. Lott was missing a part of his pinky, but clearly, not enough to affect getting in the way of a pass.

#5: Joe Montana Eats His Chunky Soup

Joe Montana's final game with the Fighting Irish was memorable both for when Montana did and didn't play.

Montana's team was down 20-12 at halftime. But Montana didn't appear on the field for the third quarter. The ND trainer's were concerned with how Montana's body temperature had dipped to 96 degrees.

Fearing that he might be susceptible to hypothermia, Montana was fed chicken soup and put under warm blankets while Houston's lead kept building.

In the fourth quarter he rose again, leading the Irish to 23 unanswered points, including a touchdown pass to Kris Haines as time expired, to further the legend of Joe Cool.

#4: Pete Sampras Excuses Himself From The US Open To Projectile Vomit

My aunt Stella and Pete Sampras would have gotten along great. Stella used to gorge herself on Thanksgiving dinner, leave, vomit profusely, and return to ask when pie was being served.

In the 1996 US Open, with a 1-1 tie in the fifth set, a queasy Pete Sampras called for time, vomited, and returned, exhausted, to play to a 7-7 tie.

His first serve barely dribbling over the net, Sampras appeared too weak to continue. His opponent, Alex Corretja, adjusted to hit Sampras second serve with a devastating forehand.

Then, somehow, Sampras summoned the strength to blast a 90 mph second in the very space Corretja had just left open.

Whether he was playing possum or had just channeled destiny, Sampras won the day, as a completely rattled Corretja double-faulted to give Sampras the Open, 9-7.

#3: Steve Yzerman Wins The Cup On One Leg

Yzerman's knee was so badly damaged, the osteotomy surgery doctors performed on a bone that had healed crookedly kept him off the ice for the first half of the next season.

But during the 2002 playoffs, you couldn't keep Yzerman off the ice, aggravated knee or not.

Yzerman helped the Wings to quick 2-0 leads in the first two rounds, and was crucial in beating the rival Colorado Avalanche in probably the best seven game series in NHL history.

Playing so extensively on the injury probably affected Yzerman's effectiveness in the years leading up to his retirement.

But any Detroit fan will tell you the 2002 playoffs still seem worth it, when the everlasting face of the Red Wings skated around Joe Louis arena, hoisting the Stanley Cup, on one leg.

#2: Willis Reed Leads The Knicks Pasts The Lakers In Game Seven

Sometimes a gutsy performance wins on its own, and sometimes it inspires the rest of the team to play their hearts out.

Such was the case with Willis Reed and the 1970 Knicks, who faced the Lakers in game seven at the Garden.

Reed had torn a muscle in his upper thigh that had kept him and his physical style of defense on Wilt Chamberlain out of game six. There was every indication he would not be seen in game seven, either.

But he came out with the team in warmups, and hit the game's first two scores, his only points of the night. The Knicks rolled to a 113-99 victory behind teammate Walt Frazier's 36 to capture the championship.

#1: Muhammad Ali Goes Twelve Rounds With A Busted Jaw

Maybe it's just the nature of the sport, but I'm amazed at what Muhammad Ali did with a broken jaw.

In a match during March of '73, Ken Norton surprised Ali with a straight right to the superstar's open mouth, breaking Ali's jaw where he was already missing two teeth.

Ali's manager asked him to stop the fight, but the gutsy Ali promised Norton wouldn't get near his jaw again.

The Greatest never quit, going the full twelve rounds with Norton but losing a split decision to notch only the second loss of his career up to that time.

Ali would avenge the loss six months later, winning a split decision of his own after twelve more rounds with Norton, then winning the rubber in 1976 at Yankee Stadium.

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