Athletes Who Beat Long Odds to Become Stars
Of course any athlete has to be extremely gifted just to make it to a professional level, but the pros are where these athletes have shined.
They were either mediocre in college, relatively unknown, drafted low or not drafted at all. Either way, expectations not sky-high as they began their young careers. After all, what are the odds that the 199th pick in the NFL draft would go on to become a two-time league MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion?
These athletes proved everyone wrong. It’s not just Tom Brady, folks. Did you know that Manu Ginobili almost wasn’t drafted and Adam Vinatieri wasn’t at all? Despite odds stacked against them, these late bloomers took off in big, and unexpected, ways.
Honorable Mention: Tony Parker
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It's hard to argue that a first-round draft pick "beat the odds," but Tony Parker was passed up 27 times in the 2001 NBA draft. There may have been concerns about his young age, but the San Antonio Spurs still took the French point guard 28th overall.
In the years since, NBA GMs have expressed frustration over missing such a valuable player. Parker is a six-time All-Star, a four-time NBA champion and the 2007 NBA Finals MVP.
Wes Welker
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It’s not that Wes Welker wasn't good in college—he caught for over 1,000 yards twice at Texas Tech—but he's a small guy, and he went undrafted in 2004.
He beat the size-odds to become one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets in New England, and now he catches balls from Peyton Manning. Welker has been selected for the Pro Bowl five times and has had an equal number of 1,000-yard seasons as a wide receiver.
Henrik Lundqvist
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What the odds are of a seventh-round pick winning the Vezina Trophy? Probably not great.
New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist wasn’t drafted until the seventh round, 205th overall, in 2000.
Now in his tenth season in New York, Lundqvist won the Vezina Tophy for NHL’s best goaltender in 2012. He also became the NHL’s first goaltender to win 30 games in each of his first seven seasons.
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Alfred Morris
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Alfred Morris ran for 3,529 yards in his four years at Florida Atlantic University, but he still dropped all the way to the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft.
Despite his low draft stock, Morris ran for 13 touchdowns and over 1,600 yards his rookie season for the Washington Redskins. He hasn’t missed a game in his professional career, and he continues to be a serious offensive threat.
It’s doubtful the Redskins realized the value they were getting on draft day, but they are likely very happy with the way it turned out. The young man could be a star in the making.
Russell Wilson
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College transfer, third-round draft pick, undersized—that's Russell Wilson.
Wilson started out at NC State and later transferred to Wisconsin. He got some Heisman chatter during his one season as a Badger but ended up finishing ninth in the voting.
He’s undersized for an NFL quarterback, listed at 5’11” and 203 pounds. The Seattle Seahawks drafted him in the third round of the 2012 draft, and he quickly proved his worth. He won the starting job over Matt Flynn, and two years later, he’s a Super Bowl champion.
Udonis Haslem
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Udonis Haslem played four years of college basketball at Florida and made it to the national championship game his sophomore year. But then he let himself go a little.
Haslem went undrafted and gained quite a bit of weight—he was over 300 pounds at one point. He played overseas for a year before the Miami Heat took a chance on him in 2003.
Now, Haslem is the all-time franchise leader in both offensive and defensive rebounds, and he’s a three-time NBA champion.
An overweight, undrafted player becoming a franchise leader in anything sounds pretty incredible.
Julian Edelman
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Julian Edelman might not be a full-blown star yet, but he could be on his way. The New England Patriots drafted Edelman out of Kent State in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. Fun fact: Edelman played quarterback in college.
Now, five years later, Edelman is one of Tom Brady’s favorite receivers. In 2013, with Wes Welker’s departure, Edelman shined, catching 105 balls for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns.
What are the odds of a seventh-round pick who played QB in college becoming Tom Brady's go-to guy? Probalby slim to none.
David Ortiz
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David Ortiz wasn’t always the Big Papi we know today—one of the all-time great designated hitters with 466 home runs and over 2,000 hits.
Ortiz started out with the Seattle Mariners—he was signed as a free agent from the Dominican Republic in 1992. He hit just .246/.309/.299 in rookie ball in 1994, and the Mariners traded him to the Minnesota Twins in 1996.
Ortiz went back and forth between the majors and minors for years with mixed results as concerns about his defensive abilities and weight loomed. Then in 2003, Ortiz signed with the Boston Red Sox. He finished fifth in the AL MVP voting his very first year, and he was off and running.
It takes most guys a few years to make it to the bigs, but Papi's start was particularly rough.
Steve Nash
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Steve Nash’s career may be all but over (sad face), but he still deserves a place on this list.
When he was chosen 15th overall in the 1996 NBA draft, Nash wasn’t one of the more well-known young players. He went to Santa Clara University, played on the Canadian national team and during the draft coverage, he was referred to as “a poor man’s John Stockton.”
Of course he went on to have an incredible professional career, twice winning the NBA MVP Award. Some argue that he is in the conversation of best point guards in NBA history.
A poor man's John Stockton grew up to be on par with the real John Stockton. Who would've thought?
Tony Romo
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Tony Romo played his college football at an FCS school, Eastern Illinois University, and went undrafted in the 2003 NFL draft.
He later signed with the Dallas Cowboys, and despite never winning a Super Bowl with the team, he has far surpassed original expectations.
He didn’t get into a game as a quarterback until 2006. But since then Romo has been selected to three Pro Bowls and set the Cowboys franchise record for touchdown passes. All this from an undrafted kid who went to a school few people have heard of—not bad.
Albert Pujols
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Albert Pujols was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1999, in the 13th round of the amateur draft. Despite being an excellent young player, some scouts had concerns.
Ernie Jacobs, former scout for the Boston Red Sox, later told Gordon Edes of the The Boston Globe, “First of all, his body wasn't great back then. Plus, people weren't sure how old the guy was. You assumed what he told you was true, but he wasn't a great body, and his swing was a little long.”
Pujols went on to become the only player in MLB history to bat .300, hit 30 home runs, 30 doubles and 100 RBI in 10 consecutive seasons.
Adam Vinatieri
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Also undrafted was Adam Vinatieri, one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history.
Vinatieri did a good job at South Dakota State—he graduated as the program’s all-time leading point scorer. But he chose to play overseas for a year after college when an NFL team failed to draft him.
He joined the New England Patriots in 1996 and later the Indianapolis Colts. During his tenure, Vinatieri has become a two-time Pro Bowler and four-time Super Bowl champion.
An undrafted kicker eventually booting two two Super Bowl game-winners seems less likely than winning the Powerball.
Pavel Datsyuk
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During his 13-year professional career, Pavel Datsyuk has become one of the most skilled players in the NHL. His teammate Andrej Nestrasil recently told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, “The way he uses his body and stick, he's like an innovator. I've never seen anybody do it the same way he does it.”
But it wasn’t always that way. Datsyuk almost didn’t get drafted—the Detroit Red Wings took him in the sixth round in 1998.
Manu Ginobili
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The San Antonio Spurs took a chance on Manu Ginobili, taking the Argentinian 57th overall in the 1999 NBA draft.
For a guy who almost wasn’t drafted, he’s done pretty well for himself. Ginobili is a two-time All-Star, NBA Sixth Man of the Year and four-time NBA champion. He’s been an instrumental part of the Spurs dynasty for over a decade.
Tom Brady
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They say lightning doesn't strike the same place twice? That probably happens about as often as a sixth-round draft pick becomes a Hall of Famer.
Tom Brady was a backup at the University of Michigan for his first two years and started his final two. He wasn’t particularly notable, although he did lead the Big Ten in completion percentage and passing efficiency rating his senior year.
He was drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots in 2000, and the rest is pretty much history.
He’s an All-Pro, Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP and holds the record for most playoff wins by a quarterback with 18.
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