15 Athletes You'd Never Heard of Until That One Thing Happened
As Malcolm Butler just reminded us, sometimes the most incredible plays come at the hands of athletes you’ve never heard of.
Here are some of those athletes, but first a few ground rules. We’ll keep this list relatively recent—only plays that have happened since 2000. Unfortunately that leaves off Franco Harris and Bucky Dent.
Second, when I say “you’ve never heard of,” obviously that’s not completely literal. I’m not talking to you single-sport savants—you folks who know absolutely everything. I’m talking to the casual sports fan who dabbles in everything. You sir (or ma'am), probably hadn’t heard of these athletes until that one thing happened.
One play, one Olympic shootout, one helmet catch—one thing happened, and the athlete behind it instantly became a household name. How unheard of was the athlete, and how iconic was that one thing? Let's find out.
Honorable Mention: Chris Matthews
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That one thing: Super Bowl XLIX
One Super Bowl newcomer that you had probably never heard of played for the losing side. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Chris Matthews was a 25-year-old playing his first NFL season in 2014. He made both his first career catch and first career touchdown in the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.
His performance overall was epic—four catches for 109 yards and a TD. His first catch was the thing you’ll remember, though—an insane 44-yard grab that set up Seattle’s first TD of the game.
He gets an honorable mention because a whole game is pretty broad for our purposes.
David Freese
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That one thing: Game 6, 2011 World Series
David Freese quit baseball for a time after high school but eventually ended up with the St. Louis Cardinals. Now, the Missouri native will forever be remembered for one game in October 2011.
Hidden in a fierce lineup with the likes of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, Freese might’ve been overlooked at times, but not in the 2011 postseason. He batted .545/.600/1.091 in the National League Championship Series and took home the MVP. In the World Series, Freese batted .348/.464/.696 and took home that MVP, too.
Accolades aside, Freese had two moments of pure heroism in Game 6 of the World Series. He tied the game with a two-run triple in the ninth inning and later smacked a leadoff home run in the 11th to force a Game 7.
Jonas Gray
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That one thing: Rushing for 201 yards in his fourth career game
Jonas Gray came into the NFL undrafted in 2012, and he’s been a part of three different franchises. It wasn’t until 2014 that he finally saw some game action.
When New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley got hurt, Gray got his chance—he moved up from the practice squad in Week 7. In Week 11, Gray rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts, prompting America to collectively ask, “Who in the world is Jonas Gray?”
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John Brooks
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That one thing: World Cup goal to beat Ghana
The U.S. men’s national soccer team captivated the nation by advancing to the knockout round of the 2014 World Cup. It was the first time in history that the U.S. team made it past group play in consecutive World Cups.
It all started with a dramatic win in group play against Ghana. The U.S. led 1-0 for most of the game following a quick goal by Clint Dempsey. Ghana retaliated in the 82nd minute, and the game appeared to be headed for a tie.
John Brooks, a 21-year-old defender making his first appearance in international competition, had come into the game as a substitute at halftime. He made his presence felt in a big way when he headed in a corner kick in the 86th minute. It’s not every day you become an instant American hero.
Jadeveon Clowney
5 of 16
That one thing: The hit heard ‘round the world
Jadeveon Clowney was an All-American at South Carolina, but let’s be honest: College defensive ends aren’t generally household names.
Then again, all it took was one hit to put Clowney on the map for real. In the 2013 Outback Bowl, Michigan running back Vincent Smith took a handoff and ran smack into the freight train that was Clowney.
The hit was monstrous, and so was the hype that stemmed from it. Clowney, already a touted draft prospect, eventually became the No. 1 overall pick.
T.J. Oshie
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That one thing: Scoring four Olympic shootout goals
T.J. Oshie of the St. Louis Blues is probably known by NHL fans, but American sports fans adored him en masse after an epic Olympic performance in 2014. According to The Associated Press (via ESPN), Oshie was one of the last players to be selected for the U.S. team, and he was chosen primarily for his penalty-shot skills.
Oshie did not disappoint. He scored an incredible four shootout goals to lead the U.S. team past Russia. In total, it took eight rounds to end the epic battle.
Dallas Braden
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That one thing: MLB's 19th perfect game
Dallas Braden was a 24th-round draft pick in 2004. He played just five seasons in baseball, all with the Oakland Athletics, and put together a career ERA of 4.16. All told, it was a rather unremarkable career, but on May 9, 2010, Braden was anything but.
Braden tossed a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, just the 19th in MLB history at the time. Now, Braden is a member of one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball. To date, only 23 pitchers have tossed perfect games.
Abby Wambach
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That one thing: Scoring an overtime goal to win the 2004 Olympic gold medal
Abby Wambach is widely recognized now, but in 2004 she was a relative newcomer to U.S. women’s soccer. She performed well in the 2003 World Cup, but Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm were still the big shots on Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
But it was Wambach who scored in the 112th minute of the gold medal game to propel the U.S. past Brazil 2-1. Since then, her 177 international goals have made her the top goalscorer in the history of international soccer.
Odell Beckham Jr.
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That one thing: Possibly the sickest catch of all time
Odell Beckham Jr. was one of the most electrifying rookies in the NFL in 2014. He was a star receiver at LSU, but as a rookie with the New York Giants many hadn’t likely heard of him before one incredible catch in November.
Beckham’s 43-yard, one-handed touchdown grab against the Dallas Cowboys instantly made him a household name. The catch inspired the likes of LeBron James and Cris Carter to put it up there with the greatest of all time.
Beckham went on to live up to the hype. In 12 games played, he caught 91 balls for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs.
Y.E. Yang
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That one thing: Beating Tiger Woods in the PGA Championship
Tiger Woods led the 2009 PGA Championship going into the final round—at the time he was 14-0 in such situations. Y.E. Yang was a 37-year-old golfer fresh out of PGA Tour qualifying school, ranked No. 110 in the world.
After shooting 13-under on the final 49 holes of the tournament, Yang defeated Woods by three strokes. It was the first and only major win for the South Korean, but it was a big one.
Mike Jones
11 of 16That one thing: Tackle that won Super Bowl XXXIV
Mike Jones played in the NFL for 12 years, but he’ll likely only be remembered for one incredible tackle.
The St. Louis Rams led Super Bowl XXXIV 23-16 with six seconds remaining. On the game’s final play, Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair threw a completion to Kevin Dyson, who caught the ball at the 5-yard line. Jones made a gorgeous tackle and stopped Dyson short of the goal line.
Rick Weinberg of ESPN reported that former Rams coach Dick Vermeil would later call it the “greatest play in Super Bowl history.”
Maria Sharapova
12 of 16
That one thing: Dispatching Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4 at age 17
Sure, Maria Sharapova is a household name now, but what about in 2004?
Just 17 years old, the Russian came into Wimbledon ranked No. 13 in the world. She knocked off Serena Williams of all people, 6-1, 6-4, to win her first Grand Slam. Sharapova was the first Russian to win the tournament, the third-youngest women’s champion and the lowest seed to win since seeding began.
Sharapova later told Matt Majendie of CNN that the win was “the jump-start of my career, where it all began for me.”
Malcolm Butler
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That one thing: Interception that won the Super Bowl
Malcolm Butler was certainly not what you would call a household name—at least not before Super Bowl XLIX.
Down 28-24, on 2nd-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 20 seconds to go, it sure looked like the Seattle Seahawks had a good shot at a game-winning touchdown. Instead, Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted by New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler, and the game was all but over.
Butler, an undrafted rookie from the University of West Alabama, became a Super Bowl hero. Tom Brady even wanted Butler to have the Chevrolet truck he got as the game’s MVP.
Jason Lezak
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That one thing: Keeping Michael Phelps’ gold-medal dream alive
In 2008, a lot of folks probably would’ve been hard-pressed to name any American swimmer besides Michael Phelps. Jason Lezak changed all that with one length of the pool.
Phelps eventually fulfilled his quest to win a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but it looked extremely unlikely at one point. In his second event, the men's 4x100 freestyle relay, the Americans trailed with 25 meters to go.
Lezak, the team's anchor, miraculously came storming back. He made up a full body length on the final stretch to edge the French team by eight one-hundredths of a second.
Aaron Boone
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That one thing: Game 7 walk-off home run, 2003 American League Championship Series
Aaron Boone played for six MLB teams over the course of his 12-year career and compiled a .263/.326/.425 line. He had a solid career, no doubt, but it’s not likely anyone other than serious baseball fans knew who he was before Oct. 17, 2003.
It was Game 7 of the ALCS, Boston at New York. The stage could not have been set better: tie game, bottom of the 11th inning, winner goes to the World Series. Up to the plate stepped Aaron Boone, who promptly sent a Tim Wakefield knuckleball into the left field seats.
Boone was a journeyman who became the author of one of the greatest moments in the history of Yankee Stadium. Not bad.
David Tyree
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That one thing: "Helmet catch"
David Tyree was a wide receiver for the New York Giants from 2003-07, and he made one of the most famous catches in Super Bowl history.
Super Bowl XLII pitted the Giants against the undefeated New England Patriots. Down 14-10 with just over a minute left in the game, Giants quarterback Eli Manning hurled a deep ball to Tyree, who miraculously caught it with the help of his helmet for a 33-yard gain.
The third-down conversion kept the drive alive for New York and made a game-winning touchdown possible.
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