Stars Who Walked Away in Their Prime
While most athletes cling to the sport they love until they simply can't hold on any longer, in some rare instances sports stars have called it quits while still in the midst of their prime years.
Rock Marciano, for example, retired from boxing before ever tasting defeat, sporting a perfect 49-0 record.ย
Likewise, Sandy Koufax shocked the baseball world when he retired at the age of 30, while he was still the best pitcher on the planet.ย
And, more recently, stars like Barry Sanders and Michael Jordan prematurely retired as well, when they were still putting their best feet forward too.
With the aforementioned athletes in mind, we've created an honorary list, specifically highlighting the 10 best Starsย Who Walked Away in Their Prime.
It's worth noting, we aren't rewarding team accomplishment here, or former stars who won big late in their career (like, say, John Elway). Instead, we focused on elite athletes who decided to retire even though they were still operating at the peak of their athletic prowess.ย
In the end, then, we've identified 10 sports stars who left their game while still at their very best, on their own accord, before the game left them.ย
Robert Smith
1 of 10
Robert Smith made it to two Pro Bowls in his eight-year career. Interestingly enough, one came in 2000, the same year the top 'back chose to retire.
In his final season with the Vikings, Smith led the NFC in rushing with 1,521 yards and also scored an impressive seven touchdowns.ย
He was clearly at his playing peakโ2000 wasn't just his best season, but also his fourth in a row with at least 1,015 rushing yardsโyet decided to hang up his cleats anyway, retiring from football as Minnesota's all-time leading rusher (he has since been passed by Adrian Peterson).ย
Tiki Barber
2 of 10
Tiki Barberโthe New York Giants' all-time leader in rushing and receptionsโdecided to call it quits back in 2006, when he was just 31 years old.
His decision, a somewhat surprising one, had nothing to do with his on-field production; quite the contrary, Barber walked away while he was still on top of his game.ย
In his final five seasons in New Yorkโfrom 2002-06โBarber rushed for 7,643 yards and 40 touchdowns, never once rushing for less than 1,216 yards in a single season.ย
Moreover, his final two seasons were his absolute best: the legendary Giant scampered for a career-high 1,860 yards in 2005 and for a comparable 1,662 yards in 2006, good enough for second and fourth in the league, respectively.ย
Fittingly, Barber made three Pro-Bowl appearances, and they all came in the final three years of his career ('04, '05, '06).
Patrick Willis
3 of 10
After struggling with a toe injury that sidelined him for a majority of the 2014-15 NFL season, linebacker Patrick Willis hung his cleats up for good in March of 2015.
At the time, Willis was 30 years old and still securely ranked among the best linebackers in football.ย
Want some proof?
Before calling it quits, the eight-year pro made it toย seven consecutive Pro Bowls (2007-2013)โhe made the game in every season he played except for in 2014, when he appeared in only six gamesโand was aย five-timeย First-Team All-Pro as well.
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Bobby Jones
4 of 10
When is the last time you've heard of a world-class athlete retiring at the age of 28 to give his very own law practice a bit more attention? We're guessing you answered either never or in 1930, since that's when legendary golfer Bobby Jones decided to do just that.ย
But here's the thing: In 1930, Jones also won his sport's Grand Slam, winning all four major championships in a single calendar year, a feat no other golfer has ever managed to accomplish (note, The Masters did not exist at the time).ย
In total, Jones wonย 13 majorsโhe appeared in 31 overall, winning roughly 42 percent of the timeโduring a stirling career that lasted just seven years!
Rocky Marciano
5 of 10
When it comes to the great Rocky Marciano, it's pretty clear he walked away while on top of his game since, after all, he never really experienced the middle or bottom.ย
Simpler put, Marciano is still to this day the only heavyweight champion ever to go an entireย professional career without tying or losing a fight.
From 1952 until 1956, the Brockton Blockbuster owned the sport of boxing, reigning over it as world champion for the entire four-year stretch.
In his last title boutโin 1955โthe Hall of Famer took on another legend in Archie Moore, whom Marciano disposed of with a ninth-round knockout to retain his prestigious title.ย
Roughly seven months later, Marciano officially decided to hang up his gloves. He was just 32 years old at the time and sported a perfectย 49-0 record!
Bjorn Borg
6 of 10
Though Hall of Famer Bjorn Borg sat out nearly all of 1982โhe appeared in just one tournament as a result of general fatigueโbefore retiring in 1983, he still had plenty left to offer the tennis world. For that very reason, sports fans and analysts worldwide were utterly shocked when he called it quits.ย
Of course, it's rather easy to understand their dismay.
In 1981โBorg's last full season on tourโthe Swede managed to defeat Ivan Lendl inย the French Open finals before coming up just short of John McEnroe in the last round of the U.S. Open, the final major of the year.
At the time, Borg was still arguably the best player in the world, yet theย 11-time Grand Slam winnerย nonetheless decided to retire soon thereafter, at the age of 26!
Sandy Koufax
7 of 10
Sandy Koufax starred on an MLB mound from 1955 until 1966. In his 12-year career, the renown Dodger won 165 games and four World Series championshipsโin 1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965, winning series MVP in the last twoโwhile sporting a 2.76 ERA.ย
In his final six seasonsโfrom '61-'66โKoufax appeared in allย six All-Star games. Even more impressive, in three of his final four yearsโ'63, '65 and '66โthe Brooklyn native pitched his way toย threeย Triple Crowns andย threeย Cy Young awards!
Yet, despite his complete and total dominance on the diamond, Koufax retired at the peak of his careerโhe won 27 games in '66 with a career-low ERA of 1.73โwhen he was just 30 years old.ย
Six years laterโat the age of 36โhe became the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame!
Barry Sanders
8 of 10
No one has ever questioned what Barry Sanders managed to accomplish during his Hall of Fame career. After all, he ranks third on the NFL's all-time rushing list despite spending only 10 years in the league.
In contrast, people have long questioned why the talented back chose to prematurely retire, which he did in July of 1999 at the age of 30.
Since then, Sanders has admitted losing with the Lions eventually grew old. Still, that doesn't negate that he called it quits while at the very top of his game.
After rushing for 6,789 yards during his first five years in the league, the 10-time Pro Bowler picked up the pace to finish things off, rumbling for 8,480 yards in his final five seasons.ย
And in his "twilight" years, he eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark in '97โhis second-to-last season in the leagueโand managed to dart and dash his way to another 1,491 yards in '98, his last and final campaign.ย
Michael Jordan
9 of 10
Though Michael Jordan technically retired on three separate occasions, the most sudden and surprising of the bunch occurred in 1993, following Chicago's first three-peat.ย
On the the heels of his father's tragic murder, Jordan abruptly walked away from the NBA on October 6, 1993.
The timing, of course, was a bit bizarre, especially when you consider how well the 30-year-old, three-time NBA champion was playing.
From the '86-'87 season though '92-'93, His Airness scored 33.2 PPG, averaging 30 or more points in all seven seasons!ย
In what wasย supposed to beย his final campaign before calling it quits, Jordan led the Bulls to a third title in a row while averaging 32.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Not surprisingly, the two-way star led the league in both pointsย andย steals on his way out!
Jim Brown
10 of 10
Just like Barry Sanders, Jim Brown was the best back in football when he called it quits in 1965.
In what seemed like a brief nine-year career, Brown made it toย nineย Pro Bowls and was anย eight-timeย First-Team All-Pro selection.ย
More importantly, the Hall of Famer's last season was arguably his best: In '65, Brown led the league in rushing with 1,544 yards and also paced it in touchdowns with a gaudy 17.
For his efforts, the eight-time rushing champion was named the '65 NFL MVP by four different publications, including the AP.ย
When he officially retired not long later, the still-elite back ranked as the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 12,312 yards to his name.ย
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