One-Hit Wonders: Award-Winning Edition

For all of us who watch sports like it's a religion, we're all familiar with what a one-hit wonder is.

It's when, out of nowhere, an athlete either gets lucky or, for a season, game or moment, finds something deep inside of him or herself to elevate their skills to a level that no one has seen them at before.

Much like some musicians, though, those athletes who are one-hit wonders find themselves gone just as fast as they arrived, becoming an afterthought in the sports universe.

While there have been plenty of one-hit wonders in sports by way of breakout seasons, a few of them share a common theme, as these are the players who ended up winning a title, earning an award or getting an All-Star selection that was a one-time deal.

Joe Namath

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I'm sure you're all thinking I'm high on something crazy because I've included Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath on this list of one-hit wonders, right?

Well, just because Broadway Joe has a bust in Canton doesn't mean that he's actually a worthy player.

That's because, other than giving fans one of the premier stories in NFL history by guaranteeing a Super Bowl III victory, Namath didn't have a great career.

With a win-loss record of 62-63-4 and subpar passing stats, he might have a championship ring, but by today's standards, Namath would be more like journeyman signal-caller Matt Cassel—who would never get a vote for the Hall of Fame.

Joe Namath had one good moment before the biggest game in the sport and has been rewarded for it ever since—though not deserved.

Ernie DiGregorio

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Save for a few All-Star players, the 1973 NBA draft wasn't all that thrilling—and the No. 3 overall pick, Ernie DiGregorio, was one of those less than stellar selections.

Chosen by the Buffalo Braves out of the Providence College, the 6'0" point guard was expected to bring some of his playmaking ability to Buffalo and help become the face of the franchise.

In his first season, DiGregorio seemed to do that, as he led the NBA in assists per game with 8.2 and poured in 15.2 points per game, making some think he could become the league's next dazzling point guard.

Winning Rookie of the Year in 1973-74, DiGregorio saw his numbers take a monster dip afterward, never again averaging more than 4.9 assists per game or finishing with a scoring average higher than 10.7 points per game.

It may have "just" been the Rookie of the Year Award, but Ernie DiGregorio was one winner of the prize who didn't pan out.

Christian Laettner

No, I did not add former Duke Blue Devils men's hoops player Christian Laettner to this list because I a) went to the University of Kentucky, or b) because I wear a "I Still Hate Laettner" shirt during Wildcats games.

So why is the former No. 3 overall pick on this list? Simple. Other than his ridiculous run while at Duke, Laettner didn't do much.

After knocking down one of the most famous shots in one of the best games in NCAA tournament history, the former collegiate All-American's NBA days couldn't have gone much worse, as he became an afterthought who was buried on bad teams and tossed into big-time trades to help balance salaries.

Sure, Laettner did make an (undeserved?) All-Star team, but with all of the hype that followed him, he'll forever be known as the one guy who ripped the hearts out of every fellow Wildcats fan in 1992.

Dexter Jackson

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When people think of Super Bowl MVPs of the past, names like John Elway, Tom Brady and Jerry Rice probably come to mind, as these all-timers are supposed to show up on the biggest stage.

Yet, among these current or future Hall of Famers is Dexter Jackson, a former journeyman safety who had his most memorable football moment during Super Bowl XXXVII while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Playing on a dominant Bucs defensive unit, it was Jackson who scooped the game's MVP after intercepting two passes in his team's impressive victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Jackson would bounce around with a couple of different teams following his moment of glory, eventually landing in the United State Football League before hanging up his pads and helmet for good.

Jeff Burroughs

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With all due respect to former MLB outfielder Jeff Burroughs, he may have been one of the most random league MVPs in the history of baseball.

Finishing with career numbers that weren't all that impressive, Burroughs clubbed just 240 total homers, collected just 882 RBI and had a batting average of .261 during his 16-year MLB career.

Of course, the guy did enjoy two All-Star campaigns, one of which came during his MVP season of 1974, when he batted .301, jacked 25 homers and drove in an AL-leading 118 runs.

Still, with paltry stats in the rest of his playing days, it's not hard to see why Jeff Burroughs was a one-hit wonder award-winner.

Larry Brown

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I mentioned Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson a little earlier, but before he made a name for himself on football's biggest stage, former NFL cornerback Larry Brown did it first.

Playing for the Dallas Cowboys during the team's Super Bowl XXX season, Brown intercepted two passes to help him become the first corner to win the game's MVP in 23 years.

Parlaying that performance into a big contract with the Oakland Raiders that offseason, Brown was pretty much nonexistent for the remainder of his career, only being remembered for playing his best game during the sport's biggest contest.

Corey Pavin

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Corey Pavin was never a slouch during his heyday on the PGA Tour, but he also wasn't someone who was expected to compete often, either.

He silenced all of the critics in 1995, though, hitting an incredible approach shot during the U.S. Open that left him winning the tournament and becoming a household name—well, until he wasn't anymore.

The major title was Pavin's first—and last, as he was never again capable of finding the winning formula to become a multiple-major champion.

Mark Fidrych

Breaking into the league in 1976 with the Detroit Tigers, former pitcher Mark Fidrych proved to have more than just some funky windup.

Going a remarkable 19-9 with a league-leading 2.34 ERA and an insane 24 complete games, Fidrych made the All-Star Game and took home Rookie of the Year honors that year, too, leaving many to believe he was a star in the making.

Yeah, about that…

Starting just 27 more games over the next four seasons, the righty went just 10-10 with a 4.28 ERA during that time, hanging up his cleats for good shortly thereafter.

Steve Bedrosian

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There's a really good chance that you have no damn clue who 14-year MLB veteran pitcher Steve Bedrosian is—nor should you, really.

Save for his one breakout season in 1987, Bedrosian didn't have too much success in his big league career, finishing with an overall record of 76-79, saving 184 games and having an ERA at 3.38.

However, that season from nowhere turned out to be a hell of a good one for the reliever, as he finished 5-3 with 40 saves and a 2.83 ERA, earning him the NL Cy Young Award in 1987.

Beating out guys like Rick Sutcliffe, Orel Hershiser and Nolan Ryan, the remainder of Bedrosian's career didn't quite stack up to these other players' stats.

Leon Spinks

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No matter how old you are, the name Muhammad Ali is synonymous with winning, as the former boxer became a legend for being one of the best the sport has ever seen.

But one night in 1978, a man named "Neon" Leon Spinks gave Ali a big L on his career record, defeating the great fighter in just Spinks' eighth professional bout.

Holding the heavyweight title for a full seven months—when a rematch with Ali ended in defeat—Spinks was all but forgotten about thereafter, forever going down as the guy who once beat Muhammad Ali, but nothing more.

Y.E. Yang

During his reign as the greatest golfer in the world, there weren't many people who would ever doubt Tiger Woods in any circumstance—especially if the situation was the final round of a major tournament.

In 2009, though, Woods found out what it was like to be on the losing end of a late-round push, missing out on a major championship thanks to a fellow by the name of Y.E. Yang.

Then the No. 1 player in the world, Woods was upstaged by the guy ranked 110th, as Yang overcame a three-stroke deficit in that final round to capture his first and only major.

Winning just two total PGA tournaments in his career, Yang proves that, sometimes, quality really is better than quantity, as he hasn't been heard from since.

Buster Douglas

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Whether it's an athlete or a team, anytime someone is battling 42-1 odds, that's usually not a good thing. For former heavyweight champ Buster Douglas, though, he took it as an opportunity to pull off one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

Walking into a 1991 bout against Mike Tyson for the heavyweight title, Douglas was written off faster than one of Iron Mike's ferocious jabs, leaving him as an enormous underdog.

But when Douglas knocked out Tyson to win the fight, he put his name on the map. But that ended eight months later in his only title defense against Evander Holyfield, which all but ended his boxing career completely.