15 Athletes 'Walking It off and Rubbing Dirt on It'

Regardless of an athlete’s skill level or the scope of the competition, playing through pain is an inevitable part of the experience. The act of icing a shin and wrapping a knee is almost a rite of passage; pain is the currency of effort and effort is often the difference between winning and losing.

This idea is what inspires enduring sports colloquialisms such as "no pain, no gain" and "walk it off." On the most fundamental level, the culture of sports is based on putting the team ahead of the individual.

Athletes will ignore an injury until it threatens to incapacitate their ability to compete, because doing so continues to uphold the team-first philosophy. The desire to contribute is so strong that athletic programs and organizations had to invent ways to put a firewall between the competitor and their own health.

Sports history is filled with everything from hearsay and urban legends to well-documented events that tell the story of athletes who found a way to ignore the human body's most effective warning system—pain—to overcome an injury—even if it doing so meant mortgaging the future in order to seize the moment.

Michael Jordan's 38-point outburst against the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals helped erase an early double-digit deficit and allowed the Bulls to seize momentum in the series. And as basketball fans know, stats alone don't tell the whole story or articulate why that game became the defining moment of a career filled nothing but highlights. It was special because it was Jordan's "flu game"; it was a moment Jordan won despite his body not being up to the challenge.

The athletes featured here may not have created a moment quite to the level of what Jordan accomplished that fateful night in Utah, but they are great examples of "digging deep" nonetheless. These are 15 athletes "walking it off" and "rubbing dirt on it."

Kirk Gibson, Retired MLB

When Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Kirk Gibson hobbled up to home plate to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, he had literally put on his uniform just moments before stepping onto the field. Gibson suffered injuries to both hamstrings in the National League Championship Series and no one expected him to play in the World Series—a prediction that was one plate appearance from being correct.

When Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda made the call down 4-3 and with two outs, he knew he wouldn't be able get more than this moment from the limping fan favorite. What happened next is the stuff of Little League daydreams and movie scripts: Gibson ripped one of the greatest home runs in the history of the game over the right field fence.

Appropriately, he was a hero for doing something incredible—sparking pandemonium among the players and fans who couldn't believe what just happened.

Donovan McNabb, Retired NFL

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Talk about a thankless job. Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb fought through a myriad of injuries under center during his NFL career and, as one would expect, doing so did nothing to endear the player to the city’s notoriously surly fans. Of all the injuries McNabb gutted out to suit up on game day—fractured ribs, knee, shoulder and ankle injuries—his decision to delay sports hernia surgery until Week 10 of the 2005-2006 NFL season is pure football utilitarianism.

After fans watched the quarterback endure three-fourths of the season in obvious pain, he finally had hernia surgery following the Eagles’ Week 10 battle with the division rival Dallas Cowboys, where he aggravated his injury trying to tackle safety Roy Williams after throwing a pick. 

Conner Shaw, Cleveland Browns

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Connor Shaw started a single game as a rookie—a game he lost—but even though he failed to propel his team to a win, he absolutely seized the opportunity to lead. And that enthusiasm, paired with the capacity to will his team into a position to win, is why he left the University of South Carolina a legend and why he is already a fan favorite in Cleveland despite the fact he has little chance to be more than a backup.

Shaw’s gutsy performance against the Missouri Tigers in 2013 perfectly encapsulates the "it" factor Connor Shaw possesses. Capable backup Dylan Thompson started in place of Shaw, who was sidelined with a sprained knee when the Gamecocks made the trip to Columbia, Missouri. Down 14-0 at halftime—and Thompson struggling to move the ball—Shaw begged head coach Steve Spurrier to let him start the second half of the game despite the injury. Spurrier sent in Shaw, who led an improbable comeback to beat Missouri 27-24 in overtime.

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

When the Pittsburgh Penguins made Sidney Crosby the first draft pick of the “new” NHL following the lost 04-05 season due to the lockout, the hockey prodigy officially launched a pro career under enormous pressure to make good on lofty expectations. Someone deemed a superstar, or even savior of the sport, before ever playing an NHL game should expect to have a huge target on his back.

Opposing teams have made agitating Crosby a strategic prerequisite; and the division/state rival Philadelphia Flyers have made antagonizing the Pens an art form. In just his second Pens-Flyers game, the 18-year-old rookie had three of his teeth broken and his lip split courtesy of goon Derian Hatcher. Rather than be intimidated, Crosby needed just four-stitches and a little more than four minutes in overtime to bury his second goal of the night—the game-winner.

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is one of the most polarizing yet wholly uncontroversial players in the league, capable of evoking two starkly opposing opinions over the same three seconds of football. But one element of his game that only the most cynical of NFL fans can consider fair game is Romo’s toughness.

The man’s desire to keep every play alive—even when the only possible outcomes are disaster and/or pain—has made Romo a highlight reel for people who love to watch NFC East pass-rushers pummel whoever is under center for “America’s Team.” Case in point: After fracturing two ribs in the first half of a 2011 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Romo saw enough awful from backup Jon Kitna to return and help the Cowboys eke out a victory in overtime.

Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings

With Boston already down 2-0 during its opening-round playoff series against Miami in 2011, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo suffered a dislocated elbow early in the third quarter of Game 3. At that moment, with his collision with the Heat’s Dwyane Wade being replayed nonstop, it felt like the series and the game were over.

The injury was nothing short of gruesome, which is why nobody was seriously expecting him to return after exiting to the locker room. But instead of heading to the hospital, Rondo had the training staff pop his elbow into place, and he headed back to the court before the end of the third.

A one-armed Rondo played every minute of the fourth quarter, providing an emotional lift that fueled an unlikely 97-81 blowout. Unfortunately for Boston fans, the joy was short-lived. Although Rondo would play in Game 5, the Celtics simply didn’t have enough to overcome the Heat again—they lost 98-90 in overtime.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Two attributes that have helped make Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a two-time Super Bowl winner and one of most dangerous playmakers under pressure are his ability to extend plays and massive 6’5”, 241-pound frame. But being tough to bring down is also why Big Ben has been sacked more than any other active NFL quarterback...by a mile.

Roethlisberger’s career has been a veritable monument to playing through injuries.

And one of the most painful and gruesome-looking of these injuries (predictably) came against their AFC North nemesis in 2010. During the Steelers’ first offensive series, hulking Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata swatted through Big Ben’s face mask, obliterating his nose in the process. Despite the fact his nose was rearranged into a sawtooth pattern, Roethlisberger was back on the field for the next offensive series, and the Steelers hung on to win 13-10.

Curt Schilling, Retired MLB

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With 162 games in a full season, MLB clubs often have the luxury of erring on the side of caution when a key pitcher in the starting rotation is recovering from an injury. There are opportunities to move personnel around, to call up a pitcher and avoid rushing the process.

However, when your club is fighting for its life in the American League Championship Series—as was the case for the Boston Red Sox in 2004—losing an arm like Curt Schilling to an aggravated injury is quite possibly fatal.

Despite exacerbating a lingering ankle injury against the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS before facing the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, Schilling took the mound and pitched a brilliant Game 6.  In order to do this, a doctor sewed Schilling's torn ligament into the ankle, leading to his virtuoso “bloody sock” performance.

Kerri Strug, Former Olympic Gymnast

Former Olympic gymnast Keri Strug’s second vault jump during the women’s team competition at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games was one of those moments that simply feels too dramatic—too improbable—to be unscripted. After a series of errors by the strongest U.S. competitors turned a commanding lead over to the Russian team into a tenuous, razor-thin advantage, winning gold suddenly hinged on Strug’s scores on the vault.

On her first jump, she tore two ligaments in her ankle during the landing. The injury was so bad that merely walking back to the starting line was nearly impossible. It appeared that dream of winning gold in the team competition was on life support.

Rather than concede to the pain, Strug hobbled to the starting position and found a way to power through the vault and nail the landing, willing herself and her country to the gold.

Byron Leftwich, Retired NFL

Though he would go on to have a decent career in the NFL, former Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich probably peaked in college in a game that he didn’t even win. Still, an iconic sports moment is more than most athletes will ever get.

It happened during a contest against Akron in November 2002. Leftwich sustained a fracture in his left tibia (shin bone) on a hit he took in the first quarter. He would return to the field and attempt to lead the Thundering Herd to a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Unable to make it down the field on his own accord, Leftwich was literally carried to the line of scrimmage by his offensive lineman after each completion. ESPN has his heroics listed among the 100 defining moments of college football.

Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

Hockey players have notoriously roomy smiles. Even in the modern NHL, in which heads have a few more teeth on average than back in the day, flying pucks and errant sticks still claim plenty of teeth each season.

Although teeth are usually lost in pairs or trios, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith actually lost seven during Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in May 2010. It was as if he wanted to commemorate the Hawks' first championship since 1961 by sacrificing a tooth for every game in the series!

If that wasn’t already impressive enough, Keith hardly missed a beat. He left the ice briefly to have his mouth full of blood and jagged remnants tended to, but quickly returned and logged a game-high 29 minutes of ice time.

J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

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Even though J.J. Watt’s breakout rookie season with the Houston Texans offered plenty of evidence the imposing defensive end was destined for NFL stardom, Watt officially achieved legendary status after playing through a battered and bleeding nose against the Seattle Seahawks in 2013.

After leveling Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in the third quarter, Watt trotted over to the sideline, blood streaming from a cut near the top of his nose. Six stitches later, he returned to the field with a face terrifying enough to make his bloodied, bandaged mug a timeless staple of NFL lore.

Ronnie Lott, Retired NFL

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Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott obviously had an exceptional 11-year NFL career, during which he won four Super Bowls, but he will always be best remembered for a single decision he made in a game while playing for the San Francisco 49ers back in 1985.

It happened during a regular-season finale grudge match at home against their hated rivals in Dallas. At some point during the game, Lott collided brutally with Cowboys running back Tim Newsome, whose helmet he hit with such force that it nearly ripped his pinkie finger from his body.

Lott left the field for a few plays, but returned and finished to help San Francisco seal a win. He didn’t miss any time in a playoff loss to the New York Giants a week later. The injury ended up being so severe that it required extensive reconstructive surgery.

By the following April, Lott was so fed up with the recovery time associated with his mangled pinkie that told the doctors just to cut it off so that he wouldn’t have to miss any of the 1986 season. And guess what...he didn’t miss a moment.

Tiger Woods, PGA Golfer

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PGA golfer Tiger Woods has struggled to reassert his place as Tiger Woods: The golfer whose presence on the PGA Tour always felt bigger and brighter than any slump or injury. The fact Woods continues to battle lingering injury problems feels like one part of a larger struggle to return to form.

His preternatural performance at the 2008 U.S. Open is a perfect example of this idea that Woods was always bigger than any single injury or setback. Despite suffering from a torn ligament in his left knee and two stress fractures in the same leg—injuries he had been battling in the 10 months leading up to his victory at Torrey Pines—Tiger did his thing. 

In a performance that was as methodical as it was intense, a dynamic that so often defined his game and presence on the course, Woods played all 91 holes and beat Rocco Mediate on the 19th hole of a playoff.

Jack Youngblood, Retired NFL

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Hall of Fame defensive end Jack Youngblood is considered the quintessential NFL tough guy in a league that is largely defined by the toughness of its players. Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1971, the perennial Pro Bowler’s legend was cemented during the 1979 playoffs, when he suffered a broken leg during the divisional-round game against the Cowboys.

And we’re not talking about a hairline fracture—Youngblood had “a totally fractured fibula, about four inches above [his] left ankle, that snapped like a pencil,” he told the Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire in a 2011 Q&A.

Despite the seriousness of his injury, Youngblood was back on the field the next week for the NFC Championship Game. And the following week for the Super Bowl. And then, inexplicably, a week later for the Pro Bowl.

Seriously, Youngblood played in the Pro Bowl with a broken leg. That’s probably why, in the era of head injury awareness, Youngblood has been outspoken about players today standing on the sideline in sweats for injuries guys like him would play through in the past.