These Athletes and Coaches Hung Around Too Long
In sports, there’s a fine line between leaving on a high note and plodding around the locker room as a shell of your former self. Tip-toeing this line isn’t easy, as one’s competitive nature starts to take over.
Often times, overstaying your welcome becomes commonplace.
We wanted to browse through this whole sports encyclopedia and find 10 names who defined this situation. These people represent coaches and athletes who should have left their respective franchises or leagues long before they did. Using stats as a barometer for judgement, here's our list.
Gus Bradley
1 of 9
The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking more disheveled by the minute and head coach Gus Bradley has not been able to fix the situation.
At 2-5, this team has continued to stray down a dark rabbit hole. A hole that has seen a maximum of five wins during any given season since Bradley took the head-coaching job in 2013, despite having weapons like Allen Robinson.
It has been a stagnant recovery for the Jaguars and Bradley deserves a big chunk of the blame. You cannot simply brush off the team's inexperience, when the losses keep piling up.
This should be the final season of Bradley's tenure with the Jags, no matter what. Because for better or worse, he's overstayed his welcome.
Johnny Unitas
2 of 9
The great Johnny Unitas had himself an outstanding career. His work with the Baltimore Colts set the standard of quarterback play for the franchise before Peyton Manning came into town.
Unitas played in 10 Pro Bowls, was part of a Super Bowl title at the conclusion of the 1970 season—Super Bowl V—and took home the NFL’s MVP award on three separate occasions. His decorated career led him directly to the doorsteps of the Hall of Fame.
Towards the finish of his time with the Colts, Unitas’ play took a nosedive. Starting in 1971, he split time with quarterback Earl Morrall, after Morrall ushered the Colts to a Super Bowl win in relief of Unitas the winter before.
Unitas started five games in ‘71, completing 52.3 percent of his throws for 942 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions. It wasn’t pretty.
Two years later, he was dealt to the San Diego Chargers, where he’d go on to start four games, going 1-3 in the process. It was the end for one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history.
Kevin Nash
3 of 9
It’s important to remember Kevin Nash, along with Scott Hall, radically changed the wrestling business. When they left WWE for WCW in 1996, the entire complexion of sports entertainment shifted focus to have a greater sense of reality.
Nash had himself a decorated career, holding multiple championships and entertaining high-profile feuds. The business soared with Nash near the top of the hill.
But as time passed by, he bounced from WCW to WWE to TNA and back to WWE again. Injuries piled up—like the brutal quadriceps tear he suffered in 2002—and Nash’s career turned into a series of fragmented random feuds, culminating with a match against Triple H in 2011.
He’s now comfortably in the WWE Hall of Fame, but it’s a shame how the big man’s career finished up. As one of the pioneers of wrestling in the 1990s, Nash could have transitioned over from WCW to the WWE and continued to be a main event star.
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Bobby Bowden
4 of 9
Bobby Bowden was and is a Florida State legend. He spent 33 years with the program, molding them into a collegiate powerhouse—they won two national titles during his heyday.
However, the tail end of Bowden’s career as head coach of the Seminoles was a different story. From 2005 to ‘09, the Seminoles struggled to get off the ground. The program was slapped with tough sanctions during the ‘06 and ‘07 seasons for violations and academic fraud. On top of that, they never won a Bowl Game of significance.
After the '09 season concluded, Bowden finally retired and passed the torch over to Jimbo Fisher.
It’s challenging to build an argument around the premise he should have left earlier considering all he did. But strictly from a wins and losses point of view, Bowden’s retirement came a few seasons too late.
Since his departure Florida State has rebounded under Fisher, resulting in a BCS title—and undefeated season—in 2013.
Jeff Fisher
5 of 9
Jeff Fisher has been head coach of the Los Angeles Rams since 2012—when they were in St. Louis. The team hasn’t had a winning season since he took over.
It’s unusual for NFL coaches to last this long without forging a full turnaround. Sure, Fisher’s team has accumulated talent. Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald and Tavon Austin are all solid football players. But loading up on talent hasn’t resulted in wins.
Under Fisher, the Rams have gone 30-40-1. A record few coaches would survive. Assuming they stay in that 7-9 range this year, one would have to assume the Rams would finally part ways with their veteran coach.
Tolerating mediocrity has been Fisher’s calling card in L.A. He’s definitely one coach who has overstayed his welcome.
Roy Jones Jr.
6 of 9
Roy Jones Jr. was once considered the best pound-for-pound fight on the planet. His resume consisted of triumphs over Bernard Hopkins, James Toney, John Ruiz and Antonio Tarver. Utilizing lightning quick reflexes and a sustainable sense of power, he bullied his way through the field.
Age finally caught up to Jones, rapidly diminishing his skills. After three-straight losses to Tarver, Glen Johnson and Tarver once again in 2004, Jones' career appeared to be over. Twelve years later, he's still fighting.
Jones has lost five times since, trading wins and losses, fighting just about anyone. The 48-year-old does not plan on retiring anytime soon, as Miguel Rivera of Boxing Scene explained. No one knows when the former heavyweight champ will finally hang up his gloves, but it's definitely long overdue.
Emmitt Smith
7 of 9
The NFL’s leading rusher did most of his damage in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. Emmitt Smith helped epitomize the Cowboys’ magisterial run in the 1990s with his gritty style of play and ability to find creases.
Thirteen taxing seasons with the Cowboys took a toll on his ability to run the rock, and in 2003, Dallas released their star tailback.
Instead of retiring and leaving the sport as a lifelong Cowboy, Smith signed on with the Arizona Cardinals. The two-year deal was worth $7.5 million, and in return for the influx of cash, Smith averaged 3.3 yards per carry and ran for a total of 1,193 yards in two years.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss dubbed Smith the worst free-agent signing in team history, further proving that he overstayed his welcome in the National Football League.
Mack Brown
8 of 9
From the moment Mack Brown took over the Texas Longhorns football program, the team started winning ball games. Brown’s 16 years in Texas turned into 158 wins, two Rose Bowls victories—including a BCS National Championship—and a countless roster filled with remarkable talent.
Things soured for Brown starting in 2010. His team finished 5-7—the worst win-loss ratio during Brown’s tenure. The wins never came back around as Texas couldn’t find its groove, going 25-14 in Brown’s final three seasons.
All of these losses and the lack of direction finally forced Brown out in December 2013, as Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports recited.
For all of the incredible things he did for the Longhorns, it was time for Brown to leave Texas. He had overstayed his welcome and the program knew it was time for sweeping change.
Patrick Ewing
9 of 9
At 37 years old, Patrick Ewing had a chance to retire as a member of the New York Knicks. He had just finished a 62-game campaign, averaging a respectable 15 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Instead, the Knicks' front office dealt their centerpiece in 2000 to the Seattle Supersonics, bringing an end to his time in the Big Apple.
Ewing spent two additional seasons in the NBA—one with Seattle and one with the Orlando Magic—struggling the whole way through. His last stop in Orlando turned into six points, four rebounds and 13.9 minutes per game. He wasn't anywhere near the player we saw in New York.
Looking back, Ewing could have left the sport in 2000 as a lifelong member of the Knicks. His production level was respectable and his team was still competing. Instead, we got two tragic years of post-Knicks Ewing.
All stats, box scores and information via Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
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