10 People in Sports Who Have 9 Lives
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski's season was shortened by injury yet again in 2016, but in terms of a comeback, history is on his side (knock on wood).
Gronk has a fairly extensive injury history at just 27 years of age, but he has also showed in the past he can recover and contribute at high levels. You might say the guy has nine lives.
Gronk isn't the only person in sports to have that proverbial trait in common with felines. In fact, 10 current athletes come immediately to mind when considering injury-prone players who have a track record of bouncing back.
The following athletes have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries over the years, but they keep coming back, sometimes better than ever.
Clay Buchholz
1 of 10
Pitcher Clay Buchholz has been with the Boston Red Sox for 10 seasons—his entire MLB career.
Along the way, the right-hander has spent his share of time on the disabled list, dealing with everything from back issues to a hamstring injury and even esophagitis.
Of his injury-prone label, Buchholz told Christopher Smith of MassLive.com (via Ricky Doyle of NESN) in 2015, "It doesn't bother me. There's not a whole lot of people who go through a full season or a career that don't have something come up. And some guys are going to be more fortunate than others. It's one of those things."
Buchholz struggled in the first half of 2016 (3-9 with a 5.91 ERA) and, at one point, went 19 days without pitching. Scott Lauber of ESPN.com wrote, "It's official: The Boston Red Sox have virtually no use for Clay Buchholz."
And yet, he showed signs of life to the tune of four wins and a 2.98 ERA in his last eight regular-season starts. The Red Sox picked up his 2017 option in November.
Dwyane Wade
2 of 10
Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade has been injured quite a bit over his 14-year NBA career—a variety of setbacks including knee and shoulder issues have plagued him for years.
In 2013, Bleacher Report's Stephen Babb outlined a history of Wade's injuries to that point and wrote, "With everything that happened to Dwyane Wade in 2007, it's hard to believe things haven't gone even worse for him in the time since."
Wade dislocated his shoulder and had knee trouble in 2007—he had surgery for both at season's end.
Wade sat the final 21 games of 2008 with recurring knee issues. In 2012, he missed the London Olympics due to injury. In 2016, he played through two shoulder injuries on an already-banged-up Miami Heat roster.
And still, at 34 years of age, Wade is a 12-time All-Star. In his first season with the Bulls, he is averaging 19.1 points in 30.8 minutes per game (through December 4) and bringing valuable leadership.
Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Wade said, "It's my job to try to take care of my body away from the game of basketball. And then when I'm on the court, I pray and knock on wood that I don't get injured so I can stay out there."
Ben Roethlisberger
3 of 10
You can't keep Ben Roethlisberger down.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has been one of the game's most durable figures despite several injury setbacks over the course of his career. Roethlisberger has never missed more than four games in a season, but most every year—from knee to shoulder to concussion—he seems to be dealing with something.
In late November, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post explained:
"Only three times in Roethlisberger's 13 years has he played all 16 games in a season. Three times, he has missed as many as four games in a season. He is often hobbling off with one ailment or another, then finding his way back onto the field, taking a licking but keeping on ticking with that massive, linebacker-sized body.
"
In October, the QB had surgery on a torn meniscus and was expected to miss four to six weeks. He missed one game (thanks to a timely bye week, but still).
Amazing.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Dominick Cruz
4 of 10
American fighter Dominick Cruz was the UFC's first bantamweight champion, and were in not for his injury struggles, he might never have lost that title.
Damon Martin of Fox Sports outlined Cruz's setbacks, which notably included a torn ACL in 2012 that required two surgeries and a torn groin in 2014 that resulted in the stripping of his title.
Cruz recovered and dispatched top-10 contender Takeya Mizugaki in late 2014 but subsequently experienced an ACL tear in his other knee.
Martin wrote, "Injuries are part of sports, and it's expected that every fighter is going to suffer some kind of disappointment at one point or another during a long career. But what Cruz went through would have likely broken most people to the point of no return."
Finally healthy, Cruz retook his title at UFC Fight Night in January, and he will defend it against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 on December 30.
Despite all the injuries, Cruz has just one career loss—to Urijah Faber in 2007.
Giancarlo Stanton
5 of 10
A fastball to the face. A broken hand. A groin strain. Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton saw his 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons end with injuries, but the man is still fearsome with a bat.
Stanton signed a 13-year, $325 million contract in 2014, coming off a season in which he hit .288/.395/.555 and 37 home runs. He is a three-time All-Star and led the majors in slugging percentage (.608) in 2012.
A hand injury limited Stanton to just 74 games in 2015, but he showed signs of his potential once again in 2016.
While his line didn't exactly live up to the expectations his contract sets—.240/.326/.489 in 119 games—Stanton did lead the Marlins in home runs (27) and won the Home Run Derby despite not making the All-Star team. All 10 of the night's longest homers came off Stanton's bat.
And, he's just 27 years old. Will Leitch of Sports on Earth acknowledged Stanton's injury history but also wrote, "Stanton can do terrifying things with a baseball and has a talent that's the envy of millions. He will do many amazing things the rest of his career. He will wow us many times over for years to come."
Adrian Peterson
6 of 10
Adrian Peterson's injury woes date back to his college days.
The Minnesota Vikings running back broke his collarbone as a junior at Oklahoma and missed the final six regular-season games of his college career.
Still, Peterson recovered and quickly established himself as a dominant back in the NFL. A four-time All-Pro, Peterson has led the league in rushing yards three times, including 2012 when he put up 2,097 yards and nearly broke the single-season rushing record.
Peterson was the NFL's 2012 Offensive MVP—a miraculous feat given the fact that he tore his ACL in December 2011.
Peterson missed two games due to injury in 2013, and in September 2016, he experienced a torn meniscus. The Vikings placed him on injured reserve, but the back continues to make progress in his recovery and could return to game action by Week 15, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
Peterson is 31 years old and plays one of football's most punishing positions. And yet, would anyone be surprised if he came back and immediately contributed?
Lindsey Vonn
7 of 10American skier Lindsey Vonn is an Olympic gold medalist, two-time world champion, and she holds the record for most career World Cup wins. In short, she is one of the most successful skiers of all time.
And, she has achieved all this despite a career marred by injuries.
After Vonn fractured her knee in March, Bill Pennington of the New York Times wrote, "But since 2013, Vonn has torn three knee ligaments, has endured two substantial knee reconstructions, has twice broken her tibia and has broken an ankle."
After breaking the World Cup career victory record in 2015, Vonn said, per Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune, "The last two years have been pretty tough and a lot of people counted me out and thought I would never reach this record. A lot of people thought that I would never win again. I never stopped believing in myself, and I think I proved everyone wrong."
In November, Vonn experienced yet another injury, a fractured humorous. Not surprisingly, she remains optimistic, continuing to train and posting the evidence to Instagram.
Derrick Rose
8 of 10
In 2010-11, Derrick Rose averaged 25.0 points and 7.7 assists per game en route to the NBA MVP Award.
Then with the Chicago Bulls, Rose had a few setbacks—toe, groin and back issues—in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 regular season, but he tore an ACL in the playoffs that forced him out for the entire 2012-13 campaign.
Rose returned for the 2013-14 season only to suffer a torn meniscus in November, an injury that required season-ending surgery. The point guard played just 100 games in four seasons from 2011-12 to 2014-15.
And sure, simply being prone to injury doesn't automatically give an athlete nine lives, but Rose has continued to come back after each setback.
The Bulls traded Rose to the New York Knicks ahead of the 2016-17 season, and through December 4, he is averaging 17.0 points in 32.3 minutes per game.
Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News wrote in December, "He absolutely has to be given time. He is a work in progress the way the Knicks are. The season will show if he really does have his legs underneath him again."
Rob Gronkowski
9 of 10
Rob Gronkowski is one of the most fearsome offensive weapons in the NFL, but he has had trouble staying healthy.
The big New England Patriots tight end has dealt with several injury issues over his seven-year NFL career—forearm, herniated disk, knee. In fact, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, Gronk has had nine reported surgeries since 2009.
Then again, after missing nine games in 2013, Gronk came back to lead the team in receiving yards in 2014 (1,124) and 2015 (1,176).
Reiss wrote, "This is the two-sided story of Gronkowski's seven-year tenure with the Patriots—off-the-charts play that at times has some asking if he might be the best to ever play the position balanced against a string of injuries that has caused fans to hold their breath every time he runs a seam route and takes a big hit."
Gronk's 2016 came to an early end due to a back injury, but he is still just 27 years old. Given his history of bouncing back, it would be tough to count him out now.
Bartolo Colon
10 of 10
If anyone has nine lives, it's Bartolo Colon, right? Not only is the Atlanta Braves pitcher 43 years old, but he also came back from a significant injury to revitalize and extend his career.
Colon missed the final two months of 2009 and the entire 2010 season with elbow and rotator cuff injuries.
In July, Kevin Van Valkenburg of ESPN.com wrote, "Once a flamethrower, he has since reinvented himself as an artist with pinpoint control," and, "You can measure the love for Colon in both anecdotes and facts, but let's start with the obvious: He is still surprisingly good at baseball."
Indeed, the 2005 Cy Young winner won 15 games on a 3.43 ERA for the New York Mets in 2016. He also made the All-Star team and became the oldest major leaguer to hit a debut home run.
Colon dealt with thumb and foot injuries in 2016, and yet, the Braves still signed him to a one-year deal in the offseason. Is Colon finally on his ninth life? Time will tell.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
