The Most Badass Enforcers In Sports

Every sport has an official, referee, umpire or judge that regulates and enforces the written rules of the game. It is the unwritten rules and things that officials miss that causes players to police themselves. The players that do this self-policing are the team's enforcers.

They are the players that are in charge of sending the message that the officials do not. Hockey is most well known for its enforcers, but they are prevalent in most sports. As we enter an age of concussion and awareness and a gentler sporting landscape, the art of the enforcer is becoming a thing of this past.

This list is dedicated to the men that took enforcing to a level that made people realize it may be a little too violent for mainstream athletics. 

No. 15: Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor did not like when the other team had the ball and he put himself in charge of enforcing the rule that only the Giants should have the ball.

Taylor brought unprecedented size and speed to the linebacker position and he played with the blatant disregard for safety that made teams dedicate offensive game plans to neutralize him and keep their players safe.

No. 14: Jim Loscutoff

Bill Russell ruled the basketball landscape for over a decade. He did it through his greatness and because "Jungle" Jim Loscutoff wouldn't let anybody mess with him.

Loscutoff was a career Celtic and one of the original NBA enforcers. People didn't drive to the lane because Russell would block their shots and they were afraid Loscutoff would check 'em down to the Garden floor.

No. 13: Tie Domi

Dave Sandford/Getty Images

TORONTO - FEBRUARY 7: Tie Domi #28 of the Toronto Maple Leafs collides with Kari Lehtonen #32 of the Atlanta Thrashers during their NHL game on February 7, 2006 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

Tie Domi was one of the NHLs last great enforcers. Tie Domi served the third most penalty minutes in the history of the NHL and he enjoyed every moment of it.

Domi relished his role as the Maple Leafs' enforcer and he brought an unmatched zeal and flair to the role. If it is possible to make the role of enforcer glamorous, Domi did.

No. 12: Xavier McDaniel

Finesse players do not earn the nickname X-Man. Xavier McDaniel had a very solid all-around game, but he is going to be best remembered for his take no crap attitude.

The X-Man's teammates didn't have to worry themselves over cheap-shots and trash-talk. McDaniels saw to that. McDaniels didn't care who you were. If you disrespected him or his teammates, he was going to let you hear about it. He even had the audacity to get into the face of NBA royalty like Michael Jordan.

No. 11: Sal Maglie

Not that the nickname, Demon Barber, is probably a good sign in any profession, but there are two where it conjures up the highest level of fear: An actual barber and a Pitcher.

When Sal Maglie was on the Dodgers and Giants, teams took caution before throwing them inside pitches. Maglie looked for an excuse to throw at the other team's head and he was really good at it.

He once hit 10 batters in one season and he racked up 44 hit batsmen in his 13-year career. He himself was hit just three times.

No. 10: Jack Lambert

The Steel Curtain Defense is one of the most feared squads in football history and they were led by their Linebacker/Bad Ass extraordinaire, Jack Lambert. Lambert ruled the middle of the field with an iron head. 

He didn't care if you were a Running Back, Quarterback, Tight End or Wide Receiver--if you were on the other team and near him, he was going to hit you.

No. 9: Terry O'Reilly

Terry "Bloody" O'Reilly or "Taz" O'Reilly is one of the truly legendary NFL enforcers. It was his role; he knew it and he embraced it.

It was not uncommon for O'Reilly to spend over 200 minutes a season in the penalty. O'Reilly was fiercely protective of his teammates. I think Ray Borgue sums up O'Reilly's career best when he said, as the Bruins retired O'Reilly's number, "(His number) hangs next to mine, protecting me again. That's awesome."

No. 8: Anthony Mason

Anthony Mason played in the golden age of NBA enforcers known as the 90s and there was no one more feared then Mason.

He took it as a personal affront if someone tried to drive the lane or get a rebound against his team. He couldn't shoot; he had terrible hands and bad footwork and I am not sure he ever even attempted to dribble, but he had a long NBA career, because he knew how to protect the paint.

No. 7: Dick "Night Train" Lane

When you are famous for clotheslining people, chances are pretty good that you were a bad ass. Night Train did not like it when other teams caught the ball and consequently opposing receivers were not big fans of catching the ball against Lane's team.

Lane was such a fierce hitter, he would make Keyshawn Johnson tell his Quarterback, "Throw him the damn ball." 

No. 6: Early Wynn

When a pitcher hit a batter from Early Wynn's team, that pitcher's own teammates charged the mound. Wynn did not let one of his teammates get brushed off of the plate without having something to say about it and he did his talking by throwing fastballs at people's heads.

As Wynn himself said, "I've got a right to knock down anybody holding a bat." Wynn was so eager to throw at people one reporter asked him if he would throw at his own mother on Mother's Day, to which he replied, "It depends if she was crowding the plate."

No. 5: Charles Oakley

Charles Oakley had a long and productive career, because he was a solid all-around player. He was invaluable to his team, because he did not let his opponents get away with anything.

It was not wise to knock down one of Oakley's teammates, because Oakley was ready with swift and harsh retribution.

Oakley was a beast on the boards and he was not a fan of allowing easy buckets. 

No. 4: Marty McSorley

Mcsorley rose to enforcer fame with the Edmonton Oilers. There he was not just an enforcer, but Wayne Gretzky's Bodyguard. This was a job he took very seriously.

Later in Mcsorley's, and pictured above, Mcsorley went too far and he found himself in the society's penalty box as the courts found him guilty of assault and he served 18 months of probation. He was also suspended for the remainder of the NHL season. 

No. 3: Maurice Lucas

Maurice Lucas is the Godfather of NBA enforcers. While he may not be the first, he is the one that all subsequent enforcers patterned their games after.

Lucas was instrumental in the Blazers 1978 Championship as his no nonsense style of play allowed Bill Walton to continue his peace loving ways.

No. 2: Jack Tatum

Receivers did not like to go over the middle against the Raiders in the '70s. They knew that was Tatum country.

Tatum laid some of the most viscious hits in the history of the NFL and any receiver who played against would be lying if they told you they weren't worried about him as they ran their routes.

No. 1: Dave Shultz

Dave "The Hammer" Schultz raised the bar on enforcing to height that has yet to be matched. He helped lead the Philadelphia Flyers to two Stanely Cups as a proud member and leader of their rough and tumble corp known as the Broad Street Bullies.

Schultz game relied little on finesse and this was okay with him. He set an NHL record by serving 474 penalty minutes in a single season. Schultz was the first hockey player to wrap his hands like a boxer. At first it was to prevent injury, but he soon realized it was effective at causing them. This led to the NHL adopting the "Schultz Rule" that prevented players from wrapping their hands.

Honorable Mention: Detroit Piston Bad Boys

As a response to Michael Jordan's high-flying and scoring ways the Detroit Pistons of the 1980s employed a technique that came to be known as the Jordan Rules. The Jordan Rules largely consisted of beating the crap out of their opponent.

The Pistons had a team enforcer mentality and with players like Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman and James Edwards they were able to ride this rough style of play to back-to-back NBA Championships.