The Boyfriend’s Death

One of the oldest and most popular urban legend is the tale of “The Boyfriend’s Death.”

One night a teenage couple parks their car out in the middle of the woods for a make out session. After they’re done, the boyfriend tells his girlfriend that he has to go outside to relieve himself.

After waiting for what seemed like three or five minutes, the girl starts to grow concerned that her boyfriend hasn’t returned yet. Just then, she hears a squeaking noise coming from the top of the car.

Right before she opens the car door, she looks out her window and sees a dark shadow only a few feet from the car. She recognizes that it’s not her boyfriend and fearing for her life, she hops into the driver’s seat to peel off.

But the car won’t move.

She frantically keeps hitting the gas but something is holding the car back. Someone had tied a rope around a tree and to the bumper of the car. She hits the gas one more time only to hear a loud scream.

She slowly gets out of the car only to discover that her boyfriend was tied to the tree and the squeaking noise she had heard was his feet dragging across the top of the car.

In another version of this urban legend, the young couple is out driving and hears a radio broadcast about a deranged man with a hook who escaped from a local penitentiary.

On their way home, they hear a loud thump hit the side of the car. The boyfriend pulls the car to a screeching halt and wants to investigate the noise. But fearing the radio warning, the girlfriend urges her boyfriend to keep driving and check out the car when they return home.

After a moment of deliberating, the boyfriend agrees with his girlfriend and they keep driving. When they reach home, they realize that the noise that they had heard was someone attempting to get into the car.

Hanging on one of the door handles was a bloody hook.

Both versions provide their own warnings. In the first urban legend, the message is clear: teenagers shouldn’t engage in pre-martial sexual situations. And the second urban legend is a warning to not stray too far from home, as well as to heed warnings in general.

Jim Brown

Jim Brown didn’t just want to run over would-be tacklers – he wanted to run through them.

The former Cleveland Browns star is often viewed as the toughest running back ever to play the game of football. At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Jim Brown was an absolute beast to bring down. And if that wasn’t enough for defenders to deal with, he also had explosive speed, too.

Amazingly, Jim Brown only played nine seasons for the Cleveland Browns. But in those nine seasons, he led the NFL in rushing eight times. For his career, Jim Brown finished with 12,312 rushing yards and averaged an eye-popping 5.2 yards per carry. Jim Brown also had 126 touchdowns and was selected to nine Pro Bowls.

On two separate occasions, Jim Brown rushed for 237 yards in a single game. He also scored five touchdowns in one contest and four touchdowns in four other games. Jim Brown never missed a game in his nine-year career and went on to run for at least 100 yards in 58 of his 118 regular-season games.

The three-time NFL MVP rushed for more than 1,000 yards in seven seasons, and once finished with 1,527 yards in one 12-game season. Imagine how many yards Jim Brown could have accumulated if he played in a 16-game season like current NFL running backs do.

When he left the game at age 30 to pursue an acting career, Jim Brown had more yards (12,312), touchdowns (126) and rushing touchdowns (106) than any other player in the game. It’s hard to fathom what he could have done if he played a couple more seasons.

Unbelievably, football might not have been Jim Brown’s best sport, either. Jim Brown was also a basketball player and a second-team All-American lacrosse star at the University of Syracuse.

Jim Brown was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, as well as the Lacrosse Hall of Fame, making Jim Brown one of the few athletes to ever make it into multiple Hall of Fames.

Jim Brown was simply an incredible athlete and is arguably the best running back the NFL has ever seen.

Famous Quotes from Sports Legends

Usually when a legend speaks, they are heard. Below is a collection of quotes from various sports legends. 

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan 

“One of the things that my parents have taught me is never listen to other people’s expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about.” – Tiger Woods 

“A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.” – Billie Jean King 

“My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” - Hank Aaron 

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” - Babe Ruth 

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” - Jackie Robinson 

“One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.” - Nolan Ryan 

“Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” - Tom Landry 

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” - Muhammad Ali 

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” – Wayne Gretzky

“To me it was never about what I accomplished on the football field, … it was about the way I played the game.” – Jerry Rice 

“Cause there’s only one reason for doing anything that you set out to do. if you don’t want to be the best, then there’s no reason going out and trying to accomplish anything.” – Joe Montana

The Top 10 Legendary Sports Stories

Whether the moment came from a professional game or high school, every sports fan has a story to share. SportsNation did something great and listed the top 10 legendary sports stories submitted by ESPN.com users. Below are just three of the entries, but make sure to check out the entire list by clicking here.

“ROBERTO CLEMENTE THROWS OUT BOBBY BONDS WITH AN AMAZING HUCK FROM DEEP RIGHT FIELD. It was either 1971 or 1972, and I attended an S.F. Giants night game at Candlestick Park. At some point in the game with the Giants batting and Bonds on first, a Giant crushed a sure double off the fence in right. Clemente played the carom perfectly. Bonds, one of the NL’s fastest, took off like a shot, his goal being third base. Clemente unleashed a seed to nip Bonds at third and he was called out. While such plays were de rigueur for Clemente, it was a Hall of Fame play to witness. I was 13 years old at the time and it was the greatest defensive play I’ve seen live at an MLB venue. I am 50 now.”- Jon Leonoudakis

“In the summer of 1988, I was covering the Triple-A Nashville Sounds for the now-defunct Nashville Banner. In August of that season, I witnessed no-hitters in consecutive games on consecutive days. Randy Johnson (yes, that Randy Johnson) threw a no-hitter for Indianapolis, but Johnson lost the decision 1-0. Nashville’s Lenny Harris drew a first-inning walk, stole a base and later scored on a groundout. The run stood up as Nashville’s Keith Brown tossed a two-hitter. I remember Indianapolis had to pinch-hit for Johnson in the eighth inning and Pat Pacillo pitched the bottom of the eighth. The next day, Nashville pitcher Jack Armstrong happened upon Johnson prior to that day’s game. Johnson told Armstrong, “Don’t throw a no-hitter and lose.” Armstrong took Johnson’s advice. He threw a no-hitter and won 4-0. Armstrong’s no-hitter was nearly a perfect game; the only blemish was a walk to the fabulously named Razor Shines. You can look it up.”- Mike Waters (Syracuse. N.Y.)

“I witnessed a pitcher strike out the same batter twice in a row on six pitches, (literally the same person, consecutively for the second and third outs of the inning). It was the bottom of the first inning in a significant high school game, with one out and the all-region shortstop at the dish. This guy was by far the best player on the field and was hitting in the 3-hole as he had all year. He proceeded to look foolish on three straight pitches (very unusual) and made his way back to the dugout. It was then called to the umpire’s attention that he had batted out of order. He was penciled in to bat fourth this game and no one caught it. He went right back up to the plate to bat in the correct order and again struck out on three straight pitches. This guy had just struck out two times in a row, on six pitches, and the pitcher was his first cousin. He only struck out four times that entire season and two of them came not only in the same inning, but on consecutive at-bats.” - Doug (Athens, Ga.)

Willie Mays

The origin of Willie Mays’ nickname of “The Say Hey Kid” is a bit fuzzy. But maybe the meaning behind the name stems from the way Willie played the game - like a kid.

Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax once said that it “seemed like that Willie never made a mistake.” It’s probably because Mays was the best all-around player to ever step on a baseball field. Whether it was making an amazing basket catch with his back turned to the field or a whirling throw from centerfield, Mays could play the game of baseball.

And the best part is, he played it like he was a kid. He always had a smile on his face and appeared to be playing in the backyard by himself instead of in front of hundreds of on-lookers in a stadium.

Mays played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, mostly for the New York/San Francisco Giants, but he also spent one year with the New York Mets. In those 22 major league seasons, he made 21 All-Star appearances, won 12 Gold Glove Awards and was a two-time National League MVP. He also won the 1951 Rookie of the Year Award and was a two-time MLB All-Star Game MVP.

Mays accomplished so much in baseball, including hitting over 500 home runs, 3,000 hits and was a member of the prestigious 300-300 club. He also had over 400 doubles, 100 triples, scored over 1,000 runs and knocked in over 1,000 RBI.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 on the first ballot, receiving 94.7% of votes. He finished his career with 660 home runs, 3,283 hits and a batting average of .302. His #24 was retired by the Giants and there’s a statue dedicated to him in front of AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Aside from all of the accomplishments, nobody will forget the general love Mays had for baseball. He made playing the game look easy and fun, and is a perfect role model for young people looking to get into the game.

Willie “The Say Hey Kid” Mays played the game of baseball the way it was supposed to be played.

Barry Sanders

Many used to say Barry Sanders had moves on moves. The former Detroit Lions running back certainly had a knack for the highlight reel play.

Sanders attended Oklahoma State University from 1986 to 1988. There, he set college football season records with 2,628 rushing yards, 3,249 total yards, 234 points, 39 touchdowns, five consecutive 200 yard games and also scored at least two touchdowns in 11 consecutive games. His highlight game came in the 1988 Holiday Bowl in which he ran for 222 yards and scored five touchdowns in only three quarters of play. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy that year and joins Thurman Thomas as arguably the best OSU Cowboys running back ever.

Sanders left OSU after his junior year and the Lions selected him with their first round (3rd overall) pick in the 1989 draft. He quickly became one of the greatest sports figures in Detroit history and went on to have an amazing career.

In his 10 seasons with the Lions, Sanders went to 10 Pro Bowls and was a 10-time All-Pro Selection. He also won the 1989 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and was a two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year for years 1994 and 1997.

His abrupt retirement prior to the 1999 NFL Season sent shockwaves through Detroit and the rest of the league. Unhappy with the direction of the Lions franchise, Sanders chose to retire and leave football forever. Some fans in Detroit still can’t bear to talk about how Barry left the game, but they always respected the way he played the game and his professionalism.

Sanders will always be known as one of the most electrifying players in NFL history. It would often appear that he was stopped for little to no gain, only for him to bounce away from would-be tacklers and break off an amazing run. His quite demeanor will always be respected as well, and if he hadn’t cut his career short, he would have probably gone on to break numerous NFL records.

The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs

One of the most popular urban legends ever told is “The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs.”

As the legend is told, a teenager is asked to baby sit two young children for the night. At one point, she gets a strange phone call by a man telling her to “mind the children.”

Thinking it was a prank, the babysitter does nothing at first. After a short while, the phone rings and again, a man is on the other end telling her to mind the children. Fear sets in for the babysitter, so she calls the police and tells the operator that she’s getting freighting phone calls from a stranger. The operator asks the babysitter to try and keep him on the line the next time he calls in order for the police to trace where the call is coming from.   

The next time he calls, the babysitter tries to keep him on the line, but he hangs up. A second later, the operator calls back with the horrifying news that the calls are being made from inside the house. Just then, the babysitter hears footsteps walking down the stairs and she makes a break for the front door.  

When the police arrive, they discover a man brandishing a butcher’s knife. He had killed the two children and apparently was ready to kill the babysitter next.  

Like most urban legends, this tale has different versions. In some, the man kills the babysitter and in others she saves the children. But all of them deliver the same warning: Mind the children or harm will be done to them. 

This urban legend was made into a 2006 movie called, “When a Stranger Calls.” The movie follows the original storyline in that a man harasses the babysitter from inside the house until she eventually attempts her escape.

Jerry Rice

As the story goes, rookies and fellow teammates would try to work out with Jerry Rice in the offseason. Rice used take them on this jog up this large hill in the middle of the woods and at first, his teammates would be able to keep pace without a problem.

Then the real workout began.

Rice, one of the greatest wide receivers to have ever played in the NFL, would break into almost a full sprint up the hill, leaving his teammate behind gasping for air. Nobody worked as hard as Rice in the offseason.

Before Rice made a name for himself in the NFL, he was a standout football player at Mississippi Valley State University. As a sophomore in 1982, he hauled in 66 passes for 1,133 yards and seven touchdowns. As a senior, he broke his own Division 1-AA records for receptions with 112, and yardage with 1,845. Rice’s 27 touchdown receptions in 1984 set a NCAA record and on August 12, 2006, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Even though his college stats were marvelous, many NFL teams stayed away from the wide receiver because he only ran a 4.7 40-yard dash. The 49ers weren’t scared, however, and traded up to the No. 16 spot in the 1985 draft to get him.

The rest is history.

For his career, Rice was nominated to 13 Pro Bowls and was a 12-time All-Pro selection. He was named MVP of Super Bowl XXIII, as well as named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in both 1987 and 1993. The NFL also named him onto their All-Decade Team for the 1980s and 1990s.

By the time Rice finally retired in 2005, he finished as the leader in numerous NFL statistics. Below is just a small sampling of how many NFL records he holds.

Receptions (1,549)
Receiving yards (22,895)
Touchdown receptions (197)
Yards from Scrimmage (23,540)
All-purpose yards (23,546)
Rushing/Receiving Touchdowns (207)

He also holds countless NFL season and single game records, including most seasons with at least 1,500 receiving yards (4) and games with at least 100 yards receiving (76).

On top of all his accomplishments, Rice was also in fantastic shape. He only missed 17 regular season games in his career, with most coming in 1997 when he missed 14 games with torn knee ligaments.

There might not be a better wide receiver to ever play the game of football.

The Killer in the Backseat

This urban legend has two different versions, but the following is the most popular.

A woman had gone out for drinks one night with friends. Upon leaving the bar, she noticed that a man quickly jumped into his pickup truck, started the engine but did not leave. She then got into her car and started her descent home, only to notice that the man in the pickup truck had began following her.    

It was late at night so no one else was on the road. After a few minutes, the man in the pickup truck got close to her bumper and started to flash his high beams on and off. Frightened, she didn’t want to look behind her and decided to keep her eyes on the road.

But every few minutes he turned his high beams on, and then off.

She thought maybe she would lose him if she sped up and took a back road to her home. As she started to accelerate faster and faster, the pickup truck did the same, flashing his high beams on and off in the process.

She finally reached her house, jumped out of the car and ran straight for her front door. Just then the man in the pickup truck parked behind her, jumped out and began screaming, “Call the police! Call 911 – hurry!”

When the police arrived, she realized the terrifying truth about the man in the pickup truck: he wasn’t trying to harm her – he was trying to save her life.

Earlier that night while leaving the bar, the man in the pickup truck saw that another man with a butcher knife had gotten into the woman’s backseat. He didn’t have any time to warn her, so he followed her home, flashing his high beams on and off whenever he saw the man with the knife pop his head up from the backseat.

In another version of this urban legend, the woman pulls into a gas station and upon filling up her car, the gas station attendant sees a man with a knife lying in the backseat of her car and attempts to warn her. In some versions the woman heeds the gas station attendant’s warning, in others she’s killed because she doesn’t listen.

In all versions of this story, it’s always a woman who is being chased.

Cal Ripken Jr.

In a sports era haunted by players’ involvement (or possible involvement) with performance-enhancing drugs, it makes one appreciate what a fine career Cal Ripken Jr. had.

Ripken was never the prototype player when he made his big league debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 1982. With most shortstops being smaller and fleet of foot during his career, Ripken was mammoth at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t as swift defensively as his counterparts, as evidence by his back-to-back Gold Glove Awards in 1991 and 1992. He also led the league in assists in multiple seasons and set an MLB record in 1990 for best fielding percentage of any shortstop in a single season.

Ripken often overcame his lack of athleticism by studying opponents and situations so he could be in the best possible position defensively. His hard work and dedication is evident with the way he holds at least one all-time record in these categories: assists, fielding percentage, fewest errors, putouts and double plays.

Cal was no slack at the plate, either. He essentially opened the door for present day power-hitting shortstops like Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada by blasting at least 10-plus home runs in 20 of 21 of his major league seasons. (Something unheard of for shortstops in his era.) He hit a career-high 34 dingers in 1991 and has hit more home runs (345) than any other shortstop to play the game. 

Of course, the “Iron Man” is most remembered for his career longevity and consecutive games played. 

He appeared in 2,632 straight games without a day of rest, a record that still stands today and is unlikely to be broken for some time. Some believe his pursuit of most consecutive games played saved baseball after fans were turned off of the game following the strike-shorten season of 1994. 

Among some of his other career achievements:

-         19-time All-Star

-         8-time Silver Slugger

-         2-time AL MVP

-         1982 AL Rookie of the Year 

Ripken was a unanimous Hall of Fame selection in 2007, garnering 98.53 percent of votes. It was the highest percentage of votes for a position player ever, as well as the third highest overall. He also had his No. 8 retired by the Baltimore Orioles in 2001, ranks 78 on The Sporting News’s list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players. 

Cal Ripken Jr. was never the flashiest player and his low-key lifestyle kept him out of the public eye, but nobody should downplay the impact he had on baseball. He was one of the finest to ever play the game.

Michael Jordan

“I wanna be like Mike!”

Perhaps the most recognizable name in all of sports is Michael Jordan. From unbelievable highlights on the court to commercials and movies off it, “MJ” is often considered the No. 1 sports legend of all-time.

As the story goes, at 5’11, Jordan was deemed too short to play for his high school varsity team as a sophomore. But that following summer he grew four inches and his basketball career was born.

Following his high school career, Jordan received a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina and was named ACC Freshman of the Year in 1981. He also made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown. Jordan left UNC one year before his scheduled graduation date after winning the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984. 

The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick in the NBA draft after the Houston Rockets (Hakeem Olajuwon) and Portland Trail Blazers (Sam Bowie) passed on the former Tar Heel. In due time, the Trail Blazers selection of Bowie over Jordan is often viewed as the biggest blunder in NBA draft history.

One could fill an entire book with Jordan’s NBA accomplishments. Among some of the honors: 

14-time All-Star
Rookie of the Year—1985
Five-time MVP—1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998
Six-time NBA Finals MVP—1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
Olympic Gold Medalist—1984, 1992
Defensive Player of the Year—1988
Nine-time All-Defensive First Team
Seven-time The Sporting News MVP—1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998
11-time All-NBA—10 times first team, 1 time second team
Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year”—1991
Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996
Two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion—1987, 1988
Select records

Most NBA Finals MVP awards—6
Highest single series scoring average NBA Finals—41.0 (1993)
Most scoring titles—10
Most All-Defensive First Teams—9
Most consecutive games scoring in double figures—866
Highest career scoring average—30.12
Highest career scoring average playoffs—33.45
While players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are considered some of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball, none hold a candle to Jordan’s NBA legacy. He’s often hailed as one of the greatest professional athletes in any sport and his trademark dunks still don the walls of many youngsters throughout America.

Brett Favre

UPDATE: Brett Favre signs with NY Jets!
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10922372

The date of February 10, 1992 will be a day the Green Bay Packers organization will cherish forever and a day the Atlanta Falcons would love to forget.

That was the day then-Packers general manager Ron Wolf pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in sports history.

At the time, the Falcons were coming off a playoff appearance the season prior, thanks in large part to the stellar play of their quarterback Chris Miller. About 950 miles north, the Packers were in utter disarray and needed a face for the franchise – preferably at quarterback.

So Wolf made a call.

The Falcons must have thought Wolf’s phone call was a joke, because what he was offering was Green Bay’s first round pick in 1992 for quarterback Brett Favre – the same Brett Favre that had rotted on the Falcons’ bench as a rookie by day and hit the nightlight in Atlanta hard by night. In fact one time, Favre was late for a team photo shoot because he had been out drinking the night before.

He wasn’t a savoir – he was a screw up. And the Falcons were more than happy to take a first round pick (which they eventually used to select Favre’s college teammate, running back Tony Smith) for their third-string quarterback that wasn’t going to see the field anyway.

Whoops.

The rest was history.

Favre cleaned up his act and found a new life in Green Bay. He concentrated on football and almost immediately transformed into the player that caught Wolf’s eye at Southern Mississippi University.

Favre would eventually take the Packers to two Super Bowls – winning one in 1997 – and earned the Associated Press’s Most Valuable Player Award three times (1995, 1996, 1997). He was also selected to nine Pro Bowls, was a seven-time All-Pro selection and was named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

He also currently has the most wins by a starting quarterback in the NFL with 160, and has the most consecutive starts by a quarterback with 253. For his career, he has thrown for 61,655 yards and 442 touchdowns. He also has a career QB rating of 85.7.

On March 4, 2008, Favre officially walked away from the game. Even though fellow signal callers like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady received more accolades later in his career, Favre always competed at the highest level and is considered one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.