Before the 2001 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers were faced with a dilemma.

The Chargers had the No. 1 overall pick and Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick was arguably the best overall player in the draft. San Diego had a great need for a signal caller, but just four years prior it had selected former Washington State QB Ryan Leaf with the second overall pick and it wound up being a disaster. Leaf quickly became one of the biggest busts in NFL history and fearing Vick would wind up a bust as well, they traded the top pick to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for multiple picks and wide receiver Tim Dwight.

One of the multiple picks the Chargers acquired from Atlanta was the fifth overall selection, in which they used to select Texas Christian running back LaDainian Tomlinson.

Tomlinson won the MVP award in 2000 for the Mobile Alabama Bowl, as well as the Doak Walker Award for being the nation’s top running back and the Senior Bowl MVP in 2001. But even with those accomplishments on his resume, some scouts felt he wouldn’t be able to sustain the pounding NFL running backs take throughout an entire year.

The San Diego Chargers weren’t scared off, however, and made Tomlinson their top pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. It turned out to be a fantastic decision and LT has become one of the franchise’s best players of all time.

Since 2001, LaDainian Tomlinson has earned five trips to the Pro Bowl and is a four-time First-team All-Pro selection. He also holds the all-time NFL record for single season touchdowns at 31, as well as the all-time NFL record for single season rushing touchdowns with 28.

Questions about whether or not he could withstand the pounding of being an NFL back were quickly erased when LT flashed his toughness while running in-between the tackles. His quickness and elusiveness has also led to big gains and highlight reel plays. He’s still one of the most athletic players in the league and certainly one of the most explosive players in the NFL.

LaDainian Tomlinson holds the all-time NFL record for the most points cored in a single season at 186. He also holds the all-time NFL record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (18), most consecutive multi-touchdown games (8) and is tied for third place for most career 200-yard rushing games with multiple players (4).

Tomlinson is the most prolific back in San Diego Chargers’ history. He holds the all-time San Diego Chargers record for most career touchdowns at 111, as well as the record for most career rushing yards at 10,650 (2001-2007).

LaDainian Tomlinson’s career isn’t finished, but he already can be mentioned with other NFL greats Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith.

At the time, many scouts and football pundits didn’t believe he was the best quarterback in the draft. At the time, many believed Ryan Leaf of Washington State would turn out to be the better signal caller and therefore the Indianapolis Colts had made a grave mistake.

Or not.

With the first overall selection in the 1998 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. Some loved the selection while some loathed it because they thought Ryan Leaf was going to be the superstar, while Manning would struggle with his mechanics.

What the Colts knew and what many didn’t was that Peyton Manning was the ultimate student of the game. When asked what the first thing he would buy with his rookie signing bonus, Manning responded that he wanted to purchase a high-end video system so that he could better watch game film. Leaf wanted to use his money on a new car.

Ten years later, Peyton Manning is a Super Bowl winner, a two-time league MVP and is the all-time leader in passing touchdowns and passing yards for the Indianapolis Colts. He’s also been selected to eight Pro Bowls, is a six-time All-Pro selection and has broken countless NFL records.

Ryan Leaf, on the other hand, was out of the league in five years after playing for four different teams including the San Diego Chargers (who drafted him in second overall behind Manning in the 1998 draft), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks.

But back to Manning, he currently holds the records for consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards (6), most season with at least 4,000 pass yards (8) and most consecutive seasons with a t least 25 touchdown passes (10). He also holds the records for most games with a perfect passer rating (4), most consecutive games started to open a career by a quarterback (160) and has the highest passer rating in one season (121.1 in 2004).

He’s also still playing. Peyton Manning is already a legend to the Indianapolis Colts and given his historic career to this point, a sports legend as well. He might go down as the best quarterback to ever played the game.

So much for those who said Ryan Leaf would be better.

Most sports legends have a legendary story to share. Most of these stories are embellishments of the original tale, but some are unexplainably true.

THE BLEACHER REPORT has complied some of these legendary stories for your amusement. Did Deion Sanders really run the fastest time at the NFL Combine? How many goals did Pele average during his career? How many reverse dunks did Earl “The Goat” Manigault pull off to win a $60 bet? Find out below.

Soccer

Pele

At the age of 17, the great Pele, established himself as the definition of Brazilian football, as he scored a hat trick in his first World Cup Tournament. During a time when the game was much more physical and bookings were much less frequent, its said that Pele put the ball in the net 1280 times in 1363 career fixtures with international and club teams. That’s nearly a goal per game!

Pele won a total of 32 titles during his career. Perhaps his most amazing feat was bringing soccer to a new level in America in the 70’s while playing for the Cosmos.

Baseball

Satchel Paige

Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige is best known for his long career and high salary.  While Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams were overseas fighting with the armed forces, Satchel was the highest paid athlete in America.

However, Satchel is a legend for intentionally walking loaded bases in the 1942 Negro World Series to face the most feared slugger of his time, Josh Gibson.

Paige went on to strike Gibson out in 3 pitches. Gonads, my friends, gonads!

And rumor has it, Page won 104 out of 105 games in 1934.

Josh Gibson

Now Josh Gibson’s story will make Paige’s tale even more unbelievable.
Josh Gibson was known at the time as “The Black Babe,” because of his home run power.  Sadahara Oh from Japan is known as the all-time baseball home-run leader with over 800. Behind him there’s Barry Bonds, Hank Aarons, Babe Ruth, and the list goes on.

There are no precise numbers, but Gibson was said to have hit 962 homers in his career, with 84 in 1936!
The first thing fans usually say to discredit Gibson’s accomplishments is, “He was playing in the Negro League.”  However, Paige played in both the Negro League and the majors.
During his MLB career, Paige had an era of 3.29. That’s not bad even by today’s standards.

Football

Deion “Prime-Time” Sanders

I think we all know how great of an athlete Deion was. He played pro baseball and football, excelling at both. In college he was also a track and field star, while being named an All-American three times in football.

But the Deion story most fans forget, that I love the most involves his 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Legend has it, in 1989, Prime Time walked on to the field with nothing but a pair of gym shorts, flip-flops, a t-shirt and a gold chain. Sanders proceeded to slip off his sandals and run a 4.12 40 yard dash - barefoot!

Enough said!

There are many more sports legends that have redefined expectations.

Earl “The Goat” Manigault, a 6-foot-2 guard from Harlem, is known to have done 36 consecutive reverse dunks to win a $60 bet. He also set the record in New York City for most points scored by a junior high student with 57.

Manigault’s other accolades involve a double dunk, where he’d finish one dunk, grab the ball after it goes through the net while still in the air, only to slam it one more time before landing. His acrobatics were on display for money once again, when he leapt to the top of a backboard to snatch $20 someone had stuck to a piece of bubble gum.

It’s amazing what some sports legends can do. How about the NIKE commercial where Tiger Woods continuously bounces a golf ball off one of his clubs and then drives it into the distance?

Dick “Night Train” Lane wouldn’t survive in today’s NFL. No, not because he wouldn’t survive playing against today’s athletes.

Dick “Night Train” Lane wouldn’t survive in today’s NFL because he would be way too aggressive for referees. Today’s NFL couldn’t handle Lane’s tenacity, ferociousness and ferocity. He would be flagged on every play.

In 1952, Lane was sick of working at an aircraft factory so he decided to show up to the Los Angeles Rams’ training camp. He was projected as a defensive end, but with future Hall of Famers Tom Fears and Elroy Hirsch already on the roster, coach Joe Stydahar tried Lane at defensive back.

As long as Lane could hit someone, he didn’t care what position he played.

During his rookie season in 1952, Dick Lane set the record for most interceptions in an NFL season with 14. Not bad for a guy that wore #81 (an unusual number for a defensive back) and who was projected to be a defensive end.

After just two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, Lane was traded to the Chicago Cardinals in 1954 and then eventually to the Detroit Lions in 1960. Lane played in Detroit until he retired in 1965.

“Night Train” finished his career with 68 interceptions, amassed 1,207 interception yards and scored five touchdowns. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls, was a 10-time All-Pro selection and was elected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. Lane was also a part of the 1950s All-Decade Team.

Lane is often considered as one of the best cornerbacks to ever have played the game and certainly the toughest. Receivers used to cringe when they knew Lane was in the area, fearing a ferocious hit. He also had great ball skills, which made him a double-threat considering his outstanding tackling ability.

In 1974, Dick “Night Train” Lane was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

One of the finest and most influential figures in college football history is longtime Penn State University head coach Joe Paterno.

Joe Paterno has an overall coaching record of 372-125-3. He’s also 23-10-1 in bowl games and he’s won two NCAA National Championships (1982, 1986).

But it’s what he does off the field that makes him a true college football legend.

What many don’t know is that Joe Paterno started what was known as the “Grand Experiment” in 1970. The idea behind it was to get collegiate athletes a solid education and make sure they were not only their best on the field, but also in the classroom as well.

Every year, Paterno requires that all of his players have above-average success in the classroom and more times than not, his student athletes don’t fail him. Throughout the years, Penn State football players consistently have outstanding graduation rates and are often among the top 10 in Division I scholastics.

Being a former English major, Joe Paterno often makes sure that his athletes don’t use incorrect grammar when talking to reporters or fellow teammates. You won’t hear “We played good today,” out of a Penn State Nittany Lions player.

On top of what he does for students’ scholastic achievements, Joe Paterno and his wife Sue have donated more than $4 million to expand the Pattee Library on PSU’s campus. They’ve also helped raise an additional $13.5 million in private donations for the library’s construction.

Joe Paterno is now in his 80s and over the past four or five years, there has been talk through the media of his impending retirement. But you don’t usher a legend out – he can leave whenever he pleases. That’s how much Joe Paterno means to Penn State University and college football. He deservedly writes his own ticket. 

Not many coaches can touch what Joe Paterno has brought to college football over the years. He’s a true college football legend and an outstanding coach.

Joe Paterno’s Career Awards and Achievements:

1972 Walter Camp Coach of the Year
1978 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
1981 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award
1982 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
1986 SI Sportsman of the Year
1986 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
1986 Paul “Bear” Bryant Award
1994 Walter Camp Coach of the Year
2002 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
2005 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award
2005 The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award
2005 Walter Camp Coach of the Year

When the name Willie Mays gets brought up, most sane baseball fans associate the legendary outfielder with the San Francisco Giants. But at one point at the end of his career, Mays did play with the New York Mets.

SI.com did a unique feature in their Photo Gallery section in which they compiled a group of sports legends that quite didn’t look right wearing certain teams uniforms throughout their career.

The list makes you say, “Boy Michael Jordan looks weird in that Washington Wizards uniform.” Below is SI.com’s list.

Willie Mays
New York Mets, 1972-73
Mays led the Giants from 1951 through 1972, before being traded midseason to the Mets. In just a handful of at-bats, Mays had little impact on his new team.

Michael Jordan
Washington Wizards, 2001-03
Sure, he owned part of the team. But MJ just didn’t look right in a Wizards uniform and he failed to get his team to the playoffs.

Joe Namath
Los Angeles Rams, 1977
After 12 years with the Jets, Namath dragged his worn out knees to Los Angeles for one more shot at glory. He played in just four games, throwing three TDs and five INTs.

Bobby Orr
Chicago Blackhawks, 1976-79
After making his mark on NHL history in Boston, Orr joined the Blackhawks. He played just 26 games for Chicago.

Hank Aaron
Milwauke Brewers, 1975-76
After setting the all-time home run record with the Braves, Aaron spent two seasons in Milwaukee — the city in which he began his career with the Braves before they moved to Atlanta.

Patrick Ewing
Seattle Supersonics, 2000-01
Ewing spent one season with the Sonics and the next year in Orlando. He didn’t average double-digit scoring in either season.

Tony Dorsett
Denver Broncos, 1988
Dorsett followed up 11 seasons in Dallas with one forgettable season in Denver.

Babe Ruth
Boston Braves, 1935
After 15 years rewriting the record books in pinstripes, Ruth joined the Braves, who simply wanted him to boost attendance. Ruth had just 72 at-bats with the Braves.

Ray Bourque
Colorado Avalanche, 1999-2002
Actually Bourque did contribute to the Avalanche’s success, which included a Stanley Cup in 2001. But he just doesn’t look right out of the Bruins uniform he wore for 21 years.

Dominique Wilkins
Boston Celtics, 1994-95
‘Nique had 12 great seasons in Atlanta before bouncing around with the Clippers, Celtics, Spurs and Magic at the end of his career.

Rush for over 1,400 yards and haul in over sixty catches in five straight seasons and you’re definitely considered a legend.

Emmitt Smith was born May 15, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida. He played collegiatly at Florida University, where he was eventually elected into the Gator Football Ring of Honor.

Out of college, the Dallas Cowboys drafted Smith in the 1990 NFL Draft with the 17th pick in the first round. He played for the Cowboys for 13 seasons from 1990 to 2002, before joining the Arizona Cardinals in 2003.

For his career, Emmitt Smith compiled 18,355 rushing yards (a 4.2 yard per average) and 174 rushing touchdowns. He currently holds the NFL record for career rushing yards, breaking Walter Payton’s mark on October 27, 2002. Smith also leads all running backs with 164 career rushing touchdowns and his 175 total touchdowns ranks him second to only San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver Jerry Rice, who has 207 total touchdowns.

Emmitt Smith was best known for his tremendous durability, vision and balance. He was never one of the faster or flashier backs, but he was always well renowned for running between the tackles and gaining the “tough yards.”

One knock on Smith has always been that he had great offensive lines blocking for him in Dallas. And fans of Barry Sanders have long believed that if Barry didn’t have an earlier retirement that he would have shattered the NFL career rushing record.

But there’s no denying Smith was a great player – great offensive lines or not. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls, was the 1993 NFL MVP and was a six-time All-Pro selection. He also won the 1990 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was elected into the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.

Perhaps Emmitt Smith’s greatest achievement was winning the MVP Award for Super Bowl XXVIII. Smith finished his career a three-time Super Bowl winner and one of the true NFL greats.

The name Tom Landry is often symbolic with NFL coaching legacy.
 
After playing defensive back during his NFL playing career and amassing 32 interceptions in 80 games, tom Landry became a defensive coordinator for the New York Giants in 1956. Ironically enough, Landry was opposite fellow coaching legend Vince Lombardi, who was the Giants’ offensive coordinator.
 
While serving as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, Tom Landry invented the now popular 4-3 defense. The defensive front features four down lineman (two defensive ends and two defensive tackles), three linebackers (two left and right outside linebackers and one middle) and four defensive backs (two cornerbacks and two safeties).
 
Tom Landry was also the first coach to analyze tendencies and determine what the opposing offense was trying to do before the snap. Landry’s “Flex Defense” was designed to align defenders in the right position to counter what the offense was trying to accomplish. It was the first time any coach built a system that was designed to be flexible based off of countering the opposing team’s offense.

In 1960, Tom Landry became the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Even though history would prove Landry was a coaching genius and legend, things didn’t go very well during his first five seasons. The Cowboys started off 0-11-1 during Landry’s first year, and never amassed more than five wins in each of the next four seasons.

Despite the horrible start to his career, Landry was given a ten-year extension by then Dallas Cowboys’ owner Clint Murchison. It was a risk on the part of Murchison, but one that would eventually pay huge dividends.

The Cowboys won seven games in 1965 and then were one of the NFL’s biggest surprises in 1966, posting 10 wins and making it the championship game. Even though Landry’s Cowboys lost to Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, the season marked many great things to come.

Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys went on to have 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966 to 1985. That marvelous feat is still an NFL record and is also one of the longest winning streaks in professional sports.

Landry amassed a 270-178-6 record over the 20 consecutive winning seasons, which is the third most wins for a head coach. The Dallas Cowboys went on to win 13 Divisional titles, five NFC championships and two Super Bowls (1972, 1978). Landry’s 20 career playoff wins are the most of any head coach in NFL history.

For all his accomplishments, Tom Landry won several awards, including AP Coach of the Year and Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1966.

Simply put, Tom Landry was an innovator and a true coaching legend.

Perhaps no defender in the history of the NFL was more feared than New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

“L.T.” was born February 4, 1959 and essentially came out of the womb ready to play football. After an All-American career at the University of North Carolina, the New York Giants drafted Lawrence Taylor with the second overall selection in the 1981 NFL Draft.

Lawrence Taylor made a splash right away in the NFL, winning the league Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 1981. It would be just one of the many career accomplishments for Lawrence Taylor.

Lawrence Taylor played his entire career with the Giants from 1981 to 1993. He recorded 1,088 tackles, 142 sacks and nine interceptions. Lawrence Taylor was also a 10-time Pro Bowl and 10-time All-Pro Selection and won two Super Bowls with the Giants.

In 1986, Lawrence Taylor recorded 20.5 sacks (a career best) and won the AP NFL MVP. He was named the AP’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times (1981, 1982, 1986) and recorded double-digit sacks in seven consecutive seasons dating from 1984 to 1990. Lawrence Taylor was also named to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team.

Lawrence Taylor was arguably the most gifted outside linebacker to ever play the game. He essentially changed the way offensive lines had to play the Giants because of his dynamic athletic ability. In many instances, teams tried to use extra defenders – sometimes three at a time – in efforts to slow Lawrence Taylor down, but were often unsuccessful.

He was a true sideline-to-sideline defender and one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. When he blitzed, he couldn’t be blocked by only a running back because it was a matchup Lawrence Taylor usually won. His energy and effort was often unrivaled.

Off the field Lawrence Taylor was just as reckless. After he retired, he admitted that he used to send hired prostitutes to opponents’ hotel rooms in hopes to tire them out. He also admitted to spending thousands of dollars on drugs and even fessed up to using teammates’ urine in order to pass league-administered drug tests.

More recently, Lawrence Taylor has pursued a career in acting and even had a role in Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday. Lawrence Taylor has also lent his voice to the controversial video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as well as Blitz: The League.

With Joe Namath, it’s not all about stats.

Oh, “Broadway Joe” had stats, too. But it was more about his presence and larger-than-life façade.

Joe Namath was drafted with the 12th overall pick in the 1965 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, but elected to sign with the AFL’s New York Jets, who chose him with the third overall pick in the first round of the 1965 AFL Draft. Joe Namath played in New York for almost his entire career from 1965 to 1976, then capped off his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1977.

For his career, Joe Namath finished with 173 touchdowns and threw for 27,663 yards. While his QB Rating was only a 65.5, Joe Namath was nominated to five Pro Bowls and was a five-time All-Pro Selection. He was also a two-time AFL MVP in 1968 and 1969.

As previously noted, however, stats weren’t Joe Namath’s claim to fame.

The year was 1969 and the NFL was regarded as the more superior league to the AFL. Led by All-Pro quarterback Johnny Unitas, the Baltimore Colts were favored by three touchdowns and expected to steamroll the New York Jets in the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, now referred to as the Super Bowl.

Three days before the game, Joe Namath responded to a heckler at the Miami touchdown Club with the now famous, “We’ll win the game. I guarantee you.” It was the first time a professional athlete guaranteed a win and the quote sent shockwaves through the country.

Who was this brash player?

Joe Namath proved that he wasn’t all talk, competing 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards and earning the game’s Most Valuable Player Award in the New York Jets’ stunning 16-7 victory. It’s still one of the greatest upsets in football and sports history.

The win made Joe Namath a star and his career made him a Hall of Famer. But the guarantee made Joe Namath a legend. While he was the first NFL quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in 1967, he was also the game’s first marketable media personality. Joe Namath was a true media superstar and before his knees ruined his mobility, one of top quarterbacks to play the game.