OT: best nicknames in sports history

[dice]

my picks, in roughly descending order of quality (cleverness/appropriateness/iconicness):

the boston strangler
air
magic
AK-47
pistol pete
the wizard of oz
iceman
hitman hearns
broadway joe
dr. j
mr. october
mr. hockey
the fridge
minister of defense
mean joe greene
the hick from french lick
revis island
chocolate thunder/white chocolate
the juice
the glove
charlie hustle
the microwave
the nigerian nightmare
the admiral
earl the pearl
round mound of rebound
big shot bob
crime dog
prime time
the answer
the glide
human highlight reel
hands of stone
the big unit
the mailman
flo-jo
macho camacho
sugar ray robinson
the big hurt
bad moon
tractor traylor
the bus

[Ben Wilson25]

Big Country
Half Man Half Amazing
Sweetness
Big Papi
As a Sox fan I was always partial to 1 Dog

[HomoSapien]

Magic Johnson has to be the best nickname. It's so good that most people don't even know what his actual name is (or think that Magic is his actual name).

This might be considered offensive now, but back in the day I'd get a good chuckle out of Shawn Bradley's nickname of "The Enormous Mormon". I don't know why it makes me laugh, but it just does.

[dougthonus]

Magic Johnson has to be the best nickname. It's so good that most people don't even know what his actual name is (or think that Magic is his actual name).

I mean did they even ever refer to him by his real name anywhere? Even on most of his basketball cards his name was "Magic Johnson", and on all of the telecasts when his name came up in print it was Magic Johnson. His nickname was codified by all the entertainment companies as well.

[dougthonus]

I think a nickname reaches legendary status when you refer to someone by the Nickname more than their actual name:

So for me, these stand out for that reason:
Dr. J
Magic Johnson
The Fridge

Like those guys are so inseparable from their nicknames that you have to stop to think what they're real name is, you don't know it automatically without the nickname and it sounds odd to actually say their real name without the nickname.

Pistol Pete and Earl the Pearl are pretty close to that status, but I'm not sure if that was true when they were playing or not since I wasn't watching them, but historically, it's really weird to hear Pete Marovich or Earl Monroe without the Pistol or Pearl in there.

Love some nicknames like the Big Unit or Sweetness for being unique, but while you absolutely know whom those guys are, you think of their real name first and not the nickname. Same with Air Jordan which is amazing, but you don't think Air Jordan before Michael Jordan.

[dougthonus]

As a Sox fan I was always partial to 1 Dog

I literally had to go look up what 1 Dog's real name was (Lance Johnson). I could totally remember everything about him except his real name. I'm like yeah, that was the center field lead off hitter for the sox who stole tons of bases, got lots of triples, and had a great batting average. What was his name?

[JohnnyKILLroy]

Bad Porn wins.

[ATRAIN53]

He's still my favorite CUB.


Legally changed it - decades before Artest

and cmon......


No Tippin Pippen is pretty good too.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

I’ve always been fond of “Tough Juice”

[ChettheJet]

Pistol Pete
The Iceman
Dr. J
Hondo
every player named Lou, Sweet Lou
Mr October
The Snake Kenny Stabler
Bubba Smith
Broadway Joe
Deacon Jones

this could go on for hours

[waffle]

No Splendid Splinter?

For me it starts and ends with the Human Highlight Reel - Just wonderful

But Sweetness? Just perfect

And I didn't see WORM

Budda was a good one

The Answer was pretty good - and an underrated player

[waffle]

AND the Waiter! I always loved that one

[waffle]

Hakeem the Dream was obvious but also a good one

[waffle]

The Penguin!
The Great One
Mike Easler - The Hit Man
"Pudge"
The Stork!
3 fingers brown - well, he had 3 fingers on his pitching hand
BIG TRAIN
Yankee Clipper is darn good

[dice]

I think a nickname reaches legendary status when you refer to someone by the Nickname more than their actual name:

So for me, these stand out for that reason:
Dr. J
Magic Johnson
The Fridge

Like those guys are so inseparable from their nicknames that you have to stop to think what they're real name is, you don't know it automatically without the nickname and it sounds odd to actually say their real name without the nickname

true. i also like that "fridge" or "refrigerator" refers to the container holding the food as opposed to the food itself, which is pleasingly idiosyncratic. whoever came up with it couldn't have expected it to catch on. william "the buffet" perry or something would have been more directly appropriate but not nearly as charming. plus, refrigerators are not intimidating, which makes it fly in the face of the typical football player nickname ("ironhead", "iron mike", "night train lane", etc) and thus makes it lovable

speaking of "iron mike", maybe that should have been on my list

Pistol Pete and Earl the Pearl are pretty close to that status, but I'm not sure if that was true when they were playing or not since I wasn't watching them, but historically, it's really weird to hear Pete Marovich or Earl Monroe without the Pistol or Pearl in there.

you do typically hear just the last name in game action, though (dr. j often referred to as "erving" as well). as opposed to magic or fridge, who are rarely referred to as "johnson" (partly a function of the ordinary nature of the surname) or "perry"

"magic" is almost as ubiquitous as "oprah"

Air Jordan which is amazing, but you don't think Air Jordan before Michael Jordan.

none of the others were brand names, though. that nickname/logo possibly has added nine figures to MJ's wealth. the "air jordan" campaign as a whole surely has

i put AK-47 so high on my list because the coincidence of initials, uniform number and nationality (the gun is a russian model) is so extraordinary...unless the uniform number was chosen to create the nickname

[chitowndish]

Honestly if I had to vote I may go with half man half amazing that is just such a great nickname. I'm also partial to Sweetness that one is great and I also really like Microwave, Magic, Glove, Answer, Air the one word descriptive ones. I guess one other is Wilt the Stilt but that one does feel a bit too obvious but it is still pretty good, Hick from French Lick, Logo, Worm. Fridge is all time great and Dr J and Pistol Pete, Round Mound of Rebound. I always really liked AK 47 that one just seemed like everything fell into place. I guess if you have to pick one Magic basically became the guys first name and is also just one of the great nicknames so you can't go wrong there but I still just like half man half amazing.

[troza]

I agree with the ones talking about Magic Johnson and I will add another Laker to the discussion: Black Mamba. It didn't stick as much as the Magic but it sure builds the image of Kobe Bryant as a player and his "killer instinct".

[molepharmer]

Tiger
The Golden Bear
Babe
Shoeless
The Golden Jet
Rocket

[Michael Jackson]

I agree with the ones talking about Magic Johnson and I will add another Laker to the discussion: Black Mamba. It didn't stick as much as the Magic but it sure builds the image of Kobe Bryant as a player and his "killer instinct".

I think “Penny” qualifies for sure too. No one calls him Anfernee

[JohnnyKILLroy]

The Pink Panther is also pretty awesome.