Top 10 Most Unfortunate Names in Sports History

Top 10 Unfortunate Names in Sports

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Not all athletes have great careers, but some leave a lasting impression all the same. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 unfortunate names in sports. For this list, we’re looking at names from the sports world that are just downright troubling – either for their inherent silliness or the obvious mental images they inspire.

Entering the ring at 29 years of age left this bruiser with a fairly short career and boxing record of 15-6-1. But there’s a solid excuse for Floyd Cummings’ late blooming: namely the 12 years he spent in the slammer for murder. While Jumbo is known as the final opponent of the legendary Joe Frazier, he’s also best known for his giggle-inducing, sexually provocative name. It’s a one-two punch that could either make for the best or worst stay in prison ever, but it’s a handle to take seriously elsewhere. Given that the explosive athlete was released from prison again in 2016, Jumbo Cummings likely isn’t a trending jailhouse topic anymore.

This footballer makes it his duty to cling-on, dook it out, audit his assets, and build a log cabin with the best of them. Known to his family as Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, this former AC Milan sensation’s unfortunate nickname emerged when his little brother had struggles pronouncing his name, settling on Kakà instead. Whether he’s feeding the fish, filling the peanut butter jar, updating the Captain’s log, or just doing some paperwork, this Orlando City attacking midfielder never fails to get crowds screaming for Kakà. During his spectacular and sometimes messy career, Kakà always makes the delivery and never flushes away a good scoring opportunity on the pitch.

Born with the much less phallic moniker “John Arthur Cox”, this former basketball player may have had a short career, but sporting history will never forget the name Chubby Cox. A one-time Washington Bullet, Cox is both the uncle of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and father to 2016 Venezuelan National Olympic team member John Cox. Perhaps this explains why Marv Albert was so keen on talking about Chubby Cox over and over and over. Sure, Chubby maybe didn’t have the most prolific career, but he’s certainly more memorable than other pro athletes from his era - such as Jack Glasscock, Scott Tancock or even Pete La Cock.

If you’re even vaguely familiar with NFL legends, you know that everybody loves them some Dick Butkus. After all, the 6’3” Hall of Famer famously laid down some heavy hits over his nine years, and quarterbacks lived in fear of Dick coming down on them. Even so, it’s hard to imagine the trash talk that must have happened on the field, as opponents likely didn’t call Butkus “Richard.” But as he was once declared the “most feared man in the game,” you can well imagine who Butkus’d who. Say what you will about the man’s name, but you can’t deny Dick’s pure grace under pressure.

No matter what this MLB first baseman accomplishes in his career, people will always giggle at the sound of his last name. It’s no secret that pitchers avoid Pujols at all costs, as anybody knows that he’s capable of blasting one out of the park. Fans never fail to seek out a Pujols offering either, just waiting to get their hands all over it. Enthusiastic baseball fans come in droves to see Pujols, and sometimes the experience can be disappointing. Then again, one simply cannot expect him to drop a couple bombs each and every game.

With such a vivid and unfortunate name, it’s more than fair to question the events surrounding this NFL player’s birth. The name “Frank” surely would’ve suited him just fine, or perhaps anything that doesn’t remind one of furry arses. The name is so aggressive that Harry Colon undoubtedly found a way to deal with the jokes at a young age – or at least we hope he did. Perhaps it doesn’t come as a surprise, either, to discover that Harry Colon played “defensive back”, bravely protecting his territory and ready to mash it up with anybody trying to pull a fast one.

All across the world, baseball players aspire to play in the Majors. But in the case of Steve Sharts, a fresh opportunity never came his way. He actually had a clean pitching record at AAA Scranton-Wilkes-Barre in 1990, yet there were clearly some issues for MLB teams – perhaps that his name was Steve Sharts. Given that he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1985 and has some solid stats, one has to wonder why a major league manager never decided to see Sharts up close and personal. Alas, baseball fans can only theorize about the curious case of Steve Sharts.

With one of the more X-rated names in college football history, this man was probably never destined to play in the NFL. For example, imagine all the dirty minded NFL players that would’ve been lined up against or alongside Lucious Pusey. The man played as linebacker for I-AA Eastern Illinois; and judging by the official photo, it seems that someone hollered, “SMILE, Lucious Pusey” right before it was taken. It’s not unreasonable to question the exact naming process for this man, but at least we can all agree that Lucious Pusey – who petitioned to change his name to the much less unfortunate Lucious Seymour – is less offensive than something like Misty Hyman, which is also quite evocative.

Over the years, the sporting world has seen athletes with such names as Dick Pole, Dick Shiner and even Dick Paradise but none of them compare to Mr. Dick Trickle. NASCAR’s 1989 Rookie of the Year refused to go by his given name Richard. As a result, his racing career was entertaining on many levels. Trickle was actually one of the most successful short track drivers of all time, and if social media were a thing in his heyday, #DickTrickle would’ve been a trending hashtag every Sunday. There have been many more successful NASCAR drivers, but there’s only been one Dick Trickle. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. - Ron Tugnutt - Kyle Sackrider - Phyllis Mangina - Destinee Hooker - Dick Tiddy - Stubby Clapp

For a guy with the first name of Russell, it makes perfect sense that he would’ve earned the nickname “Rusty.” And given that Rusty Kuntz was born in 1950s America, maaaaaybe everybody just didn’t get the joke. That being said, one can’t blame him for sticking with his sexually suggestive name, but one can’t blame others for laughing at it either. In fact, Rusty Kuntz is the center of perhaps the most provocative image in baseball history. And the classic “Konerko Getz Kuntz” photograph would never have been taken if he’d been born with any other name. Do you agree with our list? Which name to do you find to be the most unfortunate? For more investigative Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.