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Athletes that played into their 40s
doubledragon
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in Sports Talk
I've always been fascinated by guys that cross this threshold. Who are some athletes that dared to play into their 40s?
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doubledragon
Posts: 22,957 ✭✭✭✭✭
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Robert Parish. NBA. Played a record 1,611 games. Tied for the 2nd most seasons at 21. Third oldest to play at 43. Spent his final season with the Bulls, where he played alongside Jordan and won his 4th ring. Though he was obviously a shell of his former self, he was credited with bringing much veteran knowledge and leadership as well as doing the unthinkable...He legendarily stood up to Jordan in practice and was ready to fight him if Jordan didn't stop with his bullying BS. Known as 'The Chief" or just "Chief", named after a character in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Double zero is a Celtics legend, having won three rings in Boston.
Andrew Whitworth. Oldest offensive lineman to play in a Super Bowl. Oldest tackle to play in a game. Both at age 40. He was the key to the Lambs offensive line....Sorely missed last season..... Too bad for the Bengals that they let him go. They would probably have won the Super Bowl last year if they had kept him. Hell of a solid player. And a solid citizen too. Lots of charity work....Good guy.
Robert Parish stood up to Jordan, fascinating, I have never heard that story before. I did a little digging, and found out that apparently Robert Parish messed up a play in practice, and Jordan got up in his face. Here's what Robert Parish said about the incident:
"I told him, 'I'm not as enamored with you as these other guys. I've got some rings too.' At that point he told me, 'I'm going to kick your ass.' I took one step closer and said, 'No, you really aren't.' After that he didn't bother me," recalled Parish.
Satchel Paige. Retired from the ML at age 59
A couple ex Indians who played well into their 40s .............
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
George Blanda, played until he was 48!
Tom Brady, he was 62 when he decided to retire!
Chris Chelios retired at 48!
Amazing how that generation seemed to age much faster. Blanda looks 60 in that pic. They lived a much rougher life with less of the creature comforts that we have these days.
Hank Aaron
Jimmy Connors
Ken Rosewall
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
No doubt about it, Ken Stabler was 38 when this photo was taken!
Kicker Morten Andersen played until he was 47.
Warren Moon played until he was 44.
Willie Mays retired at the age of 42.
Stan the man was 42 when retired.
Jaromir Jagr hung up his NHL skates at age 45. He still plays in his native Czechoslavakia at age 50.
Nolan Ryan played until the age of 46.
Gordie Howe played until the age of 52!
Joe and Phil Niekro
Hoyt Wilhelm
And who could forget... Bobo Newsom
edited to add "Dutch" Leonard
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
Kareem was 42 when he retired.
Finally retired at "Upper 50s" ?
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Drew Brees played until he was 42.
Still doing his thing at 73! He will be the record holder of oldest performer when he retires! Woooooooooooo!!
Carl Yastrzemski
Willie Stargell
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
Whay a great pic of Brett
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
Clemens, Maddux, Johnson and schilling all played well into their 40s
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Does anyone know why Reggie Jackson only played one year with the Orioles?
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
But the one season of that career about which there isn't a lot of conversation, least when the conversation is about Reggie, is 1976. It is the year he spent with the Orioles, traded there by A's owner Charlie Finley, on his way to becoming a free agent later that year, then on his way to New York, where, as he so famously said once, he brought his star with him.
I asked him the other night what it was like in Baltimore, playing for Earl Weaver with everybody knowing he was probably just passing through, most likely on his way to the Yankees.
Reggie laughed.
"That's not the way it was," he said. "I wanted to stay. I liked the team. I liked the city. My mom was there. My dad was close by. I had other family close by. And I loved playing for Earl. When I got there, he told me, 'You know I like guys who can hit the ball over the fence, Reggie.' And I said to him, 'Earl, I can do that.'"
He held out -- for a $200,000 salary -- until May after Finley traded him and Ken Holtzman and Minor Leaguer Bill VanBommell for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell. No one was sure what was coming with free agency. In collective bargaining, Reggie and maybe a dozen other players didn't know they were officially becoming free agents after the season was over until July.
Cool cover...