The 25 Biggest One-Hit Wonders in Sports History

Sport: Football
Greatest hit: Throwing for 4,338 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions, while finishing with a 92.3 passer rating with the Lions in 1995

We think it's safe to say that when you throw for more than a third of your career touchdowns in one season, the term one-hit wonder should probably be branded somewhere on your body. Scott Mitchell should be sending Barry Sanders an annual fruit basket or something, as the famed tailback undoubtedly contributed to the ridiculous numbers Mitchell put up in 1995. He showed flashes again in 1997, but he pretty much spent the rest of his career getting to know the benches of a few NFL squads.

Sport: NCAA Football
Greatest hit: Throwing for 32 touchdowns in just 11 starts as a senior at Oregon in 1998

Akili Smith proved that one really should have to prove themselves at least twice at the collegiate level before being dubbed the next messiah of the gridiron. After his ridiculous season at Oregon, smith was selected as the third overall pick during the 1999 draft. Smith never completed at least 50 percent of his passes during his four-year career with the Bengals, Packers, and Buccaneers.

Sport: Hockey
Greatest hit: Winning the 2004 Stanley Cup

The Tampa Bay Lightning marked their first, and only appearance to date in the Stanley Cup Finals, with a victory over the Calgary Flames in seven games back in 2004. In what can be described as nothing less than a dream season, the Lighting entered the playoffs as the one seed, and rode their dominance all the way to the top. Seeing as they haven't one the division since that season, their victory showed indeed that lightning doesn't strike...

Sport: A League of its Own
Greatest hit: The 2001 season, which aired on NBC

The brainchild of former WWF/E commissioner, Vince McMahon, the XFL did not last past it's inaugural season in 2001. We like the idea of nicknames on jerseys, but isn't football violent enough that we don't need to be creating a league that looks to promote the combination of wrestling and football? Tommy Maddox, FTW!

Sport: NCAA Football
Greatest hit: Winning the 1994 Heisman Trophy, by racking up 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns for the University of Colorado

It's safe to say that certain expectations come with winning the Heisman Trophy. It's also safe to say that by only playing one full season in the NFL, Rashaan Salaam did not live up to those expectations. The Bears were left with egg on their face when they drafted the 1994 Heisman winner with the 21st overall pick in the 1995 draft, and Salaam was left clutching onto his Heisman like the NCAA selection committee was coming to take it back in the middle of the night. SMH!

Sport: A League of its Own
Greatest hit: The 2002-03 season, which aired on Spike TV

If you're looking for someone to direct your anger at for the creation of this mutant animal, then look no farther than Mason Gordon. We're not really sure why, but Gordon sought to create a sport that combined athletics with a real-life video game component. Yeah, we want the number of his connect, ASAP. Credit to Gordon though, he actually got major networks to carry his brainchild, no matter how briefly.

Sport: Soccer
Greatest hit: Winning the 1994-95 Premier League

When Blackburn captured the 1994-95 Premier League crown, thanks in large part to strike duo of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, they ended an 81-year wait to hoist England's top-flight club trophy. Blackburn were relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2011-12 season, and currently sit ninth in the table. Form is very difficult to replicate.

Sport: Soccer
Greatest hit: Scoring a last-second goal that saved Carlisle United's Football League status at the end of the 1998-99 season

Yes, a goalkeeper scored one of the most important strikes in Carlisle United's history. With just seconds remaining on the final day of the season, Jimmy Glass traveled the length of the pitch on a corner to volley home the game-winner against Plymouth Argyle. Glass also became the answer to the question asked in English pubs during trivia time, who scored the goal that keep Carlisle United from being relegated from the Football League in 1999?

Sport: Basketball
Greatest hit: Exploding for 38 points against the Lakers on 2/10/12, and hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater against the Raptors on 2/14/12, while filling in for the banged up Knicks

We're not saying Jeremy Lin isn't going to have a sound career by the time he hangs up his kicks, but if anyone thinks he's going to match that storied February he had for the Knicks in 2012, think again. Droppin' 38 on the Lake show, throwing it down on the Wizards, Lin could do no wrong. There is no doubt the world is a better place for having experienced "Linsanity", but we may want to hold off on scheduling the world book tour.

Sport: Basketball
Greatest hit: Averaging 14.2 ppg and 5.7 apg during the 2002-03 regular season with Minnesota, in addition to averaging 23.5 ppg in the first round of the playoffs against the Lakers

Boasting 9 ppg and 1.7 rpg for his career, we really wonder what Troy Hudson did differently during the 2002-03 season, and why he never did it again. Knick fans were probably just letting out a sigh of relief that Isiah Thomas didn't snatch him up after that year. We could just see him in his lair trying to put together a package to bring Hudson to MSG. SMH!

Sport: Football
Greatest hit: Rushing for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns during his 1988 rookie season with the Bengals

Perhaps better known for the "Ickey Shuffle," Woods did propel the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII during his prolific rookie season. The Bengals of course lost that game to the Niners. Woods then tore his anterior cruciate ligament the following season, and following further injury setbacks he was done by the age of 26. Damn, Ickey.

Sport: Baseball
Greatest hit: Finishing 6-3 with a 3.83 ERA, and recording a no-hitter, during his 2001 rookie season with the Cardinals

There have been 282 no-hitters in Major League Baseball history, and throwing one is undoubtedly a way to have your name etched forever into the game. Bud Smith of the Cardinals was responsible for No. 251 when he silenced the bats of the Padres back in 2001. This was the last no-hitter thrown by a Cardinal, and for all intents and purposes it was the last time anyone heard from Bud Smith.

Sport: Baseball
Greatest hit: Hitting .297, with 50 home runs and 110 RBI, with the Orioles in 1996

A career .256 hitter, Brady Anderson never blew anybody away with his skills on the diamond. Sure, he recorded at least 50 RBI several times in his career, but he came nowhere close to replicating his gaudy 1996 season with the O's. Long the face of a struggling franchise, we're sure Orioles fans will always have a soft spot in their hearts for Brady Anderson.

Sport: Soccer
Greatest hit: Winning the 1966 FIFA World Cup

Considering the country invented the sport, we'd expect England's World Cup pedigree to be slightly more impressive. The Three Lions captured their sole World Cup title as the hosts in 1966, and the closest they've come to tasting glory since was when they reached the semis in 1990. Oh, well, Brazil beckons next summer.

Sport: Golf
Greatest hit: Defeating Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff to win the 1955 U.S. Open

Jack Fleck didn't just defeat his icon in Ben Hogan to capture the 1955 U.S. Open, he erased the largest deficit ever by an eventual U.S. Open winner. Fleck was back nine strokes in the first-round of the tournament, only to mount his ridiculous comeback. This may have been a one-hit wonder, but what else could this dude achieve to really top this?

Sport: NCAA Basketball
Greatest hit: Reaching the Final Four in 2006

In case you couldn't already figure it out, 2006 was indeed the only time in school history that the George Mason Patriots reached the NCAA Final Four. They had a magical run that was highlighted by an 86-84 OT win against UCONN in the Elite Eight, and ended with a 73-58 Final Four defeat at the hands of eventual champs, Florida. Since that run, George Mason hasn't even made it out of the first round. Then head coach Jim Larranega 'aint no one hit wonder though, he's living it up coaching the 'Canes down in Miami. Ayo!

Sport: Football
Greatest hit: "The Catch", during Super Bowl XLII, against the Patriots

What more is there to really say about this one? David Tyree pretty much did nothing before this game, or during his entire career for that matter, but he will be forever immortalized in football history for the play that set up the Giants Super Bowl XLII winning touchdown. We know Rodney Harrison still has nightmares about this one, and rightfully so. Just for the record, Tyree never caught another pass in the NFL. Now that is how you exit the building.

Sport: Tennis
Greatest hit: Winning the 1989 French Open

At age 17 Michael Chang became the youngest male player to ever win a Grand Slam singles title when he captured Roland Garros in 1989. And while Chang would go on to win 34 titles in his career, he never managed to lift another Grand Slam trophy. Now that is a major letdown, and the type of notoriety that places Chang into the category of one-hit wonder.

Sport: Baseball
Greatest hit: Hitting 10 home runs in September, and one memorable shot against the Rangers in the ALDS, during his 1998 rookie season with the Yankees

Some dudes kill it their entire career, and carry teams that barely get a sniff of post-season glory, other guys like Shane Spencer hit .262 for their career and get three World Series rings. Thanks to one prolific September, and an even more prolific long ball in the 1998 ALDS, Spencer will forever go down in Yankee history. A one-hit wonder in every sense of the word.

Sport: Football
Greatest hit: Rushing for a Super Bowl Record, 204 yards and 2 touchdowns, during Super Bowl XXII against the Broncos

After only rushing for 126 yards during the 1987 season, Timmy Smith delivered one of the greatest single-game performances in Super Bowl history to lead the Redskins to a 42-10 drubbing of the Broncos. Smith walked away from the game for good in 1990 as a result of injuries, but we're pretty sure he gets free everything when he goes anywhere in the D.C. area. It's these kind of freak performances that immortalize a dude.

Sport: Baseball
Greatest hit: Throwing a perfect game 5 of the 1956 World Series for the Yankees

When you've thrown one of only 23 perfect games in Major League history, you're going to be a legend of the game regardless of what you do for the rest of your career. Add to the mix the fact that Don Larsen's perfect game came in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the defending champion Dodgers, well, dude could've hung up his cleats right then and there. He may have finished his career with a sub .500 record of 81-91, but it really doesn't take away from that one unbelievable performance.

Sport: Boxing
Greatest hit: Featuring on the cover of Sports Illustrated after beating Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1978

"Neon" Leon Spinks will forever be remembered for defeating Muhammad Ali to capture the world heavyweight championship in 1978. It was only Spinks' eighth professional fight, and it is obviously one of the greatest upsets in not just boxing history, but all of sports. Spinks may have finished his career with a modest record of 26 wins, 17 losses, and three draws, but he also gave us one of the best Sports Illustrated covers ever.

Sport: Boxing
Greatest hit: Handing Mike Tyson the first loss of his career in a 10-round KO victory in 1990

Buster Douglas literally turned the world on it's head by handing "Iron" Mike Tyson the first loss of his professional career. Tyson was not just the best in his class at the time of the fight, but was already considered one of the best champions in heavyweight history due to the way he dominated the division. Douglas was a 42-1 underdog going into the fight, and he is largely credited with shaping the rest of Tyson's colorful career, inside the ring and out.