Image via Complex Original
Game 6 of the NBA Finals was a classic, and both the Heat and the Spurs are banged up. Dwyane Wade is playing through a bum knee, and Tony Parker's hamstring injury has limited his trademark quickness at times, but was able to hit a monster three last night. Both are digging deep and gutting it out this series, but how does that stack up against Willis Reed taking the floor for Game 7 of the 1970 Finals with a torn leg muscle? Or Muhammad Ali boxing with a broken jaw? Wade and Parker may have nagging leg injuries, but these 25 athletes demonstrated tremendous toughness and valor to play through extreme injuries to try and help their team win. Check out the 25 Gutsiest Performances In Sports History.
25. Terry Butcher's Butchered Head
Date: 9/6/1989
Game: 1990 World Cup Qualifying, England vs. Sweden
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By the end of England's World Cup qualifer against Sweden, Butcher looked more like a serial killer than a footballer. A collision early in the game created a gash on his head, which England's trainers haphazardly bandaged. Their work proved to be useless, because Butcher kept on heading the ball, thus opening up his wounds. His no-nonsense work in central defense earned England a 0-0 draw and a birth in the 1990 World Cup, but it left him bloodied and maniacal looking. (Patrick Bateman, anyone?) No amount of bleach was going to get THAT blood stain out.
24. Gregory Campbell Finishes His Shift
Date: 6/5/2013
Game: NHL Eastern Conference Finals Game 3, Penguins @ Bruins
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Just two weeks ago, the Bruins defender took a slap shot off of the powerful stick of Penguins star Evgeni Malkin. Although he could barely skate, Campbell stayed on defense pressuring opposing forwards as effectively as a man with a broken leg can and finished his shift. His resolve might've given the Bruins they needed to come away with the OT win.
23. Cesc Fabregas One-Legged Penalty
Date: 3/31/2010
Game: Champions League Quarterfinals, Barcelona @ Arsenal
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Going into this Champions League draw against Barcelona, Fabregas was already dealing with a bad knee bruise from Arsenal's previous match against Birmingham. Arsenal went down 2-0 to Barca, but Fabregas inspired a comeback to secure a 2-2 draw. The match-tying goal was created after Fabregas was brought down in the box by Carles Puyol, resulting in a red card and Puyol's dismissal from the pitch. Fabregas took the penalty and converted, but almost immediately went down in pain with a broken right leg.
22. Franz Beckenbauer's Sling Game
Date: 6/17/1970
Game: World Cup Semifinal, Italy vs. West Germany
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Early on in the 1970 World Cup semifinal against Italy, the legendary German sweeper injured his arm during a tackle. Instead of coming off, he threw his arm in a sling and turned in a typical Beckenbauer performance. A 111th minute Italian goal dealt West Germany a 4-3 loss and a spot against Brazil in the Final, but Beckenbauer and his broken clavicle oozed class throughout the 120 minute extra time thriller.
21. Dez Bryant Torches The Saints With A Broken Finger
Date: 12/23/2012
Game: Week 16 NFL Regular Season, Saints @ Cowboys
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For an NFL wide receiver, your hands are your money makers. No hands means no catches, which means no pay days. The mercurial Bryant definitely earned his Jerry Jones money at the end of the 2012 season. Against the Bengals, he broke his left index finger. Normally, that kind of injury would sideline a wide receiver for a few weeks, but Bryant isn't your normal wide-out. A week later, he caught a touchdown in a win against the Steelers, and the week after that, he burned the Saints for nine catches, 224 yards, and two scores. Fantasy owners everywhere rejoiced the Legend of Dez.
20. Chris Simms Loses His Spleen
Date: 9/24/2006
Game: Week 3 NFL Regular Season, Panthers @ Buccaneers
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After taking several hard hits from the Panthers defense, this Buccaneer QB bowed out of the game. Simms quickly returned and led a scoring drive, but the extreme discomfort caused by the previous hits forced him to a local hospital after the game. Tests revealed that Simms had ruptured his spleen, and emergency surgery would be needed. Doctors removed his spleen, but Simms lost five pints of blood during the surgery. If he had gone untreated for another 45 minutes, Simms would've been near death. No game of football is more important than someone's life. Shortly after his life-threatening injury, Simms became an advocate for blood donation in the Tampa Bay area.
19. Mateen Cleaves' NCAA Title
Date: 4/3/2000
Game: NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game, Michigan State vs. Florida
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When Cleaves left the NCAA Championship Game in the third quarter with an ankle injury, it looked like Florida was going to seize the opportunity and take the title. They had been cutting into Michigan State's lead prior to Cleaves' injury, and another run seemed certain. Cleaves toughed it out, returned to the game, and led the Spartans on a 16-6 run to finish off the Gators. Although he needed crutches after the game, the point guard's gritty 18-point performance over Florida earned him the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award.
18. Ronnie Lott Gets Amputated
Date: 12/22/1985
Game: Game 16 NFL Regular Season, Cowboys @ 49ers
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During a game against the Cowboys, the Hall of Fame defensive back had his left pinky crushed during a tackle. While legend has it that Lott chose to have it amputated in the locker room so he could get back into the game, Lott has since cleared that up: "The story goes that I cut it off right in the middle of the locker room-which I didn't." He actually just had it taped up so he could continue to play, but the following offseason, he chose to have the crushed pinky tip amputated. Salute to nine fingered legend.
17. Ally Maxwell's Gut-Check
Date: 5/18/1991
Game: Scottish Cup Final, Motherwall vs. Dundee United
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In the 1991 Cup Final, Maxwell of Scottish side Motherwall took a knee in the gut from a Dundee United attacker. Motherwall was out of substitutions, so Maxwell had no choice but to suck it up and finish the match. In the match's dying moments, Maxwell saved a volley from near point-blank range to secure a 4-3 victory and the Cup, but his heroics earned him a hospital visit. He was hospitalized for nine days after the Final with a laundry list of ailments: blurred vision, three cracked ribs, and to top it all off, a ruptured spleen. Ouch.
16. Byron Leftwich Literally Carried Downfield
Date: 11/2/2002
Game: MAC Regular Season, Marshall @ Akron
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After being pulled out of the game, taken to a hospital, and being diagnosed with a broken left tibia, Leftwich did what anyone else would do: leave the comfy hospital bed and drive back to the game. FOH. By time he returned, Marshall was down 27-10 in the third quarter. Remarkably, he threw for 208 yards on a broken leg, but Akron still held on 34-20. What everyone remembers though are the images of Leftwich being carried downfield by his linesmen, totally unable to walk.
15. Willis Reed Hobbles Out of the MSG Tunnel
Date: 5/8/1970
Game: Game 7 NBA Finals, Lakers @ Knicks
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With Bill Russell retiring before the start of the 1969-70 season, would-be contenders like Willis Reed and Clyde Frazier's Knicks were suddenly put on alert. They faced the Lakers in the Finals, whose Big Three of Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West were on the hunt for their first title after being repeatedly shut out by Russell's Celtics.
The Knicks would take a 3-2 series lead, but lost Reed during Game 5 to a torn leg muscle after tripping over Chamberlain's leg on a dribble. The Knicks went on to win Game 5, but with Reed seemingly out for the rest of the series, hopes of closing out the Lakers appeared to be dashed as well. Reed didn't suit up for Game 6, and the Knicks lost by 22 in Los Angeles.
Before Game 7 at MSG, however, Reed stepped onto the floor during warm-ups, and started the game. With his torn leg muscle, he scored two early baskets to send the Garden crowd into a frenzy, paving the way for Frazier to drop a 36-19-7 line on the Lakers. Inspired by Reed, the Knicks would go on to win Game 7 and win their first NBA title.
14. Philip Rivers' Torn ACL
Date: 1/20/2008
Game: AFC Championship Game, Chargers @ Patriots
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Usually, when a player in any sport tears his/her ACL, it's game, series, and season over. Not for Phillip Rivers. During a Divisional playoff game against the Colts, Rivers tore his ACL. Undeterred, he chose to have arthroscopic surgery done to clean up his knee so he could at least walk. One week later, he threw on the pads against the undefeated Patriots with a Super Bowl birth on the line. His Chargers fell 21-12, but Rivers toughed out 37 passes for 211 yards with most of his left knee in shreds. It's guys like Rivers who make Jay Cutler look like a wuss.
13. Bert Trautmann's Loses His Neck For The Cup
Date: 5/5/1956
Game: FA Cup Final, Manchester City vs. Birmingham City
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During the 1956 FA Cup Final against Birmingham, Trautmann was defending Manchester City's goal with a 3-1 lead. In the 75th minute, a collision with an opposing attacker knocked him out, but he quickly regained consciousness. Because no substitutes were permitted, a dazed Trautmann carried on, making two saves in the dying minutes to wrap up the Cup. After dealing with neck pain in the ensuing days, x-rays revealed that Trautmann had dislocated five vertebrae in his neck. Had any more damage been done, Trautmann would've died. Sadly, Trautmann never fully recovered physically or psychologically, and he retired a few seasons thereafter.
12. Kerri Strug's Gold Medal
Date: 7/24/1996
Game: 1996 Olympics
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Doing it for your country always means more, which is why Strug's gymnastic performance is so special. After injuring her ankle on a botched vault attempt, Strug needed one more successful vault to mathematically clinch the gold for her team. Even though she limped to the runway for her second attempt, her vault was nearly faultless—it earned a 9.712 score from the judges, clinching the gold for Team USA.
11. Emmitt Smith Beats the Giants With One Arm
Date: 1/2/1994
Game: Week 18 NFL Regular Season, Cowboys @ Giants
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"No pain, no gain," is surely what Smith was telling himself during this Week 18 game against the Giants. After an awkward tackle in the first half, Smith was taken to the locker room and diagnosed with a separated shoulder. With an NFC East title, a potential first-round bye, and Smith's own MVP candidacy on the line, he came out in the second half and rushed for 59 yards on 13 carries, leading the Cowboys to a critical 16-13 OT win. His efforts wrapped up his second consecutive MVP award, and the first-round bye helped propel the Cowboys to a Super Bowl that year.
10. Curt Schilling's Bloody Sock
Date: 10/19/2004
Game: ALCS Game 6, Red Sox @ Yankees
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The 2004 ALCS is one that'll go down in infamy for Yankees fans. The Sox won the series 4-3 after initially being down 3-0, in large part to Schilling's heroics. Schilling tore a tendon in his right ankle the round before, and had gotten blasted by the Bombers in Game 1. Without a stable right ankle to push off of, Schilling and the Red Sox seemed doomed. Team doctors performed a procedure on the ankle in an attempt to remedy it, but there were still doubts. Schilling ended up going seven strong innings, willing the Red Sox to a momentous Game 6 win to complete the series comeback.
By the end of his outing, Schilling's right sock was soaked in blood from his ankle bleeding out. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series that year, and to the delight of Red Sox Nation, vanquish the Curse of the Bambino. Last February, the Bloody Sock was sold at an auction for $92,613.
9. Kirk Gibson's Walk-Off World Series Home Run
Date: 10/15/1988
Game: Game 1 World Series, A's @ Dodgers
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Gibson, who had won the NL MVP award before the World Series, wasn't expected to play. He had injured both legs and suffered through a stomach virus during the NLCS. Yet it was Gibson who stepped to the plate with the Dodgers down by one run in the bottom of the 9th inning.
The batter before Gibson, Mike Davis, was walked by A's right-handed closer Dennis Eckersley, who was afraid of Davis' lefty power threat. Right-handed Mike Anderson, who had been standing in the Dodgers' on-deck circle, was thought to be an easier out. But instead of sending Anderson to the plate, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda chose to pinch-hit Anderson for Gibson's lefty stroke, surprising Eckersley.
Gibson would work Eckersley into a 3-2 count. Thanks to advanced scouting reports on Eckersley, Gibson was expecting a backdoor slider on the next pitch, a pitch that he took over the right-field fence for a walk-off Dodgers win. Gibson, barely able to walk, hobbled around the bases and emphatically pumped his fist, capping off the victory. Gibson wouldn't appear again in the World Series, but the Dodgers still went on to win their first title in seven years.
8. Tiger Woods' 2008 U.S. Open Title
Date: June 12-16, 2008
Game: U.S. Open
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Only two months before the tournament, Woods underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. To make matters worse, he fractured his leg in two places during rehab. That didn't stop Tiger from competing in the Open. After four days, Tiger was tied with Rocco Mediate at -1, forcing an 18-hole playoff. Throughout the tournament, Tiger had been hobbling from hole-to-hole, using his club as a walking stick, grimacing with every drive.
Despite his crushing leg injuries, he beat Mediate in the extra playoff to win his 14th major title. After the tournament, Tiger would have surgery to repair what was actually a torn ACL in his left knee. Golf may not be a tough-guy's sport, for that weekend in June, Tiger toughed it out.
7. Bob Baun's Broken Ankle
Date: 4/23/1964
Game: Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals, Maple Leafs @ Red Wings
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Another broken leg, another athlete giving zero fucks. During Game 6, a slapshot taken off the leg caused Baun to be carried off the ice with the score tied at 3-3, but that didn't stop him from having the final say in the game. Baun had his leg iced and taped up, and scored the winning goal to force a Game 7. Even though he was unable to walk without crutches, he had his leg taped up again for the final game. The Maple Leafs won that Game 7 4-0, giving Baun his third Stanley Cup.
6. Steve Yzerman's One-Legged Stanley Cup
Date: June 4-13, 2002
Game: Stanley Cup Finals, Red Wings vs. Hurricanes
Watch it here
How Yzerman was able to skate after tearing up his right knee, only he knows. He literally played the entire Stanley Cup Finals on one leg after injuring it in rounds prior. Not only that, but he sucked it up and played effectively for an intense five game series, which his Red Wings would win. His knee was so messed up that the subsequent surgery and rehab kept him out for the entire first half of the next season. No way Yzerman's mortal.
5. Muhammad Ali Fights Through A Broken Jaw
Date: 3/31/1973
Game: Ali-Norton I
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Muhammad Ali took a lot of punches in his career, but few were as damaging as the ones he suffered against Ken Norton. In a bout against Norton, Ali had his jaw broken (it's unknown when exactly during the fight it happened—Ali's trainer claims it happened in the second round, while Norton says he delivered the killer punch later in the fight). Regardless, Ali fought 12 grueling rounds, and even though he lost a controversial decision, that's respect in our book. Not that boxing's G.O.A.T. needed any more.
4. Michael Jordan's Flu Game
Date: 6/11/1997
Game: Game 5 NBA Finals, Bulls @ Jazz
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"The Flu Game" has gone on to be one of Jordan's most legendary moments. Whether he was really ill due to the flu, food poisoning, or a hangover, we'll never know, but let's get one thing straight: MJ was sick as a dog. Coming off a Game 4 loss, the series was tied 2-2 against Karl Malone's Jazz. Jordan spent the entire day in bed resting for the game, unable to prepare himself properly for a pivotal Game 5. Despite trainers telling him not to play, Jordan took the floor and dropped 38 points, including a dagger 3-pointer with 25 seconds left en route to a 90-88 Bulls win. Chicago would go on to win Game 6, giving Jordan his fifth title. Nobody did it quite like Mike.
3. Jack Youngblood's Broken Leg Playoff Performance
Date: 1979
Game: 1979 NFL Playoffs, Rams at Cowboys (Divisional), Rams @ Buccaneers (Championship), Rams @ Steelers (Super Bowl)
Watch it here
If there was any NFL player to play through an entire playoffs on a broken leg, it was always going to be Jack Youngblood. Football's original Ironman played 201 consecutive games across 14 seasons. In 1979, he broke his fibula in a Divisional match-up against the Cowboys, an injury that would knock any sane and non-masochistic person out for the season. But no, Youngblood threw a plastic cast over his leg, played in the NFC Championship a week later, and the Super Bowl a week after that. We have a feeling that his frightening last name has something to do with his mental numbness towards pain.
2. Joe Montana Fights Off Hypothermia
Date: 1/1/1979
Game: Cotton Bowl Classic, Houston vs. Notre Dame
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If Jordan has his "Flu Game," then Montana's performance against Houston in the Cotton Bowl should be his "Soup Game." Montana too had been suffering from the flu, but his condition was more serious: By half-time, hypothermia began to set-in on Montana's body, and his temperature dipped below 96 degrees. To keep him warm, Notre Dame trainers fed him chicken soup and covered him in blankets. He was kept out of the game until midway through the 4th quarter, but by then, the Fighting Irish were down 34-12 and the game seemed like a lost cause. Montana rallied Notre Dame to an improbable 35-34 win, showing the grit and leadership that would help make him an NFL legend. How did he not score a Campbell's endorsement after that game though?
1. Niki Lauda's Burned Face
Date: 9/12/1976
Game: Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix
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Before the 1976 German Grand Prix, Lauda attempted in vain to boycott the race due to safety concerns on the track. Unfortunately, he failed and went on to race, only to suffer a horrific accident which saw his car burst into flames. Lauda inhaled toxic gasses, damaging his lungs and blood. His hair, eyebrows, eyelids, and right ear were burned off, leaving ghastly scars all over his face and head.
Two races later, he returned for Ferrari and finished fourth in the Italian Grand Prix, despite being mentally unfit to drive, and having to manage blood soaked facial bandages from his still healing burn wounds. Just the fact that he conquered physical and psychological demons a mere six weeks later to step into a F1 car, much less race and place fourth, is an incredible feat of courage and ability.