JACK HOADLEY
Staff Writer
There are a number of athletes in history who many would consider to be the strongest, greatest or “best.”
But when it comes to October, the only adjective I’m concerned with is, you guessed it, scary.
To celebrate Halloween, it’s time to look over some of the scariest athletes in history and what made them so feared.
James Harrison
James “Mr. Monday Night” Harrison was a little more than something that went bump in the night.
Over the course of his 15-year career, he totaled 84.5 sacks while being a two-time First Team All-Pro and winning the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year.
While all of that alone is enough to register Harrison into these conversations, it was more about his sheer attitude and actions on the field that made him so intimidating.
Harrison played with an intensity on the field that rivals none in the history of pro football.
A story that emulates this perfectly was one from Taylor Lewan, a Titans tackle, who told a story of when he faced Harrison during his rookie season.
At the time, Harrison was in the twilight of his career, making what was about to happen even more impressive.
Lewan remembered the offensive line meeting to talk about Harrison before the game and how they were not going to get him going by talking to the known serial trash talker.
Lewan remembers barking at the former All-Pro after a successful stop early in the game, which may have been his biggest mistake.
Harrison said nothing back to Lewan, which was out of character for the notably talkative legend, and arguably scarier than if he did talk back.
Lewan remembers that during the next series, he lined up opposite of Harrison and after the ball was snapped, he called it a blur.
Lewan described it as himself being “gator rolled” by the aging Harrison, as he quickly reminded Lewan why he got the name “Mr. Monday Night.”
Randy Johnson
Height in athletes is normal, but a horror story of many batters is when they used to face a 6’10” pitcher who goes by the nickname “Big Unit.”
Randy Johnson began terrorizing opposing hitters in 1988, and the baseball bogeyman wouldn’t hang it up until 2009.
Johnson was a force throughout his entire 22-year career, but his fright was defined by just how much of an “alien” he was.
Alongside being a staggering 6’10”, Johnson also threw left-handed, which increased the difficulty for batters facing him.
A token on Johnson was his electric fastball which sat regularly between 98 and 101 miles per hour, showing why he was dominating the majors for over two decades.
There are few pitchers in the history of baseball who were truly unhittable over the course of their career, but Johnson certainly fit the bill.
Major League Baseball will never see a pitcher like Johnson again because of his prolonged dominance and unique traits for a hall of fame pitcher.
George Foreman
While we’ve already covered physical looks in relation to intimidation, arguably no one had more of a physical grip on their sport than “Big George” Foreman.
Foreman boxed from 1969 to 1997 and had a very impressive 76-5 record throughout that time.
But Foreman did more than win, as many who faced him were lucky to leave the ring conscious.
Foreman had a knockout percentage of 89.5% which represents a knockout in 68 of his 76 career wins.
This staggering number truly puts into perspective who Foreman was as a fighter.
He wasn’t there to win; he was there to leave the ring with you on the ground.
Big George was one of the most physically gifted players ever in professional boxing as he stood at 6’4”, 260 pounds.
This physicality was the definition of scary, and his name spans just the boxing realm as many recognize him to be a defining name for sports as a whole in the late 20th century.
Kam Chancellor
Rounding out the list is one of the hardest-hitting safeties ever, and possibly the best player leading the horrifying Legion of Boom for the Seahawks in the early 2010s.
Kam “Bam Bam Kam” Chancellor had a short, eight-year career in the NFL, playing only for the Seattle Seahawks.
Through these seasons, Chancellor was a four-time Pro-Bowl, two-time All-Pro player, and had at least one fumble forced in each of his years in the NFL.
Despite his short career, Chancellor put on a show every game he played and was an integral piece to a Super Bowl victory in 2014.
Chancellor was 6’3” and 235 pounds, as he featured a linebacker build with insane speed and aggressive play style.
Kam delivered shattering hits day in and day out, which made him one of the most feared players of his era despite the fact that injuries cut his career far too short.
Many athletes are regarded as scary because of how they adapt the villain role in sports and play it well, such as Bill Laimbeer or “Iron Mike” Tyson.
While both of them are certainly scary in their own way, the physical presence of the legends listed above alone earns them a spot here.
Whether they terrorized rookies, had alien-level traits or redefined what it meant to be physically dominant, all of them were remembered to be some of the scariest athletes ever.