In March 2015, four NFL players younger than 30 unexpectedly announced their retirements. These decisions all occurred within days of one another, and the conclusion drawn was unmistakable. With all the recent news about brain damage causing long-term issues for football players, each man chose his health over his vocation. They were not the first players to make this choice, though. Here is a list of six of the greatest athletes who retired young.
Ilya Kovalchuk
The first overall selection of the 2001 NHL Draft, Ilya Kovalchuk lived up to the lofty expectations of being the top pick. He was a three-time NHL All-Star who led the league in goals scored in 2004. He was 21 years old at the time.
Kovalchuk achieved so much early acclaim that by the time his free agency approached, two different teams offered him three different contracts in excess of $100 million. The NHL actually stepped in to determine the maximum amount he could earn, but the whole affair proved irrelevant. After serving only three years of a 15-year contract, Kovalchuk retired from the NHL at the age of 30. He returned to his native Russia and played in the KHL, as well as on the national team.
Patrick Willis and Chris Borland
The San Francisco 49ers linebacker unit suffered a mighty blow in March 2015 when seven-time Pro Bowler Patrick Willis chose to retire at the age of 30. The five-time All-Pro is considered one of the best linebackers of his generation, but the Niners already had his replacement in the fold.
Chris Borland, a third-round draft pick, substituted for Willis when the latter player was sidelined in 2014. During this time frame, Chris Borland earned a score of 20.8 from NFL analytics site, Pro Football Focus. He was the fourth-best linebacker of 2014 by the site’s grading, a stunning performance for a rookie.
Alas, San Francisco was caught off guard when the 24-year-old Borland joined Willis in retirement. Both men cited health concerns as the rationale for their giving up the sport they love. Further demonstrating his intellect, Borland announced that he would seek a career in sports management.
Barry Sanders
Arguably the greatest running back of all-time, Barry Sanders dazzled the college football world with his electric runs, eventually winning the Heisman Trophy as a junior. An ESPN research article went so far as to call Sanders’ season the greatest ever at the collegiate level.
Unlike so many Heisman winners, Sanders’ skill translated to the next level. He earned Pro Bowl selection in all ten seasons he played in the NFL. NFL MVP’s in 1997, Sanders and Emmitt Smith were each poised to become the NFL all-time leader in rushing yardage, but Sanders, the Detroit Lions superstar, shocked the world by retiring only days after his 31st birthday.
Jim Brown
In many ways, Jim Brown was an earlier iteration of Barry Sanders. Both were Hall of Fame running backs whose skills vastly exceeded the abilities of the teams for which they played. Brown had better luck than Sanders, though. The four-time MVP became a world champion during his eighth season in the league.
The following season, Brown once again was named MVP, but he infuriated Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell when he announced that his fledgling acting career would prevent him from participating in training camp. When Modell threatened to fine his superstar athlete, Brown decided that he preferred working as a thespian in “The Dirty Dozen” to being tackled by oversized men.
Sandy Koufax
In 1966, Sandy Koufax delivered one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of baseball. His ERA of 1.73 represented a career best for the Cooperstown-bound pitcher. He managed this minuscule ERA despite pitching in over 313 innings, roughly 75 innings more than most pitchers complete today. He won the Cy Young Award and narrowly missed being named MVP by 10 points.
After the best season of his career, Koufax never pitched again. He suffered from chronic arthritis, a condition that worsened the more he pitched. The terrible part is that the treatment of his injury would be simple today because of surgical advances.
Being one of the greats in your sport is sometimes not enough. Some athletes care more about their future than the adulation of strangers.
