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 With New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter set to retire
following the 2014 Major League Baseball season, Reuters looks back
at some of the great and not-so-great sporting goodbyes.
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LOU GEHRIG
Nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his hitting prowess and durability,
the six times World Series champion with the New York Yankees
retired from baseball in 1939 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis, a disorder now commonly referred to as Lou
Gehrig's disease. Despite a record-setting career, Gehrig is most
remembered for a speech he gave during an appreciation day in his
honor. "For the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad
break I got," he told the hushed Yankee Stadium crowd shortly after
he retired. "Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the
face of the earth."
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JOHN ELWAY
After suffering three Super Bowl losses early in his career, the
Denver Broncos quarterback finally won the game's top prize in 1998.
But rather than call it career, Elway would go on to become the
first quarterback in history to end his career with back-to-back
Super Bowl titles, earning Most Valuable Player honors in his final
game, at 38. Elway announced his retirement weeks after becoming the
oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and was later inducted into
the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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TED WILLIAMS
Williams combined a keen vision with quick wrists and a scientific
approach to hitting to set numerous batting records and establish
himself as one of the best baseball players of all time despite
missing nearly five full seasons due to military service and two
major injuries. The Boston Red Sox left fielder, who remains the
last major leaguer to hit .400 in a season, closed out his Hall of
Fame career in 1960 by hitting a home run in the final at-bat of his
career.
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STEVE MENZIES
Menzies ended his stellar Australian professional rugby league
career with the Manly Sea Eagles in the 2008 Grand Final against
Melbourne Storm. Playing his 349th game for the club, equaling the
record number of NRL appearances set by Australian great Terry Lamb,
Menzies, aged 34, came off the bench and scored a try with his first
touch of the ball to help Manly seal a record 40-0 victory over the
team who had beaten them in the previous year's final. It was his
180th career try, second on the all-time list behind Ken Irvine but
a record for a forward.
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 ZINEDINE ZIDANE
In his final game as a professional, the France captain was sent off
for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi during extra time of the
2006 World Cup final. Without Zidane, whose stellar career includes
1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 triumphs, France went on to lose on
penalties. The final image of Zidane, who said he had been verbally
provoked, showed him walking past the golden trophy with his head
down.
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JOE LOUIS
Considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, the
American quickly developed a reputation as an honest, hardworking
fighter during an era when the sport was dominated by gambling
interests. He was the world heavyweight champion from 1937 until he
retired in 1949. But at 36 years old and after being away from
competitive boxing for two years, Louis returned to the ring because
he needed money to pay back taxes. A year later he faced undefeated
heavyweight Rocky Marciano and was knocked out in the eighth round
of what proved to be his last professional fight.
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BRETT FAVRE
The National Football League's all-time leader in passing
touchdowns, Favre may be most remembered for his indecision
regarding retirement. He cried when he announced his retirement from
the Green Bay Packers in 2008. With Minnesota interested but the
Packers unwilling to let him join their rival, he was traded to the
New York Jets. After a season there he again said he was done, only
to be wooed back to the field by Minnesota for two more seasons. His
career finally came to an end after a hit left the 41-year-old
three-time Most Valuable Player face down on the field and
motionless for about 10 seconds with a concussion in what proved to
be his final game.
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ALEX POPOV
The Russian was the undisputed king of freestyle sprinting in the
1990s, winning the 50 and 100 meters double at the 1992 and 1996
Olympics, a feat still unmatched today. He held the world record for
both events and also won six world and 10 European titles, including
three gold medals at the 2003 world championships in Barcelona aged
31 and seemingly past his best. But his final international
appearance, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, was a disappointing ending
for Popov. The oldest competitor in the pool, he failed to qualify
for the final in either event and never swam competitively again,
formally announcing his retirement a few months later.
(Compiled by Frank Pingue; Editing by Gene Cherry)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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