Professional Sports Nicknames: FACT or FICTION

FACT

Thurman "The Train Conductor" Thomas

The Hall of Fame running back for the Buffalo Bills got his nickname from his true passion, being a train conductor. Thomas would sometimes miss practices and even games because he would insist on travelling to every team event via boxcar. The movie Unstoppable was based on a portion of his life.

FICTION

Danny "Tom Hanks From Big Disease" Ferry

Ferry spent the majority of his athletic career with the Cleveland Cavaliers where he averaged 13.3 points per game. This may not sound outstanding until you realize his nickname comes from the fact that he was actually a 12-year-old boy who made a wish to be an adult just like the Tom Hanks movie from the 80s. Although Ferry was a close, personal friend of Robert Loggia, the two never played a giant, impractical piano together. Ferry now appears to be 46 but is actually closer to 30.

FICTION

Stephon "Starbury" Marbury

Marbury actually gave himself the nickname of "Starbury" shortly after his time on the US Olympic team in 2004. He felt that he was quite a superstar and also apparently loved wordplay, thus the birth of his nickname "Starbury." It was also the name of his terrible sneakers that you could purchase for the same price as a footlong Subway Steak Melt at the retail giant Steve & Barry's.

FACT

John "The Child Murderer" Olerud

The legendary Blue Jays first baseman was known for his consistent play, his hard-shelled helmet that he constantly wore, and his tremendous career batting average of .295. However, most don't know that his teammates had another nickname for him, The Child Murderer.

The only thing John loved more than baseball was luring children from the stands and murdering them in the dugout. He murdered hundreds of kids throughout his career and shockingly never raised any suspicions. You would think from the nickname alone someone would ask a question but you'd be wrong. They never put the two things together. (Those two things being the obscene amount of child murders and John's nickname being The Child Murderer)

FICTION, obviously.

Guy "The Flower" LaFleur

LaFleur was a legend winning five Stanley Cups and three scoring titles. His nickname derived from his graceful style on the ice and that his last name literally translates to "The Flower." It was a no-brainer to give him a nickname that, although sounds quite dainty, suited his playing style quite well.

FACT

Horace "Turbo Tax" Grant

The Chicago Bulls star was known by many because of his tenacious rebounding and large goggles, but those around him knew him best by his love of tax preparations. Often during timeouts the Bulls would have such a large lead that, instead of drawing up plays, Coach Phil Jackson would let Grant write out tax deductions and proper ways to file a 1099 on the dry erase board. During the 1992 season Grant actually made more money working for H&R Block than he did playing in the NBA.

FICTION

Dustin "Monster Mash" Penner

The LA Kings left wing sensation was part of the Stanley Cup Championship team in 2012 but at the end of his career may be best remembered for his insatiable love of the Bobby "Boris" Pickett song The Monster Mash. Rumor has it Penner has every piece of Monster Mash memorabilia available on the market including Pickett's severed foot he lost to diabetes in 1977.

Although it's difficult to tell through his uniform, Penner also has the lyrics in their entirety tattooed on his body like the movie Memento. He tried to legally change his name to Mon Star Mash in 2006 but was denied by a judge. He is still fighting the ruling to this very day.

FICTION

Randy "Big Unit" Johnson

Standing at a towering 6-foot-10-inches, the future hall of fame pitcher either received his nickname from teammates after seeing him tower over the pitcher's mound during games where he launched some of the fastest pitches in professional baseball history. Although the nickname does sound sexually inappropriate, we're just going to assume it was because of his height and not locker room hijinks.

FACT

Otis "Tupac's Real Killer" Nixon

The former Atlanta Braves outfielder received this ominous nickname after he murdered rapper Tupac Shakur. Many believe that Suge Knight was the person responsible for Tupac's death but Nixon very proudly proclaimed that it was him. He petitioned to have his jersey reprinted and instead of having his name on the back, he wanted a picture of Tupac's face crossed out with the phrase "I killed this guy." written under it. Of course Major League Baseball declined.

FICTION

Barry "Three Kids in a Trenchcoat" Larkin

The Cincinnati Reds shortstop was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in January of 2012 which is an impressive feat on its own, but even more awe-inspiring when you realize he is actually three children sitting on each other's shoulders in a trenchcoat. "I can't believe no one ever noticed" said Larkin. "Sometimes one of us would literally tumble out of the trenchcoat onto the field and no one seemed to mind. Why was I allowed to even wear a trenchcoat?" he asked. What an inspiration to the young and those young at heart. An inspiring story indeed.