Sports are completely unpredictable. Injuries and accidents happen all the time, unfortunately, and there are amazing stories of shockingly strong and determined people who managed to make a comeback despite all odds. Here you’ll find 7 best comebacks in the history of sports, and each of them is so inspiring, it deserves a film about it.
Duke vs. Maryland
At the beginning of the 2000s, Duke and Maryland were in a state of intense rivalry. The two teams were among the best in college basketball, and they eventually met in the Final Four in 2001. Two months before the March Madness showdown, the Dukies broke the opponents’ will. The score was 90-80 with less than a minute left to play when the No. 2 Blue Devils scored 10 points in just 40 seconds. This sent the game to overtime and in the end, Duke won 98-96.
Josh Hamilton
Considered the first already in the 1999 MLB Draft, baseball player Josh Hamilton didn’t play in Major League until 2007. The reason for that was drug and alcohol abuse which had wrecked both the career and life in general of one of the most promising young talents. Hamilton wasn’t playing for approximately 3 years, but then he debuted with the Reds. In 2008-2012, he was one considered to be one of the league’s best players. The troubled (in the past) star won the 2010 AL MVP, and earned five-straight All-Star selections.
Andre Agassi
In 1992-1996, Andre Agassi was one of the best tennis players in the world, he even reached the No. 1 ranking in the world in 1995. He managed to take home one US Open, Wimbledon, and Australian Open title. Also, he won 3 Davis Cups as well as a Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in 1996. However, after that things started to change dramatically. In 1997, Agassi confessed to using crystal meth and went on to have the worst season in his entire career. Freeing himself of drug usage and going back to the sport, Agassi would continue his successful career and won 2 Grand Slam’s in 1999 and 3 Australian Open’s in 2000-2003.
Monica Seles
Monica Seles, similar to Andre Agassi, was one of the best tennis players in the world in the early 90s. Seles won 3 Australian Open titles in 1991-1993, 3 French Open’s in 1990-1992, as well as 2 US Open’s in 1991-92 in a row. These impressive achievements gave her 8 Grand Slam titles before she even turned 20. During a quarterfinal match on April 30, 1993, Seles was viciously attacked. As a result of the stabbing, Seles couldn’t play tennis for more than two years. She reached the US Open Final during her second tournament after she was back, but eventually lost to Steffi Graf. Seles, however, went on to win the Australian Open in 1996, and this was her final Grand Slam victory.
George Foreman
George Foreman’s first big victory was when he won the Heavyweight Championship in 1973, but he retired after four years to be an ordained Christian minister. Then, after a 10-year break, Foreman came back to the ring. Another 7 years later, Foreman recaptured the Heavyweight Championship which made him the oldest fighter to ever win this championship.
Eric Berry
After making 3 Pro Bowl’s in the first 4 seasons of his career, Eric Berry started the season in 2014 with high expectations. But having lost to the Raiders in November of the same year, Berry started to feel severe chest pains. Specialists found a mass in his chest; Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fortunately, doctors declared the sportsman cancer-free in 2015, and Berry returned in the same year’s season and put lots of effort into his career. The Chiefs’ star was recognized as the AP Comeback Player of the Year and also became an All-Pro.
Greg LeMond
Before Lance Armstrong came into play to dominate cycling, there was another American who was considered the best in the world. Greg LeMond won the Road Race World Championship twice and captured 3 Tour De France trophies. Unfortunately, LeMond was seriously injured in 1986 and had to miss the 1987 race. But if that wasn’t bad enough, the cyclist almost died soon after that. During turkey hunting, his brother-in-law shot him in the back accidentally. Despite the fact that there are still 35 shotgun bullets in his body, LeMond managed to come back to the sport. Amazingly, he went on to win 2 Tour De France titles in 1989-90.
