Pope: What’s in a name?
It probably will come as no surprise that Smith is the most common surname in the United States. According to the most recent Census, the name Smith is held by more than 2.6 million Americans.
But in the sports world, the name does not hold the relevance of other surnames. The most recognizable Smiths to me are Dean, the basketball head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1961-1997; or possibly Horton, who won the first Masters tournament in 1934 and won again two years later. Then there is Ozzie, the Major League Baseball hall of famer who played the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals; and Troy, who won the 2006 Heisman Trophy while quarterbacking Ohio State.
Back in the 1970s, comedian Bill Saluga created a shtick that you might recognize about a surname. “My name is Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. Now you can call me Ray, or you can call me J, or you can call me Johnny, or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me Junie, or you can call me Junior, or you can call me Ray J, or you can call me R.J., or you can call me R.J.J., or you can call me R.J.J. Junior, but you doesn’t hasta call me Johnson.”
Well, when you speak of the most famous overall name in sports history, “You hasta call it Johnson.” That surname is second only to Smith in total numbers with approximately 2.1 million, but it is arguably No. 1 with the most recognizable names from the sports world. We begin with Magic, a basketball hall of famer who was a member of five NBA championship teams; sprinter Michael, winner of four Olympic gold medals and eight world championships; Junior, a NASCAR hall of famer with 50 career wins; Walter or “Big Train,” a baseball hall of famer who won 417 games; Jack, the first black heavyweight boxing champion; and Rafer, who captured the 1960 Olympic gold in the decathlon.
We can’t leave out football coach Jimmy, who won a national championship at Miami and two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys; and baseball pitcher Randy, who captured five Cy Young Awards while winning 303 games during his career.
Johnsons still competing today are Calvin, nicknamed “Megatron” and considered the best wide receiver in the NFL who is already a four-time all-pro; Hawkinsville native Charles, who has 62.5 career sacks as a member of the Carolina Panthers; race car driver Jimmie, a six-time NASCAR champion; and golfers Zach and Dustin. Zach has 27 wins to his credit and 11 on the PGA Tour, including the 2007 Masters, while Dustin has won nine times on the PGA Tour. And finally there is basketball star Joe, a seven-time NBA All-Star.
The name Robinson also has its notables from the playing fields and courts: Jackie, the iconic baseball player who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier while going on to a hall of fame career; Eddie, who won more college football games while coaching at Grambling than any other Division I coach; David, a winner of two NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs while becoming a hall of famer; boxer Sugar Ray, who held five world titles during his illustrious career; baseball hall of famer Frank, who is the only player to win MVP awards in both the AL and NL -- first with Cincinnati in the NL and later at Baltimore in the AL. And we can’t forget Brooks, the human vacuum cleaner with the Baltimore Orioles at third base who is a member of baseball’s hall of fame.
While other surnames were given consideration as the most dominant, like Williams for Ted, Venus, Serena and Ricky; Walker for Herschel, Doak and Larry; and Brown, including Paul, Kevin, Mack, Larry, Jim and Tim, none have the numbers and quality that the Johnson name enjoys.
On the other side of the ledger, I can think of only one sports star each associated with names of Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Favre, Starr, Unitas, Nicklaus, Mickelson, Musial. Sampras, Holyfield, Killebrew, Glavine, Smoltz, Sayers, Montana, Staubach, Brees, Namath, Koufax and Gretzky.
Contact Bobby Pope at bobbypope428@gmail.com
This story was originally published June 15, 2015 at 7:40 PM with the headline "Pope: What’s in a name? ."