20 Athletes Who Were Forced To Retire

As a defensive tackle for Rutgers University in 2010, Eric LeGrand's football career ended in one of the worst injuries in sports history. After making a tackle on special teams, LeGrand laid motionless on the ground for several minutes before being carted off. Doctors determined that LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down after fracturing his C3 and C4 cervical vertebrae.

With 43 WTA singles titles, seven Grand Slam titles and a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Justine Henin established herself as one of the greatest tennis players of the last decade. In May 2008, Henin announced her retirement from the sport for the first time after being ranked No. 1 in the world. Henin briefly came back, but in January 2011, she retired again after an elbow injury.

A four-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Chris Spielman was the defensive leader for the Detroit Lions during the early to mid-1990s. Spielman also played for the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns. With Buffalo, Spielman injured his neck in 1997 and missed the 1998 season to assist his wife's battle with cancer. With Cleveland, Spielman retired before the regular season began after suffering another neck injury.

The Pac-10's Player of the Year in 2006, Brandon Roy helped lead the Washington Huskies to two Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA tournament. After Roy was drafted in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Roy was the NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2007 and a three-time All-Star, but degenerative knee issues forced him into early retirement.

The first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses, Sugar Ray Leonard won world titles in five different weight divisions, and was named "Boxer of the Decade" for the 1980s. In 1982, Leonard announced his retirement from the sport after doctors discovered that he had a detached retina. Leonard managed to come back several times, even defeating Marvin Hagler in 1986, but flip-flopped regularly, finally retiring in 1997.

One of the best left tackles of the 1990s, Tony Boselli was a three-time first-team All-American in 1992, 1993 and 1994 at USC. In 1995, the Jacksonville Jaguars made Boselli their first-ever draft pick. Boselli had a very successful career in Jacksonville, named to five straight Pro Bowls from 1996 to 2000. Boselli was also the first pick of the 2002 Houston Texans expansion draft. However, injuries forced him to never play for the Texans.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Yao Ming was China's greatest NBA player and one of the best in Houston Rockets history. Standing at 7-foot-6, Ming towered over opponents, earning eight All-Star appearances. In July 2011, Yao announced his retirement from professional basketball after a series of foot and ankle injuries forced him to miss 250 games in his last six seasons.

Bobby Orr played 10 years in the NHL and is regarded as one of the greatest players in NHL history. Unfortunately, his career ended at age 30. As of 2013, Orr remains the only defenseman to have won the league scoring title with two Art Ross Trophies, and holds the record for most points and assists in a single season by a defenseman. In 1976 with the Blackhawks, Orr had to retire after repeated injuries to his left knee.

During his Hall-of-Fame career with the Minnesota Twins, Kirby Puckett helped lead the franchise to two World Series titles. Puckett was also a 10-time All-Star and a six-time Gold Glove winner. After being forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye, Puckett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility.

Shannon Sharpe's big brother, Sterling was Brett Favre's favorite receiver with the Green Bay Packers during the early stages of his career. With the Packers, Sharpe was one of the premier receivers in the NFL, producing numbers that were comparable to those of Jerry Rice and Cris Carter. During the 1994 season, he suffered a career-ending neck injury, robbing him of what could have been a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

By now, everyone has seen the hit that knocked out Washington Redskins QB Joe Theismann and changed the game of football. During a 1985 Monday Night game against the New York Giants, Theismann suffered a comminuted compound fracture of his leg after being sacked by Lawrence Taylor. Theismann would never play in the NFL again, and the concept of the "blind side protector" was introduced.

The winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1978 from the University of Oklahoma, Billy Sims became the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL draft, selected by the Detroit Lions. Sims was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1980 and made three straight Pro Bowls from 1980 to 1982. Sims' NFL career ended, however, in 1984 after suffering a serious knee injury against the Minnesota Vikings.

Michael Irvin's Hall-of-Fame career ended in cheers. Irvin was the emotional leader for Dallas' three Super Bowl championship teams in the 1990s. In 1999, Irvin's career ended at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. After taking a hit, Irvin was carted off the Philadelphia field on a stretcher as Eagles fans cheered. He sustained a non-life-threatening cervical spinal cord injury and was subsequently diagnosed with a narrow spinal column.

The signal caller for Dallas' dynasty in the 1990s, Troy Aikman was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history. However, his NFL career also ended prematurely in 2000. He suffered from several concussions during the season, and in his final home game, Aikman suffered his 10th and final concussion of his career after a hit by Washington's LaVar Arrington.

One of the toughest and most mobile quarterbacks in NFL history, Steve Young carved out a Hall-of-Fame career after succeeding Joe Montana in San Francisco. As good as Young was, he was injured often. In a game against the Arizona Cardinals in 1999, Young suffered what was his seventh concussion after taking a hit from Aeneas Williams. Young would never play again due to symptoms of post-concussion syndrome.

Nicknamed "The Kansas Comet," Gale Sayers was one of the most explosive players in NFL players, and if not for a career-threatening knee injury, Sayers might very well be the greatest player of all time. In 1968, Sayers tore most of the ligaments in his right knee after a hit by Kermit Alexander. After a brief comeback, Sayers suffered a significant injury to his left knee. Sayers finally retired in 1972 after playing in just 68 career games.

Unquestionably one of the greatest athletes ever, Bo Jackson was a two-sport star in college and in the pros. Jackson was the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner and became the first athlete to appear in an MLB All-Star Game (1989) and the NFL Pro Bowl (1990). Jackson played with the Kansas City Royals from 1986 to 1990 and with the Los Angeles Raiders for four seasons. During a playoff game in 1990, Jackson suffered a football career-ending hip injury.

Sandy Koufax is one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, and his achievements are endless. In 12 seasons with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Koufax was a three-time Cy Young Award winner, three-time Triple Crown winner and seven-time MLB All-Star game participant. He also led the Dodgers to four World Series victories. At just 30 years old, Koufax was forced to retire after developing arthritis in his left elbow.

The face of the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980s, Magic Johnson was one of the greatest and most influential players in NBA history. However, in 1991, Johnson's fame and credibility took a serious hit after he was forced to retire because he had contracted HIV. Johnson would attempt several comebacks, and retired for good in 1996.

Lou Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, a trait which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse." Gehrig was a seven-time All-Star and six-time World Series champion. After playing in 2,130 consecutive games, a then-MLB record, Gehrig was forced to retire after he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. His farewell was capped off by his iconic "Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth" speech.