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| Johnny Bench is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball history. Bench was a key member of the Reds' 1975 and 1976 World Series championship teams known as "The Big Red Machine." He won the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year Award, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs, and the honors and accomplishments only continued to pile up. In his career, Bench earned 10 Gold Gloves, was the 1970 and 1972 Most Valuable Player and was named to the National League All-Star team 12 times. He also won such awards as the Lou Gehrig Award (1975), the Babe Ruth Award (1976), and the Hutch Award (1981). His most dramatic home run was likely his ninth inning lead-off opposite field home run in the final game of the 1972 NLCS vs. Pittsburgh. The solo shot tied the game 3-3, allowing the Reds to win later in the inning on a wild pitch, 4-3. It was hailed after the game as "one of the great clutch home runs of all time." In 1999, he ranked Number 16 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking catcher, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. |
| Following his final year at Maryland, Boomer Esiason was selected as the 38th pick in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, surprisingly low. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper was, in Esiason's words, "going ballistic" that he was still available in the latter stages of the first round. Boomer Esiason was named to four Pro Bowl games and holds several NFL career records for left-handed quarterbacks, including most touchdown passes (247), passing yards (37,920), and completions (2,969). Esiason also led the AFC in passing in both 1988 and 1989. Among the awards Boomer Esiason has earned during his career include the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in 1988 (leading the league with a quarterback rating of 97.4), and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1995 for his charitable work. |
| Ickey Woods is best remembered for his lumbering "Ickey Shuffle" end zone dance, performed when he scored touchdowns. Woods rushed for 1,066 yards and 15 touchdowns in his rookie season, along with 228 yards and 3 touchdowns in the playoffs as the Bengals advanced to Super Bowl XXIII. His team lost the game 20-16, but he finished as the game's leading rusher with 79 yards. |
