Nine football celebrations gone horribly wrong

Football celebrations have a long and storied history in the sport. Celebrations are one of the few ways in which a player can express himself as an individual

Football celebrations have a long and storied history in the sport. Celebrations are one of the few ways in which a player can express himself as an individual on the field and they often become a critical part of what we remember about athletes. Some celebrations are instant classics which will forever be remembered as great moments in sports. Others are so bad that they are rightly recalled for all the wrong reasons, as the Lions' Stephen Tulloch found out this week.

In no particular order, here are some of the most memorable celebration flops in all of football.

1. Marion Barber face-plants on a backflip

​Taking flopping to a literal level.

• Santonio Holmes was pumped to be in for the final play of the Bears' win against the Jets

2. Leon Lett, ladies and gentlemen

Yes, the Cowboys were more than capable of making boneheaded plays before they drafted Tony Romo. A montage of Dallas Cowboys fails would not be complete without Leon Lett's premature touchdown celebration before he reached the end zone against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. 

3. Gus Frerotte headbutts a wall and injures himself

Sadly, this may be the mot notable moment of Gus Frerotte's career.

• Jay Cutler's reaction to Matt Forte getting tackled is priceless

4. DeSean Jackson doesn't know where the end zone begins

On the one hand, this happened in 2008 when Jackson was a rookie. On the other hand, this wasn't the first time this happened to Jackson, either:

​5. Vernon Davis gets denied by the crossbar

Vernon Davis is one of the most talented tight ends in the NFL. He is not Jimmy Graham.

• Geno Smith kicks off Monday Night Football with a beautiful Pick 6

6. Lee Smith falls into the crowd

The best part about this one is how all the Buffalo fans reflexively shrink away from Smith as he leaps into the crowd.

7. Bill Gramatica gets way too excited about a field goal, injures self

This wasn't even to win a game. Gramatica converted a field goal to put the Cardinals up 3-0 against the Giants. Bill got so excited about making a 42-yard field coal that he jumped in the air, landed awkwardly on his leg, and tore his ACL, ending his season.

8. Man getting hit by football

Everything went perfectly wrong for Kerwin Bell following his touchdown in the 1998 Grey Cup.

• Dumb columnist blames Broncos' loss on "dumb luck" and "stupid" overtime rules

9. The Wrong Way Run

The Vikings' Jim Marshall recovered a fumble against the 49ers on October 25, 1964. He ran the ball 66 yards into the end zone and celebrated by flipping the into the air and out of bounds. The only problem? Marshall ran the wrong way. Instead of scoring a touchdown for Minnesota, Marshall managed to score a safety for the 49ers.

Ryan Wong is a writer for Next Impulse Sports.