Harry Potter and Sports

SI Staff | Jul 15, 2009

Harry Potter and Sports /

Harry Potter and Sports

Ozzie (The Wizard of Oz) Smith

With Harry Potter mania sweeping the planet at the arrival of <i>Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince</i>, we offer a gallery of some of the sports world's most notabe wizards and magicians, starting with The Wizard of Oz, who earned his nickname because of his dazzling play in the field. Smith was the best-fielding shortstop of his era and possibly the greatest of all time.

Walt (The Wizard) Williams

A gifted three-point shooter for his 6-foot-8 frame, Williams played 12 seasons for six teams, most notably Sacramento and Houston.

Byron "Whizzer" White

A remarkable scholar-athlete, White was an All-America for Colorado and played pro football for the Pittsburgh Pirates (yep, Pirates) and Detroit Lions. In 1962 he was appointed as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by President John F. Kennedy. He served for 31 years, before retiring in 1993.

Gus (Wizard) Williams

He ended fast breaks with acrobatic layups, and was one of the smoothest passers in the NBA. Williams played 11 seasons, including six with the Sonics, including in 1979 when he helped Seattle win the only major professional sports championship in the city's history.

John (The Wizard of Westwood) Wooden

The Wizard of Westwood -- now 98 -- won 10 national titles at UCLA and finished with a career 664-162 (.804) record. He was part of the founding class of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Whiz Kids

Featuring a team with young stars Richie Ashburn, Curt Simmons and Robin Roberts, the 1950 Phillies clinched the pennant (the team's first in 35 years) on the final day of the season before losing 4-0 to the Yankees in the World Series.

The Orlando Magic

The Magic was founded in 1989 as an expansion franchise and has featured plenty of star players, including Shaq, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill and Dwight Howard. A contest sponsored by the Orlando Sentinel and local officials (as well as inspiration from the nearby Magic Kingdom) produced the team's name

Earvin (Magic) Johnson

He not only won five championships but also rescued the NBA through his West-East rivalry with Larry Bird. He recast the league as an entertainment company led by likable stars. Would the NBA ever have become so popular without him? No.

The Wizards

In 1995 owner Abe Pollin announced he was changing the team's name because the Bullets had acquired violent overtones. The Wizards recently hired coach Flip Saunders with the hope that he can create some magic with the roster.

Don (Majik) Majkowski

The Majik Man played 10 NFL seasons, including six in Green Bay (before a guy named Brett Favre rolled into town). He was at his most magical in 1989, when he led the league in attempts (599) and passing yards (4,318).

Antonio (The Magic Man) Tarver

Tarver won the light heavyweight championship in 2003 with a win over Montel Griffin. He later had two memorable fights with Roy Jones, losing the first in a close decision and knocking Jones out in the second round of the second fight, the first time Jones had been knocked out. Tarver's career record is 27-6 with 19 knockouts.

Deco (El Magico)

Born Anderson Luis de Souza, the Portuguese international is called El Magico for his craft on the pitch. He is currently with the London-based Premier League club Chelsea. The 31-year-old is one of the few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two clubs, with FC Porto in 2004 and FC Barcelona in 2006.

John (The Wizard of Wishaw) Higgins

Higgins is the reigning World Snooker Champion, defeating Shaun Murphy last May to capture the title for the third time. He has been the world's No. 1 player on three occasions and also won the World Snooker Championships in 1998 and 2007.

Onterrio (The Whizzinator) Smith

In the summer of 2005 the former Vikings running back (he was a fourth round pick in 2003) was pulled off a plane in Minneapolis for carrying a device called the Original Whizzinator, a device people had used for beating drug tests. Smith was later cut by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL

Fabrice (The Magician) Santoro

Nicknamed "The Magician" by Pete Sampras, Santoro has long been a shot-making wizard, playing with both hands on his forehand and backhand. The 36-year-old Frenchman is the oldest active singles player on the ATP tour. He has won 24 doubles titles and six singles titles.

Stanley Matthews

One of the great English footballers in history, the Wizard of the Dribble was the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. He played for two decades for England was still an active national team member in his 40s.<br><br>Who would you add to the list? Send suggestions to siwriters@simail.com

Published Jul 15, 2009

SI STAFF