When Jumbo-Sized Athletes Break The Mold And Do The Unexpected

Larger-than-life athletes revel in showing there’s more to their games than sheer size. And sports fans might enjoy such flashes even more than those outsize athletes do. So check out our collection of the most unexpected plays from sports’ biggest (literally) competitors.

The Fridge plays running back

Beastly defensive tackle William “Refrigerator” Perry recorded 506 tackles and 29.5 sacks in his 10-year NFL career, but the Fridge is best remembered for his stints at running back in short-yardage situations.

The most memorable of these came in Super Bowl XX, when he punched in a one-yard touchdown to make the score 44-3.

Bartolo Colon goes deep

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Even before he ballooned from a lean, Cy Young-winning machine into a lovable round innings eater, Colon was hopeless as a hitter.

But he finally poked one out of the park on May 7, 2016, on the road against the Padres at the age of 43, sending his teammates into hysterics. Before 2016, he owned a slash line of .093/.100/.102.

Jumbo Elliott completes comeback

The 6’7″, 308-pound left tackle was in the midst of his 13th NFL season when he was finally targeted in the passing game for the first time. His three-yard score in the final minute capped off a 23-point Jets comeback in the final period against the Dolphins on October 23, 2000.

New York would win in overtime in what’s now known as the Monday Night Miracle.

Shaq runs the point

Shaq flashed his handles at the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, at one point bringing the ball up the floor, putting the ball between his legs, and trying to take Mehmet Okur off the bounce.

The handle looked pretty tight, but he clanked his midrange pull-up, sending Carmelo Anthony rolling onto the floor in laughter.