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Throughout the 100 plus years of organized professional sports there have been scores of nicknames given to athletes. Monikers like “Magic,” “The Great One” and “Charlie Hustle” are as synonymous with success as the the men who made them famous.

When pondering all the handles associated with the world of sports, it’s easy to note that some are better than others. The “Stilt” was perfect for Wilt Chamberlain, but it also conjures images of a circus. The “Big Unit” carries with it lots of connotations besides Randy Johnson’s tallness, if you know what I mean.

With this in mind, I shall turn the attention toward awesome, rather than silly sports nicknames. Here are ten that really kick ass.

10. Lenny Dykstra, aka “Nails”

He was tough as nails and often looked as if he were chewing them.

9. Chuck “The Rifleman” Person

Appropriate for a guy who never saw a thirty-foot bomb he didn’t like or think he could hit.

8. Dick “Night Train” Lane

When Lane lowered the boom, it resembled being crushed by a runaway train. At night.

7. “Sweet” Lou Whitaker

If you ever saw Whitaker swing a bat or turn a double play, you know why he was called sweet.

6. “Slingin'” Sammy Baugh

Before there was Marino or Manning, there was Sammy. He could chuck it up with the best of them.

5. Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds

Dude cut a car in half with a hacksaw, hence the name. He also beheaded a few running backs during his day.

4. Jake “the Snake” Plummer

Shared with Ken Stabler, Plummer gets the nod because he borrowed it from pro wrestler Jake “the Snake” Roberts.

3. Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch

His wacky running style probably had something to do with all his knee ligaments getting shredded.

2. Curtis Joseph, aka “Cujo”

It doesn’t get much better than drawing comparisons to a rabid St. Bernard that kills people.

1. Red Grange, aka “The Galloping Ghost”

The Galloping Ghost definitely ranks as one of the greatest sports handles ever. Ideal for a player of Grange’s ability.

I just wish we could do sports betting on stuff like this. But question is how, how would they decide a winner? I don’t know how sites like BetUS and other sportsbooks decide the odds on this but it’s pretty interesting.