Aaron Donald's decision to come off the retirement couch and get back on the field after a two-year absence may be unusual but it's far from unprecedented.
Donald joins a list of athletes who had called it quits after putting together Hall of Fame-caliber careers only to get the itch and decide to come back to play.
“Do I feel like I can play at a high level? Yes,” Donald said Sunday after announcing his decision to return to the Los Angeles Rams and
continue a career that already featured three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards and eight first-team All-Pro selections. “Do I feel like I can still be myself? One hundred percent, and if I didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t be here.”
Whether this comeback is more like Michael Jordan's first in the NBA when he won titles in his first three full seasons back, or his second, when he couldn't make the playoffs in two seasons with Washington, remains to be seen.
But few have made the attempt as a 35-year-old in the physical shape that Donald is in, providing hope that this one could be a success.
Other greats like Magic Johnson and Mario Lemieux made comebacks after early retirements for medical reasons. Johnson played 32 games for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 after a four-year absence following his announcement that he had contracted HIV.
Lemieux sat out three seasons battling Hodgkin's lymphoma before returning in 2000 to play five more seasons for the Pittsburgh Penguins, adding 77 goals and 152 assists to his already impressive totals.
Here are some other Hall of Famers in the North American team sports who came out of retirement with varying success:
The Minister of Defense was also a multitime AP Defensive Player of the Year when he stepped away following the 1998 season after winning his second DPOY award that season to give him 192 1/2 sacks, eight All-Pro selections and a certain ticket to Canton.
After sitting out the 1999 season, White joined the Carolina Panthers in 2000. While he played in all 16 games, the results weren't great. He had a career-low 5 1/2 sacks and played out the string with a team that finished 7-9 and missed the postseason.
Prime Time established himself as one of the NFL's greatest cornerbacks in his first 12 seasons with Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas and Washington. He helped both the 49ers and Cowboys win a Super Bowl, was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1994 with San Francisco, and his 48 interceptions helped him garner six first-team All-Pro selections.
Sanders retired after the 2000 season and first tried to make a comeback late in 2002 but the Chargers blocked his possible move to the Raiders with a waiver claim that kept him on the retired list.
Sanders eventually came back two years later in 2004 at age 37. He played two more seasons with Baltimore, with five interceptions in 25 games.
Jordan first stepped away at the top of his game in 1993 after winning his third straight NBA title with the Chicago Bulls. It wasn't a full retirement as he opted to give baseball a try, playing in the minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox organization.
He came back late in the 1994-95 season and scored 55 points in his fifth game back but fell short in the playoffs with the Bulls losing in the second round to Orlando. Chicago was nearly unbeatable the next three seasons, setting a then-record with 72 wins in 1995-96 with Jordan winning another title and his fourth MVP. The Bulls won it all the next two seasons for a second three-peat with Jordan once again retiring after winning MVP in 1998 in what was billed as “The Last Dance.”
Jordan became a part-owner of the Washington Wizards in 2000 and decided to come back and play in the 2001-02 season at age 38. Jordan still had something in the tank as he averaged at least 20 points per game in both seasons with Washington but it wasn't enough.
Cousy was one of the NBA's first superstars as the dazzling point guard on the dynastic Boston Celtics before retiring in 1963 after winning his fifth straight NBA title and his 12th All-NBA selection. His retirement ceremony in 1963 was nicknamed the Boston Tear Party for the emotional toll it took on the city.
Cousy sat out the next six seasons before getting hired as head coach of the Cincinnati Royals in 1969. Late in his first season he decided to come out of retirement and play as well at the age of 41 as the second player to appear in an NBA game in his 40s.
The comeback didn't last long. Cousy played seven games at the end of the season, making just one basket and recording 10 assists in his brief time before going back to being a full-time coach.
Sandberg made the surprise decision to retire from the Chicago Cubs midway through the 1994 season at age 34 as he was struggling with a career-low .238 average and just five homers in 57 games.
After sitting out the next season, Sandberg returned to the Cubs in 1996 and played two more seasons. He hit 25 homers in his first season back to lead all second basemen. He added 12 more homers the next season for a last-place team before hanging it up for good.
Mr. Hockey retired at age 43 with 786 goals in 1,687 games with the Detroit Red Wings and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame the following year. But in 1973 he decided to return to the ice at age 45 to play with his sons Mark and Marty for Houston of the WHA.
He spent six seasons in the upstart league before finishing his career back in the NHL with the Hartford Whalers. He finished his final season at age 52, having recorded 15 goals and 26 assists in 80 games to extend his own records for goals, points and games played.
Plante had won six Stanley Cups with Montreal and was one of the most important goaltenders in hockey history when he retired in 1965 at age 36. Plante was the first goalie to wear a mask regularly and was one of the first to play the puck outside the crease in a practice that is now commonplace.
After sitting out three seasons, Plante returned in 1968-69 to play for the St. Louis Blues in their second season as an expansion team. He helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final in his first season before losing to his old Canadiens team and played four more seasons after that in the NHL, finishing with Boston in 1973-74. He then played 31 games in 1974-75 for Edmonton in the WHA before retiring for good before the next season.
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