There have been many occurrences of rookies or first-year players making a phenomenal and ever-lasting first-year season. Whether they break team records or even league records, they seem to show such bright promise for their team’s future, but by their second or third years, they don’t even come close to performing like they did in their rookie season, making them a one-hit wonder. Some have left a lasting impression while others have seem to be forgotten. Throughout all of sporting history, we have seen many one-hit wonders, here are some of the best:

Peter Mueller

Most people probably have never heard of this name or even remember him, which only proves my point to why he is on this list…

Now being on the Coyotes doesn’t help his case, as not a lot of people tended to paid much attention to the Coyotes at the time, but Peter Mueller has to be one of the NHL’s most infamous one-hit wonders, whether he is remembered or not.

Mueller was drafted eighth overall by the former Phoenix Coyotes in the 2006 NHL Draft and would later make his NHL debut in the 2007-2008 season, where he would make an instant impact on the team. The Minnesota-born center put up 22 goals, 32 assists, and 54 total points setting a team-record in his rookie season. By his next two seasons with Phoenix, Mueller put up 17 goals, 36 assists, and 53 points, before he was ultimately traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where he would then only average about eight goals per season in his two years in Colorado.

He was given a final chance in Florida with the Panthers, but he only scored eight goals and tallied 17 points in 43 games for Florida. He would never appear in an NHL game again. Most speculations to Mueller’s downfall was a series of head injuries, but it was those injuries that would unfortunately add him to the infamous list of one-hit wonders.

Dana Barros

Happy Birthday Dana Barros! Watch the baller/rapper drop 50 (21-26 FG) on the Rockets: https://t.co/E7Iy519mc9 pic.twitter.com/ZEor6zvPbS — Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 13, 2018

The former 16th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft was set to become one of the biggest NBA stars of the future. Despite a slow start to his career, Barros showed promise as he improved heavily each year and by the 1994-1995 NBA season, Barros was averaging around 20 points per game. He even was selected into the All-Star game that year. He was also awarded the Most Improved Player award, but after that magical season in ’95, Barros just seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth.

His points per game began to drop every season, and by the time 2003-2004 came around, he was just averaging six points per game. He was even waived the previous season, before being picked up by the Boston Celtics, but his play didn’t change, landing him into the category of one of sport’s biggest one-hit wonders.

David Tyree

David Tyree's helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII against the Patriots, 2008. pic.twitter.com/tJ8UFKJyfW — High & Outside Sports (@HighandOutside_) January 13, 2017

Remember that guy who made that incredible helmet catch for the New York Giants back in the 2008 Super Bowl, if you’re like me and everyone else, what ever happened to that guy?

Although his stats don’t show him to be a great player, you can see he was a player that was on the rise, increasing his catches every year and even adding a handful of touchdowns since his debut in 2003. Although he didn’t have any breakout years, he is most known for his catch off his helmet in the dying minutes of Super Bowl 42 against New England, which ultimately set them up to score the go-ahead touchdown, winning the game and Super Bowl 42.

After his Cinderella moment, Tyree was out the following season with a knee injury. He would make his return the next season, but suiting up for the Baltimore Ravens, where he appeared in 10 games and didn’t make a single catch, touchdown, and had a disappointing zero yards the entire year. That would be the end of the Tyree “legacy.”

What makes him a one-hit wonder is the fact that he pulled off a phenomenal play on the biggest stage of his life and then wasn’t able to replicate performances like that ever again in his career. A sad truth really, but it did make for a great sketch by Justin Timberlake on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Jeremy Lin

Valentine's Day Special: Jeremy Lin Buzzer Beater: http://t.co/TaP8UQfZeV this was so amazing I wish he still played @this level #jeremylin — Kelsey (@kIoading) July 24, 2014

Taking us back to the year 2012, Jeremy Lin was the talk of the town in the NBA especially back in Brooklyn as a member of the New York Knicks. Before his reign in New York, Lin was a member of the Golden State Warriors where he played 29 games and averaged 2.9 points per game, he would eventually end up in New York a year later where he began to make a name for himself, averaging 14.6 points per game. His most famous shot in his career has to be his buzzer-beater against the Toronto Raptors where the entire NBA community wanted to be a part of the “Linsanity.”

Sadly, his performance would not match what it use to be back in 2012, however he has had some great success in Brooklyn as a member of the Nets, where he averaged 18 points per game, but the whole “Linsanity” thing has pretty much died.

Tim Tebow

De los días gloriosos de Tim Tebow en la @nfl fue cuando derrotó en #Playoffs a los @steelers en tiempo extra Hoy es cumpleaños del ex QB de los @Broncos 🤗🎂🏈 📸 #NFL pic.twitter.com/nnT3SqtTRa — NFL VAVEL (@NFLVAVEL) August 14, 2018

If you didn’t already expect this, Tim Tebow has sadly made this list. Once one of the biggest football stars on the rise, has one crazy story. Going 25th overall in the 2010 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, Tebow was immediately thrown into the thick of things for the Broncos and made nine-game appearances and three starts.

His most memorable moment in his career, is no doubt the incredible throw to Demaryius Thomas who would take it all the way for an 80-yard touchdown, winning the playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23. After that game, Tebow would simply just fall off and eventually end up in a New York Jets jersey where he was switched from a quarterback to a tight end. After having zero success in New York, Tebow would eventually leave the NFL to go after another, like baseball.

Yep, Tebow would eventually land an MLB contract as a member of the New York Mets, but his MLB fame was very short lived as he’s now just a player getting thrown around in the minor league. It’s sad to see all of that potential not end up in a brighter future for Tebow.

So, those are some of the biggest one-hit wonders in sports history. Will we see a new set of one-hit wonders in the near future? Or is there currently a one-hit wonder hiding in the rosters right now?

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