Sports
In the National Hockey League, 99 has been the only number retired league-wide, for Wayne Gretzky. The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, the two teams for which he played the bulk of his NHL career, have separately retired the number in his honor.
- The highest jersey number allowed in most major league sports, uniform numbers are limited to 2 digits.
99 is the NBA record for Most Free Throw Attempts in a 7-game series, set by Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1962. In the fictional film Major League, Charlie Sheen's character wore the Cleveland Indians #99 uniform.
Greg Moore's Champ Car car number 99 was retired after his fatal accident.
In cricket, it is considered unlucky if you reach 99 due to most batsmen getting out and not making the century.
In NASCAR, car #99 is owned by Roush Fenway Racing. From 1996 to mid-2004, the car was driven by Jeff Burton. Since then, it has been driven by Carl Edwards.
In rugby union, the 99 call was a strategy devised by British Lions captain Willie John McBride during the squad's tour to South Africa. On a call of "99", each Lions player was expected to physically attack the nearest Springbok; this was a pre-emptive strategy against the Springboks' perceived strategy of physical intimidation.
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Famous quotes containing the word sports:
“Come, my Celia, let us prove
While we may the sports of love;
Time will not be ours forever,
He at length our good will sever.”
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637)
“Guys do not have a genetic blueprint that allows them to understand or love sports.”
—Lesley Visser, U.S. sports reporter and announcer. As quoted in Sports Illustrated, p. 82 (June 17, 1991)
“I looked so much like a guy you couldn’t tell if I was a boy or a girl. I had no hair, I wore guys’ clothes, I walked like a guy ... [ellipsis in source] I didn’t do anything right except sports. I was a social dropout, but sports was a way I could be acceptable to other kids and to my family.”
—Karen Logan (b. 1949)