40 Greatest Christmas-Related Names in Sports

Have you ever wondered which athlete or sports figure is tailor-made for the Christmas season? Well, we’ve made our list and checked it twice, although we’re still working on the naughty or nice part.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
Dionte Christmas (Temple basketball 2005-09, now plays overseas)
Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse basketball)
Matt Holliday (OF, St. Louis Cardinals)
Doug Jolley (former NFL tight end 2002-06)
Nerlens Noel (Kentucky basketball)

Plenty of sports figures have color-coordinated names for the season…
A.J. Green (WR, Cincinnati Bengals)
Shawn Green (former MLB OF/1B 1993-2007)
"Mean Joe" Greene (NFL Hall of Famer)
Red Auerbach (legendary NBA coach)
Red Grange (NFL Hall of Famer)
Michael Redd (former NBA guard 2000-12)

Who’s ready to deck the halls?
Todd Berry (Louisiana-Monroe football head coach)
Jamey Carroll (IF, Minnesota Twins)
Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks head coach)
Jon Garland (MLB pitcher 2000-11)
Royal Ivey (G, Philadelphia 76ers)
Holly Rowe (ESPN reporter)
Mike Tannenbaum (New York Jets general manager)

Walking in a winter wonderland…
David Frost (PGA Champions Tour)
Scott Frost (Oregon WRs coach)
Frostee Rucker (DE, Cleveland Browns)
Ron Slay (Tennessee basketball 1999-2003, now plays overseas)
Garth Snow (NHL goalie 1993-2006, current New York Islanders general manager)
J.T. Snow (MLB first baseman 1992-2006, '08)

Jay Cutler may hail from Santa Claus, Ind., but all these guys are missing is a white beard and a red suit…
Zac Claus (Nevada basketball assistant coach)
Casey Clausen (Tennessee quarterback 2000-03)
Jimmy Clausen (QB, Carolina Panthers)
Ed Kringle (played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s)

Sure they can play football, but can they fly?
Dwight Dasher (Middle Tennessee quarterback 2007-10)
Kyle Rudolph (TE, Minnesota Vikings)

He may be nice, but his last name says otherwise…
Danny Coale (Dallas Cowboys practice squad)

Casting call for the nativity scene…
Ivan DeJesus (OF, Chicago Cubs)
Curtis Joseph (NHL goalie 1988-2009)
Angel Pagan (OF, San Francisco Giants)
Russell Shepard (LSU football)
Mark Weisman (Iowa football)

Now we feast…
Mia Hamm (women's soccer legend)
Felix Pie (OF, Pittsburgh Pirates)
Antrel Rolle (DB, New York Giants)

And who better to wrap up our list...
Metta World Peace (F, Los Angeles Lakers)