Les Krantz - The Worlds Worsts: A Compendium of the Most Ridiculous Feats, Facts, & Fools of All Time

All athletes have their ups and downs. No matter how successful they are, there is always the occasional bump in the road. For some its a bad day, for others its a bad season. For a few, its their claim to fame.

Olympic athletes often attract positive attention when they finish last. They are seen as the underdogs, the brave hearts who dare to try, the ones the world is cheering for. Who can forget the Jamaican bobsled team and their spectacular rise to movie fame?

Here is a ranking of record-setting performances and the athletes who might like to forget them:

1988: The first and only Olympic ski jumper from Great Britain, The Eagle finished in 57th place, second from last. The 58th finisher would have beaten him, but was disqualified.

1970s: The Mouse lost nearly 200 of his 250 boxing matches. He was knocked out on every continent, one time twice in the same night, under two different names.

Won the Worst Prize in his Florida clubs Avid Golfer Contest by shooting a 66on one hole, the infamous 17th, at Jacksonvilles TPC at Sawgrass. On the 12th green, he shouted to a heckler that hed give up his new Mercedes just to get a triple-bogey. His 18-hole score: 257.

1893: While 4 or 5 errors a season is acceptable, some players keep their jobs with a dozen or more. The Washington Senators Sullivan, however, committed 106 errors in one season, a record that still stands more than 100 years later. It was rumored fans came to the ballgame as much to watch Joe drop the ball as they did to see the game. That year the Senators set an attendance record.

2001: This New York Giants quarterback holds the title for the most fumbles in one season. He had 23. The average number in the NFL is between 2 and 3.

Eddie The Eagle became Eddie the celebrity when the Olympics were over. His qualifications for the British Olympic ski jumping team? No one else applied. He finished in 57th place (second from last)the 58th finisher would have beaten him, but was disqualified.

1988: The first Winter Olympics entry for this tropical island, the team was unable to practice on ice due to the tropical climate at home. Their grit and determination made them a crowd favorite. Their skills and training, however, delivered no better than a last-place finish, but garnered a 1993 Disney movie about them, the smash hit Cool Runnings.

1974: One of the Broad Street Bullies of the Philadelphia Flyers, Schultz was know as The Hammer by his fans. Living up to his image, he set a record for most penalty minutes, 472 in one season.

2001: One of the few athletes ever to represent Equatorial Guinea at the Olympic games, The Eel swam the 100-meter freestyle race in 1:52.07, a full minute slower than the world record. He finished last.

1993: This pitcher set a major league record of 0-27 while with the New York Mets in 1993. Traded to the Cubs in spring 1994, he won his next two starts.

1974-82: While playing for three major league teams, this infielder had a consistently low batting average (around .200) that became known as the Mendoza Line, a statistical mark to avoid.