Joe Theismann had a great junior year in college, and finished among the finalists for the Heisman Trophy for his leadership under center at Notre Dame. He did not win the trophy, but the fact that he didn't might have changed the entire course of his family history.
The coaches at Notre Dame felt that by changing the pronunciation of his name from Theeeesman to ThEYEsmann (like that spelling?) he would have a better chance at winning the Heisman trophy.
Seriously.
So he did, and the rest is history. This incredible story was told by Theismann himself on The Dan Patrick Show this morning in the video above. You can hear The Dan Patrick Show every weekday from 9-12 noon est. on Fox Sports Radio.