A Recent History of Dramatic Sports Homecomings

This Sunday night Peyton Manning will take the field at a Colts home game wearing the opposing team's jersey. Back in 2010, Colts fans—and NFL fans in general—would've scoffed at the idea of Peyton ever leaving Indianopolis. A lot happens over the course of a season though. After a career-threatening neck injury that caused him to miss the entire 2011 season, the Colts released the four-time MVP and less than two weeks later he signed a five-year/$96 million contract with the Denver Broncos.

How will the only quarterback—other than Johnny Unitas—to bring the Colts a Super Bowl title be recieved on Sunday? All signs point to it being an emotional but welcoming show of support for Manning. It's not like he had a 90-minute special and said he was taking his talents to Mile High because of the weed dispensaries. In light of Peyton's return to Indianopolis, we're breaking down a number of sports homecomings that range from heart-warming to hostile. From LeBron James returning to Cleveland to Brett Favre coming back to Lambeau Field as a Viking, a Recent History of Dramatic Sports Homecomings.

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Wayne Gretzky

Date of homecoming: 10/19/1988
New team: Edmonton Oilers
Former team: Los Angeles Kings
What transpired: The Great One got a much deserved standing O in his return to Edmonton.
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When Gretzky was traded to the L.A. Kings, much of the anger Edmonton fans felt about the transaction wasn't aimed at Gretzky, but rather his wife, Janet Jones, and the Oilers owner, Peter Pocklington. Jones, an actress, was looked at as a Yoko Ono-type figure, responsible for breaking up an Oilers team that featured Mark Messier and Kevin Lowe, so that she could more seriously pursue her career. Meanwhile, Pocklington was regarded as a greedy SOB for the trade, having broken up one of the closest-knit teams in the league in order to capitalize on Gretzky's trade value.

After the trade had been finalized, Pocklington was burned in effigy by Oilers fans. However, when Gretzky actually came back home, all of this ill will was set aside in order to give a proper welcome to the Canadian hero. Though his Kings would leave with a loss, Gretzky was treated to a standing O by the fans, and warm greetings from his former teammates. For Gretzky, who commented before the game about how tough it would be to play against his former teammates, it likely couldn't have been a more perfect night.

Joe Montana

Date of homecoming: 9/11/1994
New team: Kansas City Chiefs
Former team: San Francisco 49ers
What transpired: Steve Young establishes himself as a solid quarterback while Joe Montana struggles with injury. The 49ers had to choose between which should be the started and chose Young, who would lead San Francisco to its fifth Super Bowl victory in 1994. Montana was traded to the Chiefs.
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Picture how weird it felt when you first saw Peyton Manning wearing that blue and orange instead of that blue and white. Then you get the gist of how it felt when Joe Montana was a Chief. Like Peyton Manning, Montana was the face of his original franchise and led his new team to the playoffs. The two also faced their old teams in their second years with the new franchises, and a lot of folks are predicting that Manning will finish this Sunday the same way as Montana did: With a W.

Montana wasn't only facing his own team in the second week of the 1994 season, he was facing the man who took his job—Steve Young. The legend had no problem scoring the prior week with his offense with its 30 points against the Saints. It was a similiar case that Sunday in what was dubbed the Vindication Bowl as Montana threw for two touchdowns in Kansas City's win. Young threw two interceptions to give the living-in-Montana's-shadow criticism more bite...until he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl victory that year.

Also, isn't it weird how history repeats itself? Alex Smith also got squeezed out of the 49ers because of the rise of a backup quarterback and is now with the Chiefs (see: Colin Kaepernick).

Roger Clemens

Date of homecoming: 7/12/1997
New team: Toronto Blue Jays
Former team: Boston Red Sox
What transpired: Clemens opted to not resign with the Red Sox when his contract was up after then-Sox general manager Dan Duquette said Clemens was in the "twilight" of his career.
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After 13 years as a member of the Boston Red Sox where he racked up three Cy Young awards (1986, 1987, 1991) and an AL MVP honor in 1986, Roger Clemens decided that it was time for him to head north of the border and join the Toronto Blue Jays. According to then-Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette, Clemens opted to go elsewhere over receiving "the most money ever offered to a player in the history of the Red Sox franchise" which would definitely put him on this list. However, Clemens claims that he left because Duquette made little effort to re-sign him since the Sox GM believed Roger was in the "twilight" of his career.

When he returned to Fenway on July 12, 1997, The Rocket felt as though he had to make a statement on the mound. Coincidentally, on his 400th career start, Clemens shrugged off the smattering of boos and came out dealing, striking out 16 batters and giving up only one earned run in eight innings. Then, in a surprising move, the hometown Red Sox fans started cheering Roger on as he attempted to strike out the side in the eighth inning. There are also rumors that Clemens was occasionally glancing into the owner's box where he thought Duquette was sitting as if to say, he still had it. We're sure the Sox GM got the message loud and clear.

Shaquille O'Neal

Date of homecoming: 2/22/1998
New team: Los Angeles Lakers
Former team: Orlando Magic
What transpired: O'Neal called the city of Orlando a "dried-up little pond" in the summer of 1996 before signing with the Lakers as a free agent.
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Originally, Shaq was supposed to play his first game as a Laker in Orlando on March 23, 1997. So Magic fans showed up at the game armed with signs that said things like, "WHAT DO THESE PEOPLE HAVE IN COMMON? JUDAS-BRUTUS-SHAQ." But because of a knee injury, Shaq couldn't play in the game and didn't sit on the bench during it, which left many Magic fans disappointed.

The Magic faithfull were every bit as fired up 11 months later when Shaq finally did make his long-awaited return to O-Town, though. They cheered when the team played The Beatles' song "I'm a Loser" for Shaq just before tipoff. They booed him every single time he touched the ball. And they held up signs that said, "BENEDICT O'NEAL" as they watched the Magic cruise to a 96-94 win. Not surprisingly, Shaq was unfazed.

"Am I going to go home and drink a whole bottle of Pine Sol?" he asked after the loss. "No. We've just got to move on." Shaq did. And eventually, so did the Magic. But for at least one night, the Magic fans and players hated Shaq, and he hated them right back.

Luis Figo

Date of homecoming: 10/21/2000
New team: Real Madrid
Former team: Barcelona
What transpired: Figo surprsingly accepted a €60 transfer to Real Madrid after five-plus years in Barcelona.
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Bitter does not even really begin to describe how angry the Barcelona fans were when Figo accepted a €60 million transfer to Real Madrid, their arch nemesis. The former fan favorite instantly became a villain, and Figo was treated as such when he returned to Camp Nou for his first La Liga clash against his former team.

Banners labeling him (among other things) "Judas," "Traitor," and "Mercenary" were unfurled all over the stadium, and throughout the game Figo was cascaded with both boos and the occasional flying projectiles from the crowd whenever he touched the ball. Real lost the game 2-0, and things only got worse for Figo when he returned to his old home for subsequent matches; in 2002, fans actually threw a severed pig head at him when he was lined up to take a corner kick.

Michael Jordan

Date of homecoming: 1/19/2002
New team: Washington Wizards
Former team: Chicago Bulls
What transpired: Three seasons removed from "The Final Shot" Michael Jordan announced he was returning to the NBA and joining the Washington Wizards—the same team he was a part owner and President of Basketball Operations for.
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Just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Michael Jordan came out of retirement and said that his salary would go to the victims of the terrorist attacks. It's hard to hate on a man who does that and is also recognized as the greatest basketball player of all time. So when Jordan returned to the United Center, Bulls fans welcomed him back with open arms. MJ wasn't his vintage self but still put up respectable numbers for a 38-year-old in his return to the Windy City. His Airness shot 7-21 from the field, dropping 16 points in the Wizards 77-69 victory over the Bulls.

Jose Mourinho

Date of homecoming: 12/7/2004
New team: Chelsea
Former team: FC Porto
What transpired: Mourinho left Porto for Chelsea's riches after just two seasons as head coach
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In 2004, FC Porto had reached the pinnacle of European football: they had won the UEFA Champions League, appearing poised to become the next great dynasty on the international club scene under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho. But only two days later, the dynamic young manager fled for the riches of Roman Abramovich and Chelsea, leaving the Portuguese club's fans bitter and angry that their manager could so swiftly turn his back on the club that made him a star.

It was seemingly fated that but a few months later Mourinho would return to Estadio do Dragao with his new side for a Champions League group stage match, and with Porto needing a win to advance in the competition, they were able to best their old boss on a late goal by Benni McCarthy.

Vince Carter

Date of homecoming: 4/15/2005
New team: New Jersey Nets
Former team: Toronto Raptors
What transpired: Carter's agent asked the Raptors for a trade at the beginning of the 2004-05 NBA season, and he was sent to the Nets in December 2004.
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Less than six months after getting traded to the Nets, Carter returned to Toronto and Raptors fans did everything they possibly could to get under his skin. They burned Carter's jerseys, they wore baby bibs with his jersey No. 15 on them, and they booed relentlessly. They were upset over the fact that Carter had demanded his way out of Toronto and miffed about some comments he had made to TNT's John Thompson shortly after the deal went through.

"In years past, no," Carter told Thompson when asked if he had always pushed himself during his time in Toronto. "But now, with all the injuries and all the things that have gone on, I have to work a little harder and I'm a little hungrier. That's why getting the opportunity to have a fresh start with New Jersey has made me want to attack the basket for a lot of reasons."

Carter tried to clarify his statements later. But a lot of people in Toronto took his words to mean that he had not given them his all during his time with the Raptors. So they booed him during his first game back. And to this very day, they continue to boo Carter, even though he has gone on the record on a number of occasions and professed his love for the city of Toronto.

Wayne Rooney

Date of homecoming: 4/20/2005
New team: Manchester United
Former team: Everton
What transpired: Bitter about Rooney's transfer to Manchester in 2005, Everton fans got their revenge with a 1-0 victory over Man U.

After making his senior team debut with the Everton Blues at just the age of 17, Rooney transferred to the bigger, more prestigious Red Devils side in 2004, after rejecting a three-year deal from Everton and leaving his former fan base feeling betrayed. When he returned to Everton in April of the following year, Blues faithful wanted blood. So how sweet must this victory over Man U have been for them?

Reduced to nine men by the end of the game, Man U was still able to threaten Everton for much of the game but, in the end, the scrappier, more motivated Blues came out on top. Though Rooney and Man U have undoubtedly held the edge over Everton since, nothing can diminish how good that first victory must've felt for them.

Johnny Damon

Date of homecoming: 5/1/2006
New team: New York Yankees
Former team: Boston Red Sox
What transpired: Two seasons after playing a prominent role on the Red Sox squad that would end the 86-year curse of the Bambino, Johnny Damon signed a four-year/$52 million contract with the New York Yankees.
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What's that saying? "If you have beat 'em, join 'em?" Seems a bit off but such was the case for Johnny Damon in 2006 when he signed a huge contract with the Evil Empire. It's awkward anytime a star athlete switches teams to join a rival but even more weird when they join a team that they helped beat en route to a championship just a couple years earlier.

Gone was the bearded caveman who helped end the Curse of the Bambino, a new clean-cut Damon was now donning pinstripes. Sox fans met him with boos and signs that read "Judas Damon." Sox fans had plenty to cheer about as Damon went 0-4 in the Yankees' 7-3 loss at Fenway Park. However, Damon would earn himself another World Series ring in 2009 with the Yankees.

Allen Iverson

Date of homecoming: 3/19/2008
New team: Denver Nuggets
Former team: Philadelphia 76ers
What transpired: As infamous as it was, Allen Iverson's "Practice" rant in 2003 was only an example of Iverson's growing frustrations with the 76ers. He eventually demanded a traded and went to Denver in December 2006.
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What happens when you get the league's No. 1 and No. 2 leading scorers on the same team? Well, in A.I. and Melo's case you can't make it out of the first round of the playoffs. The games will be fun to watch though, like this classic between Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony's Nuggets versus Philadelphia.

Iverson played the destroyer of worlds on Philly's behalf for years, but the 76ers were still barely ready for what he brought to them that night in March. Iverson hit them with 32 points, eight assists, and three steals, but just like in Philadelphia, it wasn't enough. Iverson tied the game in a little over a minute to go with a clutch three-pointer only to have his efforts thwarted in what has to be the clumsiest game-winner ever. Andre Iguodala stumbled on a drive to the basketball and the ball haphazardly ended up in Samuel Dalembert's hands for the layup. Ugly to look at, but good enough to send Iverson away from Philadelphia with a 115-113 loss. The standing ovation made for a good consolation prize though.

Brett Favre

Date of homecoming: 11/1/2009
New team: Minnesota Vikings
Former team: Green Bay Packers
What transpired: Favre came out of retirement (again) to join an on-the-rise Vikings team.
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Brett Favre is one sneaky S.O.B. When Favre first retired and then unretired, he put the Packers in a sticky situation. They had just committed to Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback of the present and the future, and their refusal to change that stance to accommodate Favre fractured the fan base and the organization. The Packers ended up dealing Favre to the Jets, and led them to a playoff-less 9-7 season.

Favre again announced his retirement, only to show up at Vikings training camp six months later. The conspiracy theorist in us is sure that this was a move to get the Jets to release him from his contract so he could sign with the Vikings. When he returned to Lambeau for the first time since his first retirement in a Vikings uniform, he sure heard it from the home crowd. Make no mistake: Brett Favre was a traitor.

The Vikings won the game 38-26, and Favre threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns. While the Vikings moved to 7-1 for the first time since 2000 (they would lose in the NFC Championship game to the Saints that season), much of the post-game focus was on Rodgers, who tossed for 287 yards on 26 of 41 passing attempts and three touchdowns despite being sacked 6 times and leading the team in rushing. At that moment, it seemed like both Favre and the Packers got what they wanted post-breakup. Favre got to play on a Super Bowl-caliber team, and the Packers got confirmed that their newest franchise quarterback could sling it with the best of them.

LeBron James

Date of homecoming: 12/2/2010
New team: Miami Heat
Former team: Cleveland Cavaliers
What transpired: In front of 13.1 million viewers watching around the world, LeBron James famously said he was "taking his talents to South Beach" during the 2010 free agency period.
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In a matter of 90 minutes LeBron James went from one of the league's most loved players to one of the most loathed. Knicks fans were mad because he wasn't going to the basketball Mecca, Chicago fans were pissed because D-Wade wasn't returning home with the King, but Cleveland fans were the most enraged because they took yet another L.

The then two-time MVP was Cleveland's sole hope of winning its first major sports championship since the Browns won the NFL championship back in 1964. That's right, back when the Super Bowl didn't even exist. Instead he left for Miami. His return to the Quicken Loans Center included boos, "Quitness," "Witless," and "Lyin' King" signs, and a huge blowout win by the Heat (118-90). Bron Bron went 15-25 from the field and dropped 38 points in Miami's victory.

Dwight Howard

Date of homecoming: 3/12/2013
New team: Los Angeles Lakers
Former team: Orlando Magic
What transpired: After years of indecisiveness as to whether or not he wanted to stay with the Magic, Orlando finally had enough of the Dwightmare and dealt him to the Lakers.
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To say that the final couple months leading up to Dwight Howard's departure from Orlando were tumultuous would be an understatement. There was the time he came close to getting into a physical altercation with then-teammate Jameer Nelson and the rumors that Howard demanded that coach Stan Van Gundy get fired, just to name a few.

Dwight did try to make amends after he was dealt to the Lakers saying, "They made me into the player that I am today, and I'll always be thankful for that. I came here a boy and left a man. It's made me a better person being here. Thank you to all the fans who supported me even throughout all the bad times." But, the Magic faithful were still very pissed off with Howard's antics and let him have it in the team's starting lineup introductions.

Prior to Howard's Orlando homecoming, teammate Kobe Bryant told D12 to show the Magic what they're missing out on and bust their ass. While the Lake Show did collectively beat Orlando in his return, Howard did manage to tie his own record for free throw attempts in a game with 39 and finished with 39 points as well as 16 rebounds.

Rafael Benitez

Date of homecoming: 4/21/2013
New team: Chelsea
Former team: Liverpool
What transpired: Rafa became Chelsea's interim manager in the middle of the 2012/13 season, putting him back in the EPL for the first time since he was fired as Liverpool's manager.
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Liverpool fans have a very lovely-dovey relationship with Rafa. Already a nostalgic set of fans because of their dominance of European soccer from the 1960s-early 1990s, Rafa was the man who restored that past glory. He's the man who was at the helm for their Champions League comeback at Istanbul—he guided Liverpool to their highest EPL points total ever in 2008-09. For that, they forget how cold he was as a manager, how rigid he was with his tactics, and how he drove himself and the team down the drain during the last stages of the damaging ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

When Rafa returned to Anfield as Chelsea's manager last April, there was an outpouring of love from Liverpool supporters. There were fans who wished he had never been sacked, and fans who were angry that he was passed over for the Liverpool job in the summer of 2012 when it became vacant once again, but above all, everyone at Anfield that day was just happy to see Rafa back on the sidelines. It didn't matter that he had taken a job with rivals Chelsea—it was just on an interim basis, and he had already ranted about how much he hated the way Chelsea fans were treating him. In the eyes of the Reds, he was still their Rafa.

Ultimately, the return was overshadowed by Luis Suarez's bite on Branislav Ivanovic during the 2-2 draw. It was a spoiled homecoming for all parties, but a memorable one nonetheless.