2023 Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame - Round 1

Luther "Shark" Lavay

TV Show/Movie Appeared: Any Given Sunday (1999)
Actor/Actress: Lawrence Taylor
Position Portrayed: Linebacker
Played For:: Miami Sharks
Why you should vote:: Much like Lawrence Taylor changed linebacking in the NFL, Lavay changed it in the AFFA. (Pacino said the latter, so IT MUST BE TRUE)
Why you should not vote:: Much like Taylor himself, Lavay’s best days were behind him.
As much as this movie had a lot of characters that stood out, only the one of Luther “Shark” Lavay had that feeling of deja-vu. Lavay was billed as the Linebacker who changed the way the position was played; the very statement that was given to the man who portrayed him, Lawrence Taylor.

Taylor was not a great actor here, but he was given some of the more poignant gridiron related speeches in the film. With a chainsaw, he taught “Steamin” Willie Beamen offense and defence, and he taught the young Quarterback about emotion in the game. Lavay’s career ended on the field due to making a vital hit (it turned the ball over on downs), but he was stretchered off the field, where it was implied that he may be paralyzed; essentially due to all the damage he took on the football field. Somehow, in the new injury aware National Football League, this scene seems to hold a little more impact than it did when it was filmed.