He made a name for himself as the Giants head coach, but what you may not know about Bill Parcells is that his actual first name is "Duane." And "Bill" isn't even his middle name he uses instead -- it's a nickname.
The 71-year-old Parcells, and now a Hall of Fame inductee, put up a career 172-130-1 record in the regular season, with eight division titles. He won two Super Bowls during his tenure.
It was during high school that Parcells ditched "Duane" and went with "Bill," the name of another boy in his class for whom Parcells was often mistaken. That name stuck, and the rest is history. Here are seven other sports people who made similar name changes, and how they got their moniker:
Bo Jackson: It could have been "Vincent Knows" if Jackson had stuck with his God-given name. He was named after Vince Edwards, his mother's favorite actor, but early in his life Jackson was showing the ferocity and energy of a wild boar. This led to his being labeled "Bo," for short.
Cito Gaston: Known more for his coaching of the Toronto Blue Jays, Gaston was also a player who even then went by "Cito" ahead of "Clarence." He adopted his nickname from a Mexican-American wrestler he loved as a child.
Bob Sanders: The former Colts' DB was originally named "Demond," but after so many people struggled to pronounce it, he decided it was time for a change. His mother reportedly suggested "Bob" because it was easy to say and a wellknown name. And thus he became "Bob."
Willie Hernandez: "What's wrong with using my real name?" asked Hernandez in 1988 when he decided to go back to Guillermo, his original name. The Tigers' pitcher made the switch without warning, and fans didn't know what to make of it at first announcement. It sounds like it was just for a fresh start, after "Willie" had put up an ERA of 11.57 that season before the move.
Tra Thomas: The offensive lineman's given name is "William" but when he entered he league the Eagles already had a Pro Bowl linebacker with the same name. So he went by his nickname, "Tra." By 2006, though, Thomas asled to be called "William" again. Two years later, after his attempt to rebrand himself didn't take, he again embraced "Tra."
Manny Harris: Try to say Cavalier Harris's original name of "Corperryale," a combination of many of his siblings' names, and you quickly realize why he required a nickname. "Manny" came when he was a kid and his father adored the character of Manny Ribera from Scarface. Why they didn't just name him that in the first place is a wonder.
Bill Quackenbush: The defenseman was born "Hubert" but adopted "Bill" when his aunt, who disliked his given name, gave him a new identity. He thrived. "There has often been talk about creating an award for the best defensive defenseman in the National Hockey League. There is an award for best defensive forward, so why not for the best defensive blueliner? There would be few better candidates to name such a trophy after than Bill Quackenbush," wrote a blogger.