Mariano Rivera and Ray Lewis headlined the sports retirement class of 2013. Rivera had his classy farewell tour around the majors, and the amount of respect he had earned was perhaps best represented when Red Sox fans gave him a standing ovation at Fenway Park. Lewis earned a Hollywood ending by finishing his career with the Ravens' win against the 49ers in the Super Bowl.
But they had plenty of company in calling it a career, including some teammates, with Andy Pettitte and Hideki Matsui for Rivera, and Matt Birk for Lewis. Here's a look at them and others:
Most Notable Sports Retirements Of 2013: Mariano Rivera, Ray Lewis And Beckham Slideshow
Mariano Rivera
Baseball's greatest closer has all kinds of eye-popping stats such as his record 652 saves and a 0.70 postseason ERA. But our favorite might be his seven multi-inning saves in the World Series.
Ray Lewis
Known for his fiery speeches and inspirational dancing, Lewis helps the Ravens win two Super Bowls during his 17 seasons in Baltimore. He is MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, a 34-7 win against the Giants. He ends his career with the Ravens' 34-31 victory in Super Bowl XLVII over San Francisco.
Allen Iverson
The little man (6-0, 165 pounds) earns respect with his fearless style and scoring prowess. He wins the NBA MVP award in 2001 when he also leads the 76ers to the Finals. Iverson plays his last game in the league in 2010, then has stint in Turkey before officially announcing his retirement in October 2013. His "practice" rant remains a classic.
David Beckham
Beckham becomes a global icon as he helps Manchester United, Real Madrid and the Los Angeles Galaxy win championships. He ends his career with Paris Saint-German, playing his final match on May 18.
Jason Kidd
A brilliant playmaker, Kidd wins the NBA championship with the Mavericks in 2011 after falling short in the Finals with the New Jersey Nets in 2002 and 2003. A five-time first-team All-NBA selection, Kidd also captures Olympic gold in 2000 and 2008.
Grant Hill
After winning two NCAA titles at Duke, Hill becomes the third overall pick of the 1994 NBA draft, behind Glenn Robinson and Jason Kidd. Hill is a seven-time NBA All-Star but injuries riddle his pro career. He finishes with career averages of 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Andy Pettitte
Pettitte is part of the Yankees' Core Four with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada that wins five World Series championships. Pettitte establishes himself as a clutch performer with a 1-0 win against John Smoltz of the Braves in Game 5 of the 1996 World Series. It gives the Yankees the series lead for the first time, and they clinch the title in the next game.
Brian Urlacher
The Bears linebacker is the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and earns eight Pro Bowl selections in 13 seasons, all with Chicago.
Roy Halladay
Halladay, a Cy Young winner in each league, pitches a perfect game in 2010 for the Phillies against the Marlins. He also throws a no-hitter that year in the playoffs against Cincinnati. Halladay has three 20-win seasons.
Chris Carpenter
The 2005 N.L. Cy Young Award winner posts career totals of 144-94 and a 3.76 ERA, while going 10-4 with a 3.00 ERA in the postseason. He helps the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006 and 2011. He wins Game 7 of the 2011 World Series, holding the Rangers to two runs in six innings.
Donovan McNabb
McNabb is the second overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft, and Philly fans, wanting Ricky Williams, boo in response. McNabb leads the Eagles to five NFC championship games, advancing once, to Super Bowl XXXIX, which they lose 24-21 to the Patriots. McNabb plays his final NFL game with the Vikings in 2011 but does not officially announce his retirement until 2013.
Tracy McGrady
McGrady is a two-time first-team All-NBA selection and a two-time league scoring champion. But injuries and playoff disappointments prompt the label of "star-crossed" for his career.
Miikka Kiprusoff
The Kipper is Calgary's all-time leader in wins (305) and shutouts (41). His breakout season is 2003-04 when he posts a 1.69 goals-against average and takes the Flames to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against Tampa Bay. He wins the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender in 2005-06. He also helps Finland win a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics.
Jim Thome
Thome hits 40 or more home runs in a season six times during his 22-year MLB run. He finishes with 612, which ranks him seventh on the all-time list, and unlike many sluggers of his era, Thome does not face PED accusations.
Vladimir Guerrero
Guerrero hasn't played since 2011, but makes his retirement official in 2013. He wins the 2004 A.L. MVP in his first season with the Angels, and finishes with 449 home runs and career batting average of .318.
Ilya Kovalchuk
The Russian winger walks away from $77 million by retiring from the New Jersey Devils at age 30 to play for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. The first overall pick of the 2001 NHL draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, Kovalchuk is traded to the Devils in 2010. In 2012, he helps New Jersey reach the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Kings.
Donald Driver
Green Bay's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards is part of the Packers' victory against the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. He is a four-time Pro Bowl selection, and he wins his appearance on "Dancing With The Stars" in 2012.
Hideki Matsui
After 10 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, Matsui joins the Yankees in 2003 and helps them reach the World Series. In 2009, Matsui is the World Series MVP as he hits .615 with three home runs and eight RBI in the Yankees' six-game win over Philadelphia.
Todd Helton
Helton plays first base for the Rockies for his entire 17-year career in which he hits 368 home runs and compiles a .316 batting average and .414 on-base percentage. Bonus trivia: He is the quarterback that Peyton Manning replaces at Tennessee.
Marion Bartoli
Bartoli wins the 2013 Wimbledon women's singles championship, then drops a bombshell the next month by announcing her retirement at age 28. Bartolli cites pain from injuries to her foot, ankle, hamstring and Achilles.
Edgar Renteria
Renteria wins two World Series championships, with the Marlins in 1997 and the Giants in 2010. With the Marlins, he delivers the winning hit in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7 against the Indians. With the Giants, he hits game-winning homers in Games 2 and 5 against the Rangers and wins the series MVP award.
Dario Franchitti
Perhaps better known to non-sports fans as having been Ashley Judd's husband, Franchitti is a three-time winner of the Indy 500. Franchitti is forced to retire after fracturing his spine in a crash during a race in Houston.
Matt Birk
Birk makes the Pro Bowl six times during his career with the Vikings and Ravens. He steps out a winner, announcing his retirement after Baltimore beats the 49ers in the Super Bowl.
James Blake
Blake leaves the game with a classy exit at the 2013 U.S. Open. As Jeffrey Eisenband writes of Blake on the night of his final match, "He never quite reached stardom, despite hinting at having the potential. Every time he got American fans' hopes up, he just missed out on the spotlight."
Carlos Lee
Lee is a three-time All-Star as an outfielder. He hit 30 or more home runs five times. With 17 grand slams, Lee is tied with Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams for seventh on the all-time list.
Jason Arnott
Arnott plays 18 seasons with six NHL clubs but is best remembered for his double-overtime goal in Dallas that wins the Stanley Cup for the Devils in 2000. As Greg Wyshynski writes on Puck Daddy, "That's the defining moment of Arnott's career, which is nice, because it was a starring moment for a player that always seemed like he could be on the cusp but could never achieve stardom."
Derek Lowe
Lowe, a starter and a reliever for seven MLB teams, spends most of his career in Boston where he helps the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series. Lowe earns one win in each round of the postseason in 2004. Lowe, who throws a no-hitter against Tampa Bay in 2002, finishes with a 176–157 record and a 4.03 ERA.
Tomas Holmstrom
Holmstrom is a project that pans out. Selected in the 10th round of the 1994 NHL draft, Holmstrom helps the Red Wings with four Stanley Cup championships. He does it with a style that frustrates goalies as he parks himself in front of the crease to tip pucks, provide screens or both. He also wins an Olympic gold medal with Sweden in 2006.
Ronde Barber
The cornerback plays his entire career with the Buccaneers and records 47 interceptions, with eight returned for touchdowns. The twin brother of Tiki Barber also registers 28 sacks.
Milan Hejduk
Hejduk plays all 14 of his NHL seasons with Colorado, helping the Avalanche win the 2001 Stanley Cup. In 2002-03, Hejduk wins the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer with 50.
Jason Hanson
Hanson sets the NFL record for most field goals of 50 yards or longer with 52 during his 21-year career with the Lions.
Steve Hutchinson
During 12 seasons with the Seahawks, Vikings and Titans, Hutchinson is first team All-Pro five times. His seven-year, $49 million contract with the Vikings in 2006 is the richest for a guard.
Brandon Webb
Webb wins the 2006 N.L. Cy Young Award, then finishes second in the voting the next two seasons. But 2009 turns out to be his final MLB season because of shoulder trouble. He officially retires on Feb. 4, 2013.
Jeff Saturday
The center who spent nearly his whole career snapping the ball to Peyton Manning is an undrafted free agent who ends up going to five Pro Bowls for the Colts.
Tina Thompson
The ever first draft pick in the WNBA history, Thompson finishes as the league's all-time leading scorer and a four-time champion with the Houston Comets.
Adam Morrison
Morrison is a sensation at Gonzaga, averaging 28.1 points as a junior when he takes the Bulldogs to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. He is the third overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft but a serious knee injury derails his progress. He earns two NBA titles rings as a bench player with the Lakers but is done in the league by 2010 and heads to Europe.
Katie Smith
Smith wins two championships with the Columbus Quest in the ABL before the league folds in 1998. She then wins WNBA titles with the Detroit Shock 2006 and 2008 and Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2004, 2008.
Jay Pandolfo
Pandolfo plays 13 of his 15 NHL seasons with the New Jersey Devils, and he is part of two Stanley Cup championship teams (2000, 2003). He and linemate John Madden form one of the league's best forward penalty-killing tandems.
Heather Mitts
A defender for the U.S. soccer team that wins Olympic gold medals in 2004, 2008 and 2012, Mitts takes the modern approach to announcing her retirement: She writes a post on Facebook. She also wins an NCAA title at Florida.
Ted Lilly
The lefty for the Dodgers, Cubs, Yankees, Blue Jays, A's and Expos compiles a career record of 130-113 and a 4.14 ERA. His best season came with the Cubs in 2007, going 15-8 with a 3.83 ERA.
Rolando McClain
As an All-American linebacker, McClain helps Alabama win the 2009 national championship. He plays three seasons with the Raiders after being the eighth overall pick in the 2010 draft. He signs with Baltimore in the spring of 2013 but then opts to retire.
Roman Hamrlik
The first overall pick in the 1992 NHL draft by Tampa Bay, Hamrlik plays for seven teams during his career. He is part of the Czech Republic's 1998 Olympic team that won the gold medal in Nagano.
Jared Jeffries
Jeffries helps Indiana reach the 2002 NCAA championship game and plays 11 seasons in the NBA after being a first-round pick of the Wizards.
Kevin Millwood
Millwood compiles a career record of 169-152 while pitching for seven teams. He throws a no-hitter with the Phillies against the Giants in 2003.
Kelly Pavlik
Pavlik holds the world middleweight boxing title from 2007 to 2010.
Adrian Aucoin
Aucoin plays 17 seasons in the NHL, including two with Chicago as captain of the Blackhawks. In 1998-99, while playing for the Canucks, he leads the league for goals by defensemen with 23.
Jimmy Nielsen
Goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen announces his retirement two days after leading Sporting KC to the MLS championship. Nielsen, a native of Denmark, plays 19 seasons of pro soccer with the final four coming in MLS.
Dan Severn
An All-American wrestler at Arizona State, Severn becomes one of UFC's first major stars and is inducted into the promotion's Hall of Fame in 2005. He announces his retirement Jan. 1, 2013.
