How Ortiz's final season compares to great farewells in other sports

When David Ortiz steps off the field for the final time Sunday afternoon he'll have completed perhaps the greatest farewell season of all time. The 40-year-old should lead all of baseball in doubles, slugging percentage, and OPS this year, and he's already set single-season records for players his age.

Earlier this year we looked at how Ortiz's last season could stack up against the great farewells in baseball history, and it's clear Big Papi now arguably tops that list. But Ortiz's 2016 campaign will be remembered beyond baseball - especially if he comes through one more time in October - as one of the finest farewells professional sports has ever seen.

To try and figure out where Big Papi's 2016 season stands on this prestigious list, we took a look at some of the great final seasons from other professional athletes.

Hockey: Gordie Howe, 1979-80

After retiring in 1971 as the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, Mr. Hockey came back in 1973 to play with his sons in the upstart World Hockey Association. Seven years later, the leagues merged, and Howe - still active with the Hartford Whalers, who joined the NHL in the merger - returned to the NHL for the 1979-80 season at, incredibly, 51 years old. Age was no factor here, as Howe scored 15 goals and 41 points while playing in all 80 of the Whalers' games, and made a final All-Star Game appearance in Detroit. The Whalers made the playoffs and though they were quickly swept by Montreal, Howe added one last postseason goal to his resume before finally leaving the ice.

Football: John Elway, 1998

Elway finally led the Broncos to the promised land in 1997 with a dramatic victory over Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII, and that would have been a perfect ending - but he wasn't close to being done. Returning for a 16th season in 1998 at age 38, Elway passed for over 2,800 yards for a 14th straight season and tossed 22 touchdowns for the league-best 14-2 Broncos. In Super Bowl XXXIII he closed out his Hall of Fame career by completing 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown, lifting the Broncos to a second straight Super Bowl title while becoming the oldest Super Bowl MVP ever.

Basketball: Bill Russell, 1968-69

The greatest winner of them all went out a winner, but it wasn't easy. Russell was the Boston Celtics' player-coach, and his team, the defending NBA champions, slipped to fourth place and was aging quickly. Still, the 35-year-old battled through knee issues and exhaustion to guide the Celtics to 48 wins as a coach, while earning first-team All-Defense honors as a player. Russell averaged over 10 points and 20 boards in the playoffs, and he saved his best for his last game: A 21-rebound performance against the Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals that gave the Celtics their 11th title in 13 years.

Football: Jim Brown, 1965

There was nobody better at running with a football than Jim Brown, and he showed it in 1965. Brown ran for 1,544 yards and led the league in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, yards from scrimmage, longest run from scrimmage - a 67-yard dash - and rushing yards per game en route to his third MVP award. But after his Cleveland Browns lost the 1965 championship, the 29-year-old shockingly retired despite being the best player in the NFL. Among the major pro sports leagues in North America, only Brown and Michael Jordan - who'd later make a comeback - have retired after winning their league's MVP.

Hockey: Ray Bourque, 2000-01

Bourque - the Hall of Fame defenseman and, like Ortiz, a Boston icon - joined the Colorado Avalanche in 2000-01 with one goal in mind: Win the Stanley Cup. Not only did he get that coveted ring, but the 40-year-old's 22nd and final season ended up being one of his best. Playing in 80 games and averaging a team-high 26 minutes of ice time, Bourque scored 59 points - tied for third-most among all defenseman - was named a first-team All-Star for the 13th time, and was runner-up for the Norris Trophy. He chipped in another 10 points in the playoffs, and when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, Bourque was the first player to lift it over his head as he sailed off into retirement.

Basketball: Wilt Chamberlain, 1972-73

Though his scoring numbers fell to just 13 points per game, Chamberlain still had a ton of gas left in the tank for his final NBA season. Playing in all 82 games for the 60-win Lakers, the 36-year-old pulled down 18.6 boards per game to win his record 11th rebounding title, and became the first player ever to shoot over 70 percent from the field with a single-season record .727 field-goal percentage; only one other player - Clippers center DeAndre Jordan - has ever shot above 70 percent in a season. Though his Lakers fell to the Knicks in the NBA Finals, Chamberlain's record-setting farewell remains perhaps the greatest individual one in NBA history.