| 100% | NEON | 4 | With 62-Across, nickname for former N.F.L. star Sanders |
| 55% | TOOTALL | 7 | Nickname for former N.F.L.'er Ed Jones |
| 52% | CHOCOLATETHUNDER | 16 | Nickname for former N.B.A. star Darryl Dawkins |
| 50% | NEON | 4 | ___ Deion (rhyming nickname for former NFL star Sanders) |
| 41% | AROD | 4 | Nickname for a former Yankees star |
| 40% | SID | 3 | ___ the Kid, nickname for N.H.L. star Crosby |
| 40% | LARRYBIRD | 9 | Former N.B.A. star with a hint to 17-, 23-, 52- and 60-Across |
| 39% | NAMATH | 6 | Onetime N.F.L. star nicknamed Joe Willie |
| 39% | COACH | 5 | With 27-Across, nickname for football's Sanders, after his playing days |
| 39% | LIONS | 5 | N.F.L. team for which Barry Sanders played |
| 38% | MEANJOE | 7 | Nickname for N.F.L. Hall-of-Famer Greene |
| 36% | ARI | 3 | N.F.L. team with a logo of a bird's head, for short |
| 36% | ICEBOWL | 7 | Nickname for the subzero 1967 N.F.L. Championship Game |
| 36% | ALAN | 4 | With 62-Across, "M*A*S*H" star |
| 36% | RICE | 4 | N.F.L. star ejected from 102-Across |
| 36% | REVENGEOF | 9 | With 15 Across, what today marks for some Star Wars aficionados |
| 35% | SWEET | 5 | With 62-Across, a possible title for this puzzle |
| 35% | HARRIS | 6 | Literally, with 62-Across, longtime action star |
| 35% | PARTY | 5 | With 62-Across, clue for 19-, 37- and 50-Across |
| 35% | JAX | 3 | N.F.L. team with teal jerseys, for short |
| 35% | SMOKIN | 6 | With 62-Down, 40-Across loser's nickname |
| 35% | LOUISVILLELIP | 13 | Nickname for 18-Across, with "The": 2 wds. |
| 35% | RODMAN | 6 | Former N.B.A. star who has unofficially served as a peace ambassador with North Korea |
| 35% | ICEBOWL | 7 | Nickname for the 1967 N.F.L. Championship Game, famously played at about -15° |
| 34% | THESTIFLE | 9 | With 12 Down, nickname for French NBA defensive star Rudy Gobert |
| 34% | PAPI | 4 | Big ___ (nickname for former Red Sox star David Ortiz) |
| 34% | ROY | 3 | N.H.L. star nicknamed St. Patrick |
| 34% | HOWE | 4 | N.H.L. star nicknamed "Mr. Hockey" |
| 34% | ONCE | 4 | With 62 Across, rehearsal request |
| 34% | TMAC | 4 | Nickname for a seven-time N.B.A. All-Star |